Say When

If you've seen "Tombstone" (1993), there's no doubt Kilmer's portrayal of the historical figure Doc Holliday is seared into your brain. Not only is Val Kilmer a legend and an incredible method actor but the real life story of his character is larger than life. The historian and Old West movie buff in me wants to tell it but that's not the point of this post.

In recent months, the Holy Spirit has been impressing upon me to practice with the weapons He's given me - His Word (the gospel) and my testimony. I feel strongly to really begin to get comfortable and used to sharing my story and the gospel at a moments notice, regardless of the environment or circumstance. I am ashamed to say this has always been a struggle for me. I often freeze in the moment or get so worried that someone won't believe me, or will feel uneasy like I'm trying to force my "religion" on them. I weep at the opportunities and great honor God bestowed upon me to share my faith and the hope of our Lord with others, but I choked. I stifled the Holy Spirit in my fear and illustrated to myself how unprepared I am to do the main job we have as followers of Christ -- the Great Commission.

I know Im not alone on this and that we all tend to choke or bow out for various reasons. Maybe its fear for the reasons I mentioned above. Maybe its unresolved sin in our lives making us feel like we can't share because that would seem "hypocritical." Maybe we're just bad communicators, don't like public speaking or not great at sharing our feelings or personal stories. Regardless of our reason, we're wrong.

A 2018 poll found that over half of professing Christians don't even know what 'The Great Commission' is. Of those polled, a distressing 17 percent of those who claim to be Christians actually knew the term and what it means.