In our final devotion, I want to encourage you to be BOLD. Proverbs 28:1 (NIV) says, “the righteous are as bold as a lion”. If you’ve ever seen a lion in the wild, you’ll know that they are bold, strong, and courageous. And that’s the mindset I want to challenge you to embrace as a follower of Jesus.

What I’ve learnt is that the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves shape our lives for better or worse. Often, negative stories or beliefs from the past hold us back. They may be rooted in our upbringing, in traumatic events, or in mistakes we made. It takes decisive action to change these limiting narratives and align our lives with what God says.

Life has a way of convincing us that we don’t have what it takes. Yet those who are righteous through Christ (which we can’t take any credit for) are called to live with boldness. This requires a renewing of our minds.

Even in Biblical times, there were heroes of faith who thought they weren’t up to God’s call on their lives. When God called Moses, he protested that he wasn’t the right guy for the job: “But why me?” Moses asked (in Exodus 3:11 MSG). “What makes You think that I could ever go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

God’s response to Moses’s fears and doubts was simple – “God answered: ‘I will be with you’” (Exodus 3:12 NLT).

Gideon is another prime example here. The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and addressed him as a “Mighty hero” (in Judges 6:12) before commissioning him to rescue Israel from the Midianites. “‛But Lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!’” (Judges 6:15 NLT).

The Lord gave Gideon the same answer He’d given Moses – “The Lord answered: ‘I will be with you’” (Judges 6:16 NIV).

Interestingly, this wasn’t enough to convince Gideon, who asked God to do some miraculous signs to prove that He would really help Gideon as promised. Moses also required extra convincing. (See Exodus 4:1–17.) Their behaviour is so relatable. They were ordinary guys at the start of their faith journeys, who still had to go the distance with God to become the heroes of faith God had created them to be.

Much like Gideon and Moses, we can receive the information that God is with us, but often this isn’t enough to convince us that we have what it takes, either. We still have to journey with the Lord for this information to become a revelation. A personal revelation of God’s presence and power will gradually free us of our limiting beliefs so we can keep moving forward into all He has for us.

A good starting point is to challenge these limiting beliefs with scriptures that remind us that God will never leave us, and He will never loosen His grip on our lives. (See Hebrews 13:5 AMPC.) I encourage you, find some of these faith promises from His Word, and incorporate them into your self-talk by writing them down, memorising them, and meditating on them.

Conclusion

The angel of the Lord tells Gideon, “Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you.” (Judges 6:14 NLT). The strength Gideon has is God’s power made available to him. The strength we have is the same Holy Spirit power that raised Jesus from the dead made available to us. (See Romans 8:11.)

The power of your story comes from what God is doing in you. So what will your story be? I pray you will have the courage to draw near to God and open your heart to the fresh new chapters that He wants to take you into.

To experience the fullness of God’s power for our lives, we (like Gideon) have to “Go”. One courageous step at a time builds forward momentum. What step can you take to move closer to God? Or towards fulfilling a God-dream for this year? One step leads to another. And there’s always a next step. If you keep taking incremental steps, if you keep doing the right things consistently, you will reap the benefits over time.

To go the distance with God, you have to keep going. Go where He leads you; trust Him to direct your steps. Paul writes in Ephesians 1:19 (TPT): “I pray that you will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith.” 

Bible Reading (NLT)

Proverbs 28:1
Exodus 3:11–12
Judges 6:12–40
Exodus 4:1–17
Hebrews 13:5
Philippians 4:13
Romans 8:11
Ephesians 1:19