What’s in your closet?
So, in my last post I talked about not being ready when God gave me an opportunity to share the gospel. (If you didn’t read my previous post, I recommend reading it!) I waned to follow that post with one explaining how to prepare yourself, so you are ready when God gives you a window! So, here goes!
It goes without saying that God gives us an opportunity every day to share the gospel. Every day, we have the opportunity to tell someone that Christ died for our sins, he was buried, and he rose from the grave on the third day. Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians 15:1-6...
“Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you — unless you believed in vain. For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep.”
Since we know we could have an opportunity to share this truth any day, at any time, it’s important that we prepare ourselves EVERY DAY! I have many days I plan to go nowhere - but I’m still with my daughter, and my goal, as a mother, is for her to know how much she is loved by Christ! You also never know when you might run into a neighbor, or a UPS employee (we all know you order from Amazon on the reg ha!) - so, it’s important you’ve prepared yourself in advance!
The scripture that has helped me prepare myself for sharing the gospel is Ephesians 6:14-18 which says, “Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit — which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.”
To “be ready” there’s 6 things that Paul recommends....
>>Belt<< Truth. We aren’t all called to be pastors and most of us aren’t theology majors and that’s fine! God can use you and your testimony with or without any degrees. He just wants you to be honest. What has God done in your life? How has He shown his love for you? What testimony has he given you and how can this help others? Also notice, this is NOT a bedazzled belt - it’s not flashy or shiny or new - it’s just an honest belt doing an honest job of keeping your pants up.
>>Armor<< Righteousness. This has more to do with your ethical conduct. Are your actions/words in line with Christ? Are you working to keep Gods commands? Do you need to realign yourself with Christ? You have to know Gods word to follow it. If you feel you live perfectly righteous at all times - maybe it’s time you ask God to show you your sin (it’s a really hard prayer to pray but it’s life changing!). Sometimes we can be blinded by even the smallest sin. But even the smallest sin can be damaging to our spirit. If we become aware of our sin, we can better prepare ourselves to combat it. After all, we can’t confidently share Christ, if we, ourselves, aren’t walking to glorify Him.
>>Shoes<< Readiness. How’s your footing? Do you stand on solid ground (assured faith)? Are you prepared to move at any moment? Are you prepared with what to say? If we don’t have the right footing, we can’t go anywhere. We have to have balance, endurance, and flexibility. We have to be ready and willing to go when God calls us!
>>Shield<< Faith. This part isn’t about religion - it’s about your relationship with Christ. Your faith needs to be quenched daily. Dive into Gods word! Refresh your spirit. Learn more about God. When was the last time you talked with Him? Spent time with Him? Asked Him how you could serve his kingdom today?
>>Helmet<< Salvation. This is protection for your mind. It’s knowing that you’ve been saved through Christ. We have to combat the devil telling us we aren’t educated enough to share the gospel or our testimony isn’t messy enough to actually help people. Let me tell you something... Jesus can use people who have been through everything and people who have been through nothing. If he’s calling you to tell your story - he has a plan. Trust it.
>>Sword<< Gods Message. This is the one I personally struggle with the most. We need to know Gods word. We must be able to speak scripture and know where to find it. I love that this scripture shows us a connection with the sword (Gods Word) and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gave us scripture and he also makes it alive to us. He will use scripture to make a lasting impact on whoever we are witnessing to - but with that said - we still need to KNOW the scripture.
I know that’s a lot to take in. I know this post was long, but thank you for sticking with me! I think it’s so important that we take time to prepare our minds and our hearts for the work God has set before us. I know I struggle with memorizing scripture and that’s something I want to work on. Maybe you have your own list of things you want to work on. I’ll be praying for you - that God will work in you and prepare you for your next calling. I feel sure you’ll be ready for it!
xo - A