BOLD FAITH PART I-A WALK THROUGH HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 11:6 (AMP)

But without faith, it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.

It is my prayer that as we take this journey God will illuminate for you how Boldness is not an isolated concept in the word of God but rather an ongoing theme…

So, what is BOLDNESS? According to the Oxford Dictionary Boldness is a WILLINGNESS TO TAKE RISKS AND ACT INNOVATIVELY; CONFIDENCE OR COURAGE.

Questions to Ponder: 

• When is the last time you were Bold? When is the last time you dared to believe God? 
• When is the last time you took your faith for a walk with boldness? 
• Have you exercised your faith with a. willingness to take risks? Have you acted innovatively? Have you approached your faith with confidence and courage? 

All of the thoughts below are imperative to refining and cultivating your relationship with God. In the study, we had a discussion on examples of Bold Faith and their role in the Word of God. The following three points were our focus: 

1. Bold Faith is actually being able to visualize something that only came from the lips of God. 
2. Bold Faith is being able to believe and invest in God’s opinion of you versus the opinion you have of your talents and/or abilities.
3. Bold Faith is a willingness to give up the deepest desires of your heart even when all you can rely upon in return is the character of God. 

Hebrews 11:7 (AMP) 

By faith [with confidence in God and His word] Noah, being warned by God about events not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his family. By this [act of obedience] he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which comes by faith.

• This man is a prime example of BOLD Faith, he is instructed to build an ark, he has no frame of reference of what building it will look like to date no rain has fallen, all he has is his faith in God. Yet he is instructed not only to build it but to tell PEOPLE that the earth will be destroyed by a flood. First of all, Noah what is a flood?
• Think of the bravery it takes to believe in something you have never seen nor heard of and then to spring into action in front of the very people meant to tear you down? His life alone should be a great reminder of how little feedback we need from the bystanders when God has ordained a work to be completed. 
• Noah had to be anointed by God because it takes BOLD FAITH to build something in a time, season, or situation that others would deem as crazy. 

Bold Faith is being able to believe and invest in God’s opinion of you versus the opinion you have of your talents and/or abilities.

SARAH:

Hebrews 11: 11 (AMP)

 By faith even Sarah herself received the ability to conceive [a child], even [when she was long] past the normal age for it, because she considered Him who had given her the promise to be reliable and true [to His word].

• You will doubt your abilities. You will question whether or not you can still lay hold of the promises of God in your life. But remember, God is still God. What YOU think you can do does not matter. 
• Abraham laughed right in God’s face when he was told that he would have a son at his age! He was told that this son would bring forth nations so he assumes that God means Ishmael the son he has with Haggar.  But God clarifies that what he was about to do in Abraham's life was a new thing. 
• QUESTION: How many new things have you been inspired to do and assumed it could not be done because it is too late?
• Remember God's ways are not our ways and thoughts not our thoughts. He will have HIS way and it rarely looks like our way …our path or our idea….

Bold Faith is a willingness to give up the deepest desires of your heart even when all you can rely on in return is the character of God.

ABRAHAM:

Hebrews 11: 17 (AMP)

 By faith Abraham, when he was tested [that is, as the testing of his faith was still in progress], ^[a]offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises [of God] was ready to sacrifice his only son [of promise];

• Abraham is tasked with killing his son. This is the son of Sara and carrier of the promises of God.
• Realize that his willingness alone to take Isaac up on that hill and yield to God’s word was not only was not just death to his son but the death of many of his promises and nations promised to him by God.
• He probably thought why give him to me? I didn’t want him anyway and now I love him. He could have complained, he could have cursed God but even in his confusion, he said three words… GOD WILL PROVIDE… 
• We need to latch on to the understanding of just how BOLD that man's faith was...All he knew was that his God had provided before. The enemy is so cunning, he tries to make us focus on the task ahead, but your job children of God is to remember how many times God saved you in a situation that looked like there were no other options. 
• QUESTION: When is the last time,  you could look at God and say I am willing to be face to face with your will even if it means killing something that may seem like all I have ever wanted?

In Part II, we continue on this journey, we see the fate of Abraham's son and we find that God not only keeps his promises but makes us abundantly blessed as a result of our obedience. See you next week!