Boldness II

Hello and glad to come your way once again. I am grateful to be alive in the second week of the second quarter of the year. How about you?

In an attempt to define boldness the last time, we had to look at what it isn’t first. Instead of giving a definition to the word, I want to use three words to paint a picture on that word.

The word bold is synonymous with trust, to be secure, and confidence. A bold person trusts, is secure and confident. Let us look into these three aspects.

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”” Daniel‬ ‭3:16-18‬ ‭

1. Trust– the story in context is about the king of Babylon in Nebuchadnezzar issuing a decree to his subjects to worship his god made of gold. Nebuchadnezzar at that time, was one of the most feared kings. You better not stand up to him. Most kings of his day didn’t practice democracy, where other viewpoints are welcome. Look at the boldness of three Jewish slaves in captivity; Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, who decided not to bow down to the gold image, because they trusted their conviction and trusted that God will deliver them. They were also willing to die, if help never came because they trusted the cause they stood for. In this world of political correctness where cancel culture is so rampant, it becomes intimidating trusting your conviction, especially when it is not in sync with the masses and causes you to stand out. A bold person lives out his convictions because of trust.

“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:12-13‬ ‭

2. Secure– the offshoot of boldness is security. From this text, we see some traits of security; refuse to play the comparison game, doesn’t overextend him or herself, stay within their strength. It takes boldness not to compare yourself with anybody. You can learn from them and take some cues, but not be competitive. People who play the comparison game tend to mask the inferiority complex they are dealing with. You won’t also overextend yourself by doing things you know, you aren’t good at. It takes a bold person to say, “I am not good at this, someone else is better suited for this…” When you are secure, you are okay with your limitations and focus on what is your core strength which is maximized to the best of your abilities to serve. It will help to know somethings: you are better than somebody, someone is also better than you, you have some uniques skills others don’t have and others have some unique skills you don’t have. This is the reality of life. If you don’t come to a place of security in your life, you will be in a rat race.

““Your Majesty,” David said, “I take care of my father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear carries off a lamb, I go after it, attack it, and rescue the lamb. And if the lion or bear turns on me, I grab it by the throat and beat it to death. I have killed lions and bears, and I will do the same to this heathen Philistine, who has defied the army of the living God.” ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17:34-36‬ ‭

3. Confidence– confidence has to do with believing in yourself and your abilities to get the job done. Now, the quote above is the sound of confidence. Bold people are confident, no two ways about it. They are also very realistic people who tend not to overestimate their strengths or abilities. Doing that makes you overconfident, which is a liability. There was an opponent of Israel named Goliath who was a champion and had a great track record of battles. With his tall achievements came with a gigantic frame in appearance. He tormented a whole nation every morning and evening for forty days, challenging anyone to a hand-to-hand combat. Everybody was scared and had the right to be, except David. If you read the story’s ending, he killed Goliath. People who are confident in their skill set deliver results.

This is my personal take on the subject of boldness. What is yours? I will like to know if you are able to do so in the comments section.

I want to wish you all a blessed week.

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Till I come your way again.

Peace & Love