Boldness – A Paradigm Shift

Bold and Brash! When you see this person, like me does it make you want to run the other way? I am not one who enjoys being beaten over the head with a 40-lb family Bible by someone. Boldness can’t have many friends. Let’s take a look at boldness – a paradigm shift.

Yep! The above picture is what comes to mind when I think of that bold person. They are coming at you like a demolition on a mission. Ready to bulldoze and tear apart anything in their path.

Bold Dogs Scare Weegee

Carmen and I have the greatest pet ever – Weegee. He is so sweet and loving. We had to actually teach him to bark. He loves people and would probably lick a robber to death. Weegee loves people but is very cautious of other dogs. If other pooches approach him slowly and ease into their welcome with him, he can be pretty accepting. But as nice as the other dogs might be, if they rush him and are pushy in any way with him, he gets very nervous and goes into protective mode.

Bold people scare me

Let us take a look at another side of boldness. It is something that has really helped me. If you don’t already have this paradigm shift on boldness, this will be a great new perspective. Bold doesn’t have to be scary.

What is Boldness – The Paradigm Shift

Bold people feel scary. Ever notice the animal kingdom’s way of seeming scary? You can take a simple bug or insect even. They have certain features to make them look scarier than they really are. That’s a big part of their defense mechanism. I bet there is a parallel there.

Real vs Fake Boldness

So what’s the difference? It is pretty simple actually. Real boldness is actually confidence, and it’s not loud and scary. Fake boldness is counterfeit confidence. Let me explain.

Boldness without knowledge has no substance to it. It’s like the phrase,

“all bark and no bite.”

So in their boldness, people are just like a loud, noisy, obnoxious, clanging cymbal.

Real boldness is what someone has when they have knowledge and they understand. If I have knowledge of something, it gives me confidence. Many Christians lack knowledge, so they have no confidence. Some may make up for that by being loud and noisy.

Let me use my bank account as an example. When I withdraw money from my bank account, I do it boldly. Why? Because I have knowledge of what is in my bank account, what bank it’s at, and my account number. This gives me the boldness to ask for my money. But if I didn’t know my account balance, I would certainly be hesitant in asking for a withdrawal.

Ever been hesitant about something? I can pretty much guarantee it was because you didn’t have the needed knowledge. Thus no confidence. Thus the hesitancy.

Knowledge of the Father Brings Boldness

This is why we can boldly approach his throne. The more you get to know the Father, the bolder you get. Let me distinguish here, the difference between knowing the Father as opposed to knowing about the Father. Take a look at this scripture:

Acts 19:11-16 NIV

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, ¹² so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

¹³ Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” ¹⁴ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

Paul knew Jesus. The seven sons of a Jewish Priest only knew about Jesus. You see the results of that!

You and I know about certain people. We’ve heard about them. But we don’t actually know them. But we all have people we actually know.

Hosea 4:6a NIV

…my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

So Knowing The Father Brings Boldness

Notice that Jesus wasn’t generic. He didn’t say or talk about, “God.” He said things like:

• My Father’s house
• the will of my Father
• Father forgive them
• My Father is…
• Father, my hour has come

Today you hear most people say, “God…”

How Well Do You Know the Father

Abraham knew God the Father really well. He had confidence. That’s why he was able to boldly put his only son on the altar as a sacrifice (sounds like the Father with His son Jesus). Read this and see…

Hebrews 11:17-19 MSG

^17-19 By faith, Abraham, at the time of testing, offered Isaac back to God. Acting in faith, he was as ready to return the promised son, his only son, as he had been to receive him—and this after he had already been told, “Your descendants shall come from Isaac.” Abraham figured that if God wanted to, he could raise the dead. In a sense, that’s what happened when he received Isaac back, alive from off the altar.

So knowing the Father as Abraham did gave him great confidence. If you really knew the Father, you would…

• spend more time with Him
• give Him more of your finances, materials, and time
• be bolder (you would have more confidence)
• be color blind and blind with regard to how or what others look like

If you really knew the Father, you wouldn’t…

• be so knit-picky toward other denominations
• be a respecter of certain people
• argue with others
• worry
• (don’t email me on this one as I will probably address it later) picket abortion clinics

And if you really knew the Father, you would be faithful, fruitful, teachable, lovable, loving, sensitive, excited, productive, patient, and committed to the cause…like Jesus!

Challenge of the Week

Be Bold. If you find yourself this week at any time being like a noisy, clanging cymbal, then stop and access. What is it about the situation or your Father that you need to know? Know the Father…better! So be it.