Praying for B.O.B...

I once heard that .1% of your life is spent on earth. In this small sliver of time, ones eternity is determined. You have .1% of your life to share with others the salvation that God has given to us and is willing to give to them. It is up to me to let God work through me and bring others to the knowledge that they need Christ, and then we can spend the other 99.9% of life together in eternal splendor!! This is very convicting to me.

Recently, I have been struggling with how I can reach out to others, spread the gospel, and be a witness for Christ. How much I should do, how involved I should get in service, and many other things. It has become very evident to me that this is really what I should pour my entire life into.

I do feel called to witness, as I believe all God's children are; however, I also feel I can't. Sometimes, I think it would be so much easier if I was actually eye-level with the one I am witnessing to. Yet, one day I will be as tall as them and it will be completely awkward, because I won't know where to start. That is why I need to start now and get in the habit of it. I will always find an excuse to wait longer! If I was pulled out of my .1% of life spent on earth right now, I would wish that I would have told others that there is hope for them.

There is hope for the hopeless, rest for the weary, strength for the weak, and salvation for the lost. I know this and there are people out there who are suffering great affliction, because I have failed to be a witness of His love and forgiveness.

My sister read in the Bible that one of the greatest sins is fear. It was listed among things like adultery, stealing, murder; sins that we would normally consider the greatest. This hit me like a rock. I know that fear is what is keeping me from sharing my faith with the hopeless. If I can't get over this fear of man, my life will pass me by and I will wish that I would have told more about God's saving grace.

I need to pray for victory over fear. Fear is holding me back from letting God's saving health be made known among the heathen.

I have given out a few tracts, but because of fear I have not been able to really engage. There is a fun tool that some friends have taught me: pray for B.O.B.

B= burden. Pray for a burden for the lost, that when you see someone, you automatically think of their soul. This will make you want to approach them more.

O= opportunity. Pray for opportunities to talk to people and engage in spiritual conversations.

B= boldness. Pray for boldness to confront someone about their salvation.

I believe that If you have a burden, opportunities, and boldness, God will take care of the rest. He will give you words to speak, and work through you. He knows what the person you're talking to needs to hear. You may not (actually, probably won't) see any impact that you're making on their lives, but God will use you. You are planting seeds in their hearts. You are making them really think.

These are just some thoughts that I've been tossing around. I think I'm getting ready to make a move on my thoughts.

Thank you all for reading my somewhat long post and I would appreciate your prayers, or even better, if you would join me in overcoming fear, and spreading the love of God!!

-s. olivia

{Something I didn't include in the message above, but also very important: If you are truly a changed, godly person in your heart, and you are striving to live for God, your entire life will be a witness. It will automatically shine through you. It is very good to give out tracts, but if you are a true Christian, your entire life is a tract.}