What if I blow it?

Witnessing is a scary thing. When we think about going up to a stranger or even a friend and witnessing to them and telling them about God's gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ His Son, well, we know along with that carries much responsibility. After all, we're taking God's message of salvation to someone that desperately needs it. What if they say no? What if I offend them? What if I blow it because I don't know all the answers to their questions? All of these concerns are what prevent us from following through on our call to witness to others. Fear paralyzes us and prevents us from moving forward and from telling the lost about the love of Jesus and spreading the Gospel, the good news that everyone needs to hear. I believe Satan's greatest tactic to try and prevent the delivery of the Gospel is to put FEAR in our hearts and minds.

Our fear however is not from the Lord, it's from Satan. If we have fear it's because we are not confident in our own ability to deliver God's message of hope and that I believe is the real problem. It's not about our ability to answer all the questions. It's not about our ability to speak well. It's not about our ability at all! It's about our willingness to deliver the message. WE CAN'T BLOW IT! It's God's words. It's His message. Our only responsibility is to deliver the message and let God do the rest. When we think it's up to us, we have fear, but when we believe God's in control, we have peace.

When I have those emotions of fear creep up inside of me as I'm about to witness, and I'm afraid I might blow it, I'm always reminded of Jonah. You've got to read the book of Jonah and when you do you will see a man that reluctantly preaches a message of repentance to the Assyrian people in the capital city of Nineveh. Jonah hated these people and God had told him to deliver a message of repentance to the people of this city or He would destroy them. Jonah refused and actually ran away from what God had told him to do. But after spending three days inside the belly of a huge fish, Jonah is again told by God to deliver His message of repentance to the people of Nineveh. Jonah reluctantly goes to the city and when he arrives he preaches a half hearted message of repentance to the people, then turns and leave the city. What happens next is amazing. His message was heard and spread throughout the whole city. The people of Nineveh realized their sin and repented and God showed His mercy on the people. They were spared God's wrath. You see... Jonah tried to blow it and couldn't! That's the amazing thing about God's message. It's not about how it's delivered. All that matters is that the message was delivered. I'm so thankful that whether people receive Christ or not is not dependant on my expertise and knowledge of the bible. I'm so thankful that whether people receive Christ or not is not dependent on my ability to speak well or answer all their questions they might have. All I have to do is be willing to tell someone about the love of Jesus, and that's not so hard to do when I think about sharing what He's done for me in my life. I have peace, I have joy, and I have comfort in all situations and events in my life because I have Jesus with me through it all. And this peace comes from knowing that I have eternal life because of what Jesus did for me on the cross. When you realize that you have eternal life, then all the stuff that happens to you, is easier to stomach because you know it doesn't go on forever. It's all temporary and when you know that... you can endure because better days are ahead. This is the message that people need to hear. They need to hear the message of hope when they are desperate and don't know where to turn. So don't be afraid to share... you can't blow it. If Jonah tried so little to convince the people to repent and God's word permeated their hearts anyway, imagine what God can do when you simply give it your best. Don't trust in your ability, rather... rely on His, and bodly tell your friend what you know they need to hear. You may help in saving their life.