Does doing the right thing cause you to fear what others may say or think?

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Satan loves to intimidate us, with the opinions of others, to keep us silent from speaking the truth, but God enables us to proclaim His truth.

Hebrews 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Being bold means having confidence that what you have to say or do is true, right, and just in the sight of God. A bold person has to be willing to obey God when he calls them to stand for Him, even when it may not be well accepted.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t always find that to be the easiest thing to do. I wish I could say that I was always willing to stand up for God, but I know at times that I allow Satan’s intimidation keep me from saying what I feel the Holy Spirit guiding me to say.

2 Timothy 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

Boldness requires discernment to know when to stand, courage to face the unknown, wisdom to foresee the outcome, and love to communicate graciously. The only way we can do that is first yielding to the Lord.

He never asked us to be bold on our own. He is our helper. When we spend time in His word and prayer he shows us his truth. Then with that truth, the Holy Spirit teaches us to know how and when to take a stand in boldness for Him.

The thing we need to watch out for is fearfulness. It is the exact opposite of boldness. Instead of worrying about what others may think when we speak up, we need to consider what will happen to those very same people if we don’t. Our words are powerful, they can bring confidence or fear to others. We shouldn’t be ashamed of the gospel, but rather live by righteousness and boldly proclaim it.

Acts 4:29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

Stop making excuses to not be bold for God. When we hide the truth, it not only hurts us, but those around us as well. God’s truth sets all free that will hear it. We don’t have to be under the power of fear any longer, but protected by the love of God.