Danyelle Catoe- That I may declare it boldly, as I should

Recently, I’ve been struggling to reconcile the command to tell others boldly about Christ, what He is doing in my life, and how the Gospel is true and powerful in my life (Ephesians 6:20, 1 Thessalonians 2:2, Romans 1:16, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 4:5-6) with the command to pray/do good in secret (Matthew 6:1-6).
I have been striving to speak boldly about God’s power and sovereignty in my life, to live affected and transformed the Gospel. That is why I have asked so many people to partner with me in praying for a friend of mine. I want God to be glorified through this. God has been teaching me so much and has been moving in such powerful ways- it would just be wrong to keep it all to myself. How would He be glorified through that? I need to proclaim the Gospel boldly- not just Christ crucified, but also what Christ is continuing to do! The Gospel is not dead! Why do I live like it is? Why do I act like I serve a dead, uninvolved God? He loves us like children (1 John 3:1)! Do we live like that? Do we really believe and hope that God will answer our prayers? Do I pray boldly? Or do I ask for the small things, not wanting to dream too big for God? God wants us to be bold, to be confident (Hebrews 4:16)! The apostles, the prophets, even Jesus Himself- they were not timid men. They boldly proclaimed God’s Name. Scripture was constantly on their lips and in their hearts (Luke 6:45, Romans 10:8). Is that true of me?
The habit I have gotten in to now, however, is simply blogging about it. I don’t often talk about it. I need to speak!! (Romans 10:14, 17).
But then there’s also the issue of the command to pray in secret. I also need to be sure that my motive is pure. This is something that I usually try to be very cautious of; I want to be sure that my actions are coming from a pure heart that desires the glory of God, not my own glory. But that is hard to do sometimes! I want others to see Christ through me, not see me. But does that mean that I should keep all of this to myself due to the fear of falling into pride? NO! Friends- I have come to realize that is the Enemy trying to convince me to stay silent. He doesn’t want me boldly declaring what my God has done in my life! Because that is powerful. When people see how God is actively working, they might be interested in learning more.
The point Jesus is making in Matthew is that our actions should stem from a desire to please and glorify God, not man. If I am praying and acting like a “good Christian” to impress my friends- that is not pleasing to God. He desires my heart, not just my reputation. My actions should be genuine. Would I do them if no one were watching? Or do I do them because people are watching? Whose glory am I working for?