Session 1

Bold might not be what you think it is

From Making Bold Moves: A 7-Day Devotional

Who do you consider to be bold? The class clown who isn’t afraid to look silly for a laugh? The confident coworker who dominates every meeting?

Often, the qualities we associate with boldness could be better described as brash. Boldness is not rude, noisy, or overbearing. Boldness is an ability to take risks, and risk doesn’t always come dressed in an adventure.

For example, some of us don’t have to move to another country to make a bold move. Some of us simply need to walk across the street. Some folks might feel called to sell everything and move into a tiny house. But for others, simply starting to live within your means would be a bold stand against how things have always been.

We don’t have to look for opportunities to make a bold move. Everyday obedience will challenge us to live differently. Boldness is not forcing what we think should happen, but being willing to respond in obedience to what God puts in front of us.

One of the most well-known verses in Esther’s story is the challenge she receives from her uncle: “Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).

If Esther had been brash, she would have walked right up to the king after Mordecai left. But she didn’t. She fasted and prayed alongside her church family. Then, when the time was right, she went to the king.

Esther’s boldness was not an outward appearance but an inner confidence. She wasn’t following a wild hair or desire to “be bold.” Her ability to risk death came from knowing she could trust the God who put her in this position for this reason.

People were saved as a result of Esther’s faithful obedience, and the same can be true of us. Our willingness to trust God and take the opportunities He puts before us just might change a neighbor’s future or a coworker’s eternity.

Reflect:

• What’s one way trusting God has caused your life to look different from your classmates, neighbors, or coworkers?
• Who might God have put in your life “for such a time as this”?
• What is one bold move God is asking you to make today?