Confidence that Shakes the Room
Well, now, hey there, friend, look at you wanderin’ up this way like a curious woodchuck sniffin’ around a fresh pan of biscuits. Come on through this gate and settle yourself right over here in this here ol’ chair beside the rose bushes so we can smell some of that there sweet aroma from the roses from the front porch. I tell you right now that what we’re about to talk about is stronger than a ol’ onery mule’s kick and sweeter than sorghum molasses drippin’ on a warm, buttered biscuit. I was watchin’ a rooster earlier as he was struttin’ across the yard like he’d just been elected mayor of the barnyard. Chest puffed out, feathers shinin’, actin’ like every critter ought to be salutin’ him. And right then I realized somethin’ as I thought, “Mercy, if that loudmouth bird can walk around with that much boldness, surely God’s people can learn to stand real tall, too.” That there thought settled in my heart like the quiet calm that rolls across a pasture at sundown. It reminded me of Acts 4:29, “Grant that Your bond servants may speak Your word with all confidence.”
Peter and John plum knew a thing or two about confidence. When the religious leaders hauled ‘em in for preachin’ and healin’, those fellas didn’t tremble like a lil’ ol’ possum playin’ dead. They stood real firm. Acts 4:13 says “The leaders were amazed because Peter and John were uneducated and untrained men, yet they spoke with boldness. The leaders finally realized these were the same men who had been with Jesus.” They probably thought, “Didn’t these fellas run off when Jesus got arrested?” But now here they were, standin’ strong and speakin’ truth.
The leaders threatened ‘em a bit more, but they had to let ‘em go because the whole crowd was glorifying God for the miracle. And when Peter and John got back to the other believers, the church didn’t panic. They didn’t hide. They lifted their voices together and prayed, “Grant that Your bond servants may speak Your word with all confidence” (Acts 4:29). And God answered. Acts 4:31 says, “The place shook, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”
Father, thank You for the courage You give. Help me speak Your truth with confidence. Fill me with Your Spirit so I can stand strong in every situation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Well, now, you’ve made it, friend. Let me set this here last truth in your hands the way a wise old barn owl settles onto a fence post, steady and full of purpose. Boldness just ain’t about no kind of education or polish. It’s plum about bein’ with Jesus. It’s about lettin’ His Spirit fill you until fear packs its bags and leaves town. So, lift your head and keep looking up, plant your feet real firm, and remember that the very same God who shook that early church is still strengthenin’ His people today. And, friend, He’s absolutely more than ready to be strengthenin’ you to do whatever He has set in your path to glorify Him.
With joy,
Gwen
