Do you know of any Christ followers who struggle to talk with others about their faith? The number is probably much higher than we can imagine, and that is very sad considering we have been “given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 13: 11). There are common reasons people cite as the cause of their struggle but mostly it is linked to the uncertainty about what to say. Most feel they must try to convince the listener of God’s existence and feel underqualified. When Jesus discussed sharing scripture, He quoted Isaiah saying, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn“. This is a crucial statement because He told the disciples and us that God chooses who and when the truth will be revealed. If we forget this, we could have an issue, as we forget that it is God’s message we are sharing and not our own and that He must be involved in the sharing. The Isaiah quote ends with the words “and I would heal them,” reminding us that God alone will open eyes and ears to His truth.
So, if God allows those around us to get the message, do we have any role? The answer, of course, is yes, as outlined in our great commission (Matthew 28:16-20). Jesus tells us to go out and say to the world, and He told us that the Holy Spirit would be given to us to help us explain the truth. God will create circumstances that will put us in a position to tell someone about our faith, and we should be prepared. We can share our story, starting with our life before becoming a follower, the event that led to becoming a follower of Jesus and our life after accepting Jesus. All believers should know their own story, which is what Jesus wants us to share.
It need not be a struggle to talk about our faith if we approach it by remembering that God is preparing people to hear our story. Millions of people know about God because a handful of disciples obeyed the Holy Spirit’s nudge and shared the stories they knew about Jesus. We can be part of this tradition and should start by asking God to strengthen us and help us recognize our story. Our family, friends, neighbours, and colleagues see a difference in us, so we must be ready to tell them about it. We should recall, recognize, and rehearse our story to recite it to those who Jesus prepared to listen. The only struggle we genuinely face is between us and the evil one. He wants us to keep the truth to ourselves because our story includes him as the defeated enemy of God. Galatians says, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). The Holy Spirit lives in followers and wants us to share God’s news. Let’s work with Him.
