Day 2: What are your fears?

Even if we have our “why,” there may still be many reasons we don’t initiate with the people around us. Usually, we fear that people will be offended, or we fear that we may not know what to say. Both of these fears can be overcome with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit knows the people we engage with better than we do. He knows how to draw them to Jesus. The Holy Spirit will also give us the words to say when we ask Him for wisdom. We cannot allow these fears to become barriers to sharing Jesus with others.

I had lovely neighbors who were expecting their first child. She ended up on bed rest during the pregnancy, and I felt the Lord wanted me to share with her Psalm 139 about how He formed her baby in her womb and then pray for her.

I was nervous because her husband was Muslim. What if he rebuked me for opening a Bible with her? What if he didn’t want me to pray for her?

I went to their house, and her husband wasn’t home. I shared the verse with her but couldn’t muster the courage to pray for her. After I left, I felt so convicted that I knew I had to return the next day and obey God’s prompting to pray for her. Her husband was home, walking in and out of the room, but this time, I asked the Holy Spirit to give me courage, and I prayed for her and her baby.

When I was writing Follow My Lead, a book on evangelism, I wanted their story in it. I knew I needed her to read it before it was published. (This was another vulnerable step of faith since they hadn’t become believers.) When she read it, she said, “You can print this chapter, but Holly, you should never be afraid to pray for someone! If you want to pray for me, please do!” A non-believer rebuked me for being afraid to pray for her.

When their son was born, they asked me if I would be the Godmother of their son. I was confused because the father was Muslim. I said, “You know I’m a Christian. Why would you ask me to have this role?”

He replied, “We want no one else to teach our son about God.”

Wow. What if I hadn’t entered into her pain and pregnancy? What if I hadn’t prayed for her? This opened the door for me to share Jesus with their son and family.

Sometimes, even our small steps of faith that can lead to sharing Jesus feel too intimidating. But that is why He doesn’t ask us to obey in our own strength. He wants us to “walk in the Spirit” and follow His guidance. If He nudges us to pray for someone, we will be blessed, and they will be, too. If we ignore His prompting and don’t follow His lead, we will miss out on blessing others and seeing where that prayer may lead.

We must ask the Holy Spirit to replace our fear with faith and boldness, knowing He will empower us to share Jesus with others.

Reflect on these questions:

• What are your fears in sharing Jesus with others?
• How can you invite the Holy Spirit to guide you in these initial steps of faith?

Pray and ask God to give you the boldness to take the next steps of faith He invites you into. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the words to speak. Then, ask God what He is asking you to do next with the friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers around you.