If you’ve been around any church for a while, chances are that you are familiar with several (potentially awkward) situations. There’s the terrifying “how is it humanly possible for my palm to sweat this much?!” while holding hands in a group for prayer, and the good old “the service has now run an hour and a half over and I have an important meeting to go to…how do I leave???” One of my personal favorites, though, is the moment right after worship when the pastor prompts the congregation to “turn and greet the people around you,” or something to that tune. A few weeks ago, one of the pastors at my church suggested something different than just saying hi or asking how his/her day had been. He wanted us to ask: “How were you brave today?”

That question sparked great conversation and a moment of authentic connection before the rest of the service started. More than that, though, it encouraged genuine reflection not only on how we had walked through our days, but the choices we had made.

Weeks later, the question is still resonating with my heart.

I have spend time considering what bravery is, exploring biblical examples of bold decisions, and asking the Lord how He is making my heart brave. Through this process, a few passages have been focal points and I feel like the Lord has downloaded insight into different ways that He causes our hearts to become bold and fearless in Him.

Bravery in the Scriptures

One of my favorite scriptures for several years now has been Proverbs 28:1:

The righteous are bold as lions.

I find it so empowering that our righteousness, and not our credentials, is the basis for our courage. That notion is particularly impactful when we take into consideration the full implication of what it mean that Christ himself is our righteousness, our sanctification. It is because of who He is that we are righteous. This sure and unending righteousness then becomes our platform for action. We can be bold and brave because of who we are as kings and priests in the Kingdom (Rev 1:6).

Another passage that I find myself turning to quite often is Joshua 1:7:

Be strong and very courageous.

The whole passage is encouraging, but my heart takes particular comfort in knowing that I don’t need to be courageous for the sake of being courageous. Rather, the Lord strengthens my heart in courage as a way of enabling me to better follow his leadership. Moreover, our faith can require us to speak or act in bold ways and the Lord himself calls us to take up both strength and courage. However, the Lord never calls us to something that He will not give us grace to complete.

Additionally, there are many examples within the scriptures that display bravery in its raw, authentic form. Esther, for example, was tremendously brave as she approached the king in order to save her people (Esther 5). David was equally brave when he took up his sling to kill Goliath and secure peace and freedom (1 Samuel 17). Jonah was brave in (finally) making the decision to go to Ninivah and share God’s Word (Jonah 3). Mary’s heart was full of bravery as she took her priceless perfume and poured it out over Jesus (John 12). These stories, along with dozens of others, exhibit bravery in astounding ways.

Ending beyond the actions themselves, though, those instances of bravery each yielded incredible results. Indeed, the fruit of bravery is always breakthrough. From the preservation of nations to revival and greater intimacy with Jesus, a brave heart has tremendous impact. We can see breakthrough in the circumstances around us, breakthrough in the advancement of the kingdom, or breakthrough in our own lives. Regardless, bravery yields a rich harvest of holy advancement.

Audacious Living

In meditating upon scripture and studying the lives of those whose brave actions are told in the Bible, we are then positioned to grown in bravery ourselves. Increasing our boldness before both man and God in a humble and holy way is important. It is essential to ensure that any seeds of pride or foolishness be banished from our hearts; wisdom must be our guide (Psalm 51:6) (Proverbs 2:7).

Clinging to the Word, we need to seek the Lord in prayer. Several times throughout the Psalms and other books, we see different people asking the Lord for wisdom and boldness. Their prayers and offer an excellent outline for us to pray for bravery. Perhaps you are in a situation where bravery is required for a confrontation in order to prevent a situation from going badly. The stories of Esther or David would be great places to pray from. Or perhaps the Lord is calling you to be bold in evangelism or ministry – Jonah’s story and prayers might be right up your alley. Yet again, maybe your heart needs to be brave in living wholeheartedly before the Lord. In which case, Mary’s story will probably be a great place to start.

As we pray and soak our hearts in the Word, the Lord will cause our hearts to grow in bravery. Our shortcomings and weaknesses pale in comparison to His grace and provision (2 Cor 12:8-10). He has provided, and will continue to provide, everything that we need to live audacious and holy lives before Him. This lifestyle of righteous and bold living is exactly the heart posture that will allow us to step into the promises that the Lord has given us. And so, Dear Saints, ask the Lord to increase your boldness. Let Him show you where He is empowering your heart to live audaciously and zealously before Him. Surely, most surely, breakthrough will follow.