Recently I have come across this quote by Kriss Vallotton several times:
"If you were 10x bolder what would you do with your life? If your answer is any different then what you are doing then you have reduced your life to embrace your fear."
I've always considered myself quite a bold person and have certainly made some bold decisions in my life. However, looking back I'm not sure if "stupid" would have been a better word for some of my past actions!
So now I feel God is calling me to be bolder.
What does boldness look like when you are bold because of Jesus?
Doing dumb stuff that is going to get you sacked, put in jail or deported is not necessarily bold.
If God calls you to do something big, something dangerous or risky however, it doesn't necessarily mean that you won't be subjected to any of the above. You only have to look at Paul's life to understand what being truly committed to Christ means. It could mean jail, physical suffering, it could mean death.
Those are scary things.
But Paul knew that what he was doing was God's work. He knew that Jesus was at his side. He was truly empowered by the Holy Spirit.
In short, he had faith.
He was bold because of his faith.
So in praying about how I am to be bolder and remain in the knowledge that I'm walking exactly the path God has predestined for me I started to think about the strength of my faith.
It's not just about boldness, it's about faith.
I was reminded of that wonderful song by Christy Nockels "Waiting here for you" which says:
"If faith can move the mountains, let the mountains move."
Do we have faith to move mountains? Do I?
Jesus says in Mark 11:23-24:
"Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
So this is our faith, it is written in God's word. Do we believe it? If it doesn't happen is that because we don't have the faith for it?
Since moving to Bahrain in 2002 I have grown to love my adopted country, the people, the culture, the landscape even. From a very young age I have had a burning desire to be in this region and when I got the opportunity to come here to work I knew that this was my destiny. Even before I knew Christ and what God was calling me to.
Since 2002 I have seen changes in the region and particularly in Bahrain which have angered me, saddened me and caused me to question what I was doing here.
However, even in the face of losing my job, my business, my husband and on occasion my sanity, my love for this country has grown to bursting point.
Bahrain is a country in turmoil with weekly acts of protest and demonstration against the police and the government. It has become normal for us to divert around burning tyres, molotovs and oil spread across the highway. We have lost our perception of what is acceptable. As a country we have lost our peace and our love and our unity. I say "our" because I consider myself a citizen of this country, this island that when I arrived was called "the land of sunny smiles", this little desert that God can hold in his hand is my home. As members of this community we are responsible for the environment we live in. If we don't like what's happening then we have to do something. We have to be bold. And that doesn't mean entering into political discussions about who is right and wrong, it means standing for what we believe in. Standing for Love, Peace, Joy.
Regions are transformed not by political debates but by prayer, by a move of God.
We want peace, we want to turn the hearts of this nation to the Father, we want to see multitudes saved........
What are we doing about it? Yes I'm sure we are praying from the comfort of our homes but God is calling us out of our comfort zones. To change the atmosphere in the village we have to pray God's presence into that village, surely it's much harder to do that from a distance. Yes people can get healed through long distance prayer but the number of people who have received divine healing when someone prays for them and lays on hands is significantly higher I'm sure you will agree.
You may think as I do, but will God really use me? We know He can use us, but will He?
It only takes one person to make the first move. Maybe its you, or me.... It's not just pastors and those in high positions that are called by God, we all are. God can use anyone. Just as He used the Samaritan woman in John 4:7-26 to transform the city of Sychar in Samaria. When she shared her newfound faith with others in the city "many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony" (John 4:39)
I talked earlier about some of my past actions being "stupid" rather than bold. I was not walking with God during those times and there is always a question of motive if God is not at the heart of your boldness.
If God has called you to be bold you need the faith for it. So is it a question of boldness or faith? Or do the two go hand in hand.
The words "leap of faith" come to mind. We need to take that step, that leap, out of our comfort zones and into our destiny. Perhaps we do not have enough faith but that does not mean we can't step out in faith, the leap that will plunge us into a deeper faith, a total reliance on our Father to be with us in all things.
Will we let God empower us to save nations? Are we prepared to risk everything for His sake?
Are we prepared to die? Not just die to yourself but actually lay down your life for Him. It's not just a metaphor.
Jesus says in Luke 14:26
"If you were 10x bolder what would you do with your life? If your answer is any different then what you are doing then you have reduced your life to embrace your fear."
I've always considered myself quite a bold person and have certainly made some bold decisions in my life. However, looking back I'm not sure if "stupid" would have been a better word for some of my past actions!
So now I feel God is calling me to be bolder.
What does boldness look like when you are bold because of Jesus?
Doing dumb stuff that is going to get you sacked, put in jail or deported is not necessarily bold.
If God calls you to do something big, something dangerous or risky however, it doesn't necessarily mean that you won't be subjected to any of the above. You only have to look at Paul's life to understand what being truly committed to Christ means. It could mean jail, physical suffering, it could mean death.
Those are scary things.
But Paul knew that what he was doing was God's work. He knew that Jesus was at his side. He was truly empowered by the Holy Spirit.
In short, he had faith.
He was bold because of his faith.
So in praying about how I am to be bolder and remain in the knowledge that I'm walking exactly the path God has predestined for me I started to think about the strength of my faith.
It's not just about boldness, it's about faith.
I was reminded of that wonderful song by Christy Nockels "Waiting here for you" which says:
"If faith can move the mountains, let the mountains move."
Do we have faith to move mountains? Do I?
Jesus says in Mark 11:23-24:
"Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
So this is our faith, it is written in God's word. Do we believe it? If it doesn't happen is that because we don't have the faith for it?
Since moving to Bahrain in 2002 I have grown to love my adopted country, the people, the culture, the landscape even. From a very young age I have had a burning desire to be in this region and when I got the opportunity to come here to work I knew that this was my destiny. Even before I knew Christ and what God was calling me to.
Since 2002 I have seen changes in the region and particularly in Bahrain which have angered me, saddened me and caused me to question what I was doing here.
However, even in the face of losing my job, my business, my husband and on occasion my sanity, my love for this country has grown to bursting point.
Bahrain is a country in turmoil with weekly acts of protest and demonstration against the police and the government. It has become normal for us to divert around burning tyres, molotovs and oil spread across the highway. We have lost our perception of what is acceptable. As a country we have lost our peace and our love and our unity. I say "our" because I consider myself a citizen of this country, this island that when I arrived was called "the land of sunny smiles", this little desert that God can hold in his hand is my home. As members of this community we are responsible for the environment we live in. If we don't like what's happening then we have to do something. We have to be bold. And that doesn't mean entering into political discussions about who is right and wrong, it means standing for what we believe in. Standing for Love, Peace, Joy.
Regions are transformed not by political debates but by prayer, by a move of God.
We want peace, we want to turn the hearts of this nation to the Father, we want to see multitudes saved........
What are we doing about it? Yes I'm sure we are praying from the comfort of our homes but God is calling us out of our comfort zones. To change the atmosphere in the village we have to pray God's presence into that village, surely it's much harder to do that from a distance. Yes people can get healed through long distance prayer but the number of people who have received divine healing when someone prays for them and lays on hands is significantly higher I'm sure you will agree.
You may think as I do, but will God really use me? We know He can use us, but will He?
It only takes one person to make the first move. Maybe its you, or me.... It's not just pastors and those in high positions that are called by God, we all are. God can use anyone. Just as He used the Samaritan woman in John 4:7-26 to transform the city of Sychar in Samaria. When she shared her newfound faith with others in the city "many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony" (John 4:39)
I talked earlier about some of my past actions being "stupid" rather than bold. I was not walking with God during those times and there is always a question of motive if God is not at the heart of your boldness.
If God has called you to be bold you need the faith for it. So is it a question of boldness or faith? Or do the two go hand in hand.
The words "leap of faith" come to mind. We need to take that step, that leap, out of our comfort zones and into our destiny. Perhaps we do not have enough faith but that does not mean we can't step out in faith, the leap that will plunge us into a deeper faith, a total reliance on our Father to be with us in all things.
Will we let God empower us to save nations? Are we prepared to risk everything for His sake?
Are we prepared to die? Not just die to yourself but actually lay down your life for Him. It's not just a metaphor.
Jesus says in Luke 14:26
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters--yes, even their own life--such a person cannot be my disciple."
I never understood this until now.
Are we willing to show Him that nothing else matters more than to follow Him and do what He has commanded us to do. To follow Him no matter what, to the ends of the earth if necessary.
How much do you want it? How much do you want revival? How much do you want to be the person God created you to be?
If we become 10x bolder I think God will increase our faith proportionately.
My prayer for this is quite simple:
You are the Lord, my God, my Father in Heaven, creator of all things, I love you and I will do whatever it takes. Give me the boldness to step out in faith and to worship you in spirit and truth and bring your Kingdom to this nation through the power of the Holy Spirit. Anoint me Father that I may radiate your Glory and bring your Love, Peace and Joy to this nation. More Lord, bring it on!!
In Jesus Mighty and precious Name,
Amen
Love this Lydia.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading!
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