What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “Share Your Faith”? Does it make you a little nervous? Do you imagine knocking on doors and handing out tracts? Maybe missionaries in foreign countries supplying people with Bibles? Or a point-by-point recitation of the Gospel?
While these are all good ways to share your faith with others, I think sharing my faith doesn’t necessarily mean going to a stranger’s house, traveling to faraway countries, or having a perfectly memorized speech. In fact, God calls us to share our faith regardless of our location, job, or qualifications.
Here are 5 things I do to work on exercising this spiritual habit — “Share Your Faith” — in my everyday life. I pray, know, seek, act, and love.
Pray
I ask God to provide me with opportunities to share my faith with others. I have found that as I pray for these opportunities, He will begin to reveal people and places that need me to share my faith.
I remember one time in college, I was having a difficult time with a friend, so I prayed to God and asked Him to provide me a chance to demonstrate my faith in the situation somehow. And God answered my prayer! The next day, my friend asked to have a difficult conversation out of the blue, and I instantly knew my prayer was being answered. God knows the best timing for every situation, but in that particular case, I was able to share my faith within 24 hours of praying about it!
Asking God for help is the best place to start when doing anything. And when you are sharing your faith, starting with prayer allows your heart to be in the right position to do so.
Know
I try hard to remember what God has done for me. I’ve found that when you keep accounts of the ways that God has worked in your life, it is easier to bring them up as ways to encourage others.
Know your personal testimony, and keep a record of where you’ve seen God in your life. Write it down, practice saying it aloud, and be prepared to share with others.
For me, I find that keeping a journal of places I have seen God show up helps me to remember these stories. And given the opportunity, I am more than ready to share them with others! It will help you in the moment if you already know the testimonies of God’s love in your heart.
Seek
I look for opportunities in my everyday life to share my faith. You don’t have to be a pastor or international missionary to do this. We are called to share our faith right where we are.
Where do you spend most of your time? Where are you right now? Actively search for ways to share your faith at your workplace, favorite coffee shop, school, or on social media.
In high school, I earned the nickname “The Preacher” because of how often I would integrate sharing my faith into my projects in AP Literature class — somewhere I went nearly every day. I saw my classroom as the perfect place to share my faith, and openly talking about my own life-change in Jesus led to many meaningful conversations with my classmates.
Start where you are, notice the places and people that are closest to you, and share your faith right there.
Start where you are, notice the places and people that are closest to you, and share your faith right there.
Act
I share my faith through actions. You can say you have faith in God until you’re blue in the face. But where it really matters is in your actions.
In a previous job, I was the unusual one in the office for calling myself a Christian. But I knew it couldn’t be just words. I tried hard to treat everyone with kindness and worked to be patient with even the rudest of customers. And people noticed. Many of my coworkers said that they could tell there was something different about me, and I was able to share my faith by being a light for Christ in that place.
Share your faith by reflecting Christ!
Love
This is hands-down the best way to share your faith with others. Christ radically loves me. If I can try to love someone like that, that person will notice.
A couple months ago a friend said, “you’re probably judging me right now since you’re a Christian and all that.” This was the perfect opportunity for me to show my friend the unconditional love of God. I replied “I am a Christian, but that doesn’t mean I will judge you. I love you no matter what, and I know that God does, too.” My friend looked shocked, not expecting that response at all, and then opened up to me! I was able to share my faith by simply loving.
Pray, know, seek, act, and love. I hope these 5 words might help you with the spiritual habit — “Share Your Faith” — too!