I am BOLD.

Hey everyone! It’s your girl, Julie, and we’re back with another segment of “Salty & Lit!” In today’s post, we’ll be talking about what it means to be fearless. Let’s pray!

Dear Abba, thank You for being good. Thank You that fear doesn’t come from You, and we can fight with truth. Help us to know Your truth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The other day, someone talked to me about my words. He said, “Don’t say your Kreyol is bad all the time because one day, you might want to say something in Kreyol and because you’ve said that so many times, you might believe it and act it out.” When he spoke, I knew he was valid because God was talking to me about my tongue already.

Today, I want to focus on a verse in the Bible that many of us might know, and if you don’t, that’s okay because we’re learning too! It’s 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT). It says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” There’s a lot we can focus on, but today, we’re talking about timidity.

When I grew up, I knew that verse just said, “God has not given us a spirit of fear.” However, God directed me to look at it in another version, and it said He doesn’t give us a spirit of fear and timidity. According to Strong’s dictionary, a resource for finding Biblical definitions, it says the word used in the context of the original passage means “timidity, fearfulness, cowardice.”

Merriam Webster’s dictionary says “timidity” means lacking in boldness or determination. For me, this is a check because lately, I’ve been acting like that. I’ve been timid, saying “Oh, I’m unable to speak Kreyol or do this or that,” but it’s not I who does it, it’s God working in me to do what He has to do (Ephesians 3:20).

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue” I heard, and God was reminding me, “What am I saying?" Am I saying things that are life or death?” It’s in the power of my tongue, so I have the choice of how I want to use it. Words that speak life are the following: I am loved, I am treasured. I am chosen. Words that speak death are the following: I’ll never be loved, I’ll never be chosen. I hate myself.

First, I want to let you know it’s fine to be aware, but change comes when you do something different. So when it comes to timidity, the first thing I want to tell you is God didn’t give you that.

I used to randomly say this with a friend, “HE DIDN’T GIVE ME THAT,” and while we often joked saying that, it was the truth. God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, so why embrace it and make it part of us?

You might be like Julie, what does timidity look like? To me, I think it’s cowering back when you know you’re to do something. For me, I love to talk, but lately, I found myself acting timid by not calling out things when something is wrong. When it boils down, it’s fear of man driving this behavior: fear of how they’ll respond, but I know it’s not right to do that, especially if God has chosen me as His mouthpiece. God is going to require me to give an account for things I should’ve said and didn’t, as well as things I said but shouldn’t have. And oftentimes, fear is attached to some decisions we do, and it’s important to consider why we do them. Is it truly because you know God is telling you not to do something, or is fear driving your decision making?

One. Here’s the thing. God can let you know when fear is taking control by asking Him, acknowledging when you feel the fear (fear can have a strong feeling - it can be worry or a shift in the presence, like you can feel something there), and surrendering it to Him. His Word says to cast all anxieties to Him because He cares. So when you feel fear, you can cast that anxiety or worry to Him because He cares. Remember, He has not given us a spirit of fear; therefore, we should combat fear and timidity with His Word.

It says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” There are things that God has given us: power, love, and self-discipline. That means, the things you’re searching for, you already have from God. God has given us discipline. That means, we can fight using the Word of God.

So to the one struggling with timidity, here’s something you can say. First, repent (turn away) from speaking timidity over yourself, and two: you can say, “I am fearless because God has not given me a spirit of fear or timidity” or something along the lines such as “I am strong and courageous because God tells me to be strong and courageous” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Friend, affirmations are a big thing spiritually because death and life are in the power of the tongue; therefore, it’s important to consider what you want to reap and choose what to say wisely.