Promise #2: God Made You Brave and Bold

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.–2 Timothy 1:7

My husband’s middle name, Bernard, means “brave (or hardy) bear” he is usually very brave but at times he will show signs of shyness. It is at these times I will pray for him using this promise of God over his life, even remind him that God did not give him a spirit of timidity but of boldness, hardiness, and self-assuredness through Christ Jesus.

When we are uncertain, fearful, lacking confidence we will mumble, fumble and act out in all manner of ways which contradict God’s Spirit of boldness. But as St. Paul wrote, this is not the kind of spirit God has given us. We do not need a lesson in assertiveness or to read a book about having self-worth to learn this: the word of God—from Genesis to Revelation—reminds and show us the kind of spirit God knit into us from the moment of conception. He made us in his own image (Genesis 1:26) and therefore we have the nature and characteristics of God woven through every fiber of our being.

God speaks this promise over you because he wants you to know it and own it. In those instances we want to cower in fear, shrink back, feel intimidated like a mouse beside an elephants foot, God whispers this promise into our spirit. How many times in your lifetime has he said to you, “I have created you to be brave, bold, God-assured… “You can do this! You have what it takes to face this head on!… “You are bold, you are not timid! You are not a child of the world, lacking strength or bravery, but a child of promise… “You are braver than you feel and don’t know your own capacity for strength or endurance until you test it out…”Speak out, speak up! I got your back my child!”

These and other messages just like them God speaks into our spirit at those moments we question our strength or capacity to withstand hard things, go through something or say something. The spirit and characteristic of timidity and uncertainty are not the characteristics of God, but the devil. Though the devil is bold in evil and wickedness, he wants us to be ruled by timidity so we do not remember or trust we have been fashioned for boldness and bravery by God. He knows the moment we claim this promise is the moment the forces of evil—any evil—can no longer bully and boss us around.

My friend, claim this powerful promise over your life. Pray it for yourself, your children, grandchildren, loved ones, and those who just need that extra measure of boldness and bravery in their circumstances. God will stir up his spirit of boldness in you and your outcome will be amazing. Let’s Pray,

Heavenly Father may we repeat this promise to ourselves as often as we need to. Help us remember you have not given us a spirit of timidity or fear but a spirit of boldness. Through Christ, we all have the capacity to be emboldened, and be brave. We are spiritual warriors and can do the hard things of life without fear or shrinking back. We are your own creation after all and will not own or claim one ounce of timidity. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.