Boldness is a Commandment
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 28:1 “the wicked flee when no one pursues, but the
righteous are bold as a lion”. Boldness is being sure, confident, courageous and
out spoken.
God told Joshua after the death of Moses to “be strong and of a good courage.
Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid,
neither be you dismayed; for the Lord Yahweh your God is with you wherever you
go” (Joshua 1:6,9). Many, many times through the Bible we are told to fear not.
Boldness is confidence in God’s word. God tells us to bring Him in remembrance
of His word (Isaiah 43:26). As we are bringing Him in remembrance of His word,
we are returning His word to Him (Isaiah 55:11) “so shall My word be that goes
forth out of My mouth, it shall not return to Me void; but it shall accomplish that
which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it”.
We have this confidence by faith “in whom we have boldness and access with
confidence through faith in Him (Ephesians 3:12). God’s will is His word (I John 5:
14-15), which says “and this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask
any thing according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us
whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him”.
We have to step out on the strength of God’s word, and He’ll se to it that His word
does not return to Him void. The Bible tells us to be strong in the Lord and the
power of His might (Ephesians 6:10).
Boldness is not doubting, James said it this way in James 1:5-8 “if any of you lack
wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally and upbraids not; and it
shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers
is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man
think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable
in all his ways”. This is way the devil uses people to bring doubt about what you
are looking for, thinking that God won’t be with you.
We are told to come into His presence boldly in Hebrews 4:16, which says “let us
therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find
grace to help in time of need”. We are not using our boldness against God, but
we are proclaiming the word of God boldly to declare to the devil that we will not
believe his lies, but will stand on the word of God.
Our boldness comes by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19-3), “having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. By a new and
living way, which He has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His
flesh. And having a high priest over the house of God. Let us draw new with a
true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the
profession of our faith without wavering; for He is faithful that promised”.
Jesus says in Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give to you power to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means
hurt you”. Remember that God has chose us, empowered and enabled us to be
His witness. Jesus commissioned us to go into al the world, and preach the
gospel to every creature in Matthew 28:18-20 and in Mark 16:15-18).
Jesus spoke boldly even though they sought to kill Him (John 7:26), “but lo, He
speaks boldly and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is
the very Christ”? We being followers of Christ and dear children, are to do the
same.
Paul spoke boldly, after meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul was
changed, “And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to
the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a
disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared
to them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that He had spoken to him,
and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was
with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. And he spoke boldly in the
name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians, but they went about
to slay him” (Acts 9:26-29). He also wrote in Philippians 1:20 “according to my
earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that
with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body,
whether it be by life, or by death”.
The early church spoke boldly. As Peter and John prayed for the man lame at
the gate Beautiful, and the man was healed, they of the early church met with
people who told them not to pray any more in the name of Jesus, they rose up in
boldness (Acts 4:18-24), “and they called them, and commanded them not to
speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and
said to them, whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken to you more than
to God, judge you. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and
heard. So when they had further threatened then, they let them go, finding
nothing how that might punish them, because of the people, for all men glorified
God for that which was done. For the man was above forty years old, on whom
this miracle of healing was showed. And being let go, they went to their own
company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and
said, Lord, You are God, which has made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all
that in them is”.
The early church prayed for boldness (Acts 4:29-31) “and now, Lord, behold their
threatenings; and grant to Your servants, that with all boldness they may speak
Your word. By stretching forth Your hand to heal; and that signs and wonders
may be done by the name of Your hold child Jesus. And when they had prayed,
the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all
filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness”.
Paul also prayed for boldness (Ephesians 6:18-20) “praying always with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereto with all perseverance
and supplication for all saints. And for me, that utterance may be given to me,
that I way open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel. For
which I am an ambassador, in bonds; that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought
to speak”. Romans 15:4 tells us “for whatsoever things were written aforetime
were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the
scriptures might have hope”. The Bible tells us by the testimony of two or three
witnesses let a thing be established, so as the early church prayed for boldness
and Paul also prayed for boldness, we should also pray for boldness to witness
God’s word effectively.
We can walk in our boldness, if we remember that God says many times, through
out the Bible that He will never leave us or forsake us. Just knowing that we are
not by our self, we can stand strong. Hebrews 13:6 says “So we may boldly say;
the Lord is my helper, I will not fear. What can man do to me”?
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: September 1, 2009
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 28:1 “the wicked flee when no one pursues, but the
righteous are bold as a lion”. Boldness is being sure, confident, courageous and
out spoken.
God told Joshua after the death of Moses to “be strong and of a good courage.
Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid,
neither be you dismayed; for the Lord Yahweh your God is with you wherever you
go” (Joshua 1:6,9). Many, many times through the Bible we are told to fear not.
Boldness is confidence in God’s word. God tells us to bring Him in remembrance
of His word (Isaiah 43:26). As we are bringing Him in remembrance of His word,
we are returning His word to Him (Isaiah 55:11) “so shall My word be that goes
forth out of My mouth, it shall not return to Me void; but it shall accomplish that
which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it”.
We have this confidence by faith “in whom we have boldness and access with
confidence through faith in Him (Ephesians 3:12). God’s will is His word (I John 5:
14-15), which says “and this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask
any thing according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us
whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him”.
We have to step out on the strength of God’s word, and He’ll se to it that His word
does not return to Him void. The Bible tells us to be strong in the Lord and the
power of His might (Ephesians 6:10).
Boldness is not doubting, James said it this way in James 1:5-8 “if any of you lack
wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally and upbraids not; and it
shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers
is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man
think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable
in all his ways”. This is way the devil uses people to bring doubt about what you
are looking for, thinking that God won’t be with you.
We are told to come into His presence boldly in Hebrews 4:16, which says “let us
therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find
grace to help in time of need”. We are not using our boldness against God, but
we are proclaiming the word of God boldly to declare to the devil that we will not
believe his lies, but will stand on the word of God.
Our boldness comes by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19-3), “having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. By a new and
living way, which He has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His
flesh. And having a high priest over the house of God. Let us draw new with a
true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the
profession of our faith without wavering; for He is faithful that promised”.
Jesus says in Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give to you power to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means
hurt you”. Remember that God has chose us, empowered and enabled us to be
His witness. Jesus commissioned us to go into al the world, and preach the
gospel to every creature in Matthew 28:18-20 and in Mark 16:15-18).
Jesus spoke boldly even though they sought to kill Him (John 7:26), “but lo, He
speaks boldly and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is
the very Christ”? We being followers of Christ and dear children, are to do the
same.
Paul spoke boldly, after meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul was
changed, “And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to
the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a
disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared
to them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that He had spoken to him,
and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was
with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. And he spoke boldly in the
name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians, but they went about
to slay him” (Acts 9:26-29). He also wrote in Philippians 1:20 “according to my
earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that
with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body,
whether it be by life, or by death”.
The early church spoke boldly. As Peter and John prayed for the man lame at
the gate Beautiful, and the man was healed, they of the early church met with
people who told them not to pray any more in the name of Jesus, they rose up in
boldness (Acts 4:18-24), “and they called them, and commanded them not to
speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and
said to them, whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken to you more than
to God, judge you. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and
heard. So when they had further threatened then, they let them go, finding
nothing how that might punish them, because of the people, for all men glorified
God for that which was done. For the man was above forty years old, on whom
this miracle of healing was showed. And being let go, they went to their own
company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and
said, Lord, You are God, which has made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all
that in them is”.
The early church prayed for boldness (Acts 4:29-31) “and now, Lord, behold their
threatenings; and grant to Your servants, that with all boldness they may speak
Your word. By stretching forth Your hand to heal; and that signs and wonders
may be done by the name of Your hold child Jesus. And when they had prayed,
the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all
filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness”.
Paul also prayed for boldness (Ephesians 6:18-20) “praying always with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereto with all perseverance
and supplication for all saints. And for me, that utterance may be given to me,
that I way open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel. For
which I am an ambassador, in bonds; that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought
to speak”. Romans 15:4 tells us “for whatsoever things were written aforetime
were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the
scriptures might have hope”. The Bible tells us by the testimony of two or three
witnesses let a thing be established, so as the early church prayed for boldness
and Paul also prayed for boldness, we should also pray for boldness to witness
God’s word effectively.
We can walk in our boldness, if we remember that God says many times, through
out the Bible that He will never leave us or forsake us. Just knowing that we are
not by our self, we can stand strong. Hebrews 13:6 says “So we may boldly say;
the Lord is my helper, I will not fear. What can man do to me”?
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: September 1, 2009
