Psalm 68:11 (NIV) The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it.
Eph 6:19-20 (NASB) and pray on my behalf that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak.
Exodus 3:13-14 (NASB) Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I shall say to them ‘The God of our fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus
shall you say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
Acts 18:9 (NASB) And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent.”
When a small church I attended decided to do a sermon and concert in the town square, I was convinced that God had given me something to share. I approached the pastor and asked if I could. He agreed, and when the night came, I peacefully and confidently waited my turn to speak. However, as I
stood up to the microphone, the elastic in one of my garments broke. (Satan does not play fair!) I almost sat back down and was about to say, “I can’t do it!” but felt like God wanted me to continue. So I spoke. I stood there holding my arms tightly at my side, afraid to breath. The message went forth. I trust since God directed it, someone’s life was touched. Afterwards, as I very cautiously attempted to walk away, two elders from the church approached me. One said, “You did good other than standing stiff as a board. See, you didn’t have any reason to be afraid.” YEAH! RIGHT!
Some people tremble at the thought of sharing in front of a crowd. Take Moses for example…or my husband. He is scheduled to lead staff chapel next week and dreads it almost as much as dealing with plumbing problems. Okay, perhaps I am exaggerating a little; but you get the picture, right? Normally, I
am reasonably comfortable sharing publicly. However, sharing one on one can still tend to fill me with some degree of uneasiness. What I find most difficult is speaking a word of correction to someone I care about. There have been occasions when I felt God wanted me to speak into the life of a friend or
total stranger. Increasingly I obey, but there are times that I freeze. If I concentrate on the fact that the Holy Spirit is in charge of the whole encounter, what needs to be said is shared boldly. When I do not depend on God, I end up either fumbling all over the words or never spitting them out to begin with. Whether sharing with multitudes as Moses did, or one on one, proclaiming truth requires boldness that both faith in and a focus on God produces.
I know there are situations in life that can make speaking the truth in love a scary thing to do. I have heard of adult children who were so hell-bent on living an ungodly lifestyle that they used not allowing Grandma and Grandpa to see their grandchildren as a means to blackmail them into silence. There are
also Christians who proclaim His truth at the risk of their friendships, job security, family or lives. For these reasons and others, we need to focus on the importance of our listeners’ need for God, not what their response to us might be. If we focus on ourselves, we will be frightened either by the fear of losing
approval or by our lack of power and might. It is also possible to become puffed up in pride, thinking of ourselves as another’s benefactor. By using our fear or pride, Satan can get the upper hand when it comes to our sphere of influence. Instead, we should bear in mind the Holy Spirit’s ability, not ours, to
touch even the hardest of hearts.
The fact of the matter is, Satan is going to ramp-up his attacks. You are probably well aware that he is trying to silence the church worldwide through fear, discouragement, lethargy, stupor and moral compromise. Satan is delusional. He knows that according to God’s Word, his days are numbered; but
he still intends to fight and fight hard. This is definitely no time to drop the sword of the Spirit! Share the truth now. Some will surrender to God when they hear you share His heart. Leave encouraging notes, scripture cards, your testimony, etc. for the people who do not listen to you now. They might
become Christians during the tribulation, which appears to be just around the corner. If they come across them, they will appreciate your messages by then, for their battlefield will be fierce! You do not need to be a skilled writer or speaker to influence and encourage others. Just share from your heart the
greatness of God. Trust Him. He will take it from there.