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NEEDING BOLDNESS

The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1

Rosa Parks, a committed Christian and the mother of the Civil Rights movement, was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. Boycotts and bloodshed followed until the Supreme Court finally ruled racial segregation unconstitutional. In Quiet Strength, Rosa writes: ‘Knowing what must be done does away with fear. When I sat down on the bus that day, I’d no idea history was being made - I was only thinking of getting home. But I had made up my mind. After many years of being a victim of the mistreatment my people suffered, not giving up my seat - and whatever I had to face afterwards - wasn’t important. I didn’t feel any fear - I felt the Lord would give me the strength to endure whatever I had to face. It was time for someone to stand up - or in my case, sit down.’ John Knox’s epitaph reads, ‘Here lies a man who never feared the face of clay.’ At Westminster Abbey in London, a memorial to Lord Lawrence says, ‘He feared man so little, because he feared God so much.’ How would you like to be remembered like that? God’s Word says, ‘‘the righteous are bold as a lion.’ Even when you don’t feel very brave, always remember, courage isn’t the absence of fear - it’s the mastery of it! The Psalmist says, ‘Wait on the Lord and He shall strengthen thy heart’ (Psalm 27:14). When your cause is righteous and you commit it to God, He’ll give you the boldness you need to act. Count on it!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to stand for what is right and just and not be afraid of others knowing you will always see me through. In Jesus’ Precious Name, Amen