Jesus Is All We Need: 10 Devotions to Experience the Rescuing Love of GodSample

Experience True Boldness with Jesus

When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ACTS 7:54-55 NIV

I don't know about you, but when I read the Bible, the scenes being described become movies in my head.

When I picture today's verse in my mind, I get chills. If you have the time, read all of Acts 7, because it's incredibly dramatic.

Stephen is preaching a sermon for the ages in front of the most hostile audience imaginable. In fact, he knows that the religious leaders are going to kill him when he's done speaking, no matter what he says!

I think that knowledge inspired Stephen to lay everything on the line. He preached the whole truth of the Gospel, holding nothing back. He could feel the Holy Spirit filling him and helping him know what to say. But the religious leaders became so angry that they gnashed their teeth at him! Then, moments later, they covered their ears, dragged him out of the city, and stoned him to death.

If we are following Jesus, Stephen's story can inspire us. Just like Stephen, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we can see God, no matter the circumstance. As Romans 8:31 promises, "If God is for us, no one can defeat us" (NCV). That's why the upside-down truth in today's verse is so important. From the world's perspective, Stephen was definitely defeated. You can't be any more defeated, in fact. They didn't just dislike his opinions online or shun him. They literally battered and crushed him to death for what he was saying.

But Stephen, as he experienced God's presence, remained undefeated. He saw God, and he knew that he would soon be united with God.

Our world is rough. It has been ever since sin entered it, way back in the Garden of Eden. We don't have a guarantee of physical safety on this side of heaven. So like Stephen, let's be bold about the truth we believe.

Takeaway: You can be bold when you experience God's presence and guidance.

Prayer: God, help me to have a faith like Stephen's. Help me stand boldly in my faith without being arrogant. Let Your truth pour out of me the same way You let it pour out of Stephen.