Not long ago the thought came to me: only the brave can truly follow Jesus. I know you’re going to tell me that this is pretty obvious, everyone, at least believers, knows it well. But not until we sit down and count the cost of following Christ, we may not understand this reality.
Yet Jesus never deceived us about the cost of following Him. Some may think that it is the weak who believe in God, but Jesus tells us quite the opposite. Following Him requires extraordinary sacrifices and cannot be done in secret.
These sacrifices are made intentionally. Jesus tells us that we should not follow him with our eyes closed. He wants us to know from the beginning that becoming disciples is for people who understand their decisions and that it will not always be easy.
The extraordinary thing about Jesus is that following him is not given to those who love their comfort. The same is true for sharing his faith.
Now think for a moment. If following Jesus requires so much self-denial, what about sharing your faith?
Sometimes we are seduced by the idea of becoming the greatest evangelist in the world. We see ourselves in front of thousands of people speaking eloquently about God, or we think we will become the greatest Christian writer of all time. But when we start writing our first lines and we are blocked, when after persevering, we publish our book or our article and we remain anonymous despite everything, or worse if people recognize us it is to criticize our writings, we can easily become discouraged and give up. I have already spoken about the demon of doubt. We can forget that following Jesus requires courage as does sharing our faith.
Just as those who are easily discouraged cannot follow Jesus, so aspiring writers who are easily discouraged will never be able to share their faith through writing. Writing to share your faith takes patience, determination, faith, perseverance, and a willingness to overcome obstacles.
Remember that while everyone has dreams, not everyone turns their dreams into goals. You may want to share your faith through writing, I would like to ask you: what are the reasons you repeat to yourself late at night to put a stop to this idea? These reasons are beliefs you have, but that does not mean they are valid reasons.
3. After “X”, I will do this
“Once I finish this (insert difficult project at work or something in your personal life), I’ll start writing my book.” That’s the most popular belief. Just as people always put off deciding to follow Jesus, many believers put off deciding to share their faith. And they’re sure they’ll have time, that’s the funny part.
You might say to yourself today, “Okay, Jacqueline, I want to write to share my faith, but right now is not the best time. Let me do this or that, then I’ll start. Sure. I want to make sure I don’t give up along the way.” I’ll simply say, “Why are you waiting? Do you know if you’ll be able to do it next year? What control do you have over the future?” Perhaps the Bible speaks better to this belief:
3 Beliefs That Keep You From Writing To Share Your Faith
I’m going to share 5 beliefs you have that will keep you from publishing your writing to share your faith.
1. Not enough time
Everyone is busy these days. When someone asks you how you are, you probably answer “Busy.” But that may not be true. Everyone has the same twenty-four hours in a day, those who share their faith and those who don’t. You may have noticed: that writers are very busy
I’m going to give you an exercise to determine whether you’re truly busy or whether you’re filling your time with activities that are disconnected from your goal of sharing your faith through writing. For a week or two, record on a timesheet or a diary how you spend your time. This includes sleeping, preparing and eating meals, using social media, getting ready for work, and cleaning your house.
At the end of this week, take a good look at how you spend your time. Ask yourself if these activities are really important. Be honest. You may find that you have more time than you think, especially if you eliminate unnecessary activities that have nothing to do with your personal and spiritual growth.
2. I don’t have talent “X”.
The second belief you may have is that you are not gifted. I addressed this myth in one of the articles in this series. I would like to repeat it to you: whether you want to write a book or paint a picture, you have as much talent as you are willing to use. You may not have been born with the natural ability to write, but that does not mean you cannot learn and practice. Join a writing group to equip yourself and practice writing.
