Boldness in the Battle

By: Shannon Perry

Today I met a crawfish.

That may seem like a strange way to begin an article on boldness, but creation often reveals truths we overlook in ourselves.

After the recent flooding turned our backyard into what looked more like a pond than a yard, crawfish began emerging from their flooded homes in search of higher ground. As I walked down the driveway, I noticed one making his journey.

I stopped for a moment and spoke to him.

The response was immediate.

Instead of retreating, he went into attack mode.

His claws went up.

His posture changed.

He planted himself firmly and stood his ground.

Now let's be honest. This little crawfish was completely outmatched. I was hundreds of times larger than he was. Had I intended to harm him, there would have been absolutely nothing he could have done to stop me.

Yet there he stood as though he were defending a kingdom.

The longer I thought about that encounter, the more I realized how many believers have lost something that a tiny crawfish still possesses.

Boldness.

Not arrogance.

Not pride.

Not confidence in self.

Boldness.

Scripture says,

"The wicked flee when no one pursues; But the righteous are bold as a lion." (Proverbs 28:1 ASV)

Notice that Scripture connects boldness to righteousness. It is not something we manufacture through personality, determination, or natural courage. It is the fruit of knowing who we belong to and standing in right relationship with God.

Yet many believers spend their lives retreating from battles God never intended them to fear.

The enemy whispers accusations, and they withdraw. Circumstances begin to shift, and they lose heart. Trials expose weaknesses, opposition rises, and suddenly the obstacle appears larger than the God who called them.

This tiny crawfish reminded me of something important.

Boldness is not determined by the size of the opponent. It is determined by what governs your response when the opponent appears.

The crawfish did not stand because he was powerful. He stood because standing was part of his nature.

In the same way, believers do not stand because they are strong in themselves. We stand because Christ lives within us.

There is a world of difference between confidence in self and confidence in God.

Confidence in self says, "I can handle this."

Confidence in God says, "I cannot, but He can."

One trusts its own ability. The other rests in the strength of the One who never fails.

The enemy spends much of his time trying to convince believers they are defeated before the battle ever begins. He points to the flood. He points to the circumstances. He points to the giants, the obstacles, and every visible reason to retreat.

Faith, however, sees beyond what is visible.

When David stood before Goliath, everyone else was measuring the giant. David was measuring God.

Joshua and Caleb looked upon the same land the other spies saw. They saw the fortified cities. They saw the giants. They saw the challenges. Yet they returned with an entirely different report.

The difference was not what they saw.

The difference was what they believed about the God who had made the promise.

Perhaps that is why this little crawfish remained on my mind long after our encounter.

His home had been flooded.

His surroundings had changed.

The familiar had been disrupted.

Yet he still stood.

While everything around him had shifted, something within him had not.

I wonder how often believers find themselves facing similar moments.

The waters rise unexpectedly. Circumstances change without warning. Things that once felt stable suddenly become uncertain. In those moments, many people begin looking for a place to hide rather than a place to stand.

But boldness is not the absence of pressure.

Boldness is remaining steadfast when pressure comes.

It is refusing to surrender what God has spoken when circumstances appear to contradict it.

It is continuing to believe when visible evidence suggests otherwise.

It is lifting your voice in prayer when fear urges silence.

It is continuing to move forward when every distraction, every obstacle, and every opposing voice is telling you to turn back.

Sometimes faith does not look like a mighty warrior charging into battle.

Sometimes it looks more like a flooded crawfish standing in the middle of a driveway with his claws raised toward a giant.

And perhaps Heaven smiles at both.