JANUARAY 18, 2010

BOLD WITNESSES

Scripture Reading--Judges 7:2-3

"And the Lord said unto Gideon,

The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites

into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying,

Mine own hand hath saved me.

Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying,

Whosoever is fearful and afraid,

let him return and depart early from mount Gilead.

And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there

remained ten thousand."

Boldness is a key ingredient for success in the Christian life. When the Lord decided to whittle down Gideon's band, He did it by eliminating the fearful. Gideon announced that anyone who was fearful could leave. Instantly 22,000 men walked off the field. Two-thirds of the soldiers left. We must overcome timidity, shyness, and cowardice in order to serve the Lord effectively.

"The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion" ( Prov. 28:1 ). The lion is the king of the jungle because he's fearless. God wants His people to be courageous. Boldness is a byproduct of the Holy Spirit. In the Book of Acts, the disciples spoke the word of God with boldness after they were filled with the Holy Spirit. These same disciples had denied the Lord at the crucifixion, but now they bravely and powerfully preached the Gospel. An unworldly power had possessed these men and transformed them into mighty witnesses.

Unsaved men, women, boys, and girls are headed for eternal destruction. It's our job to give them the good news. God calls every Christian to be a missionary wherever he lives. R.A. Torrey said, "It's impossible to witness to the wrong person." Are you bold in your witness for Christ?

EXERCISE: Take a breath and hold it. Now exhale. Take another breath and hold it. Exhale. That didn't take long; but in those brief seconds, 10 people passed into eternity, unprepared to meet God. Ask God to fill you with His Spirit and to make you fearless in your witness.

--Harold Vaughan--

READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN " 1 " YEAR: Job cc. 8-10