Boldness

“Having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us … draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.”—Hebrews 10:19–22

Prussian military strategist Carl von Clausewitz once observed that most people are naturally timid. It is the responsibility of leaders to infuse their troops with boldness.

Many people have this spirit of timidity in their spiritual lives. Paul had to remind Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NASB).

This timidity can seep into our relationship with God. The Bible reminds us that if we want Him to answer our prayers, we need to approach Him with faith and confidence. If we have doubts, we should not expect to receive anything (James 1:5–7).

Thanks to Jesus, we don’t have to be timid or indecisive, wondering if God will hear our prayers. Instead, we are to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,” coming before Him with confidence.

But to have this kind of confidence, we need to be freed from sin. Our prayers can be hindered if there is sin in our lives. We can be cleansed by “having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (v. 22). If we are clean and pure in God’s sight, we can be bold and confident.

Don’t allow your prayers to be crippled by doubt. Don’t be timid. Approach God with boldness and confidence. He is ready to hear and answer you!

Reflection Question: Compose a confident prayer to God for your breakthrough.