Boldness — not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring.I hesitate. A lot. I have some serious fears, too. The last person I'd call bold is myself. However, God has called us to the ministry of being bold. Bold for Him, and bold to expand His Kingdom.
This summer, I've been reading through 1 Samuel for the very first time. Throughout 1 Samuel, there's a whole lot about a fellow named David, probably the most bold character of the Bible I've read. When he was young, he fought off lions and bears and a particular Philistine giant we all know named Goliath. While everyone was afraid, he stood firm. Every battle he came across, he fought it without hesitation. Every time Saul attempted to take his life, David pulled through simply on account that he was bold. He was even bold enough to spare Saul's life... twice! The life of David in the book of 1 Samuel has been a huge influence to how I want to live.
Another great thing God has shown me this summer is my spiritual gifts. All year, I've speculated what my primary gift is, but throughout the summer, God has solidified it to the point that I know now for sure. I have the spiritual gift of wisdom. This means that the Spirit has given me a supernatural ability to discern the thoughts and feelings of God toward a certain situation, person, or idea in order to make godly decisions concerning them. I can always figure out what pleases God, I can always plow through a complicated web of issues to determine the core problem, and I can always tell when something or some decision would end badly. However, people don't come flocking to me asking for advice. So a lot of times, I'll need to speak up when I'm not necessarily invited to. And what does that take?
Boldness.
Not to mention, God has led me to make a decision for this year. Instead of going to a community college and staying at home for my first year out of high school, He's led me to leave my home, my church, my awesome basement, and my girlfriend for a whole year on an internship with Children's Bible Ministries. And guess what it took me to finally come to grips with that decision.
Boldness. (And a little bit of steroids. But that's a different story entirely.)
God wants us to be bold. God wants us to stare danger and rebuff—whatever that is—in the eyes and move forward anyway. Sometimes what He's asking us to do will change our life. It may offend or sadden some people. It may very well cost us something. But God is so much better than any of that. God is worth it.
Boldness is all about confidence, power, and strength. If we're honest, that's something that not many people have. But it's not so much about what we have as much as it is about what God gives us. After all, we can't save ourselves... that's something God gave us through the Son. In the same way, we can't be bold without God giving us boldness. We can't be wise without God giving us wisdom. We can't be merciful or patient or loving or serving unless God gives that power to us.
So will I be diligent to rely on God to give me boldness? No. Not yet, at least. That's something He has only begun to work on me with. But this year is going to challenge that, with the internship and all. So we'll see just how long that lasts.
Now for the portion where I pull out Bible verses to prove my point...
1 Samuel 17:45 — Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.
Joshua 1:9 — Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Isaiah 41:10 — Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
2 Timothy 1:7 — For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
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