Boldness is not a word we think about every day, but it’s an imperative trait of the Christian life if we are to truly be the salt and light of the earth as God has called us to be. Boldness is the state of being courageous and is something every Christian needs and should pray for. I like how simplybible.com defines boldness from a biblical perspective – an attitude of strong confidence in God, such that godly things are said and done openly without fear of the consequences.
We must be courageous and bold enough to stand up for the truth and what is right, even when the world around us insists that “truth” is customizable and subject to each individual’s own perceptions, values, and desires.
Throughout scripture, we see illustrations of believers being bold. When God commissioned Joshua to lead the Israelites into the promised land, he told Joshua to be strong and courageous and to not be afraid because He would be with Joshua wherever he went (Joshua 1:5-9).
When Esther went before the King, it took boldness. When Moses led God’s people out of Egypt it took boldness. When the prophets spoke, it took boldness. Jesus’s ministry on earth was our most perfect example of what boldness should look like.
Even after Christ’s death and resurrection, believers still needed and continue to need boldness to proclaim the truth. Acts 4:29-31 relays an account of believers praying for boldness:
And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.?
Like every good gift from the Father, boldness is something that must be rightly handled and must come from the right heart. In order to properly wield this gift, we must not only understand what it is, but also what it is not. There is another quality that I’ve seen many brothers and sisters in Christ operate in that they mistake for boldness, and that’s arrogance.
When we speak the truth in boldness, our heart should be humble, and our motives should be rooted in love and a desire that all would repent and come to know Jesus. Arrogance, on the other hand, is rooted in pride and a haughty spirit. It’s self-exalting. An arrogant person esteems themselves higher than others, much like the Sadducees and Pharisees of Jesus’s day. Satan had this kind of pride too. When we operate in spiritual pride, we are sinning against God.
Sometimes we see or hear of believers who think they are speaking with boldness, but because of a wrong heart posture and motive they are actually speaking from a place of arrogance. That will never win souls to Christ. Instead, it pushes people away from wanting to hear anything about our “religion.”
So how can we ensure that we operate in boldness and not in arrogance?
1. We must ask God to reveal our motives and heart postures.
As we pray for boldness, we should ask God to check our hearts and minds and reveal any wrong motives within us, especially any spiritual pride or tendencies to compare ourselves with others. As he reveals things to us, we should write them down. A journal is very helpful for this. We should then ask for his help to overcome them and willingly partner with him to make the changes in our lives. Likewise, before we speak up in a situation or witness to others, we should ask the Holy Spirit to help us do so from a place of love, not condemnation. We can ask him to guide our words, responses, tone of voice, facial expressions, and gestures.
We must always remember that our salvation was not of our own doing. We could not earn it no matter how hard we try. Nothing about it was related to us, our works, or who we are as individuals. We have ALL fallen short of the glory of God, every last one of us. Our salvation was all because of Christ Jesus and God’s great mercy. We needed only to confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).
2. We must pray regularly for wisdom and for God to help us see others the way he does.
God knows all things, and when we ask him for wisdom in how best to minister to others, he is faithful to give us that knowledge. In addition, we should request that he give us a heart that loves other people the way he does and ask for greater empathy and compassion for the hurting people around us.
Let us pray…
Father, I know I’m not perfect and that I am incapable of saving myself. That is why, in your great mercy, you sent your son Jesus to pay my debt so that I could be reconciled to you. Father, I want to speak boldly and lead others to you. Search my heart, Lord, and reveal if there be any wicked way in me. Help me to remain humble always. Lord, I ask that you help me to see other people with your eyes. Give me a heart and compassion for others so that I can minister to others in a loving way, planting seeds that others will water and watering seeds that others planted. I recognize that only you can give the growth, not I, nor those before me. Help me, Lord, to always have a proper respect for you and to honor you in how I live my life. Help me to grow each day in you as I learn how to walk out my faith to your glory.
Amen
