Phil Callaway didn’t know what to say when his children asked if Mommy was going to die. His wife, Ramona, suffered horrible seizures. Hundreds of friends and relatives prayed. Medical specialists tried everything. But Ramona’s weight eventually slipped to ninety pounds. And soon the seizures occurred daily, sometimes hourly.

One evening, when things looked utterly hopeless, Phil fell to his knees. “God!” he cried out. “I can’t take it anymore. Please do something!” As he stood, a doctor’s name came to mind. Phil called the doctor, who saw Ramona the next morning and diagnosed a rare chemical deficiency. Within a week, Ramona’s seizures ended. She was a different person. The miracle was so incredible that Phil says, “God gave me back my wife.”

Immediate answers to prayer. You want them. I want them. But God simply does not always work that way. And to receive His best, we must be patient. The Bible says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

When praying for our loved ones who do not know Jesus, we must persist. Because sometimes God will answer with, “Yes, but you’ll have to wait.” So, don’t give up. Keep praying that your loved one will come to the Lord.

Paul was a young guy I met in Maine a few years ago. He told me that he was really into drugs and drinking, and needed help. But, Paul said his biggest problem was that he didn’t have any hope. “My family just keeps telling me I’ll never amount to anything,” he said. Unfortunately, Paul believed them.

I asked Paul if he had heard of the Lord Jesus, the forgiveness of sins through the cross of Christ, and the new beginning He offers all of us. Paul said he’d never opened a Bible, and didn’t know much about the Lord. I was so glad to have the opportunity to share the Good News with him!

I quoted 2nd Corinthians 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come!” I told Paul, “When you give your life to Christ, you become a totally new person. Jesus forgives every sin you’ve ever committed. He helps you start over.” To my delight, Paul decided to surrender his life to Jesus! I knew God would change him dramatically!

There are people all around us, like Paul, with empty hearts — wondering if there is hope, and a way to start over. It’s our privilege, and calling, to tell them about the hope and forgiveness that’s only found in Jesus Christ.

Many of us came to Christ through the words and example of a Christian who showed the open sincerity of a true believer. That sincerity can come to each of us when we acknowledge our personal frailties and take off the masks we use to hide them.

In the early days of my ministry I sometimes tried to be self-sufficient and relied on my education and my Bible knowledge instead of God. Sometimes I wore a mask of toughness and confidence that kept me from getting through to people who were hungry to hear of God’s love. Thankfully, God saw though my masquerade and eventually took off my mask of pride. Only then was I able to share the Good News with sincerity and power.

In those times when we doubt our competence to be ambassadors for Christ, let’s remember the words of the apostle Paul from Philippians 4: “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

As Christians, it’s our privilege and responsibility to share the message of God’s love. We don’t need to hold back! God will give us the strength to share the Good News with the sincerity that comes from total trust in Him.

If you’ve experienced the blessing that comes from letting God be your confidence, I’d love to hear about it. Write to me at radio@palau.org. I’ll be praying for you!

This week we’ve talked about the importance of knowing God’s Word as you step out in faith to reach your world. We learned that you don’t have to be a scholar to witness, but God’s word will give you a passion for the lost, power in your speech, joy in your life, and a standard to live by. The last thing I want to tell you about the Bible is that in reading it, and getting to know it well, you will find great blessing.

Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

Reading the Bible is not a chore. It’s not something you are forced to do either. It’s something we are privileged to do- and it is a joy. If we meditate on God’s word often, we will be blessed. It’s not we might be blessed, the scriptures say we will be blessed.

And if the Bible says something will happen, you can count on it. I’ve found this to be true in my own life, and I know you will too. Read your Bible today, and as you’re blessed, go out and bless others.