I WILL STAND STRONG 30 DAY CHALLENGESample

Bold and Broken 

If you want to be a believer who’s not ashamed of the gospel—it’s going to take boldness.  

The culture is turning more and more toward persecuting those who stand for the truths of Christianity. Yet, this is nothing new. Christians throughout the centuries have had to stand boldly for the Lord when the cultural winds shifted against their beliefs.  

Consider Peter’s prayer in Acts 4:29. He and his fellow apostles were beaten, jailed, and even threatened death if they continued to speak about Jesus. “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” 

Notice. Peter didn’t pray and ask to be delivered from the situation or for the threats to go away. He prayed for boldness in the midst of the persecution. This allowed he and his friends to stand in the gap on behalf of those who were disconnected from God. 

When we stand in the gap for others, we connect them to God—on earth as it is in heaven. But this isn’t for the faint of heart. There’s a very real enemy who wants nothing more than to leave that gaping hole just like it is. And Satan knows exactly how to target us to keep us out of it.

The fact remains, it takes boldness to connect others to God. However, boldness alone won’t get the job done. Boldness apart from brokenness makes a bully. You can stand with courage, but without compassion you’ll only widen the gap. 

At the same time, brokenness apart from boldness makes a bystander. You can be the most compassionate person on the planet, but without courage—the result is the same. You’re just widening the gap.

When you’re bold and broken, you become a bridge—connecting heaven to earth in supernatural ways. 

When Peter prayed that prayer in Acts 4, he had already been broken over his own sin. He wept many bitter tears because he denied his Savior. But he repented, and on that foundation, he was willing to stand boldly in a spirit of brokenness and be a bridge to others.  

The good news is, you can be that bridge too! But to be a bridge, you must allow God to break you and give you the boldness to stand in the gap for others.