5 Ways to Share Your Faith When You’re Afraid
The Bible is clear that we must take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20). This means that it is vitally important for us to share our faith. Although it can be scary at times to share our faith, it is what we are commanded to do. When we are too afraid to share our faith, we can always turn to the Lord.
He will equip us with the strength, support, and peace that we need. Never do we need to doubt the Lord’s loving hand in our lives. The more we focus on Him, the less big our fears will seem. This includes our fears of sharing our faith. Sharing our faith should not be scary, yet because of the tactics of the devil and the sinful nature, it can be extremely frightening as well as hard.
This is why we need to learn how to share our faith without fear. Rather than being held back by fear, we need to be able to live in the freedom of the Lord and share our faith in everyday encounters. No longer do our lives need to be controlled by fears, problems, or insecurities. Take each day as it comes and work on dismantling your fears, choosing to trust God, and reminding yourself that it is the Lord you are serving.
1. Dismantling Your Fears
Personally, I struggle with sharing my faith because I'm afraid of what people will think about me. Maybe this is a common fear for you too. If it is, we need to know that it doesn't matter what others think about us. The only thing that matters is what God thinks about us. Even if people we know think we are “weird” or “strange” for talking about Jesus, we know we are actually just sharing the Gospel.
There is nothing “weird” or “strange” about sharing the Gospel. The secular world tries to demonize sharing the Gospel, and in many places of the world, it is illegal to share the Gospel. If someone is found guilty of sharing their faith or even being a Christian, they will be killed. This is common in many communist countries, such as North Korea. North Korea is opposed to the Gospel to the point that no missionaries are allowed in, and no residents can leave.
With this knowledge, we need to allow it to urge us on in sharing the faith. If we live in America, it is not illegal to share our faith in Jesus. This might change in a few years or decades; however, at the current time, it is not illegal to share our faith. With this in our hearts, we need to allow it to dismantle the fear in our minds and push us towards sharing Jesus with unbelievers in our own lives.
Challenge Questions:
- Why am I afraid to share the Gospel? Am I more concerned with what others will think about me rather than what God thinks?
- If I am too worried about what others think about me, how can I redirect my focus on Jesus instead of people?
- Other countries cannot even hear the Gospel because of their leaders. How can this stir me to action?
2. Choosing to Trust Jesus with the Outcome
Fears will only hold us back so long. This is because fear doesn’t last, but love does. The more we focus on Jesus and cultivate our relationship with Him, the less likely fear will control our lives. Sharing our faith is a beautiful privilege and opportunity given to us by the Lord. Just as the Lord has given us salvation by hearing the Gospel, we need to share the Gospel with others.
Nobody will hear the Gospel unless we go out to them and share the truth of the Lord. When we start sharing the Gospel, we need to start with people we have already built a friendship with. It is not wise to share the Gospel randomly without building trust with the individual. By building a friendship with the person first, it will help the person listen more closely to the Gospel.
Since they view us as a friend, they will be more receptive to the Gospel message. This is why it is important to start with people we already know before reaching out to people we do not know. When we share the Gospel, we need to know that we cannot control the outcome. Placing faith in Jesus is a personal decision. We cannot change their decision or manipulate it one way or the other.
All we can do is to share the Gospel with them and continue to share it with them. While we cannot make them place faith in Jesus, we can continue to share the Gospel in our words and actions. If our friend doesn’t place faith in Jesus right away, we do not need to see this as a failure. Instead, we need to choose to trust Jesus with the outcome.
It could be in a few years our friend will come to know Jesus. However, the first step that led them in the direction of placing faith in Jesus was us sharing the Gospel with them. As we are sharing the Gospel, we need to trust Jesus. He is calling all people to Him and we can trust in His goodness. Never should we doubt the Lord’s desire for all people to come to know Him.
We need to pray for our unbelieving friends and ask the Lord to open their hearts. Jesus will hear our prayers and soften their hearts in time. They will still need to individually place faith in Jesus, yet we never need to dismiss the power of prayer. Keep focused on the Lord and continue to share the Gospel even if the person does not place faith in Jesus right away. Share the Gospel and trust Jesus with the outcome.
Challenge Questions:
- How can I do better at trusting Jesus?
- Why am I doubtful of Jesus? If I am, how can I improve in this area?
- Many of my friends are unbelievers. Who can I pray for today?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn
3. It Is the Lord Jesus We Are Serving
As we share the Gospel, we need to remember that it is the Lord Jesus Christ we serve (Colossians 3:23-24). He is completely worthy of our time, effort, and energy. He is also the One who can dismantle our fears by trusting in Him. We are not alone when we share the Gospel. The Lord is always with us (Hebrews 13:5-6). He is not going anywhere.
If we are struggling with feeling alone when we share the Gospel, we can take comfort in knowing the Lord is with us. Knowing we are not alone can help fears to disappear. Jesus can equip us with the words we need to share the Gospel as well as He will give us confidence. Once we rely on Jesus rather than our own human efforts, we will be able to boldly share the Gospel with unbelievers in our lives. The Lord is the One we are serving, and He will equip us with everything we need.
Jesus will help us and give us bravery. He understands that it is scary to share the Gospel for many reasons. Each of us has our own fears and worries, yet the more we look to Jesus and remember we are serving Him, the more likely we will be to share the Gospel without fear. Jesus can calm all of our fears just as He calms storms (Matthew 8:23-27).
Challenge Questions:
- Jesus is the One I am serving. How can this help me overcome my fear?
- Is there anything holding me back from fully trusting the Lord?
- Since I know Jesus is with me, it gives me strength and bravery to share the Gospel. Who can I share the Gospel with this week?
4. Trying New Ways to Share the Faith
Something that can often help when we are afraid to share our faith is to try new ways of sharing it. A few ideas could be sharing your personal testimony or walking through a Bible passage with them. Sharing your personal testimony can be massively helpful as nobody can argue with your own personal experience. Through sharing your personal testimony, fears will be eradicated because you will be talking about the beauty of Jesus’ love and all that He has done for us.
While it can be scary to talk about Jesus in a public space with people we don't know, we need to trust Him. We need to also start normalizing talking about Jesus in public and in our homes. This will help it not feel as strange when we talk about Him outside of the church. Through practice and continued changes, we will be able to successfully share the Gospel without fear.
Challenge Questions:
- What are a few different ways you could share the faith?
- What is your testimony? Do you think you are willing to share it with others?
- Turning to God can help dismantle your fears. How can you turn to Him today?
5. Giving Yourself Grace
It is important to remember that giving yourself grace will help you in the long-run. Even though you might mess up and get afraid, know that it is okay. God knows we get afraid sometimes and He doesn't love us any less because of it. What matters is that we keep on trying and fight against the fear. The fear might be paralyzing at times, but God’s power and mercy is all the greater.
Give yourself grace as you are navigating how to best share the Gospel and leave room for days of fear. If you have the goal of sharing the Gospel with a specific person, try not to set a timeline goal. Instead, try to make little changes each day that can help you share the Gospel without fear. These small steps will add up to big steps and help you as you continue to share your faith.
Challenge Questions:
- Have you ever gotten hard on yourself due to not sharing the Gospel?
- Fears can prevent us from doing many things, but God can help us overcome our fears. What are some ways you can trust Him with your fears today?
- As you continue throughout your life, you will face fear when it comes to sharing the Gospel. How do you think you can decrease this fear as time progresses?
“Dear Jesus, help me to know that You are the One I’m serving. I can often become discouraged from sharing my faith because I lose focus on You. Please help me to keep my heart and mind focused on You rather than my fears. Equip me with the strength and endurance to share my faith even when I am afraid. Thank You, Amen.”
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/doidam10
Originally published January 23, 2025.
