Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.
Fear of Failure
Paul had less of a fear of men because he feared God so much, but even when he came to the Corinthians, he said he came to them in weakness, fear, and trembling (1 Cor. 2:3). In looking at the context of this chapter, it wasn’t the fear of his preaching the Gospel and it being rejected or that he’d face persecution. Rather, he had a deep, holy, reverential fear of preaching the Word of God accurately. Since Paul feared in this way, we too should make sure to handle the Scriptures accurately in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost. Paul never feared whether his message would be received well or not because he knew that God was the one who added to the church and not him (Acts 2:47; 5:14; 9:31). So, if you remember that they are not rejecting you but the message, that should take the responsibility off your shoulders as to whether someone is saved or not. It is not your responsibility to save anyone; it is their response to His ability, even though it is our responsibility to tell them. Don’t fear their not receiving it because God is the One Who actually saves them, not us (John 6:44).
Our Own Weaknesses
Paul admitted his own weaknesses, and you can see how he battled the flesh in Romans 7, but this weakness of Paul’s never inhibited him from sharing the Gospel. I think there is actually strength in admitting our own weaknesses before the lost because it gives them hope that they, too, can be saved. Transparency before the lost can be used as a way for the lost to see how they also can be saved and that it’s not going to be a matter of human effort (Eph. 2:8-9). That might be the reason why so many won’t repent and trust in Christ, because they think that they’re not strong enough to overcome their sins, but the good news of the Gospel is that there is no sin that the blood of the Lamb cannot cover except that of rejecting Him as Savior (John 3:18; 3:36b).
Lack of Ability
I hear many people who think they’re not gifted enough to share the Gospel. They feel inadequate in speech or intelligence to try and tell others about Christ, but we are missing something very important about the Gospel. The Gospel has its own power, and that power is the Gospel itself, for the Gospel is actually the very power of God (Rom. 1:16). All we have to do it unleash the Gospel, and God promises that His Word will do what He sends it out to do and will accomplish exactly what He intends (Isaiah 55:11), so it doesn’t depend on us, our speech, persuasion, or eloquent delivery of the Gospel, for the power is in the message and not in the messenger. So, why not release this God-power through your mouth and then leave the results up to God.
A Closing Prayer
Righteous Father, I know it’s Your desire that no one should perish (2 Pet. 3:9), so please use me, as weak as I am, in personal evangelizing, and help me to remember to trust You with the results and that the real power is in Your Word and not in me. Help me to remember that the power is in the Gospel itself, and in Jesus’ precious name I pray.
Amen
Republished by Blog Post Promoter
