“The wicked flee when no man pursues: but the righteous are bold as a lion.” (Prov. 28:1) I needed to look this verse up the other day because a man I know, a lost soul, mentioned that his wife had told him about ‘something in the Bible’ about people running away when there wasn’t anything to run away from. I found this verse in Proverbs, and by the end of the day had it in his hands. It was another opportunity to witness, even in a small way, and I give Glory to God for every one of these chances.
It was the second part of the verse that got me thinking though, “The righteous are bold as a lion.” If you have been saved from your sins by the Grace of God through Jesus Christ, then you are righteous in Him, and the works of the Holy Spirit through you will be the evidence of your salvation. These works are many and varied, for there are many members of the Body of Christ, who is the head of all. (Col.1:18) Every believer has been blessed with gifts from the Spirit of God, and every servant of our Lord has been given ‘marching orders,’ as it were, commandments that are quite clear in the Scriptures. These are not suggestions or requests, they are not options for the believer to choose from if they so desire, they are commands from our Lord that are to be followed.
Our Lord remembers that we are dust, (Psalm 103:14) that we can do nothing of ourselves, (John 15:5) and so in His great mercy and love toward us, He gives us the strength to do what He has put in front of us to do, this is our confidence in Him, and Him alone. The verse does not read “can be as bold as a lion,” but “are bold as a lion.” This isn’t a confidence we can ‘tap into’ or ‘lay hold of’ as some religious organizations like to say, if you are saved, you are righteous and you are to be “as bold as a lion,” confident in your daily walk with the Lord, as the lion is, one of the most renowned and feared beast on the earth.
I have been informed by my lovely wife on more than one occasion that I am an adamant man, perhaps a little to adamant at times, for in some of these moments I have been told I can be intimidating to those that I speak with. It is definitely not my intention to be intimidating, and I try to remember to ask for her forgiveness when I appear this way, for I do all that is in me to always speak in love, but I realize that I still fail miserably in some instances. Firm truth spoken in love is what I believe God has called all His children to do, in every possible instance. The problem today seems to be that many that speak as I do come across as contentious, and even intimidating at times, but mainly only to those who either are not ready for the truth, or do not want to hear it.
When I am in the wrong, I freely admit it, for I know no other way to learn, and I remember when I can to thank the person who has corrected me. (Prov. 27:6) But when I am right, rather, when I am speaking the truth of God’s Word to someone, I will not back down, for all His word is truth. I am afraid that in the world that we live in today confidence is lacking and finding a Christian who is willing to boldly speak the truth, no matter the consequences is a rare thing. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John…” (Acts 4:13)
The society of enablers in todays world have determined that the enabled should never be lifted-up, should always and forever be left in the darkness that they reside in, pitied but never truly helped. Even confidence in their own abilities are being deprived from them, and they are encouraged to always lean on others. The believer leans on one. We are to be the salt and the light of the world, (Matt. 13-14), but it seems as if there are some who name the name of Jesus who have lost their savor, for they fold and acquiesce to the world and this ideology of Satan that all people need is each other. Their confidence in Almighty God is waning. If “perfect love casts out all fear,” (1st John 4:18) then these do not yet understand perfect love, for where confidence in the Lord is, fear has no place.
For those of our brothers and sisters around the world that are facing even today persecution of the body for our Lord, of course there is initial fear, pain is a great persuader, but for those that are afraid to speak the name of Jesus for fear of being ostracized from family, friends and their social group, I do not believe our Lord holds these in much esteem, for they are neither cold nor hot. (Rev. 3:15) Do not deceive yourself in this area, when these individuals stand before Christ He is not going to say “Oh, that’s ok, I know you were frightened, don’t worry about it.” No, my friends, that is not what He is going to say, and I truly do not want to know what those who continue a life of no confidence in the Lord are going to hear.
Open your Bible and read 1st John 5:14, and then try to think of something that if you ask God for it and it is in accordance with His will that He would not bless you with. I like to joke around with my wonderful wife occasionally about this verse, wondering where that Ferrari is that I keep praying for, but she, as I do, understand what the Word of God is saying here. The ability to love my neighbor, for a heart that is able to discern good and evil, how to praise and glorify the Name of our Savior greater each day, for confidence. The ability to speak the truth of God’s word in firm ways, sprinkled and overflowing with love can only be given to us by God.
To many, you will seem overzealous, too ‘heavenly minded to be of any earthly good,’ perhaps even overly adamant, like it or not though, the truth is dogmatic, and the Word of God is the final and absolute truth, and if we do not speak it, we are failing miserably in His service. Please do not misunderstand what I am talking about here, this is not about what some would call ‘faults’, for we all have “fallen short of the Glory of God” (Rom. 3:23) nor is it about the speck in your brothers eye that you can see clearly because the log in your own eye is not present in a particular area that you are trying to help them with. These paths lead to vanity and pride and come from the voice of Satan, who is able to deceive many not only in actions of self, but in opposing all that is true.
This confidence we are speaking of comes from knowing for a fact that every single thing that come into a believers life has been allowed to unfold by our Sovereign Lord who seeks nothing but the best for us so much that He will let us hurt, so that we can call on him for help, will let us weep now, so that He can dry our tears forever later. This confidence, this boldness to proclaim His wonderful Name comes from a one-hundred percent knowledge that He can be trusted in every aspect of our lives, that He is the rock of our salvation, and that no one can take us off of the path to our heavenly home.
“Fear not” read that again, “Fear not,” our love for Christ is not perfect, but His love for us is, and “I am persuaded that neither death, nor life…” (Rom. 8:38-39) Read these verse’s in full, and then try to make yourself believe that the confidence that we have been speaking of here is not available to you just for the asking. What you cannot do, He is willing to do thru you.
Trust Him, and be confident in that trust, for He is faithful who has promised.
