Speaking Boldly: When Doing the Right Thing Isn’t the Easiest Thing

Imagine walking the halls of elementary school again — where your biggest worry wasn’t bills or deadlines, but your teacher’s rules. For my 9-year-old daughter, that simple concern became a real dilemma:Is it better to stay quiet and follow the rules, even if it means being left out? Or is it better to join in and risk getting in trouble?

As someone who thrives on connection and values deep friendships, my initial instinct was to tell her, “Go ahead and talk. Enjoy those friendships — everyone else is talking anyway.” But what came out instead was encouragement to do the right thing, even when it’s hard.

Later that day, I opened my Bible and found myself in Acts 14 — the passage where Paul and Barnabas preached in Iconium. Once again, they faced opposition and persecution. Yet despite the resistance, “they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord.” (Acts 14:3)

That phrase stuck with me: speaking boldly.Why boldness? Why not simply speak with kindness, or encouragement, or quiet love?

Because sometimes the right thing is the bold thing.

As I sat with that thought, it reminded me of my earlier conversation with my daughter. Doing what’s right, especially when it’s hard or unpopular, requires courage. It requires boldness. And throughout Scripture, we’re reminded that boldness isn’t something we muster up ourselves — it’s something God equips us with.

Paul writes in Ephesians:

“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel… that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”(Ephesians 6:19–20)

We’re not called to shrink back. We’re called to speak boldly, relying on God to fill our mouths and steady our hearts.

And He doesn’t leave us on our own. Acts 14:3 goes on to say:

“They spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the message of his grace…”

God was with them. He was testifying alongside them — and He does the same for us.

The trials we’ve faced — the hurt, the healing, the fear, the forgiveness — have equipped us. God has used them to write a story of grace in our lives, if we have allowed Him. And that story gives us not only the message, but also the authority, to speak boldly.

You may not be able to speak to what God has done in someone else’s life — but you can boldly share what He has done in yours.

“One of the ways our lives show the worth of the gospel is when the gospel makes us bold and courageous and unafraid.”

– John Piper, Desiring God

So whether you’re navigating playground dilemmas or adult-sized challenges, remember this: boldness isn’t arrogance. It’s obedience. And it's made possible because we don’t stand alone — we stand with the One who speaks through us.

Stay tuned for a second part to this article on how we can speak boldly with love and how to follow Christ’s example.

-Angie Waldron