Where Does Boldness Come From?

Where Does Boldness Come From?

I know what you're thinking… Ugh, not another blog telling me to put on my big-boy pants and badger people about Jesus!

I get it. Sharing our faith can feel overwhelming. But I also know that many of you genuinely love Jesus and want to tell others about Him. The problem? Life. We get busy, distracted, caught in sin. We hesitate, afraid of saying the wrong thing or losing a relationship.

Life never stops “life-ing,” so how do we share Jesus without feeling like we’re blowing everything up?

I wish I could promise a foolproof way to talk about Jesus without anyone getting upset. But the only way to ensure that is to soften the truth, cut out the hard parts, and present a Jesus that doesn’t actually exist.

The hard truth? Jesus was crucified because people hated Him. And He reminds us: "If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first" (John 15:18). If our King was crucified for His message, we shouldn’t be surprised when we face opposition for sharing it.

So, do we stay silent?

I think we both know that’s not an option. Eternity is a long time, and the second death is real. Silence isn’t kindness—it’s the same as telling someone, "Go to hell!"

But where do boldness and courage come from? Do I just "man up" and force myself to be brave? No. Let me tell you where to find it.

Get Near to Jesus

Boldness isn’t something you can manufacture. If you try to force it, you’ll just come across as obnoxious or self-righteous. True boldness doesn’t come from you—it happens to you when you spend time with Jesus and are filled with His Spirit.

In Acts 4:13, Peter and John stood out for their courage—not because they were well-educated or naturally fearless, but because of who they had been with:

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus."

That’s the key. Boldness comes from being with Jesus.

Just today, I was at the doctor’s office, chatting with my doctor and his assistant. We’ve known each other for years, and our conversations flow naturally. I don’t force Jesus into discussions, but I pray for open doors. Today, one opened.

We were talking about frustrating rules, and religion came up. It was the perfect opportunity to share what I love most about Jesus. I said:

"The thing I love about Jesus is that He’s never asked me to clean myself up before I come to Him. He just invites me as I am and promises to do the cleaning. That takes it from a fear-and-judgment relationship to a love-and-gratitude relationship. I know I’m a mess, and so does He—but He tells me to come anyway, and He takes care of me."

That was my chance to share the gospel. And yes, my doctor seemed uninterested—he even slipped away to the bathroom mid-conversation. But that’s okay. I planted a seed.

Not every conversation will go the way we hope. But our job isn’t to control the outcome—our job is to step through the door of opportunity boldly when it opens and that can only happen as we stay near to Jesus.

So, don’t let fear hold you back. The more time you spend with Jesus, the more naturally boldness will come.

And when the opportunity arises? Step through the door.