On Sunday, our pastor talked about having boldness to talk about God to others. He mentioned how easy it is for us to talk about the weather or politics or anything else really, but how hard we make talking about God. It shouldn’t be that way. God literally saved our lives and we should be overflowing with gratitude and want to share that with others.
I too struggle to talk about God sometimes. It can seem awkward or scary. We often talk ourselves out of it by thinking we might turn people away from God or say the wrong thing. This is the devil playing with our minds! When we talk about God, He gives us the right words to say. We do not need to worry about this. Our pastor encouraged us to pray about an opportunity to talk about God to someone and encouraged us to be bold.
As the week has unfolded, I have prayed for an opportunity. Today, the locksmiths came to fix our door. We have had a lot of issues with our locks ever since we moved into this house and there were a lot of adjustments and changes that needed to be made. And so, the locksmiths were here for nearly three and a half hours working on our doors. During this time, I prayed that God would help me speak up about Him.
I had to make muffins for a get together and although I didn’t need to make them in the morning, I decided to go ahead and make them so that I could offer some to the locksmiths. Maybe this could be a great way to talk about God. They gladly accepted a muffin and I sent some with them to share with their family since it was a family business. We talked a bit about the army and the town we live in and family. All the while, I was praying that God would help me to be bold and say something about Him. Well, they left and I went to the window thinking maybe I can still go out and say something, but I saw that they were already in their van.
As I carried the broom to put it away in the laundry room, I said to myself, “Christine, you blew it.” Then I prayed, “God, please let them have forgotten a tool or something so they will come back and I can talk about You.” I glanced around the room to see if they maybe forgot a tool and I didn’t see anything. A split second later, there was a knock on the front door. They were back!
God had answered my prayer and I was so excited and thankful and surprised at how quickly He answered and at how He answered. I opened the door and the locksmith was holding the key ring from my old house key. They had made me new keys and the old one didn’t work anymore and he asked if I wanted my key ring. It was nothing special, just a metal key ring, but it gave me another opportunity to speak up and I did.
God gave me the courage to say, “Yes, thank you. By the way, if you like good food (since they loved the muffins) and music, our church is having a 5th Sunday potluck...” And that was the beginning of our Church conversation. The man was interested and said that he and his mom were looking for a church. I was able to give him a card to our church with the address and shared with him how welcoming they are and how they have really been a blessing to Daniel and I. When he left with the card and I closed my door, I was so full of joy and thanked God for answering my prayer and giving me the boldness to open my mouth and talk about Him.
When we ask God for opportunities, He gives them to us, and when we ask God for the right words to say, He gives them to us. I have been discouraged as of late. You know, sometimes we get caught up in thinking that God isn’t hearing us or has forgotten about us. It just isn’t true. God hadn’t forgotten me and He was listening. He showed me that by answering my prayer in such a neat way. I love how God does things in such a way that makes us realize that it was Him. That really encouraged my heart today and I wanted to share that with you and encourage you to ask God for boldness, strength, courage, and opportunities. You will be amazed at the ways God works through you and in your life. Oh what joy it is to serve a living God who is always at work!
I put my new house key on that old key ring so that when I see it or hold it in my hand, I can remember that God answers our prayers, that He is still at work, that He has not forgotten me, and that He will give me boldness to talk about Him. What a great reminder. Who would have ever guessed? God works in mysterious ways and He can use something as simple as a key ring to remind us of so much, to encourage us, and to open that door to plant a seed in someone’s heart.
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