Boldness

Whew! It's been a hot minute! I pray everyone is having a great 2020 so far, and that you haven’t given up on those new year resolutions already. I will say my eating habits have been a bit better but still working on gaining the motivation to hit the gym... not there yet!

In one of my previous posts, I talked about how in years past I have a word that describe each year. 2019 was a year of preparation. As I was thinking and praying about different words to go into 2020, I believe I found it. Boldness.

Boldness: willingness to take risks; confidence or courage.

Boldness to me means declaring war. I declare war against the enemy for telling me lies about myself. I’m going to be bold in my faith, in who I am, in what I believe in, and especially in God.

Let's talk about boldness in the Bible. Most people would talk about David and how he stood up and killed the giant, or Daniel and the lion’s den. But I want to talk about a passage in the bible that I’ve touched on before in another post. Matthew 16 when Peter declares Jesus as the Messiah.

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

"But what about you," he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messsiah."

-Matthew 16:13-20 (NIV)

So how I imagine this scene is they’re in, of course, Caesarea Philippi and the disciples are sitting around a table and Jesus is standing in front of them. He asks his disciples, "Who do the people say the Son of Man is?"

I imagine the disciples talking with each other. But Simon Peter was just looking at Jesus and knowing that Jesus is the one they are talking about. Of course, Jesus knew that, so when He asked, "Who do you say I am?" He's talking to Simon Peter. And when Simon Peter says, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God." he says it with boldness because he knows it’s true.

Why can't we be like Peter? Why can’t we be so bold in our faith that it radiates off us? That’s what I want to grow in everyday for 2020. I want to declare war on the devil every day. Here’s the thing though, I can declare war, but that doesn’t mean I’ll win the battle. Sometimes, I can face the lies knowing who I am and who I belong to. But other times, I just need to ask God to tell me affirmations about myself. And that’s okay too.

Now, if you know me, you already know I’m bold in who I am and what I believe in. I’ve always been like that. I don’t need anyone to tell me who I am, what to be, how to act, or what to dress because I already know that about myself. I’m not beautiful because of my face or body or even being smart. I’m beautiful because I’m truly, freely, unapologetically me. There’s a quote I saw I think on Pinterest (no surprise) and it said “You can always learn more and you can always get stronger, but when you become bold enough to chase after the life you deserve- that is when you’re life will truly change”.

So, I’m bold in my faith and in myself, but I am nothing if I am not bold in God. I don’t say this lightly or without fear. The song Reckless Love by Cory Asbury comes to mind when I think of this topic.

“Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Oh, it chases me down fights till I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine”

The song is one of my favorite worship songs, but those are my two favorite lines. My God is overwhelming, never-ending, and reckless. He chases me and leaves the best of people to find me, a nobody. If I’m going to be known on this earth, I want to be known that I chased after God recklessly, prayed to Him wildly, loved Him freely, and that I lived for Him boldly.

“He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” Acts 28:31

“The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” Proverbs 28:1