Overcoming Fear

If there’s one thing that will hinder us in the task of evangelism, it’s a fear of failure. But we should never fear failure because, more often than not, it is the avenue to success. And success for the Christian is faithfulness. It’s not necessarily to reap a harvest. Rather, it’s to plant the seed faithfully. Sometimes, we get to reap, but more often, we are sowing in tears (Psalm 126:5). Sharing the gospel is often a depressing and thankless task, but our confidence is in the fact that God is faithful. It is his work.

Weep though we do at the hardness of some soil, God has given us his law to break up the ground. It is the plow we use to make way for the seed of the gospel. The commandments break up the hard soil of self-righteousness and prepare the heart for the grace of God in Christ because they are the best tool to reveal the sin that separates us from God. Therefore, our trust is in the Lord and in the tool he’s provided. That makes this task much easier. Confidence in God is the shoehorn of evangelism. We often struggle to put on a shoe, but a shoehorn is designed to make it easier. Trusting in the Lord takes the struggle out of evangelism.

Our confidence as Christians isn’t in our eloquent words. With the help of the Holy Spirit, in the power of the gospel, and the faithfulness of God to watch over his Word, we can have confidence that Jesus is who he said he is and that sin, righteousness, and judgment exist as he described. When we open our mouths in faith—when we trust God to help us—he will. That’s why I pray before every encounter, and the reason I pray is primarily because of the truth that without God, we can do nothing (John 15:5).

I don’t want to do nothing. So, I trust in the Lord with every encounter I have, every word I say, and every breath I take. Then, through Christ, I have the power to ignore my fears and share the gospel with those I encounter.