Boldness in prayer, Boldness in standing for Christ, and Boldness in Acknowledging Jesus!

“Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” – 1 John 5:14

We are very blessed. We have the ability to take our cares and concerns to the Creator of the universe. If we pray, Jesus is listening.

“⁶ Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7

Knowing that Jesus is there for us, should give us a tremendous amount of peace. He wants to hear from us. You find this simple message throughout Scripture. God loves you and He wants to hear from you. You will find verses that tell you to ‘Pray Constantly’ and others that tell you that if you are with just one other believer, that Jesus is with you. We also see that due to Daniel being a man of prayer that an angel appears to him.

I love that I am able to bring my concerns to Jesus. Daily I open my prayer book and pray over every name that is listed in it, asking God to intervene. I prayer for healings, peace, provision, protection, and so much more.

“Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.” – Hebrews 4:16

We are encouraged to bring these requests to God with BOLDNESS. Don’t hold anything back. If you have a need, bring it to God. If you know of a need, lay at the cross. Do not be afraid to ask for God for what is on your heart. He wants to hear from you.

Don’t be afraid, pray with boldness.

Now this last week I had a challenging conversation with a friend and coworker, who is also a believer. Both he and I were in meeting and someone else used the Lord’s name in vain. Neither of us said anything.

This person has done it over and over for as long as I have known him. I have tried the usual lines; ‘It’s not His fault’ or ‘Where is He?’ all to no avail. After years of trying I had just given up, and my friend is in the same boat. My friend and I had grown callous to others comments. It is not that they did not bother us, we just got tired of trying to correct others while being politically correct. It is very humbling to realize we were not standing up for God.

We have the Creator of all things wanting to hear from us. He wants us to pray with boldness. But, when it comes time to defend Him we were silent.

I can tell you that I have boldly prayed for many things. I have prayed for loved ones to be healed. I have prayed for the salvation of the lost. I have prayed to see God move. But I sat quietly when someone used my Lord’s name in vain. I doubt I am alone.

“Who stands up for me against the wicked? Who takes a stand for me against evildoers?” - Psalm 94:16

Now God is not asking us to fight His battles for Him, but He is expecting us to take a stand. He is not wanting us to jump down someone’s throat who cursed His name. He is not wanting us to start attacking people who are living wickedly. He is not wanting us to wage a war to try to win back our country and the world. But He does want us to take a stand.

Yes, Scripture tells us we are to turn the other cheek. Yes, it tells us we are to forgive others. But, we are also supposed to be light.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16

If our light is supposed to shine so that others may be lead to Jesus, how should we react when someone blatantly uses the Lord’s name in vain?

³² “Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. ³³ But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.” – Matthew 10:32-33

We need to take a stand. Let them know that what they are saying is wrong and even telling them why. Boldly Acknowledge Christ.

My friend woke up in the middle of the night realizing that he has been praying for Jesus to perform miracles in his life, but he was silent when the time came to stand up. It hit him hard and when he shared it with me, and I was humbled. I too had been silent, all the while praying for God to do some amazing things. After years of trying and fighting what seemed like a losing battle, I had thrown in the towel. We are not called to win every battle, but we are supposed to be faithful.

I prayed right then. Asking God to give me the boldness I need to always stand up for Him and to be the light of the world. I pray with boldness and now I am going to stand up for God with the same boldness.

If we are going to pray with boldness for God to heal our loved ones. We need to be bold and correct others when they use the Lord’s name in vain. If we are going to pray boldly for revival in our nation, we need to stand boldly and acknowledge Christ before man.

^“15 but honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” – 1 Peter 3:15

Boldly Pray!

Boldly Stand for Christ!

Boldly Acknowledge Jesus before men!

I pray that you will honor the One who loves you and join me in boldly being the light in our world!

God Bless!

Robert