Don't be timid....be bold and let your light shine

Dear Little Light,
Is your light hiding under a bushel? Be bold, do not fear to speak the truth. For when you speak the good news about God, you will realize positive changes in your life.

Need some examples of bold people to boost your confidence and believing? Did you know that the Word of God moved tremendously in the first century? These men and women (Peter and the other apostles, Stephen, Philip, Paul, Silas, Barnabus, Aquilla and Priscilla, Apollos, Timotheus and others) were not afraid to speak about God and the good news. You can read about them in the Bible, in the book of Acts (link is to Blue Letter Bible online).  Also, today, I read an excellent article titled, Speaking the Word Boldly, on the the Way International™ website that I found helpful in building my confidence in speaking out.

One of the verses mentioned in the article above is I Peter 3:15. In this verse the words "in meekness and fear" are used. I, in the past, had misunderstood the meaning of meek in biblical usage. So, Little Light, I want you to understand the usage of this word and the usage of the word fear.  I will use the Webster's 1828 Dictionary because this version of Webster's dictionary includes many biblical words. 

Meek: http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/search/word,meek - usage #1:

•  1. Mild of temper; soft; gentle; not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries.

Yield:  in the same dictionary, when pertaining to God - usage #4:

• 4. To allow; to concede; to admit to be true; as, to yield the point in debate. We yield that there is a God.

The word fear in I Peter 3:15 is respect. 
Respect: - usage #6 as it pertains to the biblical usage: 

• 6. In scripture, fear is used to express a filial or a slavish passion. In good men, the fear of God is a holy awe or reverence of God and his laws, which springs from a just view and real love of the divine character, leading the subjects of it to hate and shun every thing that can offend such a holy being, and inclining them to aim at perfect obedience. This is filial fear. 

So my dear Little Light, I hope this helps you to see that you who respect God and have yielded and allowed yourself to be taught His truths have what you need to be confident and bold in speaking this truth to others! 

Go out and shine (your bushel has been lifted)!
  

What did I learn by sharing this with you?

1. There are several Strong's Lexicon (Strong's) numbers for meekness: 4236, 4240, 6037, 6038. The Strong's number 4240 was the meekness used for I Peter 3:15. 1) mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, meekness
2. The word meek used in the Old Testatment does not have the same Strong's number as used in the New Testament. Old Testament has Strong's number: 6035 and The New Testament has Strong's Number: 4235, 4239 
3. There is a new website for the Webster's 1828 Dictionary here: http://www.1828-dictionary.com 
4. The Way International Ministry has some awesome articles here: http://theway.org/article.php?page=articles&lang=en  
5. I can please my father, God, by: I Thessalonians 2:4: But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee

And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. KJV Exd 23:25

This makes me smile!

But again, it takes action. To get the blessing  and protection from sickness, one must "serve".

Now, let's do a little bit of biblical research and use Strong's Lexicon. In doing so, we find out that the word serve is this verse is `abad. The word  is a verb or word that connotes action! It's meaning is: to labour, work, do work , to serve (God).

The action on your part is the giving of yourself, by your own freewill, of your own decision to labour or work for God. Now that is something to think about. Why would you want to do that?

Are you familiar with the law that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction? I think of it when I try to explain why. Not the same law most likely but more aptly put in the Bible, it is the law of giving and receiving. When you give, you receive back from God.

Because in return for your giving of yourself, God's "giving back" or promise in this verse is to bless (per Strong's = barak , a verb, meaning to bless or kneel) your food (lechem )and your water and he will (cuwr ) turn aside or make depart or make come to an end or remove disease and sickness (machaleh) from the midst (qereb) of thee.

Listen to that again,  the removal of sickness is available  from the midst (qereb) of thee. The word midst  includes the most inward part of your physical bodies which includes thoughts and emotions which is your mind. 

I love the benefits of serving my Loving God! And I love doing this work just now. It was fun :). See how easy serving is?

Reference: < http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Exd&c=23&t=KJV >

The Lord that healeth thee

And said , If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I [am] the LORD that healeth thee. KJV Exodus 15:26

How can that be?

All you have to do is believe.  To believe takes action between your ears. For between your ears is your "heart".