There’s no doubt that these are prophetic times we are living in. I truly believe this is the church’s greatest hour, which is why God has destined you to be here for such a time as this. It is important, then, that you learn to walk in the boldness of the Holy Spirit. Do not be ashamed of your faith. Do not be afraid to speak up, tell the truth, and confront the evil that is 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 dark places. This is what you are called to do in whatever capacity God has given you, and with whatever gifting He has entrusted to you. 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, but against spiritual wickedness in high places. 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 are hungrier now than ever before for the supernatural, for truth, and for what you carry.
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, and cancer healed, along with all sorts of other miracles, but there is also going to be a great demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s healing power regarding mental illness. We are going to see schizophrenia healed. We are going to see bipolar disorder healed. We are going to see depression and anxiety healed. God is going to bring emotional and mental healing along with 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
In Acts 4:23, we see 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, O Lord, hear their threats and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through 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 preached the word of God with boldness.
This was after the day of Pentecost. On that day they had already received the infilling of the Holy Spirit and were filled with great boldness and power. They were already seeing miraculous signs. But here we see a renewal, a refreshing, a fresh access to a new level of power. The power was already in them, and by faith they were now tapping into what was already within them.
In the 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 infilling of the Holy Spirit’s power. Give us the 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 a fresh touch of power.
3) People are offended when they hear the truth
Think of Stephen the martyr, who spoke eloquently, truthfully, and boldly—and he was killed for it.
In Acts 7:55, “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.’”
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. They lost their minds. They were so pierced by the truth that it invoked a violent emotional response.
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.” 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 told him to say, how God told him to say it, when God told him to say it, and to whom God told him to say it. 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 tells us to say something. Of course, the goal is never to offend.
Some preachers sadly make it their goal to offend and stir trouble so they can get clicks and views. That is not what I’m talking about. I’m not talking about drama for drama’s sake. That is immaturity. What I am talking about is being faithful to the truth of the Word of God. The goal is not to offend people. The goal is to be obedient to God. But the truth is that sometimes—most times—when we are obedient to God, we will offend some people. We cannot let that deter us. Don’t seek controversy for controversy’s sake, and don’t avoid controversy if it costs you your obedience to God. Just obey the Holy Spirit, and He will give you the boldness to speak.
4) All our boldness is of the Holy Spirit and not our status 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 is what happens when you walk in obedience to the Lord. When you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, you are going to stand out. You are not going to look like everyone else. You are not going to talk like everyone else. You are 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 give you the ability to go in the opposite direction when everyone else is pressuring you to go the other way.
Look at Daniel 3. King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura 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.
When all these officials came and stood before the statue, a herald shouted: “People of all races, nations, and languages, listen 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 place. There was a proclamation from those in authority saying you must bow and worship as we command. In society today, there is much darkness and much pressure to bow to the gods of this world and bend your knee to what is ungodly.
But we as believers understand that we only worship one God—the one true God—and we only bow our knee at the name of Jesus. Today it is not a furnace. It is bad culture, ridicule, loss of a job, attacks on social media, families separating from you. In some parts of the world, violence is still used against those who refuse to obey the gods of this world.
5) Refuse to bow to the gods of this world
There are many different consequences, or results, of obeying God that we can call persecution. We must determine within our hearts that we are going to stand boldly, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and refuse to bow. We must refuse to do what everyone else is doing. We must refuse to go with the flow.
This is why you are different. You may often find that you just don’t fit in and can’t quite find your place. In many instances, that is because you are not bowing to the gods of this world.
In Daniel 3:7, at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people—whatever their race, nation, or language—bowed down and worshiped the gold statue. But some astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. They said, “Long live the king! You issued a decree requiring everyone to bow and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the musical instruments. But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”
They refused to bow, even though they had positions of power and influence. They could have had comfortable lives, but they refused to bow. When confronted, they said, “Our God is able to save us from this fire. Our God can snatch us out of the fire and prevent us from being harmed. But even if He does not, we will not bow.”
What a powerful statement: even if God doesn’t do what I want Him to do, even if He doesn’t give me the miracle I want right when I want it, I am still not going to bow. I am not going to change my mind. I have decided to follow Jesus.
6) Spend more time with Jesus in prayer
Acts 4:13 “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 gives you supernatural boldness. Never mind your personality type—whether you are an introvert or extrovert, shy or outgoing, soft-spoken or loud. Boldness is not a personality trait. It is a character trait that the Holy Spirit can give you no matter what your personality is. Even if you are easygoing and not naturally confrontational, the Holy Spirit will give you boldness to stand against the gods of this world.
You can declare with confidence that even if He doesn’t do what you want Him to do, you will not bow. Time in the presence of Jesus produces divine boldness.
Matthew 10:19-20: “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 the courage to stand out and gives you the exact words to speak at just the right time.
Proverbs 28:1: “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. Where there is righteousness, there will be great boldness.
7) Do not try to explain yourself to anyone for what God has called you to do
The Holy Spirit gives you the power to accomplish what He has destined you to do. Think about Timothy. Paul writes to Timothy because he was being challenged on account of his age. People were dismissing him as young and inexperienced, and because of that he became intimidated by those who doubted his calling. But here is what we read in 2 Timothy 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 or be ashamed of me, even though I am in prison for Him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the good news.”
Do what God called you to do and make no apologies for it. You don’t have to explain yourself to anyone. If God told you to do something, if God has given you a destiny and a ministry, then step out with boldness.
8) Step out and stop doubting
This is the spiritual moment for which all of us have been praying. It is 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 and stop holding back. Stop laying your gifts to the side. Stop disqualifying yourself simply because of your past. There is an old saying: God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. He is calling you today. Step out and don’t be afraid. Be bold. Be courageous. Be filled with truth, 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 you have allowed yourself to falter and have not been bold with your faith, and even if you can see many missed opportunities when you look back on the timeline of your life—1 John 1:9 tells us that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.
Yes, that was a sin of omission. “He that knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin.” But God can still forgive you. That is not the unpardonable sin.
Paul writes that we should forget those things that are behind us so we can press on to what is ahead. Think of Peter. Peter denied Jesus three times—adamantly—after walking with Him, knowing Him, and befriending Him. He denied the One he loved and the One who loved him. Yet God restored him.
In the Gospels we see Peter denying that he even knew the Lord Jesus. But 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 did not hold that over his head and say, “You already missed opportunities. You already denied Me. I am not using you ever again.” No. God is gracious and merciful. It is not about us anyway. God will use those who make mistakes. God is raising you now for this moment, despite your past.
Maybe you once served the Lord passionately, then fell into the things of this world. Now you have come back and feel like you have wasted so much time that you will never recover the call God has for you. That is a lie from the enemy. God can redeem the time. God is not limited to human timelines. All that matters now is that you seize the moment, surrender to the precious Holy Spirit, and say, “Precious Holy Spirit, empower me to do what You have called me to do.”
1 Peter 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: “If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you.”
9) You need the intensity of the glory of God
Do you know those individuals you get around and you can just sense the tangible presence of Jesus on their lives? When they walk into a room, the atmosphere shifts. When you talk to them, you sense the weight of the glory of God. When they speak, there is divine power backing their words. Just being in their presence, you can physically sense the presence of the Holy Spirit. That is the glorious Spirit that rests on them.
When you endure insults, persecution, and rejection, that glory intensifies upon you. Think of Stephen the martyr. There was a moment when 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. I pray that You would light a fire in them that will never go out. Light in their heart a fire of burning passion for the lost. 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. Cause them to speak with love, with power, and with precision. Give them the eloquence of the Spirit. Empower every word they speak. Give them the grace to live out their testimony. Lord, cause Your church to stand boldly in this hour. In the name of Jesus.
I also pray for those who are believing for healing. I lift up the one reading this right now who is crying out for healing. 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 command every cell in your body to obey the will of God. We come against every force of darkness. We break every bondage in Jesus’ name. We give You the praise, 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 on 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 will the preacher be sent if someone doesn’t send them? 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 message in the world today. It is what our world needs. And so, I invite you to be a part of this great mission.
Inspired by David Diga Hernandez Sermon
