Struggling With Boldness

It can happen anywhere or anytime. You might be talking to an unbelieving friend or relative, an acquaintance, or even a stranger when you feel the Holy Spirit prompting you to say or do something you weren’t planning on saying or doing. This happens a lot to me when I’m at the grocery store. I’ll be waiting for the cashier to finish ringing up my groceries, when all of a sudden, I feel God tugging on my heart, urging me to tell him (or her) that Jesus loves them. Whether it’s simply mentioning Jesus’ name, sharing my faith, or standing up for biblical doctrine, I sometimes struggle with yielding to these quiet, yet persistent stirrings from the Holy Spirit. Instead of feeling honored that the Lord wants to use me as His mouthpiece, many times, I become nervous and a little afraid.

I want to be fearlessly bold for Christ, but I struggle in this area, and I know a lot of other Christian women do too. If you’re not naturally a bold person, or if telling others about Christ terrifies you, don’t lose heart. Be comforted and reassured that God will answer our prayers for boldness and courage, just like He did for the apostles (Acts 4:29; Ephesians 6:18-20; Colossians 4:3).

Lately, I’ve been renewing my mind with scriptures that reassure me that God’s ability to accomplish His will through me, doesn’t rest on who I am, but on who He is and His faithfulness.

Through this washing of the Scriptures the Lord has reminded me of three things I want to share with you:

1. What God Wants To Accomplish Doesn’t Depend On Our Abilities

“Moses said to the Lord, ‘O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.’ So the Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.’” Exodus 4:10-12

Like Moses, we often believe the lie that what we can accomplish depends on our abilities, and not on the Lord’s power to move and work through us. We serve a mighty God who can close the mouths of lions (Daniel 6:22; Hebrews 11:33), so we shouldn’t doubt His ability to not only open ours but to fill them with the words He wants us to speak: “Do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” (Matthew 10:18-20).

2. The Word of God Is Not Just Words

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

The gospel and the words of God are powerful because they are alive! When God prompts us to say or do something, we need to know and trust that He has already laid the groundwork for something amazing to take place (or is doing so through us). He knows the inner workings of the person you’re talking to: what will awaken their spirit, breath encouragement into them, or what seeds need to be sown now so that they can sprout forth in His perfect timing later. Let’s believe, and remember that God’s Word has the power to change lives! After all, wasn’t it His word that changed our life?

3. God Always Accomplishes His Purpose

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11

God’s Word never fails to accomplish His purpose, regardless of the person’s reaction. Even when we’re ridiculed, scoffed at, or just looked at strangely, God blesses us and tells us to rejoice because our reward is great in heaven (Matthew 5:11-12). God may be using you to soften that person’s heart, bring someone to salvation, or be an example and inspiration to another believer (who may have just overheard your conversation) to be bolder for Christ in their own life. Whatever the reaction we receive from someone, whether positive or negative, know that your obedience blesses the Lord and that He will bless you for it!

I would love to hear some of the scriptures that have encouraged you to be bold and courageous for Christ! Leave a comment and share, maybe in doing so you’ll bless and inspire someone else!

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