There’s no doubt that these are definitely prophetic times that we’re living in. And I truly believe that this is the church’s greatest hour, which is why God has destined you to be here for such a time as this. It’s important, then, that you learn to walk in the boldness of the Holy Spirit. You not be ashamed of your faith, that you not be shy about your faith, that you not be afraid to speak up, tell the truth, and confront the evil that’s in this world.
1) We are born into this world to win souls to the light of God
We, as believers, filled with the Holy Spirit, are to shine the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the dark place. This what you’re called to do in whatever capacity God has given you to do that, whatever gifting God has given you to accomplish that. You are called to shine the light of the Gospel. And in this hour, we need bold Christians.
We wrestle not against flesh and blood. We wrestle against spiritual wickedness in high places. But now is the time for the army of God to rise. The harvest is great. Souls are waiting. People are hungrier now than ever before for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They’re hungrier now than ever before For the supernatural, for truth, for what you carry.
You have been placed here for such a time as this. I want to talk to you about how the Holy Spirit gives you that boldness, even when you’re insulted, even when you’re rejected, even when people are violent against the church, the Holy Spirit can empower you. Now is the time to stand bold.
Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of this good news about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes, the Jew first and also the Gentile.”
As I was praying one day, the Holy Spirit revealed to me that not only will we continue to see blind eyes open, deaf ears open, cancer healed, and all sorts of other miracles, but also there’s going to be a great demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s healing power in terms of mental illness. We’re going to see schizophrenia healed. We’re going to see bipolar disorder healed. We’re going to see depression and anxiety healed. God is going to bring emotional and mental healing along with the physical healing. This is a great season and the Holy Spirit will give you boldness for it.
2) We need renewal of the power of the holy spirit
Act 4: 23: we see in the context here that the church was being persecuted. As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. when they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God.
O Sovereign Lord, Creator of Heaven and Earth, the sea and everything in them. You spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying, why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the Earth prepared for battle. The rulers gathered together against the Lord and against His Messiah.
This has happened here in this very city for Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate, the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. But everything they did was determined beforehand, according to your will.
In other words, even in times of persecution, God is still in control.
And now oh Lord, hear their threats and give us your servants great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power, make miraculous signs and wonders be done to the name of your holy servant Jesus.
After this prayer, the meeting place shook and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preach the Word of God with boldness.
This is after obviously, chapter two, after the day of Pentecost, and on that day of Pentecost they had received the Infilling of the Holy Spirit and were already filled with that great boldness. They were already filled with power. They were already seeing miraculous signs. But here we see a renewal, a refreshing, a sudden access to a new level of power. Not necessarily that the power wasn’t already in them, but they were now, by faith, tapping into what was already within them. In that same way, we must tap into that boldness.
We must lift our hands in faith and cry out, “Holy Spirit, give us boldness for this hour. Give us a fresh in feeling of the Holy Spirit’s power. Give us that ability to speak truth with precision, with love, with conviction, and with great boldness.” That is what God is calling you to. Like the early church, we too can be filled with the fresh touch of power.
3) People are offended when they hear the truth
I think of Stephen the martyr who spoke eloquently, who spoke truthfully, who spoke boldly, and he was killed for it.
Verse 55 of Chapter 7 says, this But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Look, He said, I see heaven open. And the son of man standing at the right hand of God.
Verse 57, at this they covered their ears and yelling at the top of their voices. They all rushed him, dragged him out of the city, and began to stone him. It looks like they lost their minds here. They were so moved by the truth. They were so pierced in their hearts that it invoked this emotional, violent response from them. They covered their ears. They didn’t want to hear the truth that was being spoken.
As they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And then he fell on his knees and cried out, Lord, do not hold this sin against them. When he had said this, he fell asleep.
Here we see someone being martyred for declaring the gospel truth, for telling it like it is, for saying what God said to say, how God said to say it, when God said to say, and to whom God said to say it. And this is the spirit in which the church must learn to operate again.
If we are going to see great revival, we must speak with Holy Spirit conviction. We must be obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit when He says to say something. Of course, the goal is never to offend. Some preachers who sadly say it is their goal to offend and It’s their goal to try to stir trouble so they can get clicks and views. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m not talking about drama for the sake of drama’s sake. That’s immaturity! But what I’m talking about is being faithful to the truth of the Word of God, not necessarily going with the goal of offending people. The goal is not to offend people. The goal is to be obedient to God. But the truth of the matter is this, that sometimes when we are obedient to God, we will end up offending some people. But we can’t let this deter us. Don’t seek controversy for controversy’s sake and don’t avoid controversy if it cost you your obedience to God, just obey the Holy Spirit and He’ll give you the boldness to speak.
4) All our boldness is of the Holy Spirit and not our statue in life
The Holy Spirit will give you the courage to be different. The Holy Spirit will give you the courage to stand out, because that’s what’s going to happen when you walk in obedience to the Lord, when you follow after the leading of the Holy Spirit, you’re going to stand out. You’re not going to look like everyone else Look, you’re not going to talk like everyone else talks, you’re not going to participate in what everyone else is doing or go where everyone else goes. The Holy Spirit is going to make you different. The Holy Spirit is going to cause you to shine. The Holy Spirit is going to give you the ability to go the opposite direction when everyone else is pressuring you to go the other direction.
Look at Daniel Chapter three. King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue 90 feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dora in the province of Babylon. Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up.
Verse three, so all these officials came and stood before the statue of Nebuchadnezzar, the statue that he had set up. Then a herald shouted out, People of all races and nations and languages listened to the King’s command. When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, harp, pipes and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue.
Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. A demonic rule had been set in order that there was a proclamation given by those in authority saying You must bow. You must worship as we command you to worship. And in society today, there is much darkness and there is much pressure to bow to the gods of this world, to bend your knee to that which is ungodly.
But we as believers understand that we only worship one God, the one true God that we only bow our knee at the name of Jesus. Now, today, it’s not a furnace. It’s terrible culture. It’s ridicule. It’s the loss of a job. It’s people attacking you on social media. It’s families separating from you. In some parts of the world, we understand that violence is also something that’s used against those who refuse to obey the gods of this world.
4) Refuse to bow to all the gods of this world
There are many different consequences, so to speak, or I should say, results of obeying God that you can call persecution. We must determine within our hearts that we’re going to stand boldly, empowered by the Holy Spirit and refuse to bow, refuse to do what everyone else is doing, refuse to go with the flow.
This is why you’re different. You may find that often you just don’t fit in and it seems like you just can’t quite find your place. In many instances, that’s because you’re just not bowing to the gods of this world. Sometimes it’s also because maybe you’re difficult or strange.
verse seven in Daniel three. So, at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language bowed to the ground in worship to the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, Long live the king. You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow and worship the gold statue When they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, heart pipes and of the musical instruments. And that decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews, Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego, whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty, for they refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.
They refused to bow and they had positions of power and influence. They could have had comfortable lives, but they refused to bow. When they were confronted, they said, Our God is able to save us from this fire. Our God could snatch us out of the fire, our God can prevent us from being harmed, but even if he doesn’t, we will not bow.
What a powerful statement, that even if God doesn’t necessarily do what I want Him to do, even if God doesn’t necessarily give me the miracle that I want right when I want it, that I’m still not going to bow. I’m not going to change my mind. I’ve decided to follow Jesus. And I know you have to.
5) Spend more time with Jesus in prayers
In act 4:13. We read, the members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John. For they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
spending time in the presence of Jesus, it gives you a supernatural boldness, never mind your personality type, never mind if you’re an introvert or an extrovert, if you’re shy or if you’re outgoing, if you’re soft spoken, or if you’re loud, it doesn’t matter. We’re not talking about personality types. Boldness is not a personality type. It’s a character trait. And the Holy Spirit can give you that boldness no matter what your personality is, even if you’re easygoing, even if you’re not confrontational, the Holy Spirit will give you a boldness, enabling you to stand against the gods of this world.
And you can declare with confidence that even if he doesn’t do what I want him to do, I will not bow. Time in the presence of Jesus produces divine boldness.
Matthew ten 19 -20: When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time, for it is not you who will be speaking, it will be the spirit of your father speaking through you.
The Holy Spirit gives you that courage to stand out and gives you the exact words to speak at just the right time.
Proverbs 28:1: “declares the wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions.”
If you lack boldness, perhaps there is a lack of godliness. If you have righteousness, there will be great boldness.
6) Do not try to explain yourself to anyone for what God has called you to do
Now the Holy Spirit gives you the power to accomplish what He’s destined you to do. Think about Timothy. Paul writes to Timothy because Timothy was being challenged on account of his age. People were dismissing him as young and inexperienced, and because of that, he became a little bit intimidated by those who were doubting his calling. But here’s what we read in 2Timothy 1:6-8.
This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and a sound mind. So, never be ashamed to tell others about the Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me either. Even though I’m in prison for Him with the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the good news.
In other words, do what God called you to do and make no apologies for it. You don’t explain yourself to anyone. If God told you to do something, if God has given you a destiny, if God has given you a ministry, if God has called you, then step out with boldness.
7) Step out and stop doubting
This is the hour. This is the spiritual moment for which many of you have been praying for, which all of us have been praying. It’s upon us now. The moment is ours to seize. This is church history in the making, and heaven is recording what this generation does. Step out. Stop holding back. Stop laying your gifts to the side. Stop disqualifying yourself simply because of your past. There’s an old saying that goes, God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. And so, he’s calling unto you today. Step out. Don’t be afraid. Be bold, be courageous, be filled with truth and power and love and focus on what God has given you to do.
This is your sign. God is speaking to you right now. Step out and obey what God has told you to do. Even if in the past, maybe you say, “I’ve allowed myself to falter. I’ve not been so bold with my faith.” There are so many missed opportunities that I can see by Just looking back on the timeline of my life.
1John 1:9: “tells us that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.”
And yes, that was a sin of omission. He that knows to do good and do it not, to him is sin. But God can still forgive you. That’s not the unpardonable sin.
And Paul writes that we forget those things that are behind us. So that we can press on to what is ahead. Think of Peter. Peter denied Jesus three times, adamantly so after having walked with him, after having known him, after having befriended him, he denied the one he loved. He denied the one who loved him. Yet God restored him.
And we see Peter in one instance in the Gospels denying that he even knew the Lord Jesus. And then later in the Book of Acts, we see Him standing boldly proclaiming the gospel without compromise. What was the difference? It was the infilling of the precious Holy Spirit. God didn’t hold that over his head and say, well, you already missed opportunities, you already denied me. So I’m setting you to decide. I’m not using you ever again.” No, God is gracious. God is merciful. And it’s not about us anyway. So of course, God will use those who make mistakes. God is raising you now for this moment, despite what your past is. Maybe you served the Lord, you were passionate about him, and then you fell into the things of this world. And now, you’ve come back and you feel like you’ve wasted so much time that you’ll never again recover the call that God has for you. That’s a lie from the enemy. God can redeem the time. And God is not limited to human timelines. All that matters now is that you seize the moment. Is that you, surrender to the precious Holy Spirit and say, ‘Precious Holy Spirit, empower me to do as you’ve called me to do.’
1Peter 3: 14: “but even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. Do not worry or be afraid of their threats.”
1 Peter 4:14: that persecution brings glory. If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed for the glorious spirit of God rest upon you.
8) You need the intensity of the glory of God
You know those individuals that you get around and you can just sense the tangible presence of Jesus on their being. When they walk into a room, the atmosphere shifts. In talking to them, you can sense the weight of the glory of God. When they speak words, there’s divine power backing those words and just being in their presence, you can sense the presence of the Holy Spirit, Like physically. That’s the glorious spirit that rests on them.
When you endure insults, when you endure persecution, when you endure rejection, that glory intensifies upon you. Think of Stephen the martyr. There was a moment there where his face began to shine brightly. That was the manifestation of the glory. As the persecution pressed against him, the glory shined upon him. The greater the pressure against the church, the greater the power upon the church. If only we would step out in boldness.
So precious Lord, I pray for that one who is stirred in their spirit today. And I pray that you would light a fire in them that will never go out. I pray that you would light in their heart a fire of burning passion for the lost. And Lord, give them that bold spirit. Give them that courageous spirit. Give them a sound mind and cause them to declare the truth boldly, no matter what. caused them to speak with love and with power and with precision. I pray, give them the eloquence of the spirit. Empower their every word. Give them the grace to live out their testimony. Lord, cause your church to stand boldly in this hour. And in the name of Jesus. I pray also for those who are believing for their sicknesses to be healed. I left that one reading this note to you, crying out for healing. And I pray that your healing power would flow and touch them even now.
Thank you, Jesus. Restore them. I speak to that physical body, and in the name of Jesus, I command every cell in your body to obey the will of God. Lord, we come against every force of darkness, break every bondage, In Jesus name, we give you the praise and the glory and the honor.
Now is the time to seize the opportunity. There is a great harvest of souls. Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. But how will they call upon the name of the Lord If they don’t hear the Gospel, and how will they hear the Gospel If a preacher doesn’t tell them, and how are they going to be preached to If someone doesn’t send that preacher. you and I have an opportunity. You and I have a responsibility. As the church. We have been entrusted with the gospel message. It is the most important course, the most important message in the world today. It’s what our world needs. And so, I invite you to be a part of this great call. Continue to spread this gospel through the various different fields of your life.
Inspired by David Diga Hernandez Sermon
