And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness[.] // Acts 4:29
We sat across the table from one another on our weekly lunch date as I filled him in on my newest recording with excitement. As thrilled as I was that I had landed a high-profile guest for my podcast episode, I could tell from the hesitation in his look that his enthusiasm was not the same. As the chatter around us continued and the servers bustled behind the counter, he gave me a loving warning: “Be careful.”
After carefully tiptoeing around the tough topics, this fifth season I was jumping into potential controversy with almost every episode.
Boldness and the controversy it can bring do not come naturally to me. Growing up a middle child, I was always the peace keeper of the family, retaining that role still as I find myself firmly in middle age. I have very thin skin when it comes to receiving criticism, yet I felt called this season to speak the truth in all things with that boldness that comes from above.
The gift to act boldly without fear can only be received when one trusts deeply in the Lord and His power to protect and heal.
This trust must be cultivated.
Perhaps my reluctance to cover controversial topics earlier was grounded in a lack of trust, or perhaps the timing lay in my need to cultivate the trust of my listeners.
Boldness does not mean one acts rashly or without careful thought. It means that we act guided by prudence with confidence and strength in our word and deed.
How can you open your heart to trust more deeply in the Lord? I invite you to ask for a posture of openness so that you can receive the gift of boldness in speech and action both, that you may witness daily a life filled with trust and surrender.
Dr. Mary Ruth Hackett is a writer, national speaker, and podcast host covering topics in psychology and faith. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and works at the important intersection of faith and developmental science, blending them in the original harmony God intended. Dr. Mary Ruth is the author of Daughter by Design: Discovering Your Identity as God's Beloved Daughter, and co-coauthor of Spiritual Discernment for Beginners: Learning to Hear God and Defeat the Lies of the Enemy. She is a contributing author to All She Had and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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