Timid? Or Bold? (2 Timothy 1:7)

Today’s scripture: 2 Timothy 1:7

I know I have strength and power through God. I know the Holy Spirit helps me to be disciplined. And Jesus is love.

So if I have power and love and discipline, why am I still timid? Timidity does not come from the Spirit. Where does it come from?

The enemy of our souls. Be assured: Satan is not divine. He isn’t all-powerful, nor can he be everywhere at once. He is not—by any stretch—God. But he has been given a measure of power. And he does have a contingent of demons ready to do his bidding. And somehow, he does have the ability to whisper lies in our ears.

And one of his biggest lies? We don’t have what it takes to share God’s word. We aren’t smart enough or educated enough or godly enough. We’re too sinful ourselves to have the right to share the gospel.

I know I buy into that lie so very often. I tell myself I don’t have the gift of evangelism. Someone else will spread the gospel. I’ll just do my small part by encouraging and equipping those who already know Jesus.

Don’t get me wrong: We all have gifts, and some of us are gifted to preach or teach or evangelize. Those are their primary gifts. And some of us are gifted encouragers or administrators.

However, just because my primary gift isn’t evangelism doesn’t mean I’m not to seize every opportunity to share God’s amazing truth. And being fearful isn’t an excuse … because timidity isn’t from God.

If you too suffer from timidity, join me in prayer as I ask for boldness in sharing the good news of God’s plan of salvation.

And together, let’s cast out timidity and seek boldness.

Bold and Confident (Ephesians 3:11-12)

Today's scripture: Ephesians 3:11-12

How bold is your faith? How confident are you in God’s eternal purpose?

I would like to be able to say I’m as bold as Paul, as confident as Peter. Or as my maternal grandfather.

My Grandpa Hess was bold in his faith. He never failed to tell others about his love for his Savior. He was, along with Paul, “not ashamed of the gospel” because he knew it is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

He always believed God had a purpose for his life, and he lived to fulfill that purpose.

This is my legacy. Yet how often do I fail to share the good news of salvation. How often do I lack confidence in God’s eternal purpose.

If you’ve been reading this devotional for a while, you know I deal with chronic health issues, and there are days when I still ask, “Why?” While I don’t lose faith in God, I certainly question His purpose in my pain.

I allow my momentary, temporary pain cloud my vision of God’s faithfulness to me. I fail to remember that “… the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

I certainly don’t remain bold and confident.

When these days come my way, I confess my doubt and questioning, and my Lord God forgives me … yet again.

So … today’s a new day, and I pray for a renewed boldness in faith and a fresh confidence in God’s eternal purpose, trusting His higher-than-mine ways (Isaiah 55:9).

I pray the same for you.

Thirsting for God (Psalm 42:1-3)

Today's scripture: Psalm 42:1-3

I have been a Christ-follower for a long time now ... and I love to talk with God and study His word. But I have to admit: I certainly don't "pant" or "thirst" for Him as I should ... or as I'd like.

I'm convicted.

We just celebrated Memorial Day on which we remember those who gave their lives for our freedom. I "googled" the question: "How many have lost their lives for America's freedom," and a site came back with an astounding answer: over 1,346,000 ...

Think about it: over 1.3 million men and women have died so that I—and you—can freely worship as we choose. We can go to church without fear of arrest ... or even death. We can display our Bibles, wear our NOTW t-shirts, and ask God's blessings as we eat in public.

We are so very, very blessed. Other Christ-followers don't have anything like this. They worship in hiding. They risk everything to even own a Bible. They absolutely "pant" and "thirst" for God. You may have already seen this video, but this is such a pure example of thirsting for God.

I'm convicted.

Oh, that I would have a deep-in-the-soul hunger for God, to want to be with Him, to be saturated with His word.

Lord God, help me to pant after You, desiring an ever-deeper relationship with You. Let me hunger after You, needing You more than breath. Be my all-in-all. Be glorified. Amen.

Bold Faith (Ephesians 3:11-12)

Today's scripture: Ephesians 3:11-12

How bold is your faith? How confident are you in God’s eternal purpose?

I would like to be able to say I’m as bold as Paul, as confident as Peter. Or as my maternal grandfather.

My grandpa Hess was bold in his faith. He never failed to tell others about his love for his Savior. He was, along with Paul, “not ashamed of the gospel” because he knew it is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

He always believed God had a purpose for his life, and he lived to fulfill that purpose.

This is my legacy. Yet how often do I fail to share the good news of salvation. How often do I lack confidence in God’s eternal purpose.

I have to say: more often than I want to. More often than I should. Why? For many reasons. Sometimes it's just because I feel sorry for myself. Sometimes, while I don't lose faith in God, I question His purpose in my pain.

I allow my momentary, temporary pain cloud my vision of God’s faithfulness to me. I fail to remember that “… the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

I certainly don't remain bold and confident.

When those times some, I confess my doubt and questioning, and my Lord God forgives me … yet again.

Today’s a new day, and I pray for a renewed boldness in faith and a fresh confidence in God’s eternal purpose, trusting His higher-than-my ways (Isaiah 55:9).

I pray the same for you.

Boldness and Love (Colossians 4:5-6)

Today's scripture: Colossians 4:5-6

I love how God sometimes brings things together. During my quiet time this morning, I read today's Our Daily Bread devotional, and it quoted William Carey, a vibrant missionary for God to India in the 1800s: "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God" (emphasis mine). He devoted his life to share the truth boldly, but with genuine love.

Then the Bible study I'm doing with my small group dealt with how bold Peter and John were in Acts 3-4. No matter what obstacles they faced, they couldn't "stop speaking about the things" they saw and heard (4:20). They were bold, yes, but they spoke to unbelievers with grace and truth.

During my prayer time, I remembered how Jesus spoke with unbelievers and seekers. He was always loving and gracious. The Samaritan woman. Nicodemus. Zaccheus. The throngs that would surround Him when He spoke.

The only time He showed righteous anger was when He was dealing with religious hypocrites. Then all bets were off. But as long as the person with whom He was speaking showed a genuine desire to know His truth, He answered questions with all the love He had for them.

I've been praying for boldness to share truth for quite a while now, and God answers this prayer bit by bit. I'm reminded, though, of how Peter, John, and William Carey were bold, yet loving. And how my Lord was exactly the same.

Be bold to tell truth, but temper it with love and grace.

Godly Wisdom (2 Cor. 10:1-6)

Today’s scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:1-6

Sometimes—actually, often—I read God’s word, and I’m almost overwhelmed by how much wisdom is contained in just a few verses. Today is no exception.

First, Paul writes about having the “meekness and gentleness of Christ” and being “bold with confidence.” While these terms seem contradictory, they are clearly Christ-like attributes. Our Savior was certainly meek—in the best sense of the word. My small group is going through a study on the beatitudes, and in the chapter on “Blessed are the meek” (Matthew 5:5), the author writes, “The Greek adjective translated ‘meek,’ means ‘gentle,’ ‘humble,’ ‘considerate,’ ‘courteous,’ and therefore exercising the self-control without which these qualities would be impossible” (John Stott, The Beatitudes: Developing Spiritual Character © 1998).

Yet as meek and gentle as Christ was, He was also bold to speak truth, never shying away from telling it like it is. Does the phrase “white-washed sepulchers” ring any bells?

We too need to be gentle and meek with others, yet be confident to share God’s truth whenever and with whomever we can.

Second, Paul writes about the war we face every day. Not a war against flesh, but one against the lies of the enemy. Satan is the “father of lies” (see John 8:44). While he’s lost the war with those of us who have committed our lives to Christ, he would like nothing more than to drag us down and to keep us from fulfilling God’s purpose through and in us. We need to be prepared—each and every day—as we take up our God-given armor (see Ephesians 6:10-18).

Finally, Paul writes of our taking “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ …” How often does our thought life translate into wrong actions? Seriously, that’s where sin starts, right? I think something before I do it, and so if I’m not careful about what I think, I’m going to more easily fall into sin.

We need to be diligent about this. Whenever a sinful thought creeps in (remember that “father of lies”?), we need to take it captive, asking the Holy Spirit to completely eradicate it from our minds. We can’t let sinful thoughts take even a toehold.

Well … so much wisdom. So much to think—and pray—about.

And that’s just from six short verses!