“Speak the Word of God Fearlessly”
1 Do you sometimes hesitate to speak up about your faith when afforded an opportunity at school or at work? Is it a challenge for you to witness informally to relatives and neighbors or perhaps to people you do not know? What will help all of us to take advantage of appropriate occasions to “speak the word of God fearlessly”?—Phil. 1:14.
2 Do Not Hold Back: Would you hold back from defending a close friend or a relative who was being falsely accused? Jehovah, our closest Friend, has been grossly misrepresented throughout the centuries. We have the unique privilege of giving a witness in behalf of our great God! (Isa. 43:10-12) Deep love for Jehovah can help us deal with feelings of self-consciousness or fear and can move us to speak up, not holding back from boldly bearing witness to the truth.—Acts 4:26, 29, 31.
3 Remember that our message is good news. It will bring lasting benefits to those who heed it. Focusing on the value of the preaching work instead of on ourselves or on our opposers will help us to preach with boldness.
4 Examples of Others: We can draw strength from the faithful course of others who have spoken the word of God fearlessly. For example, Enoch courageously proclaimed Jehovah’s judgment against ungodly sinners. (Jude 14, 15) Noah faithfully preached to people who were apathetic. (Matt. 24:37-39) First-century Christians who were “unlettered and ordinary” continued to preach despite harsh opposition. (Acts 4:13, 18-20) The Watchtower and Awake! often contain modern-day life stories of those who by exercising faith in Jehovah overcame fear of man and became zealous evangelizers.
5 We can take courage by considering the life course of faithful servants of old who faced difficult situations. (1 Ki. 19:2, 3; Mark 14:66-71) They “mustered up boldness by means of our God” and spoke fearlessly. So can we!—1 Thess. 2:2.