Be BOLD in a GOOD way!

I suppose we all have our own list of reasons we fail to talk about Jesus and what the Bible says is true when we could.

Maybe we don’t feel prepared. Maybe we leave it up to the preachers. Maybe we hate conflict and want everyone to like us. Maybe we are afraid our businesses will suffer or we will be vilified or “cancelled” by our culture.

You know, if anyone had reason to shy away from boldly speaking truth, it was Timothy.

Timothy was young, he had grown up with a non-believing father who may have scorned his faith, he had a huge congregation in Ephesus to deal with, and, not to mention Christians were being crucified, chased by lions, strapped to poles and burned for the faith.

Any of these reasons could have caused Timothy to shy away from speaking truth in hopes of avoiding conflict and even death.

Yet, Paul tells Timothy no less than twenty-five times in his first and second letters to be bold and without fear.

And friend those words are for us as well!

Remember, Paul is sitting in a cold, dark prison about to be beheaded. If anyone had reason to fear, it was him.

Yet, he says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim 1:7)

God has not given us a spirit of fear! Fear is not from God.

What is from God is:

1. Power
2. Love
3. Sound Mind.

We need to allow these truths to guard our thinking and guide our actions.

Of course, we are going to have moments when we FEEL fearful, powerless, and unloved. The world may even call us crazy!

And it’s in these very moments that we will have to wash our thinking with the truth.

We take our thoughts captive, and refute the lies of the evil one.(2 Cor 10:5)

Yes, we may FEEL powerless but God tells us through Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Cor 12:9)

When we feel weak, we ask the Lord to do in and through us what we could never do in our own strength.

When we don’t know what to say, we ask God to give us His words.

When we don’t feel love towards another, we ask the Lord to help us see them as He sees them.

We can’t.
He can.
He will.
Over and over.

He did for Paul. He did for Timothy. And that same God, will do the same for all His children. He will do it for you.

He is faithful. He will give you what you need in the moment you need it. You can trust Him for that. * If you’ve seen Him do this, will comment “Amen!”as a word of testimony?

Let’s remember we are His witnesses walking around in a lost world that desperately needs Him.

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (Matt 10:16-20)

It’s not us. It’s God-in-us. We just have to be willing—“for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Phil 2:13)

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