Do you consider yourself to be bold?
Many people have different views on this quality. It can be viewed as a good thing to be bold and stand up for what you believe in, but boldness is also often viewed as being pushy, stuck up or arrogant.
The bible says: 2 Corinthians 7:4 I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.
If you are naturally shy, you may have a hard time being bold. You may fear that if you are bold, you will come across as arrogant. It is important to realize that boldness has negative effects when we use it in a selfish way to get what we want. As Christians, though, we will face circumstances that require us to be bold in order to stand for Christ. Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
I am a walking and living proof of the shyness and boldness: At one point of my life I was very shy and I know it is hard to believe, but I was the person in the corner that no one saw, because I was shy and scared to talk. Like with anything, you get tired of being tired of situation and you either go down or up. I chose to pray for boldness, and I asked others to pray and even impart boldness to me. The more I walk with the Lord and got to know the Lord, boldness became part of my life. The Lord has brought me to where I am today.
Jesus disciples prayed and asked for boldness. They knew that in order to spread their message and make Jesus known, they could not rely on only their strength. They needed the gift of boldness to complete what they were called to do. Acts 4:31 says, after they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
So, how can we be bold in our daily lives? Being bold may be as simple as talking to someone you normally would not or stepping out of your comfort zone by praying with a person at the grocery store, a family member, friend or co-worker. Take advantage of every opportunity God gives you and touch someone’s life.
At the end of the day, true boldness is centered in Christ. It requires humility rather than pride, as we realize that we cannot be bold on our own. “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,'”says the LORD Almighty. Zechariah 4:6
I encourage you to incorporate boldness into your daily life and step out at least to see what the water feels like. When the Holy Spirit is inside of us, we can understand what it means to be bold for Christ. As a result, when opportunities come our way to share God’s love, we can ask for boldness to complete the task and bring honor and Glory to Jesus Name. Go out there and preach Jesus to all the nations.
