As some of you may know, I have just returned from my first international mission trip to Honduras. During this trip, we shared the Gospel in many towns through Vacation Bible Schools (VBS) and door-to-door evangelism.
Going into this trip, I was afraid. It was my first time visiting a developing country, and I had to do a tremendous amount of preparation to share the Gospel using specific evangelism tools and memorized Scripture. I felt inadequate and out of my depth.
Here’s what I learned, though — the Lord loves using inadequate, flawed people. I was instantly reminded of Moses in Exodus 3. When Moses was called to go to Egypt to deliver God’s people, he responded with this:
“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’”
— Exodus 3:11 NIV
I often thought of that verse on this trip, saying, “Lord, who am I that I should lead a door-to-door team? Lord, who am I that I should knock on people’s doors? What if they don’t want to listen? What if I forget everything I’ve prepared?”
I think we all experience these feelings of fear, doubt, and inadequacy when trying to share the Gospel.
But when we feel that way, we are truly forced to rely on the Holy Spirit and the power of Scripture. We are brought to our knees in prayer that the Lord would use little old us to proclaim His name. I’ve come to believe this is the best place to be—because we are reminded of our weakness, of who God is, and of who we are. In places like this, we know that anything good that comes out of our mouths is from God alone. And when it’s from God alone, there’s no room to be prideful about the outcome.
If anyone is saved through my sharing of the Gospel, I know it’s only through God’s work in their hearts. I am imperfect, and I know my words aren’t always elegant. This means that no matter what, Christ is glorified—and our only response can be praise and worship of Christ, who speaks through us!
Can places of fear and doubt be spiritual warfare? Absolutely. But Satan only wins if we allow fear and doubt to prevent us from sharing the Gospel. If we do allow these things to hold us back, we’re essentially saying, “Lord, I am more fearful of sharing the Gospel than I am of You.” That’s a dangerous place to be. If we truly fear the Lord, we should want to carry out His commands. And if you are a Christian, this is a command, not a suggestion.
Where is this command? I’m so glad you asked.
The Great Commission
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
— Matthew 28:19–20 NIV
We are called to obey Christ’s command to share the Gospel. After that, the outcome is controlled by the Lord alone.
So, will we be obedient today despite feeling inadequate?
Will we give God the glory for any success for His kingdom?
I hope I do, and I hope you will too.
— Kaitlyn
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