Do you possess this good Christian habit?

Years ago I worked in a dynamic direct sales business that thrived on its salespeople building a positive mental attitude. We used phrases which kept our minds from negative “Stinking thinking” as we called it. Every day we would repeat, “You can if you think you can”, “What the mind can conceive it will achieve” and other such mantras. One positive phrase that has stuck in my memory is about creating good habits. My boss always said “If you do something consecutively for sixteen days, it will become a habit”. 

Food for thought! Whether this is true or not I suppose we will never know. Recently I have been pondering about what sort of habits a Christian should have when it comes to witnessing. 

Key Point: Purpose to have an evangelistic lifestyle for sixteen consecutive days. Expect things to happen.

As believers we are representatives of Christ and as such we ought to be ready and willing to share the good news of the Gospel. Jesus has given each of us a job to do which should become our way of life. There are many scriptures that I could use to back this up. Here are just two that shed some light on the subject:

“We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.” 2 Corinthians 5:20

“I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” Acts 26:17-18

Witnessing about Jesus should be a natural thing for a Christian. We readily tell others about how we spend our time – where we have been, who with, food we have enjoyed and films we have seen. We tell them about what we feel is important or of interest. We should all be ready and able to share the Gospel with someone just as easily!

Here are five suggestions which are helpful when it comes to effective witnessing. Using the scale below, assess your current position on each of the statements. My aim is to inspire Christians to obey the command of Jesus and “Go”. Be honest with your self when you answer.

Scale

Cold             Cool            Warm            Hot          Boiling

 0 --- 1 ---- 2 --- 3 --- 4 ---- 5 ---- 6 ---- 7 ----- 8 ---- 9 ---- 10

Lifestyle witnesses:

Are prayed up: One of my mentors in evangelism says that prayer and witnessing go hand in hand. Praying for people you know and asking God for opportunities is essential. If you ask Him sincerely, God will put people in your path who will be ready to hear the message. What score did you give yourself?

Are trained, studied and prepared: This is a vital area if you want to be effective. Studying the word and what it has to say about winning the lost; undergoing training, reading books, listening to evangelistic preaching and spending time with soul winners all help you learn how to share the Gospel.

“He that wins souls is wise." Proverbs 11:30. 

It makes sense that mixing with people who witness will help you considerably. 

“He who walks with the wise grows wise” 

Proverbs 13: 20 

Are ready to take up opportunities: Soul winners share Christ at any time and anywhere; are always open to talking about Jesus at the office (if the situation allows), in a restaurant, on a plane, over the phone - in fact at any and every opportunity! Are you like that? How did you rate yourself here?

Are never worried about the results: These people understand the fact that they cannot save anyone. They appreciate that people come to Christ only through the work of the Holy Spirit. They just share the Gospel, believe in its power and leave the Holy Spirit to do the work.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes”  Romans 1:16 

How did you score?

They see their interactions with people as Divine appointments: They begin each day with a sense of anticipation and view themselves as instruments of God’s grace to others.

They let the light of Jesus shine through the way they live and will often seek to make the most of their encounters with people, purposely leading a conversation into spiritual areas.

Do people see Jesus in you? Do you make the most of these divine appointments? How did you score yourself on this area?

The answers you gave may reveal a need to spend more time and prayer in order to become the ready and prepared witness that Jesus wants you to be. Will praying about witnessing and studying what God has to say on the subject  for a period of time, (perhaps even 16 days) make a difference to the way you think about it? Would it even become a habit?

What do you think?