The Five B's: Bold

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

The Five 'B's' of a Godly Woman: A Blogged Bible Study

Syllabus:
July 29 -- Intro
Aug. 5 -- B1: Brave
Aug. 12 -- B2: Beautiful
Aug. 19 -- B3: Bold
Aug. 26 -- B4: Bride
Sept. 2 -- B5: Becoming
Sept. 9 -- Conclusion

A Godly Woman is Bold

Well, sort of, anyway.

Y'see, the American Heritage Dictionary lists the following varied definitions for the word 'Bold':
1)Fearless and courageous
2)Requiring or exhibiting courage and bravery
3)Unduly forward or brazen in manner
4)Clear and distinct to the eye: standing out prominently

Three out of four, would you say?

1 and 2 are basically different ways of saying the same thing; 3 is definitely not a quality of the Godly Woman, and there are verses pertaining to that kind of boldness, but I'm not going there in this little study. Finally, I believe 4 is true, but in an abstract fashion.

As I said in the study on 'Brave', I think the difference between being brave and bold is that someone who is brave is facing fear and yet proceeding, while someone who is bold is unafraid.

And, I think there are two ways of being unafraid.

The first way is through grace of ability. Just for example, it's not difficult for me to get up in front of people and speak. Oh, I might be nervous about doing a good job, but I'm not afraid in the sense that I want to bolt out the door or toss my breakfast. It's something I can do, I know I can do it, I even enjoy it a bit. I may or may not do a good job of speaking...but I'm not afraid to try it. And if I mess up (by saying 'Moldovia' instead of 'Moldova', for instance), I can laugh at myself.

"The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion." - Prov. 28:1

"Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold." - 2 Cor. 3:12

"After they prayed, the place where the were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." - Acts 4:31

"For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ." - Acts 28:30-31

I think the second way is through the ability of grace. It comes by the way of bravery...doing something, even though I'm scared spitless, until I find that God really does take it and make it into something I could never do on my own. Then the fear is gradually outgrown, and I can be bold where once I was brave.

"When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted." Ps. 138:3

"Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness." - Acts 4:29

As I jotted down references from the concordance, I noticed that the largest concentration of the words boldly/boldness is in Acts. I don't think that's a coincidence; look back up at Acts 4:31: 'And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.' The ability to shift from doing it afraid to doing it without fear has got to lie in the filling of the Holy Spirit. He enables us to do what makes us afraid, then teaches us in the process that we have nothing to fear.

And a woman who truly is not afraid is...someone who stands out against the crowd. Distinct.

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." - 2 Tim. 1:7

Closing thoughts: One of my favorite challenging questions now challenges me again: "What would you do if you truly were not afraid?" What are the first steps I must take with the Spirit in order to do those things?