Most of the topics I love to write about most on this blog is anxiety, worry, fear, and depression. I’ve written a lot about some of my own personal struggles with all four of them. As I said in one of my most recent blog posts, the hardest part in coming clean about your struggles with your emotions is that you think you’re alone. You don’t want to come off as weak or be shunned.

It’s easy to feel insecure about our feelings, because sometimes we think we need to have common ground with a person before we open up to them about what we think. Usually I don’t have a problem sharing my viewpoints if I know the person across from me will be in total agreement. But, what I’ve found is that we have a lot more in common with the people around us than we realize.

FAITH

When it comes to something life my faith, I occasionally have a difficult time sharing what I believe with the people who are dear to me. I actually feel more comfortable telling a stranger what I believe than to tell someone I love or care about. The closer someone is to my inner-circle, the more I have to lose if they despise me for what I exalt.

Talking with family, close friends, and even co-workers about my faith in Christ gives me such an uneasy feeling. It’s a lot safer inside the warmth of my safe space where I can just talk about sports, movies, and food.

Sports, movies, and food don’t have the power to save my soul, though; Christ does. It’s only when I step outside my comfort zone and share the gospel of Jesus with another human being where lives can be changed.

Other than my comfort zone, there’s two main fears that prevent me from sharing my faith with others. In both cases, my overall fear is that I’ll let God down and, consequently, I’ll sever the relationship with the person moving forward.

SALESMAN

The first fear is that I’ll come off as some second rate used car salesman. Most everyone gets annoyed when they visit a store or car lot where the salesperson gets paid on commissions. They hound you. They try to talk you into something you don’t want. It all feels so awkward and impersonal.

I never want to feel like I’m shoving my “religion” down someone’s throat. I want to share what I believe and they can take it or leave it. In every story I write, Christ is the nucleus of the words that I type. Not that I ever try to deny God, but I want these words to bring hope and encouragement to people who might not have the same viewpoints spiritually as me.

The rapper NF said it best in his song Therapy Session :

“This music is not just for people who sit in the pews and pray at the churches.”

The marvelous thing about the gospel is that Jesus is not a car or product that needs sold. I don’t have to dress up who Christ is or what He did for us all. I literally just have to tell people that God loves them and that He sent his only Son to this earth as a living sacrifice to defeat sin and death. In putting our faith in Christ, we die to ourselves and will spend eternity in heaven.

That’s it! No selling needed! All commissions given to God through glory!

REJECTION

The second fear that I have about sharing my faith with acquaintances and people with whom I love is the fear of rejection. What if they say no?

One thing that’s important to understand is that even Jesus was turned away in his own town. He was despised and rejected by mankind. The Bible says that, “He came to that which was his own, but His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:11)

It also helps take the pressure off of us when we realize that we don’t have the power to change anyone, only God does. It’s our job to plant the seeds and to water the seeds, but God makes all things grow. Our job as Christians is to love God and to love our neighbors. We share our faith and the truth of the gospel. If someone says, “No thanks,” we fulfilled our duty. We planted the seed. God will make it grow.

REFLECTION

A friend of mine recently shared on Facebook that he and his wife received Christ. When I read this, I had a mix of emotions. On one hand, I was so happy for him because I knew he just made the greatest decision of his life. On the other hand, I felt so guilty because I’ve seen this guy on a regular basis the past couple of years and I never once told him about Jesus.

It wasn’t that I wanted the glory of being the person who lead him to Christ, but it convicted my heart. How many people do I see on a fairly regular basis who I’m scared to tell about Jesus?

I mean, I literally have something that has the power to change the trajectory of someone’s life and save their soul, and I’m keeping it all to myself? Why? Because I’m scared of coming off as a used car salesman or being rejected?

HYPOCRITE

I think part of me is also scared of coming off as a hypocrite. I’m not always the best representation of Jesus. I screw up, struggle, have doubts, give into peer pressure, sin, and so on. Sometimes I think that if I tell someone about my faith, it’ll actually do more harm than good to the gospel.

What I try to remind myself is that we’re all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. The devil will use anything in his power to prevent me from telling my friends and family about Jesus Christ. The enemy will even use my own fear of hypocrisy to stop me from proclaiming the Good News.

But the God I serve is bigger than any fear and God’s power is made perfect in my weakness.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

CALL TO ACTION

So to the Christian, old and new, is there someone in your life with whom you know you need to share the Good News? I challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone and meet God in that place. I know this message is for me for sure!

And to the person who doesn’t consider themselves a Christian, know that our heart isn’t to sell you on anything. God loves you and even His people screw up, just like everyone else. While we are called to become Christlike, Jesus was perfect — something no human can or will ever achieve.

Don’t look to follow a person, but follow Jesus instead.

If you know you need to take that step of faith and receive Christ in your life, never hesitate to reach out to me. Private message me on my social media sites listed in the icons below or reach out to me via cell phone or in person.

Receiving Christ is the best decision you will ever make in this life!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

John 3:16–17