As you read, look for:
God's character on boldness.
How you are seen by God.
Biblical truths about boldness.
STUDY
THINK IT THROUGH
The word bold means showing an ability in taking risks—being confident and courageous. We can all have people that can come to mind when we think of someone being bold. For example, in the 1996 Olympics, gymnast Kerri Strug, having twisted her ankle in the first vault, decided with bold courage to do the second fault despite injuring her foot. After her second attempt, she landed on one foot (her good foot) successfully, which helped win her team a gold medal that year.
Or more recently, many of us saw Simone Biles in the 2021 Olympics decide with bold courage to withdraw from the Olympics to focus on her mental health and wellness. As a result, her team supported her, successfully competed without her and took home a silver medal.
As female athletes, there will come a time in our sport where we will need to be bold:
Bold enough to take the last shot.
Bold enough to want the last at bat.
Bold enough to tell your coach you are hurt or unwell.
But as a Christian female athlete, there will be times where God will give you an opportunity to use your sport to be bold for Him. Too often we think our relationship with God is private, wanting to keep our relationship with God separate from our sport and team. But God encourages us to do the opposite as it’s a part of His greater plan for our lives as Christ-followers. Let’s dive into what God has to say about being bold for Him.
THE WORD
Use the in-app Bible and look at some key verses. While there are hundreds of them that point to aspects of obtaining boldness, we’ll start with some basics first. Take 10 minutes to read the following verses and record what it says about who you are:
Our relationship with God is personal, but it should never be private. Let’s reread Colossians 3:23 together:
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”
Here, “Whatever you do” includes your sport. When we are doing our sport, God expects us to use it as a platform for Him, not a pedestal for ourselves. But doing everything for God and His glory will take boldness from us. It will take boldness to compete hard but with humility. It will take boldness to share your faith with your words but also show it with your actions.
There is a story in the Bible we can learn from when it comes to being bold in our faith in Christ. The story comes from Peter and John. Peter and John were two of Jesus’ disciples when they found themselves simply going to the Temple to take part in a prayer service. Outside of the Temple was a handicapped beggar asking them for money, and although they didn’t have any money, they said,
The crowds began to gather after seeing this miracle. Peter then made a bold decision to take this opportunity to preach the story of Jesus. Because Christians were persecuted at this time, Peter and John were arrested and brought up on charges of blasphemy. In front of the religious council, Peter once again spoke boldly in the name of Jesus:
From this story, we can learn that it doesn’t take an extraordinary person to be bold, but an ordinary person who has been with Jesus.
There was nothing “special” about Peter or John. They were simply ordinary people who had been doing life with Jesus and decided they were going to be followers of Jesus wherever they went.
It was risky during that time, but it wouldn’t be bold if it wasn’t. Anytime you do something that takes courage, there’s always some sort of risk involved. For Peter and John, they risked going to jail for a long time. For us, we may risk rejection from teammates. But no matter the risk, God will be with us. After all, God never said boldness would be easy, but you better believe it will be worth it.
Because of Peter and John’s boldness of sharing and showing Jesus that day in the temple, the Bible says,
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
God loves to take bold, ordinary people and use them to do extraordinary things. Imagine what He could do with you if you were bold for Him.
TEAM TIME
Application
As teammates, you can help each other learn the Truth about who you are as God’s daughters. The theory that there’s strength in numbers is supported in Scripture—starting with the Father Himself as One of Three—and it certainly applies to you in your quest to embrace who you really are. By joining forces with your teammates, you can multiply your strength and resources in the battle for your souls. As a group, let’s work through the following questions and activities together:
Reread
According to these verses, what has God NOT given us as followers of Jesus?
According to these verses, what has God given us as followers of Jesus?
What keeps you from being bold about your faith in Christ?
What are some ways you believe God is wanting you to be bold as a Christian athlete?
WORK IT OUT
Read Hebrews 4:16:
Before our next session, be bold and attempt to memorize this verse.
PRAYER
As we embrace our boldness today through God, let's close with this prayer:
“Lord, thank You for the examples in Your Word of people being bold for You. Show me ways I can be bold wherever I am in my walk with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”