- Aug 12, 2011
- 513
- 109
- Faith
- Non-Denom
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Others
A friend of mine was recently led to the Lord, and his enthusiasm, zeal, and passion for the Lord has been a refreshing presence in my life. He loves to pray, is ready to talk about Scripture at the drop of a hat, and even his countenance is brighter. The thought this week is that he is "bold" in Christ. I am sure you have seen the same thing many times: people give their lives to Christ and they go through radical changes. It's the power of the Holy Spirit that makes this difference.
Thinking about this tonight, I realized that the disciples themselves are a good example for this. When Christ took the cross, they deserted Him in fear. However, after the Resurrection, Christ visited them and said "I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49 NIV) Once they had received the gift, they became powerful witnesses for Christ, that even though there were brutal consequences to it, they still preached the Gospel of Christ. And they preached it boldly.
Here's the thing: we all, every one of us, have this boldness available to us. "God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV) And Proverbs 28:1 NIV says, "The righteous are bold as a lion." Even David prayed directly for boldness: "When I called, You answered me; You made me bold and stouthearted." (Psalm 138:3 NIV) The Book of Acts records that the disciples prayed, "Enable Your servants to speak Your word with great boldness." (Acts 4:29 NIV) And we're told that after they prayed, "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." (Acts 4:31 NIV)
We also have to remember that we *need* the power of the Holy Spirit if we are to fulfill our God-given purpose in life. You see, when God called you, He already KNEW you would not be able to fulfill the call on our own. If you could, and you did it by your might, your skills, then there is no testimony of God's greatness. It's when you face something that you cannot do alone, and turn to God in the midst of it, and His power sees you through, that testimonies are created. I *want* to face things that are impossible to do ... so that I can give him the glory when it I succeed, because I know that it is "'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty.'" (Zechariah 4:6 NIV)
Tonight I had the opportunity to be bold and witness to someone. I encourage you to ask the Lord to fill you, as David did. Let us be bold!
Thinking about this tonight, I realized that the disciples themselves are a good example for this. When Christ took the cross, they deserted Him in fear. However, after the Resurrection, Christ visited them and said "I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49 NIV) Once they had received the gift, they became powerful witnesses for Christ, that even though there were brutal consequences to it, they still preached the Gospel of Christ. And they preached it boldly.
Here's the thing: we all, every one of us, have this boldness available to us. "God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV) And Proverbs 28:1 NIV says, "The righteous are bold as a lion." Even David prayed directly for boldness: "When I called, You answered me; You made me bold and stouthearted." (Psalm 138:3 NIV) The Book of Acts records that the disciples prayed, "Enable Your servants to speak Your word with great boldness." (Acts 4:29 NIV) And we're told that after they prayed, "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." (Acts 4:31 NIV)
We also have to remember that we *need* the power of the Holy Spirit if we are to fulfill our God-given purpose in life. You see, when God called you, He already KNEW you would not be able to fulfill the call on our own. If you could, and you did it by your might, your skills, then there is no testimony of God's greatness. It's when you face something that you cannot do alone, and turn to God in the midst of it, and His power sees you through, that testimonies are created. I *want* to face things that are impossible to do ... so that I can give him the glory when it I succeed, because I know that it is "'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty.'" (Zechariah 4:6 NIV)
Tonight I had the opportunity to be bold and witness to someone. I encourage you to ask the Lord to fill you, as David did. Let us be bold!
