Becoming Bolder Prov. 28: 1 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

According to Prov 28:1, a wicked man will flee when no one is pursuing him.  In Trinidad, Bro. Hoffmeister and I visited a family in “the line.” The line is a neighborhood right on the coast where a lot of drug dealers and addicts live.  The one lane entrance to the line was blocked by a couple of 55 gallon drums.  As we approached in our vehicle, a man who had been standing by the entrance immediately ran away.  Bro. Hoffmeister said they always run when he shows up, thinking that he might be law enforcement.  “The wicked flee when no man pursueth.”  They run because they are guilty.

But this verse also says “the righteous are bold as a lion.”  I don’t know about you, but I would like to have a lot more boldness than I do.  I don’t “feel” bold as a lion.  I am often like Ps 53:5 “There were they in great fear, where no fear was.”  I make my own boogie men.  We are often scared when there is really nothing to be afraid of.  We scare ourselves.  When the situation or person that scared us passes, we are ashamed to admit that we were scared, because, in fact, there was nothing to it.

Prov 28:1 says that when we are righteous we should be “bold as a lion.”  We are righteous by the righteousness of Jesus Christ given to us when we were saved. We have his righteousness.   And with his righteousness, we should likewise have his boldness.   People who are bold have a “fearless daring spirit.”  To be bold is to be “bold before danger,” even real danger, not just perceived danger. 

Look at Mk 15:43 for an example of some real boldness.  When everyone else associated with Jesus was either running scared or keeping their distance, Joseph of Arimathaea “came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.”  Oh man, what boldness.

So how are we, who lack this boldness, going to become “bold as a lion?”  How are we going to get this boldness.  We are going to become bolder:

By increasing in wisdom – Ecc 8:1 – the more certain you are of the truth, the bolder you can be in proclaiming the truth.  Acts 18:26 Apollos was bold because he was mighty in the scriptures.  The more you live by the truth of the scriptures, the bolder you become.  The more certain you are that you are right [Prov 22:17-21], the bolder you become.  The righteous are bold as a lion.

By walking closer with Jesus – Acts 4:13 – Heb 13:5-6, Eph 3:11-12, Ps 56:3, 11.  The same God who was with David when he killed Goliath is the God who walks with us.

By praying for boldness – Acts 4:29-31 – Heb 4:16.  We come boldly to the throne of grace to ask God to fill us with the Holy Spirit who then gives us the boldness to preach his words.

By asking others to pray for our boldness – Eph 6:19-20 – don’t be ashamed to admit that you aren’t as bold as you need to be and that you want others to pray that you will be as bold as a righteous person should be.  I believe that a lack of boldness is, in part, the reason I don’t speak more about Jesus with folks I meet. Are not many of us hindered in our witness because of a lack of boldness?

By following the example of others – Phil 1:14 – as fear breeds discouragement, so boldness breeds courage among soldiers.  Paul is a great example for us to follow [Phil 1:20, 1 Thes 2:2].  And we need other great examples among us to encourage us to be bolder.

Conclusion: do you want to be bold as a lion?  Then apply yourself to more wisdom in the word, walk closer with the Lord, pray for boldness, ask others to pray for your boldness and follow the example of others in here who are bold.  Ask the Lord to help you become an example that others can follow.  And please pray for your pastor to have boldness.