“Growing in God is not only done by living for Him but by stepping out in Faith and doing the impossible.” – Gary F.
For myself, I had only felt like I could only accomplish the first part of this quote for the longest time in my walk with Christ. I was finding myself not growing the way that I wanted to grow, there was a brick wall that I kept hitting. The struggle that I had dealt with when I was in my teens had risen to the surface, shyness or as some would say scared. Scared of what? Of making an impact on someone else’s life. The struggle that God called me out of when He called me into the ministry had crept up on me once more.
It’s like a muscle that you don’t use everyday and when you do finally use it or some would say when you find it, it hurts. Let’s take a trip down memory lane, for some readers you may have not been made to take P.E., but for me and many others, there was no way of getting out of P.E. It was a requirement, and still is. The first month of every school year, from 7th to 12th was horrible! I ached and hurt all over, felt like I had the flu, why? I was out of shape.
One issue that many Christians struggle with is sharing Christ to others. We are out of shape spiritually in this area. I have talked to others about why they struggle with this one issue, which is the Great Commission that Jesus spoke of before His ascension. His final words were “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” – Matthew 28:19 (KJV)
Here are a few key’s into resolving this problem that some of us from time to time face.
{Problem} 1. Realize
There is at least one person that we know of that is lost. This World needs Jesus. By realizing the problem, we can react. But for some we live day to day in our own World and forget about the realization of a place called Hell. For us to be used of God, we have to be emptied, a consecrated vessel, set apart for the work of His Glory. Even with the realization of this problem we come to the next conclusion of having the fear of rejection.
{Problem} 2. Rejection “The big NO”
Rejection is a harsh word, whether you’re a guy who gets rejected by that one girl that you have a crush on or that girl who gets rejected by the guy who you have a crush on. Vice versa, it’s not a good feeling!
So when we have this thought before we witness to that someone, we have already planted a negative response to what their reaction might be in our thinking. For instance, when I was a child I would ask my mother a question that I knew she wouldn’t go for. Even before I had asked her I knew that her response would be a big “NO”. The presentation of the question would be a sad, mumble of words that I barely got out.
{Answer} Be Real: No one likes a fake.
Your way of living tells a lot about you, the words that you speak of, speak of your value. Let’s do a scenario, If I were to be lost, and I had known of someone who they say they know Christ but their actions were not of Christ and if they were to come up to me and start to witness, do you think I would listen attentively? Someone is always watching us to see if we are who we say we are. We need not to be a fake, but to live the life, we never know when the time will come for a chance to speak those life saving words to another, we must be prepared with the Gospel. Where is our faith? Do you expect that someone to accept Him when you speak to them? Not every time, we are the seed planter’s, God is the gardener.
{Problem} 3. Reaction
Every one is different with their reaction to questions they encounter. But what is your reaction when someone asks you a question. Are you prepared to give them what they need to hear, instead of what they want to hear. This I believe is a major turning point to witnessing. The truth as we all know, hurts. But let’s do a scenario. You’ve been sick, needing medical attention. You go see your family doctor that you have been going to for a long time, he knows you well. He decided to have some tests done. The results are shocking to him,but he has to tell you the truth that you have cancer. Would that be something that anyone would want to hear? No. A sinner, lost and going to Hell without accepting Christ, by telling him the Truth will hurt at first, but that is a wide open door for the Holy Spirit to convict that person, not us. So what will it be? Lead someone on to think they are secure in Christ after looking at the bad fruit they have?
{Problem} 4. Response
My use of these 4 key areas on an individual in the past week has been very affective. It all started with a man who shops where I work at, I had seen the burden that he was carrying just by looking in his eyes and by discernment. He no longer shops at my store after he had spoken a few bad words to an employee of mine, God had seen that I have a burden to see him to saved.
I have bought a house recently, and one day I peeked outside to see if I knew any of the men that came for my trash every Friday morning. And what do you know, it was that man, I call him Saul, because I know that one day soon he will have a Road to Damascus experience. I have him right where I want him, or should I say, God has him where He wants him, I do too! I’m so exited every Friday morning to slip a witnessing tract underneath the lid before he comes!
So what is your response? Will you not only be broken of that fear that I once had for God to use you, or sit and watch your family and friends that God has placed in your life to minister too, go to Hell? Today, Let’s step out in faith and do the impossible.
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