Boldness From the Holy Spirit
Month 10: Telling the Good News · Walking in the Spirit
Today's Scripture
Read together: Acts 4:29-31
29 And now, Lord, consider their threats, and enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness, 30 as You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” 31 After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Memory Verse
“How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!””— Romans 10:14-15 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Isaiah 31-33
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 296 of 365 — Isaiah calls God's people to trust the Lord, not their own strength.)The Heart of It
Peter and John were arrested and warned to stop talking about Jesus. So the believers gathered and prayed. But notice what they did not pray. They didn't ask God to make the threats go away. They didn't ask Him to keep them safe and comfortable. They prayed, "Lord… grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word" (). They asked for courage to keep telling the good news in the middle of the danger. And God answered in a dramatic way. "The place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness" ().
Here is the secret of telling the good news without being crushed by fear. Boldness is something God gives. It's not something we have to squeeze out of ourselves. Being shy or nervous isn't a sin. It isn't a disqualification either. When you feel too small or too scared to speak up about Jesus, you don't have to fake confidence. You can pray exactly what they prayed. You can ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you words. The same Spirit who shook that room still strengthens trembling people today. Walking in the Spirit means we stop relying on our own bravery and start depending on His.
Around the Table
When the friends were scared, they asked God for bravery — and He helped them! We can ask too.
Let's do it: Whisper a scared prayer, then shout a brave "Thank You, God!" — He gives courage.
The believers didn't pray for the danger to disappear; they prayed for boldness to keep speaking.
Let's talk: What's something hard you could ask God for boldness about this week?
Boldness here is a gift of the Spirit, not a personality type. Even introverts and nervous people can be filled and made brave.
Let's go deeper: When have you felt the Holy Spirit help you do something you couldn't have done on your own?
💬 Conversation Starter
What's the bravest thing you've ever done? Where do you think that courage came from? Tonight we learned about a kind of brave that God gives.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Notice that the early church's boldness wasn't aggression. They prayed to speak God's word, not to defeat their enemies. Spirit-given courage is gentle and unstoppable at the same time. That's exactly the "always be ready… with gentleness and respect" of .
For Dad · Go Deeper
Classic Pentecostal theology reads as a "refilling." These were already Spirit-baptized believers from . Yet they were filled afresh for a fresh challenge. That's a vital lesson for fathers. Being filled with the Spirit is not a one-time event you bank and forget. It's a daily, repeatable dependence. You will face new seasons of intimidation. It might come at work, or with skeptical relatives, or with your own teenagers' hard questions. The answer is the same each time. Gather, pray, and ask to be filled again for this moment. Don't model self-made confidence to your kids. Model honest weakness met by God's strength. Let them hear you ask God for boldness, and then watch Him supply it.
Draws on: Robert Menzies, Empowered for Witness; Sam Storms, Understanding Spiritual Gifts.
Let's Pray Together
"Lord, just like the first believers, we ask You for boldness to speak about Jesus. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Turn our fear into courage. In Jesus' name, amen."
I don't have to be naturally brave. I can ask the Holy Spirit to make me bold.