I must admit, proclaiming my Faith to others is something I struggled with. If someone initiated a conversation concerning Jesus Christ, I could jump right in and proclaim my Faith. But I never felt comfortable being the initiator until I asked God to help me be bold in proclaiming his word.
Below are a couple of roadblocks I struggled with early on and ways to help overcome being ashamed to proclaim your Faith:
One of the fears I had was being judged by my peers. We all have a past that may have been filled with immorality, lust, theft, lying or slander, etc. And we know how the world likes to hold you hostage to your past. I got over this hurdle by taking Paul’s advice in Act 13:38 which says “Brother’s, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins.” So, I had to remember I am forgiven, and God has set me free.
The other hurdle I had to clear was being labeled as “holier than thou.” If you are curious of the meaning of “holier than thou,” look no further than the Pharisees. The Pharisees were a religious group that challenged Jesus’ authority and made others feel as if they did no wrong. In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 23:5, “Everything they do is for a show….” The way I counteract this mentality is to ease others into the conversation about Faith. During a conversation with someone I insert keywords about Faith to build a foundation. After a couple of conversations, you will see a transformation in the communication. For example, I’ve been going to my barber for about 2 years, and we have never spoke about our Faith. About 2 weeks ago I started saying phrases such as, “God has your back,” or “Just keep believing.” And now we are having full conversations about our Lord and Savior!
Jesus gave the final answer on this topic in Luke 9:26. He said “If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the son of man will be ashamed of that person…” So, if we don’t want Jesus to be ashamed of us in Glory, we better start taking every opportunity to spread the gospel.
Lord, Thank You for making us bold in proclaiming our Faith. You said, “Beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring the good news.” Lord place that one person in front of us today that needs to hear your word. We will be careful to give You all the honor and glory. Amen
What has been some hurdles for you in proclaiming your Faith? Let’s discuss in the comment section.