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Asserting Yourself for Jesus

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7

When Paul wrote Timothy, he reminded his young protégé that the God he served was a bold God and that God’s spirit empowered His children with boldness also. Like Timothy, we, too, face times of uncertainty and fear in the ever-changing world in which we live. God’s message is the same to us today as it was to Timothy: We can live boldly because the Spirit of God resides in us.

When your friends encourage you to do things that you know are wrong, are you bold enough to say no? I hope so. But if you haven’t quite learned the fine art of assertiveness, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger – plenty of people, even grown adults who are old enough to know better, still have trouble standing up for themselves.

If you really want to strengthen your walk with the Lord, you have no alternative – you must be assertive. Why? Because assertiveness is an essential component of a strong character. With assertiveness, you can stand on your own two feet; without it, you are doomed to follow the crowd wherever they may choose to go (and oftentimes, they choose to go in the wrong direction).

You’re almost never too old to learn how to become more assertive. So do yourself this huge favor; learn to say no politely, firmly, and often. When you do, you’ll be protecting yourself and your character.

Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, I have so much to learn and so many ways to improve my walk with You. Thank You for Your love and for Your Spirit who is alive and bold within me. Help me to become the person that You want me to become. I pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen