When they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was
shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to
speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31).

Fear is a powerful controller. It either compels us to do what is
irresponsible or it impedes us from living responsibly. Recently a
denominational executive spoke in our chapel, and his opening statement
was, "As I travel among our pastors, I’m overwhelmed by the
realization that the number one motivation in their lives is fear of
failure."

After several years of teaching evangelism and overseeing
evangelistic outreaches, I can tell you with confidence that the number
one reason people don’t share their faith is fear. Agoraphobia, fear of
being in public, is one of the fastest growing psychological disorders.
Fear of failure, fear of the devil, fear of man, fear of everything is
plaguing our society.

Do you know that the most frequent command of Jesus in the Gospels
is "Fear not"? In anticipation of Israel’s entrance into the
Promised Land, God tells His people four times "Be strong and
courageous" (Joshua 1). The writer of Proverbs says, "The
wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a
lion" (Proverbs 28:1).

The fact that God doesn’t look favorably on cowards and unbelievers
is made evident in Revelation 21:8: "But for the cowardly and
unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and
sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake
that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
Does it surprise you that cowardly, unbelieving people are listed in a
rogue’s gallery with murderers and liars?

It is a characteristic of the Spirit-filled life to be bold (Acts
4:31). The early church didn’t pray for "divine appointments";
they prayed for boldness. God’s kingdom can only be established by
faithful and courageous people

Lord, I purpose to be strong and courageous in Your name, ready and
trustworthy to accomplish Your will.

This daily devotional is published and distributed by
http://www.GOSHEN.net/ . It is written by Neil Anderson at
http://www.freedominchrist.com/ .