Do you approach life with the boldness of a lion? You have everything it takes to operate in spiritual boldness. Find out how to be bold as a lion!
Charging through the savannahs of Africa, the mighty lion is regal and fearless in his pursuit. Known as “the king of beasts,” he possesses courage and confidence that refuse to retreat from any threat or attack. With a roar that can be heard from miles away, a lion is an animal to be reckoned with. He is a symbol of fearlessness, strength and invincibility. In short, a lion is bold.
The Bible mentions the word lion 155 times in the Old Testament alone. Proverbs 30:30 (NKJV) describes the lion as “mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing.” With such a reputation for power and might, it is no wonder God used this animal to describe the demeanor He expects from His children in Proverbs 28:1: “The wicked flee when no one is looking, but the righteous are as bold as a lion” (NKJV).
Maybe you’re reading this today and realize you haven’t been operating in spiritual boldness the way you should. Perhaps fear has been holding you back or you simply don’t know where to start. One thing you need to know today is this: Jesus didn’t die and defeat all of hell to have us quivering in the corner! He gave us dominion and all authority—but we have to operate in it! When you apply the following principles in your life, you will learn how to be bold as a lion.
1. Be Bold in Approaching God
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain….” –Hebrews 4:16 (KJV)
When you approach God in prayer, how do you show up? Are you confident or timid? Expecting to receive or just wishing and hoping? Asking or begging? Do you know you belong, or do you feel unworthy?
Why does it matter? Prayer is prayer, right? Not exactly.
The difference in how you come to the throne of God will determine whether you take possession of what you need or walk away empty-handed. Hebrews 4:16 tells us to come boldly so that we may obtain what we need. In other words, boldness is a prerequisite to receiving—because the fuel for boldness is faith.
So, where does boldness in prayer come from?
Your source of boldness is knowing who you are in Christ and what rights you have in your covenant relationship with Him. One of the rights Jesus secured for you at the cross is the right to come freely into the presence of God without condemnation, without insecurity and without the fear of not being heard.
Ephesians 3:12 says, “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.” That means Jesus paved the way between us and the throne room of God. Fellowship with Him is part of our covenant rights, so acting unworthy is disrespecting the price Jesus paid to get you there.
Take your house, for instance. You go into your house boldly — knowing it belongs to you. You don’t hesitate. You don’t question if it belongs to you. You certainly don’t go to the back door, trembling and saying, “Oh God, this is a fine, beautiful home. Help me, now. Oh, help me, Sir, to have the faith to go into this house.”
Of course not! That house belongs to you. You aren’t sassy about it, but you live there. It’s yours. You aren’t stealing anything from God by stepping into that house with boldness, because He gave you the house.
The devil will work overtime to convince you that you aren’t worthy of boldly entering in. He doesn’t want you in there, and he certainly doesn’t want you making bold requests. But don’t let the devil trick you out of coming boldly to the throne — it’s where you belong.
Find out how Gloria Copeland prays here.
When Jesus is abiding in you and you in Him, you know He loves you. You know the Greater One lives in you. There is no fear in love—so you know He is going to take care of you. That’s where your boldness comes from.
Boldness isn’t begging, pleading, wishing or hoping—boldness is knowing. It is confidence that when you pray according to the Word in faith, and as you live in obedience to God’s Word, you will receive what you ask (1 John 3:21-22).
You have a standing invitation from your heavenly Father to come boldly and take possession of what you need. So, start praying in the Name of Jesus, according to the Word of God, and expect to receive what you ask for not just once in a while, but every time!
Jesus was bold about going to the cross. He was bold about being punished. He was bold about accepting your sin.
So be bold if for no other reason than to honor Him.
If you need something from God today, don’t waste time standing around outside heaven’s gates. Through Jesus you belong in the very throne room of God. So, come right on in. The door is always open for you.
Learn the 7 Steps to Prayer That Bring Results here.
2. Be Bold by Acting on the Word of God
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” –James 1:22 (NKJV)
Have you ever noticed that miracles most often occur among people who are bold about God? Boldness and the miraculous are so closely tied together that some people “try” to act bold just to get things to happen. Of course, it doesn’t work. Because true boldness comes from a knowing in your spirit, and boldness causes us to act on God’s Word.
People sometimes mistake bold faith for pride. It isn’t an ego trip to believe in the favor of God, to believe in His supernatural protection, to believe in His provision. There’s a difference between ego and faith. When you’re standing in boldness on the Word of God—that’s faith talking. You aren’t bragging on yourself—you’re bragging on God! You just know what’s yours.
When you know (not hope) it is God’s will—to heal you, to pay your bills, to take care of your children—you won’t hesitate and you won’t be timid. You’ll reach out and TAKE those promises. You’ll take your faith and put it into action and do it boldly!
How do you get that way? By spending time in the Word and meditating on it until it becomes more real to you than anything else. That’s when boldness will rise up in you and you’ll start putting feet to your faith.
What does it look like to put your faith in action? If sickness is trying to come on your body, you don’t just believe for healing, you act on it. You speak to it and command it to leave in Jesus’ Name. If you haven’t been able to get out of bed, do something—anything—and start moving your feet toward the floor. If you’ve been in debt or lack and you’re believing to be free, put your faith in action. Pay even $1 on that debt in faith toward becoming debt free. You sow a seed of faith toward debt freedom. Whatever you do—do something!
One of the best ways for you to grow up and be strong and bold in faith is to begin laying hands on other people to be healed and delivered—to minister to them. There was a time in England when Jesse Duplantis was boldly ministering in the office of the prophet, and he cried out, “There’s somebody here who has a black scar right across your chest.” (You’ve got to be bold to speak out a specific word of knowledge). He said, “It bothers you, and God wants to take it away. Come up here and He’ll do it.”
Well, no one came. But Jesse wouldn’t give up, and he kept calling for this person. Finally, the man came forward. Now, boldness will cause you to do things you wouldn’t normally do. That’s when Jesse jerked the man’s shirt open and commanded that scar to be gone and it left—disappeared right then and there. Boldness is where the excitement is. The bolder you are, the more fun it is, and the more the power of God will manifest.
When we hesitate and are afraid of what people might think, nothing happens. So, make up your mind now to be bold—whether you want to or not.
That’s how it works, but you have to take the first step. Do what the Bible says to do— whether you feel like it or not. That’s called ACTING ON THE WORD! And that’s called FAITH!
Sign up to the ‘Journey to Faith’ email course and over the course of 4 weeks, we will send you foundational teachings on key topics to build your understanding of faith.
3. Be Bold to Resist the Devil
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” –James 4:7 (NIV)
How does the devil see you? Does he see you as a terrifying and mighty warrior of God…or does he see you as a wimp he can whip in a minute?
The answer to that question depends on you. If you study the children of Israel and their failure to enter the Promised Land, you’ll see the key to their failure is found in these words: “And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:33, KJV).
The reason the Israelites were so terrified to fight the giants in Canaan wasn’t because those giants were so big. It was because the Israelites saw themselves as so small! It was what they were in their own sight that defeated them.
The same thing is true for you as a believer. It’s what you are in your own sight that will make the difference. If, in your own sight, you’re a weak, powerless Christian, the devil will run over you three or four times a day or more if he’s not busy. But when you begin to see yourself as God sees you, as a conquering son or daughter of Almighty God, equipped with the very power of God Himself, the devil will want to steer clear of you.
The devil would rather do anything than come against someone who’s bold and courageous, because he’s a coward himself. In fact, ever since Jesus came up out of that grave, Satan’s heart has melted within him at the sound of that Name in the mouth of one who has faith in it.
If you’re not strong in the Lord in your own sight, you need to change that. You need to get so full of God’s Word and so full of the Holy Ghost that you walk around like a spiritual giant. Turn the tables on the devil, and let him find out what it feels like to be a grasshopper for a change.
Jesus has already defeated the devil, and if you’re a Christian, you’ve got authority over him. You’ve got the Name and blood of Jesus at your disposal, but you have to decide to be bold and take authority over your family, over sickness and disease, over the spirit of poverty, and anything else going on in your life.
You might be the quietest, sweetest person in the whole world, but when the devil comes, don’t be nice and quiet toward him. He is an outlaw, a killer and a thief. So, be bold in standing against him. Confront him and cast him out.
Be bold to walk into the darkness and bring the light. Be bold to reach into the jaws of hell and bring out your precious loved ones before they’re lost forever. Be bold to face the angel of death and tell him: “No you don’t. Take your hand off and bow your knee to the Name of Jesus.”
Start practicing, and you’ll get bolder and bolder. Tell Satan he can’t come into your garden, he can’t come into your body, he can’t have your children, and he can’t have your money. Rebuke him and tell him to get out in the Name of Jesus. Put him in his place—and that place is out of your sight and out of your life.
In conclusion, when you’re bold in approaching God, bold in acting on the Word of God, and bold about resisting the devil, you will be one who God describes as being bold as a lion. You don’t have to live in fear or timidity ever again. Now gird yourself up, get a spiritual roar going, and be bold as a lion!
Be Bold With Your Words
Are you ready to activate your faith and start a war on fear with your words? Take The WORD of The LORD, the message of Christ, and preach it with boldness! Watch Kenneth Copeland on Believer’s Voice of Victory as he encourages you to boldly preach, teach and share by the leading of the Holy Spirit— without fear.
Do you want to learn more?
Check out our Learn section to sign up to an email course or watch previous broadcasts on KCM Europe YouTube Channel or here on the website.
