Bold Witness in Affliction

Neville's Inner Vision

Observe that the verse invites you to relocate your sense of self from shame to the inner witness that you already are. The 'testimony of our Lord' is the living awareness you hold; 'me his prisoner' is your old identification clinging to limitation; and 'afflictions of the gospel' are the inner movements that seem painful only when you resist them. When you consent to them as inner trials, you align with the 'power of God'—that is, the irresistible energy of your I AM, your ongoing conviction. In Neville's terms, your consciousness is the field where these events occur. The moment you cease to identify with fear or embarrassment and stand in the conviction, you become the one who witnesses, not the witness's plight. The conditions of suffering fade into opportunities to prove your inner sovereignty, since the power you rely on is not external but the life of God within you. So you practice by assuming you are already the bold witness, and by revision, feel-it-real that you are capable of bearing the gospel with grace and strength. Your perception shifts; the outer becomes a reflection of your inner state.