Men Must be Bold

Acts 18:9

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.(NIV)

Timothy, who is presented to us as such a great example of a young Christian man, was very courageous, yet Paul still reminded him,

2 Timothy 1:7

‘For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.(NIV)

One act of boldness did not guarantee boldness in the future. The apostles never reached a point in their lives in which boldness was effortless or where every fear vanished.  Even Peter who could be so bold in his preaching experienced fear from time to time.

Therefore, boldness or courage in living the Christian life and speaking up for the Lord does not mean that we are immune to all feelings of fear.  Sometimes we erroneously think we are not being courageous or bold unless we have reached a point in which all fear is gone, yet a hero is not someone who is immune to fear, rather, a hero is often someone quite afraid, yet moving anyway in the direction of what they fear. One has to realize the need not move forward by their own innate strength:

Boldness is a trait to be mastered. Men must master this art if they are to take their rightful position in the family and society.

Bold men stand out from the group. They are confident, courageous, and directed. I believe there is boldness in most men. Given the right set of circumstances, many men will take action to better the world around them.

Men who choose to be bold are inspiring not just because they get big things accomplished, but because they also instigate growth, progress, and movement for themselves and others around them and particularly their families. Our wives and children are looking at us. We have to be bold.

Last Sunday I was speaking to a group of men in one church in Thika, Kenya. One of the issues that were raised is: Why do we have Empowerment Programs for women and girls and almost none for men? The man is meant to be an authority right from creation. It is only that he lost his leadership role and women have and are taking that position. The men have to arise and be bold enough. They must be men enough.

Boldness is necessary because we don't want our lives to be lived in vain. We don't want to come to the end of our lives—our jobs, our ministries, our families—and say, "It's empty. Nothing happened. There was no effect that mattered. It was all in vain." We don't want to feel that or say that. And so boldness is necessary to keep that from happening—so that our lives are not in vain.

“Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.” ~Unknown

Too often, we allow fear, worry, and doubt to dominate and define our lives. We allow them to steal our joy, our sleep, and our precious dreams.

If you want to know happiness and realize your dreams, you have to be willing to take a leap of faith despite being afraid.

Too often, we hold back and play it safe, in order to avoid becoming successful, feeling embarrassed, looking silly, being hurt, and facing rejection or possible failure.

We cling to fear from our childhood, traumatic experiences, and the negative consequences that we have had in the past. It’s our responsibility to acknowledge, face, and dissolve our fear.

Are you willing to begin now, to dig for the courage to do all the things you were meant to do, but haven’t yet begun?

You have the power to do what it takes to break through any obstacles that stand in the way of yourself, your dreams, and your happiness.

Men must aspire to be bold. They must:

1. Own their flaws and strengths. Bold men have strong self-awareness. They know when they should take bold action. They are more self-aware.

2. Keep clear priorities. Bold men know their objectives and prioritize them clearly. Avoid unimportant activities that lead to distraction.

3. Speak up. Bold men are not necessarily loud but when they have something to say, they say it.

4. Pair action with knowledge. They apply the same sense of action to learning and due diligence as they do to any other activity. Bold men want to make sure their actions lead to success.

5. Accept the value of failure. No one is totally comfortable with failure, but bold men understand that greater rewards stem from greater risk.

6. Make the most of small wins. Bold men understand that rarely is any situation perfect from the beginning. They look to make the most of any given set of circumstances that can lead to victory, even a small one.

7. They build momentum. Bold men recognize that a single victory is not enough to sustain them. They work to create a series of actions that help them gather confidence, speed, and power.

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it". Can you take up your rightful position and be bold? LET’S BE MEN ENOUGH! LET’S BE BOLD. MEN MUST ASPIRE TO BE COURAGEOUS AND HANDLE CHALLENGES IN LIFE BOLDLY.