The purpose Speak Boldly is as Thomas Campbell said in 1890 is to "Speak where the Bible speaks; be silent where the Bible is silent"
Acts 4:29-30:
"Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
This scripture calls Christians to speak with boldness of God's Word, standing firm in faith, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide the words and deeds to glorify God.
Hello and welcome to Speak Boldly. We are a group of Christians from all walks of life who are being led to speak the truth of Christ. This mission started when my husband and I were leaving church service one Sunday and he said we need a mission to work in together. That Monday morning as I was standing in the kitchen, the God gave me the scripture and the mission title: Speak Boldly Acts 4:29 ( A friend later added verse 30 to complete the message.) As soon as God put that thought in my head, the devil had a different plan. He began sharing reasons as to why it would be best not to move forward—People are not nice. They will say bad things and do bad things. I stood straight up and said GET BEHIND THEE SATAN. That is when I realized that this is the path. Things began to happen at a rapid pace. The people that God has brought to the table in His timing can only be described as A GOD THING---my favorite phrase.
We will post a new devotional on our website every week written by people from across the US and all walks of life. I asked to write the first one because you know who I had to speak boldly to first? ME!
This is where our journey begins. Join us as we grow in SPEAKING BOLDLY together. We're glad you're here to be a part of our story.
Psalm 46:1–3 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. SELAH
Philippians 4:4-7. "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again. Rejoice! Letyour gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious aboutanything but pray about everything. With thanksgiving present your requeststo God. And the peace of God will guard your hearts and your minds in ChristJesus."
No words are needed. We are saved by the blood of Christ... period.
I was not brought up in Christianity. I had heard about God and heard about Jesus at Christmastime but that was about the extent of it. And until God sent someone into my life 5yrs. ago he really never existed for me. I ignored anything that had to do with God for 30 some years. I never believed that there was a God out there that could love me. I never believed there was a God out there at all. I lost my Mom to cancer when I was a teenager. I will say that I did know enough about God to pray. But I guess I thought when you prayed he would automatically grant your every wish. I remember praying myself to sleep night after night, begging him not to take my Mom. Well, my Mom died so I just knew that he didn't care. How could God love me if he let this happen? This hurt me so much that I turned to drugs and alcohol to fill that empty hole in my heart, anything so that I couldn't feel.Soon after that I lost my Dad, my brother, and my best friend all within a short amount of time. Now even more than before, drugs and alcohol were what I reached for. They always seemed to be there for me and they always made the pain go away. I just didn't care about anything anymore and continually wondered why on earth was I here. So I tried for years not to be here. But try as I might, I woke up everyday only to start all over again with the business of dulling my pain and trying to turn off my feelings and thoughts. All of this led me to being raped twice, getting myself mixed up in an abusive relationship and wait there is more...being put in jail twice. Then on top of all that I got Cancer.I am telling you all of this to say that even though I thought God wasn't there for me, he was. He was there with me even though I couldn't see him or feel him. I look back now and I can see him, many times, right there beside me.One time in particular was on a night that I drove home when I should never have been behind the wheel. One moment I was driving and the next thing I knew, there was this policeman incessantly knocking on my car window. I woke up only to find that my car had come to rest right in front of a telephone pole. When I say it came to rest right in front of the pole, I mean my bumper was resting against the pole. The policeman got me out of the car and made me sit there with him beside the road as he spoke to me about God while we waited on my friends to come and pick me up. God had his hand on me then and he even sent someone to let me know it. But did I listen or even understand this or even care? No, I paid no attention what so ever. I actually thought the guy was crazy. This was one of the many times that God kept me safe. By all rights, I really shouldn't be here talking to you all today; I really shouldn't be here at all. When I got cancer,I remember people praying for me, but all I could think of was That I was getting just what I deserved, that my whole life had been for nothing. Here again God intervened but I really didn't see it that way. He was with me yet again but I still didn't get it. I sometimes tend to have a really hard head.It took a complete stranger in a diner in the middle of Manhattan, 1 yr, after my cancer episode to help me realize that God was there and that he loved me and had plans for me. At that time that hole in my heart had grown huge and I felt I had nothing left. God had sent this stranger that day all the way from Tennessee to find me because he knew that I was finally ready for him. that I was at the end of myself. God sent her. Of this fact neither of us has any doubt. This woman has since become a cherished friend of mine. She helped me to realize that everything that I had been through had led me right to that diner on that day. She helped me to see that I didn't have to be ashamed anymore and that God had given me this story to lead others to him and that if I could just help one person along the way then my life was worth something.I listened this time; I had nothing else to reach for so when I reached up this time, I reached up for God. Since this time God led me back to college where I graduated with a degree in Bible/Ministry 2yrs ago. He led me to a women's homeless shelter where I found my heart again. It was through these women that I finally realized the path my life would take. I promised God that from that day forward I would gowherever he wanted me too I walked in that door at the shelter as a volunteer and walked out 4yrs later as the Supervisor only because he called me here to Wilmore this summer to attend Seminary. You see he had filled that empty hole in my heart with his love and now it was time to work on my head. Since moving here he again has led me to a job where I can again use my past to love others to him. This timeit's with kids at The United Methodist Youth Home in Versailles. He also has placed yet another person in my life. A friend to walk with me in this journey, to guide me, to push me forward when I get frustrated and want to quit and to show me how to live a life that is truly a life for God.I just want you to know from my story (actually, this is God's story) that in life, we may make many wrong decisions, but our God is near, he's not a God that is just "out there somewhere." He longs to be near us and all he wants is for us to just reach up for him. In closing I want to share a poem that a friend opened my eyes to about a year ago. It is one that you all have no doubt heard many times. It touches me as no other poem has and God put it on my heart to share this with you today. I want you to Listen to these words and carry them with you and store them deep in your heart so that you can pull them out from time to time when things get rough.
Every Spring, I look forward to seeing the Cardinal family who Spring and Summer with us. I’d like to believe that this Husband and Wife team are the same birds that visit us every year. They have a little nest in a Palmetto tree in our backyard. Sometimes they travel in threes but always as a pair. Every spring, I get a little nervous that they will not visit this spring. Once again, I was feeling a bit of angst thinking that surely this Spring they found a better home for themselves. Honestly, my husband and I do zero to accommodate this beautiful couple, who just by being themselves bring me great joy.
Ephesians 1 & 2
Speak Boldly is dedicated to sharing personal experiences of faith to spread the love of Our Lord and Savior. Located in the United States, we are committed to providing inspiring content that encourages and uplifts everyone across the WORLD.
