Confident and Bold - Part 2

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 (NIV)
Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Confident and Bold - Part 2
One of the most difficult areas to grow spiritually is in our witness to others. We are bombarded with statistics that show a very low percentage of born-again believers actually share their faith with others. Yet we are told that we have the same basis for confidence that the Apostle Paul did.

So why are we ashamed to talk about Jesus?

Many believe that word doesn’t describe their attitude, but Jesus Himself used that description in Mark 8:38. People commonly say that they do not have the time, or hate to be pushy and rude. Still others say that they are witnessing through the way they live.

These are all just weak excuses and I say this as someone who struggles mightily in this area. The bottom line is that we are embarrassed to talk about Jesus because we are worried about how we will be perceived. In other words, we are ashamed.

What we need to do is change our understanding of what we are doing when we share the Gospel. We are not pushing our beliefs on another person, we are simply telling them about what we have found. You cannot in your own power “save” somebody, it is only through the Holy Spirit that this miraculous event happens. So relax and just share. Share about the grace that has entered your life and the joy you have found.

Be confident in His power to change hearts and be bold as a result.

Pray
Pray for God to provide you with opportunities to witness to others and the confidence to take those opportunities.

Ask Yourself
Do you have a desire to share Christ with others? Are you bold in your witness? When was the last time that you allowed God to use you in order to lead somebody else to Christ?

Take Action
Pray each morning the prayer from this devotion. Open yourself up to the Holy Spirit’s leadings and actively look for the opportunities that God will place in your path. When you have the chance, be bold!
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