Boldness builds on previous experiences of being bold.  Tough and challenging times require leaders to be bold.  Bold leaders don’t avoid or run from a conflict or difficult circumstances.  They face them head on, with confidence.  Their confidence comes from their successes in previous bold encounters.  There is no character in the Bible bolder than David when he faced Goliath.

“Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy…But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death.  I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God!  The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”…Goliath walked out toward David… sneering in contempt…David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  (from 1 Samuel 17:32-45 NLT)

By the time David had to face Goliath, he had a pretty solid resume of boldness.  God had always been faithful in both protecting him and giving David the strength he needed for each encounter.  David’s boldness to face a giant was built on other bold experiences in his life.

What are the giants in your life and leadership today?  Remember God’s faithfulness in the past when you had to overcome difficulties.  God was there for you then and He’ll be there for you now.  Draw strength from your past experience.

Being bold can apply to relationships, circumstances, habits, dreams, business deals, generosity and just about any other factor that can present a challenge or difficulty for us to overcome.  Strong leaders are bold leaders who run toward the challenges they need to conquer.

Be a bold leader today by first identifying the challenge you need to conquer and then move toward it with confidence.  There will always be danger and risk.  No matter what difficulty you face today, be confident, be wise, be prepared, be brave and be bold!

“Freedom lies in being bold.”  ~ Robert Frost