May 13, 2025

by Kimberly Hobbs 

EMPOWERING LIVES WITH PURPOSE:

2 Timothy 1:7-8 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.”

This one hit me square in the face about timidity. I am not a public speaker, and I am pretty good at arranging my life to avoid any type of discomfort, but when God pressed on my heart to do it for the first time, I thought thoughts that were very similar to this passage. Instead of going with my natural instinct of saying,” No, God, I can’t,” or suggesting “another time maybe in the future,” I said, “Yes, I’ll do it.” I leaped in faith.

I just prayed and asked God to share through me what He would want me to share. After doing so, I am glad I did it, or this verse would have hit me even harder if I didn’t honor God and accept the opportunity. It launched me into confidence for Christ!

It is not that I am ‘ashamed’ of God’s Kingdom by any means, but too often, I lean toward my own comfort of timidity rather than being bold and outspoken for the Lord. These verses are a great reminder that I can’t do that.

Ladies, we can’t allow ourselves to fall victim to fear or be timid when it comes to proclaiming the Lord. He has changed our lives, or has He? I hope the answer is yes.

God has saved my life. He is doing great things in me and through me, and I should be happy and excited to share those. The truth is, I am. It is just that too often, I allow myself to slip into the areas I feel comfortable and safe. I do not feel I’m alone, but we must press through fears of timidity to become bold for Jesus Christ.