This means that we no longer need to fear the opinion of others. If there is an opportunity to share the Gospel, pray and take it! I know that there are days when God is showing you something and you are unsure if you should do it. "What will they think of me?" "My friends may not like it." "They don't want to hear it." "God, now isn't the right time."
These are all useless excuses. There is no need to fear when you have God on your side, "so be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will never fail you nor abandon you." (Deuteronomy 3:16) What do you have to fear if the almighty God of all creation is on your side?
We must not just be bold in front of others, but we must be bold for others. We must not fear failure. If we know that we serve a mighty God, what is there to fear? Why would we defend Him? That's like defending a lion. Just let Him work, He knows what He is doing. He does know better than us after all.
Yesterday, when I was praying with a friends, I told him, "do not make vague prayers. Make specific prayers. We serve a God who is able, so let Him work. Tell Him the desires of your heart and let Him work." Not being specific in your prayers out of fear of failure is like saying that God might not be able to do what you are asking. If you are truly in the spirit, you will be praying prayers that God not only can and will answer, but prayers that God wants to answer.
This boldness that God has given us gives us access directly to His throne in prayer. "And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter Heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus." (Hebrews 10:19) "Because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence." (Ephesians 3:12)
Prayer is a vital part of every Christian's life. It is our direct communication to the Father who gives us all things. Prayer is our life line, so let us pray boldly, just as Jesus did. Let us not only pray specific prayers, but let us pray with boldness, knowing that God will answer them. If we are not praying with the intention to be heard, why are we praying? Whether it be praise, supplication, thanksgiving, or repentance, we pray to be heard, so let us be bold. "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:16)
Let us be bold in everything that we do for Christ, and let our boldness never be put aside for anyone. Our God has saved us, so let us not respect the opinion of anyone else more than His. Let us, instead, present the gospel with boldness and pray bold prayers so that God may be glorified to the highest. Let us not worry about the opinions of man, and worry about what God thinks of us. He is looking for someone bold enough to say, "use me however you will, Lord." Is that you?
-D
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