My devotional for VLB service

Before I share this I’d like to let you all know Paul posted on our Lovebirds Blog if anyone is interested. :)

I thought I would share this devotional because everyone needs to hear this! It’s long, but please read it when you have the time.

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In Matthew 10:19 it says, “But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.”


“The Question”

The thick Florida summer pressed heavily on us, making the hotel room stuffy and hot. The air conditioner by the window only pulled in more hot air from outside. The street lamp’s light outside our window streamed across my bed.
I finally gave up trying to sleep and got up to use the bathroom. When I returned, my roommate, Katie, was also awake.
“You can’t sleep either?” she asked.
“No.” I slid back in bed, trying to get comfortable on the hard hotel mattress and lumpy pillows.
“Mind if I ask you something?” Katie said.
“Sure.”
“Are you afraid to die?”
Surprised by the question, I turned to look at her. There was no mistaking the pain in her eyes, the desperation behind the question. Suddenly, my voice and composure deserted me.
I played for time. “Why do you ask?”
“I just wondered,” Katie said. “I wondered if I was the only one. I mean, right now, for instance. Every night. It happens all the time. I lie in the dark just terrified that I’m going to die. So I wondered if that happens to anyone else.” Sounding agitated, she repeated, “Are you?”

I’d been praying for weeks for an opportunity to share the gospel with Katie. This was the perfect chance. The Lord’s urging was so strong; it was as though He were at the foot of the bed holding up a neon sign.
“Well,” I began carefully, “I’m afraid of dying, but I’m not afraid of death.”
“Isn’t it the same thing?”
“No, not exactly,” I said. “You see . . .” I hesitated. I’d never witnessed to anyone so openly before. My heart started pounding, and my mind started racing.
Katie was pretty wary of Christians. Her skepticism was no secret whenever the topic came up. And while she didn’t persecute, she could be pretty judgmental. What would she think if I started preaching to her now, at 1 a.m. in a cheap Orlando hotel? What would she do?
She’d probably hate me, I thought. When Jodie and Katherine tried to witness to her, she quit speaking to them. She didn’t want any part of it. And the others — what will they think? Katie will tell them what we talked about and they’ll . . .
I stopped short. “It’s normal to be afraid of dying,” I told Katie. “People are naturally afraid of the unknown.”
“Do you believe in heaven?” she asked.
The neon sign flashed even more brightly now. But again, I avoided the topic of Jesus. “Yes, I do,” was all I said. “That’s why I’m not afraid of death.”
“Oh. Well, it’s good to know it’s a normal fear.” She turned away and said in a disappointed voice, “I think I’ll try to sleep now.”

Katie avoided me the entire next day. I finally caught up with her as we were leaving the bus to go home.
“Are you mad at me?” I asked her.
She sighed. “No. Not really. But . . . you know what we were talking about last night?”
“Yeah…”
“You were holding something back from me, weren’t you? All I wanted was a straight answer. You’re just like everyone else. I thought you had something different. I thought you would be honest enough to tell me what you really thought. I guess I was wrong.” She walked off before I could reply.
Katie and I didn’t speak for a long time after that. I did finally try to share the gospel with her — but at that point, she didn’t want to listen.

To this day, I wonder what might have happened if I’d obeyed the call that night. God had literally dropped the opportunity in my lap — and I didn’t take it because I was afraid of what someone might think! I could’ve given Katie some comfort about her fears, maybe encouraged her to think about Christ and to keep asking the right questions. Instead, she sensed I was hiding something and became more distant.
Katie went off to college last year. I haven’t seen her since then. I still pray that someone will lead her to Christ.

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VLB’s, let’s not make the mistake that this girl did. If God is calling you to witness to someone — do it! Don’t let your anxiety stand in the way of pointing someone toward Christ. You could make an eternal difference in someone’s life.

If you ever feel scared about witnessing to someone, remember Matthew 10:20. “For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.” What a wonderful promise!

To help settle your nerves a little, start studying the Bible NOW and try to memorize scriptures that you think will help you whenever you get the chance to witness to someone. There’s a dying world out there and we need to try to save as many as we can before it’s too late! We need to have the desire to draw closer to the Lord and to be on fire for Him. Let’s start winning souls!