~~ Ephesians 2:8 (TNIV) ~~ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
by Carley Cooper
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I was watching a movie with a friend the other day. Or rather, we started watching a movie. We didn’t finish watching it because the movie triggered a very interesting exchange about our Christian beliefs. I don’t really know if I should call it a conversation, or a discussion, or an argument; or a combination of all the above. In the end, the movie got lost and forgotten in our lengthy debate. Which was just as well, it was one of those that attempt to prove the bible false and incorrect. I want so badly to witness for Christ when I have the opportunity, but the truth is when it comes to witnessing, I still feel like I’m a new amateur circulating among a bunch of well-seasoned 'professional Christians'. Sometimes I feel so out of my league it just isn’t funny. I wished, on this day, that I had some of my ‘professional’ Christian friends there with me for help.
I don’t normally respond with any kind of verbal reaction to anything that I’m watching on a screen, simply because I don’t usually see what purpose it serves to yell at a screen. It reminds me a little bit like sneezing. I know what you’re thinking... ‘huh?!’. Well, I don’t yell when I sneeze like many people do. When I sneeze its generally pretty quiet, because screaming at the same time doesn’t accomplish anything other than extra noise. It also reminds me of when I’m with my brother when he’s driving. He yells at the other drivers. He doesn’t open the window so they can hear him, but he yells anyway. The whole concept behind that logic completely escapes me. If they can’t hear him, then why talk to them? Anyway, back to the movie... the comment “I don’t understand God” by one of the characters suddenly had me doing something that was totally out of character for me. But this time, I couldn’t help it. I rather surprised myself actually. I responded, out loud, with “Well, Duh; if you could understand Him then He wouldn’t be God. You would be able to fit Him into your version of some box, and He wouldn’t be the ultimate creator who is the beginning and the end of everything.”
The comment led my friend to ask me some questions about what I believed about God, the Bible and God’s children. He wanted to know if I believed that all people are God’s children. I also told him that everyone is born with a basic knowledge in their hearts of a creator and the freewill to choose Him, or not. If you choose not, then you’ve chosen not to be God’s child. God’s children are those that have invited Jesus into their hearts to be their Lord and Saviour; which also means you are willing to leave the old lifestyle behind and allow Him to change your heart and your life. If you have rejected God, then you’re not His child. You made your choice. My friend was overwhelmingly offended over this statement. He said that he believes that Jesus died to forgive us for our sins, and that everyone can be forgiven; all it takes is to believe that Jesus died for our sins.
Part of our discussion was on the fact that choosing a Christian lifestyle means you are willingly choosing a very difficult lifestyle because God will test you, He will insist on pushing you outside your comfort zone, and Satan will tempt you with your weakest issues and biggest struggles. The enemy isn't about to let you go without a fight. My friend argued with this as well. He wondered; if God knows everything then why should we have to prove ourselves to Him? I tried to explain to him that God is testing us so that we can learn how strong we are in our own faith, endurance, patience, etc. God is outside of time, so He already knows the outcome. It’s us that needs to learn the lessons, not God. We’re not tested to prove something; we’re tested to learn something. He shook his head in disagreement. I told him that it’s all about faith. We have to go to Him in faith. God doesn’t have to prove Himself to us or do anything to earn our respect. God doesn’t come to us; we go to Him. Again, he shook his head in disagreement.
I told him that yes, Jesus died for us to forgive us of our sins. He’s right on that fact, but it’s a gift. If you don’t reach out and accept the gift by inviting Jesus into your heart then you don’t get the benefits. You either want the gift or you don’t. He disagreed. He doesn’t think that he has to be the one to accept the gift. I told him that Jesus isn’t going to force it on anyone. He will not dump it on your head or push it down your throat. You either accept His gift or you don’t. Jesus wants your love out of your own free will in your heart, not out of an obligation or forced position. I can totally understand that. The last thing I would ever want if / when I get remarried is for my husband to say to me that he married me because someone forced him to. I've been through a lot in my life (My regular readers know there's a book in progress about my life. Be patient. It'll be worth the wait). I've been in the forced positions way too often through abusive relationships. It's not how true love is expressed. As difficult as it is for me to be single; I choose it in a heartbeat over being in another abusive relationship. I want true love that is from the heart, and all about God. Jesus wants the same from us. Just because you believe in Jesus and believe what He did for us doesn’t mean you’ve accepted the gift. Even Satan, believes in Jesus! My friend doesn’t believe that one has to accept Jesus’ gift of salvation in order to be forgiven and saved. He thinks it’s automatically given to everyone who believes that Jesus existed and died for our sins. He sees no reason for a concept of inviting Jesus into your heart, or accepting the gift. I tried explaining to him that believing that He died for our sins and actually accepting the gift are two separate steps. Jesus gave us an awesome gift... but it’s only a useful gift if we reach out and take it!
Several times I tried quoting scripture to him to back up what I was saying. He saw my Bible on the table and said that it is not written by God; that it is written by people, who copied it from some another book. He said that can connect me with people who can ‘prove’ my bible to be wrong. I know he doesn’t have these contacts, of course, because I know that the Bible is true and it is the only living Word of God. It makes me wonder, though, why do people willingly settle for not wanting salvation when they could have a wonderful eternity. Why are people willing to settle for temporary and instant pleasure even though it means an eternity in jail; in the fire pits of hell? Personally, I only want to know THE one and only truth.
I told him to beware of churches that are preaching gospel that has been influenced by worldly thinking instead of being biblically sound. Those types of churches are in every neighborhood these days. I also shared with him about courses at my church and bible studies that I’ve done that show the data, even scientific evidence, that backs up the bible. I told him that all the information he needs to see to believe is out there. I even offered to start taking him to some of the courses that I’ve been doing where I’ve learned all these things over the past few years. I also offered to give him phone numbers for a couple of men I know that could give him more than enough information to prove to him all he needed to know in order to show him that the bible is literal, accurate, God breathed, is backed up by science, that prophecy is accurate down to the letter. He refused all my offers.
He figures his beliefs help him feel good and he is comfortable with that so it’s all fine. I tried to use the example that God sets rules for us the same way that he sets rules for his daughters. He saw no connection between the idea of him parenting his kids; and God setting guidelines for us because He loves us, just as my friend loves his girls. He doesn’t understand that we go through so much trauma, trials and tribulations in our lives because God is trying to get our attention and we’re just not listening. He believes that to be a ridiculous concept. My friend thinks he hears God and believes himself to be Christian. However, he also shares stories that tell me he is willing to cheat on his wife, doesn’t want to invite Jesus into his heart, to let God change him, live a Christian lifestyle, or follow Jesus (even though he says he believes in Jesus). He says he hears God, yet he doesn’t believe that the Bible is the living Word of God. I wonder, how what reference does he use to know it’s God’s voice he’s hearing over the enemy’s voice? He has no drive or passion to know THE ultimate truth. There is no quest in him to continue to know more and more about God, or to want to get closer to Him. I want so much to make him realize that his thinking is relevant and that this type of thinking is useless. It’s like chasing your own tail.
Well, I was trying to explain to him about this drive within me to know THE truth. I don’t want to settle for my own limited opinion or that of the masses; especially when I know it’s broken. For me to settle for "my beliefs" leaves room for adjustment or being wrong. I don't want that. I only want to know the one and only, hard-core, unchangeable, definite, for-sure TRUTH! I don’t understand how someone wouldn’t have an intense passion and a great need to how more and more about the one ultimate and absolute truth. How could anyone settle for anything less? My friend has no foundation for his beliefs except that it is what makes him feel good. He stated straight out that this is perfectly OK with him and he’s willing to live with that. What is my friend basing his values on? He doesn’t believe that the bible is God breathed, so who’s rules is he following? His own? Where does he get the basis for his beliefs? What makes him so absolutely confident in his own beliefs and feelings? Personally, I can’t imagine what it would be like to be that confident in my own judgement. What rules, guidelines or definitions is he following to know what is right or wrong; good or bad? And why are those definitions so special that we should all be expected to follow them and base our lives, loves, faith, and eternal lives on them over the definitions or rules developed by someone else? What makes him feel that his beliefs are so solid that he can be sure that of all the people in all the world in all of history, including the present time, that it’s his rules that will allow his soul to be saved for eternity and go to heaven? If his own rules can do this, than what about everyone else? Why his rules over someone else’s? If everyone can save themselves just by making their own set of rules than where’s the order? Why did Jesus die? If everyone could save their own sorry butts just by feeling good about themselves than all the suffering, the sacrifice, humiliation, betrayal, pain that Jesus went through was in vain. He died and fought death for nothing. He went through the trouble of dying rising again from death to live forever all in an attempt to save us... when we didn’t need to be saved... we could have just save ourselves!? And if we could save ourselves, than why would we have been broken in the first place? That doesn’t make any sense. There is absolutely no logic in that kind of thinking; no order, and God is a God of perfect order in every single thing He does. And for those who don't believe that statement either, I've also seen the science to back that up as well! It's fascinating when we can use the same science that scientists have been using for generations to prove the bible wrong; against them and prove it to be correct. Jesus didn’t go through all that just because He was bored sitting around in Heaven waiting for us all to get there to have a big party!
How do ‘seasoned’ Christians handle these things? Does it ever get easier to see your friends or loved ones willingly turn away from God, even when they think they’re following Him? Does the frustration ever go away? Does the feeling that you failed your loved one by not getting through to them ever go away? Does the feeling of failure to God ever go away; that you could have led someone to Him and didn’t? My friend said that I have always had a big place in his heart, and always would, but that he wasn’t going to have this discussion anymore. He willingly refused to hear or accept the gospel of Jesus. I’ve known this man for twenty years, and I did not realize that he felt this way and so strongly. I know that as a Christian that I have to pray for him. I also know that if he continues to deny the gift Jesus is offering him than it is my responsibility to discontinue the friendship. We are not to risk our own salvation for others. My hope is that somehow I planted a seed. I will pray, and continue to pray that Jesus will let it grow.
As for my ultimate truth... I know this for sure... Jesus was born of a virgin, He died on the cross, He rose again on the third day, He lives still today. He lives in my heart because I have asked Him to be my Lord and Savior; and as difficult as it is, I welcome the changes He is making in my heart and in my life. I know that He loves me and forgives me. I want to know more. I want to get closer to Him. I am not willing to be restricted by the limitations of worldly thinking.
~~ Dear God ~~ Thank You for taking me to a church that preaches sound doctrine based on Your Word; and is committed to producing disciples for Christ. Thank You for opening my eyes to see, my ears to hear, my mind to understand, and my heart to accept the truth. I do not ever want to be restricted by worldly thinking, Lord. Please do not ever let me lose the passion for this quest to know more and to get closer to You. I pray that there was a seed planted in my friend, and that there will be more seeds planted as others read this article. I pray that Jesus will let each and every seed grow into a deeply rooted tree that will produce much fruit in Your Holy name. ~In Jesus name, AMEN.
Amen, Amen Amen. While I read this I paused to pray for your friend. I know you may have been in a battle with him, I sometimes have the same battle with my husband. Not about Jesus but about the whole Christian "thing".Never give your attempt to open the door and plant the seeds. Only God can lead your friend all we can do is be the example that makes them want to learn more.
ReplyDeleteI so wanted to be there and hug you. You stood your ground, and that can be so hard.
You have inspired me this morning - before I came online I was actually thinking of this limitation and how I limit myself because I'm not as seasoned as others- I am not inspired to write again and revive living room ministries on Connecting with the soul. Thank you.
Never stop believing God will be with you.
ooops, thats supposed to be ,, I AM INSPIRED not the other way around. See what happens when my fingers havent had enough coffee ,, hehe. Carley you are truly an inspiration.
DeleteLOL Thank you for your feedback. You've boosted my spirits as well. I'm not a coffee person though. I've never had one actually. I can't get past the smell. Ewwww. lol. I drink lots of green tea. I've been having a big struggle lately myself, but not with my faith; it's with others around me. My faith in Jesus stays firmly rooted, and I pray all the time that it stays that way. Thanks for the prayer for my friend. I continue to pray for him too. HUGS.
DeleteGood morning, Carly! I think you're wrong about one thing... yiou didn't need any of your 'seasoned' Christian friends to help you, you did GREAT all on your own, LOL! Thanks for sharing that conversation!
ReplyDeleteI think the very hardest thing as a Christian is to watch people we love and care about choose otherwise... and to allow them the freedom to do so, while we gently live our own truth. I appreciate your example!
{{{{{{{{{ HUGS }}}}}}}}}
Thank you so very much Ramona. You always know what to say to brighten my day. You're a Babe! You and I need to get together and go shoe shopping one of these days! hahaha I hope God agrees with you. I hope I planted a seed, and I pray that Jesus will let it grow to be a big deeply rooted tree that will produce much fruit for Him! HUGS!!!
DeleteHey Carley, these conversations are never wasted. Something for your friend to ruminate and something for you to learn from. I read a great book called "Questioning Evangelism" by Randy Newman. It was a really helpful tool to have these types of conversations with non-believing friends. You should check it out!
ReplyDelete*Loreli*
I hope that I get better at it, and I hope that I planted a seed inside him somewhere. Thanks for the book referral. I'll check that out. HUGS.
DeleteI think we limit ourselves because the majority of us don't have the capacity to see a much bigger picture and don't believe that it is for us here and now so we limit ourselves,,,We also tend to self sabotage what we do achieve.....
ReplyDeletePeople I think are often fearful. I've had a number of people say to me when the subject comes up that they feel God could never love them because they've sinned too much. So many feel they've crossed the line.... something I am familiar with myself. But God love us and has forgiven us. It's so big that people aren't capable of understanding something that big. Thanks for the feedback! Blessings!
DeleteThe reason people willingly settle for less is because of fear. People have the desire, they want something more but they are either too afraid to step outside of the box to get it or they fear the truth. It depends on the situation. I read your blog and the disagreement you were having with your friend. I personally believe that it's true that you have to accept Jesus into your heart to be forgiven for your sins. Forgiveness is not just an automatic thing. Someone has to be truly remorseful and they have to honestly want to work towards change. Think about it, if someone does something wrong to you, you are not just going to forgive them automatically and let it go. If everyone was given automatic forgiveness, there would be no justice in the world. That idea governs that people can just go around in the world and do as they please. The idea of automatic forgiveness doesn't make sense because then God would not want us have has us FEAR him. There would be no need to have fear. There is a reason we are suppose to fear god but our love for God conquers our fear of God.
ReplyDeleteI really I hope that made sense. :)
Also, while it's awesome that you want to share your knowlege about God, remember that everyone has different beliefs and it's important to respect their beliefs even if they differ from yours. Only God can judge and as long as you feel strongly about your beliefs and live by them than that's all that matters. :)
It is unfortunate how much fear guides us sometimes. More than any of us realize. I think it's probably one of the biggest struggles of the human race. God wants us to fear Him, but it is not an 'afraid of Him' kind of fear. The bible makes it clear that it is a high respect kind of fear. God forgives us always... but the condition is that we just have to accept the gift. And that can only be done through accepting Jesus. The condition is also that we are to allow Him to change our hearts to become like the heart of Jesus and to change our lives to follow Him. The bible makes that abundantly clear. It's the point of God's message. I don't forget that everyone has their own beliefs. I don't judge anyone for their beliefs or anything else (Otherwise, God will judge me in the same way with the same strength; and the bible tells us so). In the same way, I always try to forgive for everything (even my abusers); and I've gone through much therapy and bible study to learn TRUE forgiveness (Otherwise, as the bible says we don't get forgiven). I'm just not willing, for myself and my own beliefs, to restrict myself to human limitations. God wants more than that for me because He loves me that much. I only want to know the ultimate truth. And, that only comes from God's Word where He makes it very clear. Jesus is the only way and the truth. Thanks for the awesome feedback! Blessings to you! Hugs.
DeleteI understand that you are not judgmental and I hope what I said didn't come off as making it seem that you are. I just meant that sometimes other people may see it that way. They don't understand that you are trying to help them learn and sometimes they are resistant towards learning about what you trying to teach them.
DeleteYour blog was interesting to read. Keep up the good work. :)
It's took me a while to figure it out; and I had some lengthy chats with my pastor about this. I had to realize that it's my job to share the Good News of Jesus. I don't do the saving. Jesus does the saving. When I share hopefully a seed will be planted; which may not be visible to me at the time. If there has been one planted Jesus will make it grow; even if it takes years. I had to learn to let it go that I'm not seeing an instant on the spot miracle change. I'm still learning that I think. In the mean time I can keep watering it by praying. It's hard to see loved ones turn away though. Thanks for the compliments on my work. Blessings to you. Keep sharing and watering those seeds. HUGS.
DeletePraise the Lord for our faithfulness to Him. And contrary to what you think/thought: you did a great job of explaining the truth to your friend. Keep in mind that even someone who has JUST come to know Jesus as his/her savior, is equipped to tell others, based on their own experience. It sounds to me like the Holy Spirit gave you all the words necessary. Remember, it's our responsibility to witness, but GOD's responsibility to save. Keep on praying for your friend.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. I had a discussion with my pastor once about that very thing. I thought I failed in my mission somewhere when I didn't convince a friend to see my point of view about Jesus. Pastor said "you don't do the saving. You just plant the seed. Jesus does the saving". It helped me a lot to realize that, and to realize that there may be a seed planted even when it doesn't appear to be so. Thanks for the feedback. Blessings. Hugs.
DeleteGods greatest gift is love for you others .Do not go after things of the world and God will give you all that you need and more.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the wonderful comment! This is something that I pray for, that my heart will always be open and longing to want God's will. Blessings to you. Hugs.
DeleteIt never gets easier to see loved ones turn away from Jesus!
ReplyDeleteNo, but as long as we can keep praying on their behalf there is hope. Thanks for reading, and thanks for the comments. Blessings to you. Hugs.
DeleteWe often look for the wrong things.Our place on earth instead of heaven .Worldly things money power To often take the easy road not the hard rocky road.
DeleteThe need for acceptance and recognition are things of the world and our pride and ego rule in the physical realm. While our will to serve God struggles with the Ego we feel helpless to change but when we place our lives in God's hands on a daily basis and truly try to focus on doing his will or allowing him to guide our lives we find the true happiness.
ReplyDeleteWishing you all the best in life
Thank you so much for the wonderful comments and advice. I very much appreciate you reading and the feedback. Blessings.
DeleteI read with interest, as this past week I was just in CA visiting my unbelieving brother, and had the opportunity to at different times share about Jesus. It was an awesome experience. I didn't have a printed Bible, just the one in my Kindle, and there were no Gideon Bibles. But the last day I was there I asked at the front desk if they had one, and they gladly lent me one that they had there. My brother and I went up to my room and I share about man being a sinner, God being perfect, which is why Jesus needed to come as God in human form, and then die on the cross for us. He saw what I was saying, but was not ready to accept it. He did however say that he was planning on going back to the church that we had gone to together, and making an appointment with the pastor. God is working in his heart. I know it. The Holy Spirit was present, I didn't feel defensive, but at peace to share what I know. I did feel rusty in my knowledge of which Scripture passages to use, but God worked. God works in our lives in His own timing. Keep up the great blogs.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome that God is definitely working in your brother. I will pray for him. Thanks so much for sharing your story. Sounds like you had a productive visit. Blessings. HUGS.
DeleteThank you Carley... Interesting... I like it!
ReplyDeleteRay
Thanks Ray for reading. I'm glad you liked it, and I very much appreciate the feedback. HUGS.
DeleteSometimes I think it is fear of failure, and also I think we also don't believe in ourselves. I know I had that problem but have slowly learnt to believe in myself and also not fear failure. Thanks for the blog, I was touched by it.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your feedback. I can relate to what you said so very much. I'm glad you liked the article. Blessings. HUGS.
DeleteI agree with your post. God help us to see all that you have for us. Be encouraged in the Lord always friends!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading, and thank you so very much for the comments. I so very much appreciate it. I'm glad you liked it. Blessings. HUGS.
DeleteI find when you read the old testament we learn a lot off what is in the new. When we are saved we are saved we have a long way to go to become adults in the walk with God.We do not take everything at face value.When some takes one verse out of the bible read the whole chapter it night have a different message Now whats in the bible end to end You will learn so much and wont to learn more.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading, and also for the great feedback. I appreciate it. Blessings. HUGS.
DeleteSometimes we think of age and feel we can't do certain things because we are told so.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right. The world tends to put limits on the human race. That's one of the reasons why being a child of God is so freeing... there are no limits with God. Jesus said that through faith we could do even greater miracles than He did. Thanks for reading, and I so very much appreciate the feedback. Blessings to you. Hugs.
DeleteHis grace is sufficient for us. Thank you for your encouragement.
DeleteI believe we are all God’s children, regardless of our faith, as he can enter our lives – on a personal level to become our saviour – at any time. God created mankind in his image. People who do not accept Him as their God will not call him God or Abba (Dad).
ReplyDeleteBy having Jesus in your heart, you also have the power of the Holy Spirit and you will find strength to often find the right words and while they come from Carley’s mouth, they may actually be lead from the Holy Spirit. These become God moments in your life. Fortunately, God knows our hearts. He also knows what we are trying to stay when we quite literaly stumble with our words or prayers.
My goal is to remain in faithful study of God’s Word through scriptures. I too believe the Bibe to be God’s truth: The inspired word of God through the many apostles, prophets, and followers responsible for authoring each of 66 books. I confess, I sometimes wonder why the Catholic Bible has more than the 66 books my bible has (I just discovered the book of Sirah last month . . . full of wisdom), so I can’t help but think there is some human element involved whether it be in deciding what gets included or how it is translated from it’s original languages (Hebrew and greek). I have people who consider themselves Christian who believe the bible is written by man. It’s an argument I’m not prepared to respond to well other than I know it in my heart to be God’s truth. Perhaps it's part of that measure of Faith he gives each of us. -- Evelyn
The bible tells us that all scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). God's Word can prove itself on every point it makes. I've never seen the Catholic bible, but I've heard it mentioned in a number of bible studies and courses that I've done. They always say that the Catholic bible was changed at some point. That's why it is different than the others. I've also heard that the Ten Commandments are different in the Catholic bible. They say that they have been altered from the original. One commandment was taken out and one of the others was divided into two, to make it still number ten. If you ever get a chance to do a course called The Truth Project, it's so very much well worth it! It is an overload of information. I hope to do it again sometime just because I felt like I was on information overload. All totally fascinating though. I've done another couple of courses as well that taught about hunting down the truth. One is called Answers. It's about science and the bible. There is TONS of scientific evidence out there to back up the bible, including the 7-day creation of the bible! It's there! We rarely get exposed to these things because the 'powers that be', like governments and other powerful people, would prefer to keep it hidden. Another course I've done is called Bible Prophecy 101. It also teaches about how to hunt down the truth. I've done another course that taught us how to go back to the original texts to see what it says. We should never take one person's word on anything no matter how Godly or knowledgeable that person may seem to be. We should always go back to scripture for proof; but that's only useful if you know and understand what you're reading. Going back to the original texts leaves little to no room for doubt about what God's Word tells us. I respect anyone's choices. Everyone has a right to their own beliefs. That's part of what makes this world so wonderful. For me, though I don't want there to be any space whatsoever for my own personal theories or beliefs to seep into the truth. I don't want to BELIEVE in something. I only want to KNOW.
DeleteI agree that it's great to be in the KNOW. -- Evelyn
DeleteI think that more than limiting ourselves, we put limits on God. We believe in the impossibilities instead of the possibilities.
ReplyDeleteThat is so true. People try to put God into their own version of a box. He cannot be put into a box created by the limited human thinking. And everything is possible with God. People forget that way too often. Thanks so much for the feedback. Blessings to you. HUGS.
DeleteI just read this blog and it is really good.
ReplyDeleteYour answer to your friend was right on!
I wish I could share my faith like that! I am not a person of many words and when it comes to sharing Jesus with my family-it's even worse!
Yes i know the frustration of people not wanting to know Jesus and the truth.
My whole family laughs at me because I am devoted to my church and knowing Jesus.
My sister even told my mom that sin does not exist any more.
My mom is a devout catholic and believes following their rituals is all that is needed.
She is french and the church i go to is english so bringing her there is kind of hard.
My kids refuse to follow him and all I can do is pray for them and some days it makes me really sad. It's always in the back of my mind that they'll never accept him and they will go to Hell. That terrifies me!
I wish I could make everybody see and feel the love of Jesus as a experienced it, but I don't know how. Plus,if they don't want to know,they just don't want to know(just like your friend).
I know what I know,but I don't know how to share it.
Something else to work on!
Have a great day! Hugs
Thank you so very much for sharing. You should pray about all of this. Ask God to provide you with opportunities to share, and the help you by giving you the words to say. Also, ask Him to let the hearts of those you're sharing with be open to receive the message. Blessings. HUGS.
DeleteYou're so right!
DeleteI should just open my heart and let God speak instead of trying to use my own words and my own power.
I know what I should do,but I freeze and panic when it comes time to do it!
:-(
I understand the freezing and panic. I'm the same way with my family. Others I don't seem to panic over so much... .family is a special lot and I'm scared of making them upset at me. You and I both need to pray about that in itself asking God to fill us with the courage making us a bold ambassador for Him when we need it. Tis something to work on for sure. Blessings. HUGS.
Delete