Boldness

Boldness

Past boldness is no assurance of future boldness. Boldness demands continual reliance on God’s Spirit.

Andy Stanley

Supernatural spiritual boldness is a trait of those who have great faith—of those who are fully relying on My Spirit. At one time you spoke My truth with passion. You urged others to consider the claims of Christ and then challenged them to embark on adventuresome missions that would further My Kingdom work in their day-to-day lives and far beyond. But now you hesitate to share your faith. You’ve become more cautious and less vocal in expressing your beliefs to others. Your trials have made you withdrawn and uncertain.

Take time to evaluate what’s happened between us. Your boldness has cooled because you’ve been relying on your own strength instead of fully depending upon Me to be the source of your faith and confidence. Boldness does not come from education or special training. It’s the natural outgrowth of spending time with Me. Out of that close relationship comes a vibrant assurance that compels you to tell others about what I’ve done for you and what I can do for them. When your heart and Mine are knit together, you overflow with an effervescent testimony of how the gospel can transform lives.

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.

Acts 4:13