In Acts 4 the apostles Peter and John were commanded by the chief priests not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. So Peter and John went and told the church what the chief priests had said to them. When the church heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. They said “Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness (Acts 4:29).
Notice they didn’t pray that the rejection, ridicule and reprisal would cease, rather that they would be bold in the midst of it. They overcame their fears through prayer, and this is the same way we can overcome ours. When we pray we get bold. It’s supernatural. 2 Timothy 1:7-8 says “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid…so do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord…” We’re not to be timid, we’re to be bold for the Lord. And this is exactly what happens when we pray.
If you’re afraid to talk to people about Jesus or to let them know you’re a Christian who attends church and believes in heaven and hell, you need to pray for boldness. You need to pray the same prayer the early church prayed: Lord, enable your servant to speak your word with great boldness (Acts 4:29).