City Life Starter

1. The Word – Proverbs 28:1

“The wicked flee when no one pursues,

but the righteous are bold as a lion.”

Reflection Questions

1. If God is for us, who can be against us?

2. Does the scripture leave any possibility that God will be defeated?

I’m not always the biggest fan of discussing single verses but man do I love this one.

And it’s not just because it’s in the opening scene of True Grit, the greatest movie ever made:

Boldness is a very tough thing to hold on to. Life may be good and your faith seemingly strong then God tests your strength with a trial and suddenly you feel shaken. Or maybe life is so good that you kinda start thinking religion was just a human response you needed to get you through some hard times. Questions start creeping in.

Do I really even know God? Is all of this Christianity stuff even true or do I just really like the security and familiarity I feel from it? How easy would it be for me to just stop trying to believe anymore? On top of that, how can I rightly tell others about God if I doubt Him so heavily?
Here’s a reminder.
In the Bible there’s such a surety of Jesus’ victory over His enemies that it’s easy to see the motivation behind the wicked and the righteous in Proverbs 28:1. It’s crazy how certain His victory is, and it’s written everywhere. Check out some of my favorites:
“Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength?

‘It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.’

Why is your apparel red, and your garment like his who treads in the winepress?

‘I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood splattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel. For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come. I looked, but there was none to help; I was appalled, but there was none to uphold; so on my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me. I trampled down the peoples in my anger; I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.’” (Isa. 63:1-6)
And again,

“The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.” (Ps. 2:7-12)
And again,

“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Cor 15:54-57)
The Lord gives the righteous a reason to live boldly and His name is Jesus.
The Lord gives the wicked a reason to flee and His name is still Jesus.
So when you pray for boldness to live by faith and proclaim the Gospel, remember Jesus. Let Him be your confidence. His victory is certain and His power is unopposed. There is literally no thought, lifestyle, argument, or belief opposed to God in the world today that will remain after Jesus demolishes them. Do not fear them or adopt them. Instead, show the world how those beliefs and ideas are only holding them captive and how Jesus can set them free.

 Prayer

Lord give me boldness to be your witness in each of my actions, thoughts, and words. Let me see Your glory and power so that the things of this world will look completely undesirable. Show me how to attack with love the thoughts, arguments, and opinions in this world that oppose You and in turn direct those people back to You. I pray everyone I meet will come to see You as beautiful.