Be Bold
The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1 (New International Version, NIV)
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)
Dictionary.com defines the word bold as “not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring.” Boldness and courage are hallmarks of the believer. Because Jesus Christ is on our side, we need fear no person or thing.
I like that they used the word daring to help define bold. Bold people are daring people. As Christians, we are bold and daring. We are risk takers when God instructs us to follow a certain course of action. We know that when God directs something, He has already guaranteed its success.
The verse I’ve included above says that we are bold as a lion. Lions don’t back away from other animals. They are predators, meaning they take advantage of the weakness of other animals. Our enemy, the devil, has weaknesses- mainly the fact that he has already been beaten by the Lord. We take advantage of that weakness, acting as boldly as lions, anytime we do something the Lord directs.
The enemy wants to make us fear doing anything for God, but we know better than to let him stop us. Maybe God told you to witness to someone. Of course the enemy will give you the ridiculous thought, “What if they reject me and tell me to get lost?” We know that we have nothing to fear, because if they reject the Gospel, they are rejecting Jesus and not us. See how he twists things ever so slightly to try to bring fear and make us step back from what we’re called to do?
We know who we are and Whose we are. God’s got our back, and we cannot lose. Therefore, we can go forth and do great things for the glory of God. Be the lion-like Christian that God made you to be. Let your boldness come forth and roar!
