Are you dead enough?
I have been praying and asking the Lord to give me a heart to evangelize at a greater level. I want a heart that is not always looking inward but one that is looking outward for those that need Jesus. It is so EASY to get stuck on Anika; my fears of rejection and what others think of me. As I pray and study His word I see that effective evangelism requires death to oneself. So I leave you with this question, “Are you dead enough?”
ARE YOU DEAD ENOUGH?
Many times as Christians we are afraid of speaking and living the whole truth.
Why?
We are afraid of the response.
We are afraid of how others will become offended because the words we speak
And the way we live highlights their sins
Then they lash out
And our feelings get hurt
We take it personal and we shrink back
Why?
Because we are not dead enough
Yeah cause see it is no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me
But maybe
Maybe my death is not a reality
And I have to be honest and say
I am not dead enough
Not dead enough to myself
Not dead enough to recognize that I have been given a mandate to Go
A mandate that takes the focus off of me and puts it all on Jesus
A mandate that asks me to let my light shine,
A light that highlights the darkness of sin
The very light that should be a reflection of Him
His attitude
His courage
His love
His words
And when I am dead enough
I recognize that it is not my words that I am speaking
Consequently I know that they are not rejecting me
But they are rejecting the ONLY one that can set them free
So when I am dead enough, I shake off the rejection
And say, ok on to the next one.
About the Author
Anika Jones
Anika Jones is a speaker and author of the book Lessons Learned Along The Way: A 40 Day Devotional. She blogs about faith and family at LivingForLater.com and posts weekly videos on her YouTube channels, Living For Later (@livingforlater) and Living Life Now (@livinglifenow). Anika loves speaking about developing intimacy with God and understanding who we are in Christ. She serves alongside her husband in ministry. They live in Illinois with their 6 children.