"Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass" (Psalm 37:5).
9. As an exercise in practical monitoring of progress, suggest preparing a list under the headings of "pros," "cons," and "alternatives." As the Lord, through His Word and through prayer, gives insight, record those insights under one of those three headings.
10. Pray with the inquirer about any initial steps he or she should be taking to implement the above suggestions.
10. Pray with the inquirer about any initial steps he or she should be taking to implement the above suggestions.
Scripture
"Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams" (1 Samuel 15:22).
"Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. . . . Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass" (Psalm 37:3, 5).
"I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart" (Psalm 40:8).
"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11).
"If you love Me, keep My commandments. . . . If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him" (John 14:15, 23).
"Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22).
WITNESSING
Background
The term witnessing is commonly used to describe the process of proclaiming the Christian faith to nonbelievers. The term is very appropriate, as Christians tell others of what they have "witnessed" or seen of God's grace and goodness. The apostle John saw himself as a witness of the Gospel precisely for this reason:
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life" (1 John 1:1, NIV).
The Christians of the first century "turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6) because they had a sense of urgency about the message of Christ. Paul said, "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9:16).
All Christians are witnesses; they are either sharing Christ by life and word, or they are not. Some are negative witnesses; others keep silent about their faith. Each of us needs to seek a more vibrant relationship with Christ so that people will realize that we have been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).
In witnessing, example is essential; our lives must reflect our profession. By our example we establish credibility and build confidence and trust, which prepare the way for presenting Christ. However, we need more than just example. There is no substitute for the witness who verbalizes the facts of the Gospel:
• "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself" (2 Corinthians 5:19).
• "I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, . . . that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:1, 3–4).
• "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12, NIV).
A Christian witnesses objectively by sharing the facts of the Gospel, and subjectively by sharing his or her own experiences in Christ. We should not overlook the value and potential effectiveness of our own testimony. The first real impression some people will get concerning Christ's power to transform a life (2 Corinthians 5:17) will be through hearing about what Jesus has done for us. Paul shared again and again his Damascus road experience.