OVERCOME YOUR FEARS

Many people are so afraid to witness, they don’t even think about doing it. They put it out of their mind because they think they can’t do it. But the Lord "did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" (2 Ti. 1:7). Jesus has the power to overcome your fears so that you can obey him in witnessing and receive the joy of the Lord that he wants you to have. He won’t ask you to do more than you are able to do. But he may stretch you to your limits. He wants every Christian to witness or testify and make it a part of their lifestyle. He said in Matthew 10:32, "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven."

Jesus also said, "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory" (Lu. 9:26). We can overcome our fears and obey, by God’s grace. One big fear we face is the fear of rejection. Rejection is hard to handle. We all have a need to feel loved and accepted. But if we witness consistently, we will experience rejection. People can be neither loving nor accepting, at times. But this was the way it was with Jesus. "He was despised and rejected of men" (Is. 53:3). "He came to his own, and his own did not receive him" (Jn. 1:11). We are privileged to share some of what he went through when he was on earth.

The way to handle rejection is to rest in the acceptance and love of the Lord. We don’t want to look for acceptance by the world, anyway. The world is lost. We are the children of God. We are more concerned with what God thinks than what people think. Do not be so concerned whether or not unbelievers reject you. Be concerned, that unbelievers will be rejected by God for their sins unless they repent and receive the Lord’s forgiveness!

Also, after you plunge in and begin to try to witness humbly and cautiously, the Lord’s overcoming grace will strengthen you and bless you with such joy that it is all right if you are rejected or people think you are weird or fanatic. If you experience the abiding presence of Jesus that comes from obedience, you will want it more than the approval of friends or family. He will give you the grace to overcome all obstacles. But you have to move out and obey.