The Year of Audacity

“Why did he do it?” I want to hear people say, “…He had some nerve!”. It will not be the most comfortable position to be in, when that happens, but it’s what we must endure when we choose to be audacious. Recently, I decided to step into my purpose. To many, this news sounds like my instant self-fulfillment, but it’s really not. Along my purpose filled path, I know I will have to dig deep and find strength and boldness to do what the LORD has appointed even when others don’t agree with it.

Will this year also be your year of audacity? Will you also be bold and daring? If so, it will not be an easy journey for us. We will encounter resistance and criticism. We may even face mockery. When that happens, remember that criticism follows those who dare, and mockery follows an offense to pride and insecurity.

This year, pleasing the LORD should be our first objective even if it means losing personal relationships. After all, for God to be supreme in our lives, we cannot allow anyone else to fill His position. Nevertheless, let us be wise. We are called to be the lights and salt of the earth in these dark days. Our mission is to win souls for the Kingdom of the Lord. It is not to force anyone to accept anything against their free will. The LORD could force them, if He so decided, but He respects our freedom to choose. Therefore, let’s make sure we are showing others our respect for their right to choose.

Are you ready for “The Year of Audacity”? If so, this year we have to get out of our own way and boldly face the unknown. Fear should not stop us from achieving our dreams and more importantly changing times should not affect our moral integrity. I believe in keeping our peace, being situationally aware, and wise; but I also believe in being ready for honest conversations when they open up. We should not allow our values to change. They are our compass.

This year will be different. We have witnessed a steep moral decline since the turn of the century and it’s time to act! Times shouldn’t have dictated which moral boundaries we shifted. Moral integrity should have been unwavering, but sin is everywhere. Sadly without God, there are no morals. The remaining (even enduring) morality of this age (despite a gradual departure from morality) exists as a result of the influence of those who were taught to humble ourselves, fear God, love, and obey Him. In fact, the moral decline of society directly correlates with the distance we place between ourselves and God, our divine creator.

I would like to see boldness return to the body of Christ. It’s high time we stop redrawing boundaries and giving up territories for the Enemy (Satan) to capture. This does not imply that we should become “jerks”. Offering unwelcome opinions just for the sake of doing so is mean. Even so, we must stand firm on our beliefs while showing love. Remember—God did not create us with a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and soundness of mind (1 Timothy 1:7). In other words, while we’re in this battle for souls, we ought to be courageous and powerful but still kind and loving, disciplined and calm, able to speak peace to chaos, and wisdom to folly.

The Armor of God – Ephesians 6:10-18

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.