Holy Boldness

Perhaps I am like a lot of you in this regard, or maybe you have never actually thought about it, but I sincerely appreciate when I get a glimpse of what God is doing in me personally. I understand and appreciate that God is working in my life on a daily basis. As a result, I complain about my circumstances a lot less than I used to.


First thing this morning, before I even got out of bed, the thought danced through my head that God has been working holy boldness in me. Many of you remember me as a brash and often an almost rude young man. I was going to deliver the truth as I saw it. If anyone did not like it, what was their problem anyway. Life does have a way of tempering us.


There is a line in my favorite all time movie, Field of Dreams, where the main character, Ray Kinsella, is talking about his father. He says he did not know his father until after he had been beaten down by life. I have seen that movie several times over the years since it came out on VHS and just today that line took on special meaning to me.


We are all subject to the difficulties and unpredictabilities of life. Life is kinder to some than to others, but the human condition, born in iniquity and shaped in sin (Psalm 51:5) is common to all. One of my former pastors was convinced and pretty well convinced me that everything that reaches us has come through God's hand. I do not recall him ever giving a scriptural basis for that, but the story of Job in the Old Testament would seem to validate that concept. Some of you have already thought of 1 Corinthians 13:10, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able..."


Stuff happens to all of us. Sometimes we are knocked down. Why not let Paul explain this. He did it better than I could anyway. "We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:8-9) Before you tell me I have that out of context because Paul was writing about himself and his fellow apostles, grab a larger picture of what God is trying to say. This passage applies to anyone who is ministering to anyone else. Now, is that you? Above all, apostles are sent to be examples for us to emulate.

The question is not what will we do when if we are knocked down. The question is how will we respond when we are knocked down. Will the fall make us bitter or will it make us better? Had Paul not been knocked down on a trip to Damascus, he would not have picked himself back up to become the writer of much of the New Testament.

I am almost out of breath explaining why I can say what I am about to say. I have been inclined on a couple occasions to complain about the past 22 years of non-productivity, shall we say. I did not feel like I was in the wilderness during that time, but I did seem to be going around in circles for the most part; not making any progress. Now I can see that all that time was working a greater weight of glory in me. (2 Corinthians 4:17) Oh my gosh, is that the same context as the passage we were to grab a larger picture of above? (Sometimes I just have to do that in case you are inclined to miss it without some additional prompting.) I have become the voice of one crying in the Santa Maria valley. We have to throw off the yoke of this religious spirit so the glory of God can once again warm this valley. He has set Himself to do a great work here. He is waiting for us to do our part. Wow, that is bold!

We are all products of the totality of our experiences here on earth. Someone once asked a pastor how long it takes to make a sermon. His answer, "All my life." is right on. Were we never beaten about, we would never know how to fight back. Were we never knocked down, we would never be able to get up. Were we never in want or in need, or sickness or affliction, we would not know God is the only answer to those conditions.

I remember hearing a sermon once, the name of the person who presented it escapes me right now, but there was a line that I have never forgotten. He said when you find yourself overcome by any of life's trials, thank God. He exhorted us to not nurse it, curse it, or rehearse it. When we can learn to do that, we will begin to see that greater work of glory manifesting in us. We will have holy boldness to do His work wherever we are.