The Risk of True Boldness
Listen to this week’s podcast, BE BOLD AND CONQUER INTRO, by clicking here!
Bold: showing an ability to take risks; confident and courageous.
Now when they saw the confidence of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)
Risk… just the world makes my heart beat abnormally loud inside my chest. The definition alone is enough to make your hands quiver (or maybe that’s just the coffee).
Risk: a situation involving exposure to danger.
If you’re anything like me, risk isn’t something that necessarily appeals to you.
You don’t get a rush from drag racing.
You’re not tempted to take your chances at the casino.
(Maybe you are nothing like me and enjoy frivolous and potentially devastating pursuits such as sky-diving, bungee-jumping, or twerking. If so, bear with this namby-pamby control freak long enough to get the point.)
Boldness requires us to take a risk.
Over the next month as we discuss what it means to Be Bold & Conquer, remember that being bold means that something is at stake. Being bold means taking a stand knowing that you have something precious to lose.
Now, if you would have come to me with the topic of Boldness a year ago I would have said, “Boldness! Now THAT is something I know a lot about.”
From magenta highlights to a wildly outspoken personality, I am every bit of the word BOLD… At least that’s what I thought.
You know… before this whole Be Still Be Free thing. 😉
But I’ve learned that there is more to boldness than bulldozing any (and every) thing that gets your way. Actually it’s the opposite.
You see biblical boldness is something that we only experience when we’ve been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13) So, when we barrel through a situation in life like a bull in a china shop… that’s when biblical boldness ends and fleshly self-preservation begins.
I learned this lesson the difficult way.
I had a situation about a year ago where I felt like I had been wronged.
Hell hath no furry like a southern woman with a bone to pick.
So, instead of taking my situation to The LORD and submitting it to Him, I “handled” it on my own.
I approached this person and… y’all… I let ‘em have it. I let the non-loving words fly out of my mouth left and right. I made sure I was clear about every injustice I’d ever felt and then some.
I was thoroughly satisfied with the intensity of my remarks…considering them to be bold instead of what they truly were:
Cowardly.
Later, a dear friend showed me what true boldness looked like.
She approached me about the situation and in the most loving way, told me that I’d screwed up. As she spoke to me I saw how deeply the root of bitterness had grown into my spirit and the sin that came with it.
I looked at her and knew she had been with Jesus.
I had nothing to risk when I made the choice to speak my mind and seek revenge. I had nothing to lose.
Boldness requires us to take a risk.
My friend took a huge risk in calling me out on my behavior. She had much to lose.
Boldness requires us to take a risk.
And He bathes every word in compassion and lovingkindness.
True boldness means having the courage to trust that His truths are enough.
This interaction was a profound learning experience for me and I actually wrote a very emotional post about this incident when it happened. Read it here.
Do you have a situation in your life right now that is requiring some biblical boldness?