BOLD AS A LION!
“The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1).
On July 15, 1986, Roger Clemens, the sizzling right-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, started his first All-Star Game. In the second inning, he came to bat, something he had not done in years because of the American League’s designated hitter rule. He took a few uncertain practice swings and then looked out at his forbidding opponent, Dwight Gooden, whom the previous year had won the Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in baseball.
Clemens stepped into the batter’s box. Gooden threw a white-hot fastball past Clemens. With an embarrassed smile on his face, Clemens stepped out of the box and asked catcher Gary Carter, “Is that what my pitches look like?”
“You bet it is!” replied Carter. From that day on, with a fresh reminder of how overpowering a good fastball is, he said, “I pitched with far greater boldness.”
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Sometimes we forget how powerful the Holy Ghost is in our lives. The power of the Holy Ghost delivers people from sin and demonic forces, heals the sick, makes the lame walk, opens blind eyes, and causes the deaf to hear. When I remember the power of the Holy Ghost living in me, I can be as “BOLD AS A LION!” The Holy Ghost I have is the same that Peter and Paul had.
Your personal testimony is a far more powerful weapon than you realize. Your personal testimony is one of the most powerful ministry tools you will ever have. There is something about a testimony that gives us overcoming power. My testimony reminds me that if God did it once, He can and will do it again! When I testify to myself, I become as “BOLD AS A LION.” When I testify to others, there is a spiritual transmission of faith and boldness. My testimony can cause others to be as “BOLD AS A LION!”
Sometimes we forget just how powerful the Gospel we preach really is.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
The Gospel message still changes lives! The Gospel still carries the power of God to save anyone that will hear and believe it. Remember just how powerful the Gospel is. You have experienced it. It still works. When I remember just how powerful the message I preach is, I can be as “BOLD AS A LION!” The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, is still sharper than any two-edged sword.
Roger Clemens, realizing just how overpowering his fastball was, pitched with far greater boldness and confidence.
Today, realize and remember just how much greater the One who lives in you is than the one who is in the world! The world is in desperate need of people who will be as “BOLD AS A LION!”
A crocodile’s jaws are one of the most powerful natural forces on earth, recording the world’s most powerful bite force value ever, at 3,700 pounds. The tooth pressure is 350,000 pounds per square inch. Yet a lion will stand boldly at the bank of the river and roar in the face of crocodiles, backing them down, sending them back into the water and away from the lions and their supper. The crocodiles could easily take out the lion, but the boldness and the volume of that roar strikes fear into the crocodile.
You have a powerful roar! It is time to remember and recognize just how powerful you are through the power of the One who lives in you.
Pray that we would be granted boldness and confidence to accomplish our God-given missions and testify to others of this power! (Acts 4:29-31)
We have a need for boldness so that we can go out and do His will and speak the Word of God. Sometimes the fulfillment of the promises of God in our lives will require us to be as “BOLD AS A LION.”
Our opening Scripture states that the righteous are those who are as “BOLD AS A LION.” Righteous means to be in right standing with God. So, if we are going to wax bold, we must align ourselves with God and His Word. When we do, we can be as “BOLD AS A LION,” because we know without a doubt the Lion of the Tribe of Judah is on our side! And if He is for us, who can be against us?
I challenge you to testify to yourself of all the wonderful works of God in your life, and then boldly find someone else to testify to today. May we all be as “BOLD AS A LION” and back down whatever spiritual crocodiles we face with the roar of the Holy Ghost that is within us!
Your prayers are like that canal of Roger Clemens. From this day forward, never again underestimate just how overpowering your fastball is. Take the pitching mound of life every day, knowing nobody can hit that fastball. Throw it with confidence. Throw it with boldness. Be as “BOLD AS A LION!”
Rev. Louis D. Brown, III
WNOP Northeast Regional Coordinator
Co-Pastor
The Pentecostals of New Britain
New Britain, Connecticut
