River of Boldness

Do you sometimes feel reticent to speak, even though you feel something is stirring inside you? Listen as President & CEO Jane Hansen Hoyt encourages us to get into the Living Water and let the "River of Boldness" flow from us.

John 7:37-38
Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

When we are constantly receiving from the river of Life, we are being filled to the brim and eventually that Life flows through and out of us.

• How have you sensed a new boldness in the way you respond to situations with the Holy Spirit living inside you?
• Does your response changed, based on how you feel the Spirit is guiding you?

VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION

Do you ever feel reticent to speak? Or the thought goes through your mind, “I don't know if what I’m going to say would sound right. I don't know if it fits, i'm not even sure I have anything to say”. And yet something is stirring on the inside. More people than you might know struggle with uncertainty - fear of being wrong, fear of being heard, which really I don't want to burst your bubble, but it all goes back to self. It all goes back to me. What if Ido it wrong? What if I say it incorrectly? What if I…we wouldn't knowingly offend, but what if it troubles someone? It just it's all about what we feel inside of ourselves, so the enemy uses that very reticence or fear. He uses it to keep our mouths closed so that we won't speak. But let me share this scripture with you. It's found in the gospel of John in chapter 7. And this is where he says, “if anyone thirsts” and we all thirst, don't we? We want more of Jesus. This says, “if anyone thirsts, let him come unto me. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said out of his heart, will flow rivers of living water”. Not just a trickle, not just a stream, but rivers of living water.

When I was a teen, we went to a summer bible camp on the Russian river in California. So after the morning session was over and we had something to eat, we would rush to the Russian river. All the kids and teens wanted to play in that river. It was just fun it wasn't too cold. It was refreshing in the hot California sun, but if you went out too far you would get caught in a current that could carry you where you had not intended to go. I believe this scripture is saying to us if you're thirsty, if you're feeling the need for more water , if you're feeling the need for a deeper knowing in your spirit, this scripture is saying “he who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”. One of the ways rivers of living water flow out of us, is if we let it flow into us and then it just continues to rise within us, and bubbles out of us because it overtakes our reticence to speak. It becomes less about me and more about him.

So his encouragement here in the word is to get out in the living water, and then let rivers of living water flow through you. It’s the way the Holy Spirit works. We get filled up with Jesus and then Jesus flows out of our mouth. Take courage today. Be bold. Be in the word, and then let the word flow out of you in a very natural way. You don't have to preach - so many people think they have to preach a sermon and get the period at the end of the sentence. Let it be conversational. Just talk about him in a very real way. Don’t push, but don't be quiet. Let it be natural. So, Lord I just pray a boldness over the listeners today. A boldness to realize that what is within them is a rushing river that is just wanting to come out through them in a way that is life-giving. Give courage, give boldness, and give wisdom how to speak, what to speak, and when to speak. So God bless you as you go forth.