A Powerful Way to Share Your Faith Personally
Do you find it awkward or easy to share your faith?
Do you know someone who expresses their “Christianity” through judgments, accusations, rules, and arguments?
Christians who consistently “look like they were baptized in pickle juice” rarely make the people around them want to join the family of faith.
But, on the other hand, do you know someone, or several someones, whose love, joy, peace, patience, trust, and passion for life have made you want to have a closer relationship with Jesus?
How we share our faith matters. However, before we examine how, we need to determine what we’re encouraging.
What is faith? It is…
1. The confident belief or trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. ~ Wikipedia
2. Belief with strong conviction; firm belief in something for which there may be no tangible proof; complete trust; opposite of doubt. ~ About.com
3. “God’s work in us, that changes us and gives new birth from God.” ~ Martin Luther
4. Being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
We make faith too simple by saying, “You just need to believe in Jesus.” And we make it too complicated by listing every detail, rule, and obligation.
So, I’ve started defining my faith with 5 simple words: SEEK, KNOW, LOVE, TRUST, and OBEY.
But that’s not where I start when I want to share my faith. I believe the best place to start is to…
1. Ask God to open your heart and give you opportunities.
2. Avoid preaching and listen.
3. Live faithfully and love like Jesus.
St. Francis of Assisi said…
“Preach the Gospel always and use words if necessary.”
And 4. Share the ways God is working in you, times He has given you peace, hope, or strength, etc.
Worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.
1 Peter 3:15
Keep it simple and personal. One way you and I can share our faith is to remember God’s TRUTH…
- God is love – He is loving, holy, and righteous.
- We are sinners – We all deserve the death penalty, and we’re helpless to fix it.
- Christ suffered our punishment – He willingly died in our place, and He rose again to offer forgiveness and life as a gift.
- We must receive His love and the gift of forgiveness – We receive Jesus when we surrender our lives to Him through repentance, resulting in forgiveness. We humble ourselves and allow Him to lead us in ways that transform our hearts and minds by the power of the Holy Spirit.
One of my favorite ways to express those TRUTHs is to tell my story. The miraculous way He allowed me to live through a painful season that pulled me closer and showed me His grace, mercy, and love.
When He allowed me to see my foolish weaknesses and failures, assured me of His love, and through my surrender … gave me His peace, strength, and a hope-filled future. And then He gave me a way to talk about it with humility and humor.
I want people to ask about my peace, strength, and hope. I want them to wonder – why I am the way I am. Because I want to tell them that Jesus is my why. He is my peace and strength today, and my hope for every tomorrow.
Pray with me…
A Prayer to Share Your Faith
by Sharing Your Story
Father God, thank you for giving me the gift of faith. I can’t imagine where I’d be without the blessing of knowing and loving Jesus. He gives me the peace I need to accept my past and the courage to face the future.
Any peace I enjoy comes from the blessing of trusting Your promise that I am forgiven. And my ability to forgive is rooted in Your grace, mercy, and love.
I have courage for the future, because I believe Your promise to be with me and give me strength. Because You have always been with me in the past, I trust You to be with me tomorrow.
Jesus, You told your disciples, “When you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 13:11)
Please give me the words I need to share my faith. Help me remember the wonderful things You have done in my life. Whether I’m standing trial for my faith, speaking with a stranger on the street, or encouraging a friend or family member, help me share the many ways You have transformed my life with Your love.
Yes, You are love, and I am a sinner who needs a Savior. You gave Jesus to save me, and opened my heart to surrendering myself in repentant faith. I love You, Lord. I thank and praise You. Please help me live for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Quotes about Faith Sharing
“My worldview, my philosophy, my attitudes, my relationships, my parenting, my marriage – everything has been transformed by my relationship with Christ.” ~Lee Strobel
Come and see what our God has done,
Psalm 66:5, 16
what awesome miracles He performs for people!
Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will tell you what He did for me.
“People pay attention when they see that God actually changes persons and sets them free. When a new Christian stands up and tells how God has revolutionized his or her life, no one dozes off. When someone is healed or released from a life-controlling bondage, everyone takes notice.” ~ Jim Cymbala
My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
Acts 20:24
“In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others.” ~ Brennan Manning
Are you ready to tell your story and share your faith?
May God bless you with courage and ways to share your faith and His love with words and without.
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Dear Deb,
Thank you for your beautiful blog about how to share your faith in a good way.
I really like how you summarized faith in those five words: seek, know, love, trust, and obey. I also appreciated what you wrote about not starting with preaching. That really speaks to me, because in the church of my youth, where I struggled so much, it often began with judgment and then trying to teach someone from that place.
This feels very freeing to me. I have been learning to live this way for some years now, but it is still very good for me to read blogs like this… about simply telling your own story, and sharing how the Lord gives love, strength, and hope through Jesus.
Thank you for this beautiful blog. I just wanted to tell you that.
Thank you for your beautiful encouragement, Aritha. So many have grown up in a church that felt like it was full of stern and judgmental people. I believe that Jesus shared peace, love, and joy everywhere He went, while encouraging people to love, trust, and obey the God and each other. I just want everyone to know Him and experience His love. He is the strength we need today and the precious hope we have for the future. God bless you abundantly!
I want to live in such a way that makes others want that peace and love, too, Deb. Sometimes, that’s all the witness a moment needs to start someone on their Christian journey. Wonderful post, my friend!
What a wonderful way to say it, Martha! Just wanting people to know God’s peace and love. We want them to want the blessings we enjoy! Hugs to you! Have a beautiful weekend.
This is such a fantastic post. Sharing our faith and having opportunities to testify is so liberating. I know a few people who just show it in so many ways, and you just know that they have Jesus in their heart and soul. These people bless me tremendously. I love the “pickle” description. I know some of those too. Preaching to a person is never the right thing to do. People don’t like to feel judged! Feeling love and accepted is what we all need. You are such a good and wise teacher in Christian leading and also the way you live your life. Thank you for who you are! And I thank God for who you are. You help so many of us on our faith journey!!
Thank you, Sue! I am so very thankful for the people the Lord used to encourage me in my faith. Some were family members, some friends, and some mentors with whom we attended church. They were real, truthful, and filled with peace and joy. Thank you for allowing Him to use you as a friend who freely shares life’s truths with hope and the love of the Lord. You are a blessing to me and all who visit here. Have a wonderful weekend.