Boldness, Courage And Confidence
Carla Rickard
December 21 2004
Scripture taken from Amplified
Psalm 138:3
When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.
Proverbs 28:1
The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
2 Corinthians 3:12
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
Proverbs 14:26
26 In the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children shall always have a place of refuge.
Hebrews 13:6
6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?(A)
Carla Rickard
Bold means fearless and daring. It is not another word for arrogance. For to be fearless and daring implies there must be danger of some form present! There must be a real or perceived risk for one to assume to be fearless and daring. If there is no danger, there needs to be no boldness.
Often times courage and confidence is exchanged for the word bold in scripture. Courage means : a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger of pain without showing fear
Courage is the ability to confront fear in the face of pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation. As stated in the encyclopedia. In many New Testament scripture the Lord spoke against those who were cowards.
Revelation 21:8
But as for the cowards and the ignoble and the contemptible and the cravenly lacking in courage and the cowardly submissive, and as for the unbelieving and faithless, and as for the depraved and defiled with abominations, and as for murderers and the lewd and adulterous and the practicers of magic arts and the idolaters (those who give supreme devotion to anyone or anything other than God) and all liars (those who knowingly convey untruth by word or deed)--[all of these shall have] their part in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone. This is the second death. [Isa 30:33 ]
I thought this subject would be good to cover right now, mostly for my own learning as I have recently been experiencing a boldness like I have never experienced in a very long time. It’s a boldness which speaks “ no turning back”; it speaks, “ I’m not putting up with lies and games”. At first this newness of being bold concerned me as I thought perhaps I was losing my ability to remain patience and steadfast. When I began to consider it more closely, I realized that it is the Holy Spirit within me that is rising up and taking control of a situation wherein the enemy may have put a stumbling block in front of me. What I find most interesting, and I am sure that the reader will as well, is before this boldness took form, I was struggling with the desire to faint. As we seen the scripture quoted from Revelations, that is not what the Lord would have us do!
Have you ever felt like you don’t have the time or desire to play children’s games? This is likely due to the fact that you are maturing in the Lord. I believe that Paul reached this stage in his maturing as a Christian. He said,
1 Corinthians 13:11
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside.
A child will remain in an argument until he gets his way. A child will pout when he is denied his desire. A child will use emotional manipulation to get his need or desire met. This is not boldness but rather tactics. Boldness comes with knowing our authority and most of all the Love of God which is shed abroad in our hearts. Boldness requires that we face down anything that threatens us without showing fear. Not as a bully would, but as someone who is confident in the Lord taking care of us. The battle is the Lord’s. If the Lord is for us , who can be against us?
When do we lose confidence in the Lord not taking care of our problems? This usually occurs when we are too sin conscious. We must confess our sin. Yet the Word says that when we do so, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin! Knowing His love for us produces boldness!
Ephesians 3:17
May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,
Therefore we should OPERATE in boldness at all times. Boldness tells the enemy “ BACK OFF”. Boldness tells sickness “ OUT OF MY HOUSE NOW”. Boldness works together with authority. For when fear is present, it is boldness that must respond!
Some believe that boldness is shouting, yelling, screaming, etc. However God’s kind of boldness is one such as found in Jacob.
Genesis 32
24 And Jacob was left alone, and a Man wrestled with him until daybreak.
25 And when [the [a]Man] saw that He did not prevail against [Jacob], He touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob's thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with Him.
26 Then He said, Let Me go, for day is breaking. But [Jacob] said, I will not let You go unless You declare a blessing upon me.
27 [The Man] asked him, What is your name? And [in shock of realization, whispering] he said, Jacob [supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler]!
28 And He said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob [supplanter], but Israel [contender with God]; for you have contended and have power with God and with men and have prevailed.(B)
29 Then Jacob asked Him, Tell me, I pray You, what [in contrast] is Your name? But He said, Why is it that you ask My name? And [b][the Angel of God declared] a blessing on [Jacob] there.
Boldness is not letting go of the Truth. Boldness IS steadfastness. It is not about an emotional reaction. Its about “ standing” fearlessly against the pressure to bend other wise. It is not about being rude. It is about being decided, determined, settled with the issue.
Sometimes emotions will seem to rise up with boldness as the gas needed to be taken seriously. However emotions are not the source of boldness. The source of boldness is the Truth of God. Knowing that you know that you know, will produce this boldness. Knowing you are to be and are, dead center in the will of God will produce this boldness.
Ephesians 5:17
Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is
Nothing and no one will deter you. You will not need to convince others of your conviction, for the purpose of boldness is to bulldoze down all those obstacles that are places in your way. Faith is the fore runner of Boldness. Once faith is established it must then incubate until boldness is birthed to get the job done.
Boldness is the took needed to overcome factors of fear such as intimidation, rejection, physical and emotional danger of all types and sorts. Fear paralyzes, boldness energizes!
The Lord has not called us to be cowards. The Lord has called us to be bold. For the Lord fears nothing, for the spirit of fear does not come from God!
May the Lord increase you in boldness, teaching you all things through His Spirit who knows all things.