01/16/2026
Several people have come up to me and asked, “How did you become so bold in the Lord? How can you preach anywhere, anytime, and see God use you so powerfully?”
The answer is actually very simple.
2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound, well-balanced, self-controlled mind.
Proverbs 28:1 says, “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
If the Word of God says I am as bold as a lion, I believe it and that settles it for me.
The word “bold” in the Greek means “Free utterance of speech”.
All one needs to do is read the Bible—especially the account of the crucifixion of Christ. Everything about His trial and crucifixion was illegal. The law said a man could not be tried at night, yet that is exactly what they did. Jesus endured six trials—three Jewish and three Roman.
They beat Him beyond recognition. This was no game. They stripped Him naked and gambled for His garment. One translation says He was beaten so severely that He no longer looked human. He was beaten mercilessly.
Now if He endured all of that for me, what right do I have to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ?
Hebrews 11:16 says God is not ashamed to be called our God.
Hebrews 2:11 says Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers.
And in Romans 1:16, the apostle Paul declares, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.”
I come from a boxing family, and I still enjoy watching boxing today. Before I became a Christian, I went to support my cousin who was fighting at the City Hall for a welterweight title. He knocked his opponent out in the 6th round, and as I climbed into the ring to congratulate him, someone punched me off. A full-blown melee broke out.
The next morning, there I was—pictured in the Sunday newspaper. One photo showed me holding a policeman by the throat; another showed me pounding an ex-boxer on the floor. The headline read: “Hooligans at Ringside.”
If I was not ashamed to be a hooligan—drunk, fighting at ringside—what gives me the right to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ?
Jesus saved me. He delivered me from eternal damnation. Today I walk in freedom and liberty, and I glorify His holy name!
Hallelujah.