A few years ago, the Barna Research organization polled a group of teenagers about their views on religion. More than half of these students said that they believed all religious faiths teach equally valid truths.

In fact, one girl said, “I believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution, and the possibility of God being a woman. I never believed in the story of Adam and Eve. But I do, however, believe in prayer and karma.”

A big part of what many postmoderns believe is that no one religion can have a monopoly on truth. They say that truth is whatever you choose to believe. This idea may seem intimidating to challenge. But don’t despair: this up-and-coming generation is very open to religion discussion. In fact they’re intrigued by spiritual issues and eager to talk about them!

There is spiritual curiosity in the young people today and an opportunity to engage their hearts and minds. We need to be ready! Ephesians 5:15 exhorts us to “…live not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.”

There is no time like the present to take advantage of each and every moment to connect with this generation. Remember, you and I hold the words of Christ — words of life to a lost and confused world.

The indwelling, living Holy Spirit longs to lead you and I in successful evangelism. Romans 8:14 tells us this. It says these fabulous words, “…those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” There you have it - the Holy Spirit of God leads us in every situation, every day. Isn’t that awesome?

Now, being led by the Spirit takes some practice. As we learn more about the Lord, and grow in our relationship with Him, we begin discerning His voice. In fact, God’s Spirit is calling you today - right now! Do you recognize His voice?

If you feel Him prodding you in a certain direction, do what He says. When the Spirit puts a thought in your heart, do it as quickly as you possibly can. Don’t delay. Don’t start analyzing and wondering where the thought came from.

Just do it and see what will happen. When you obey, you’ll experience exciting results in your evangelism efforts. And you’ll also realize that you can, indeed, hear the Lord’s voice!

As you spend time in the Word, and in prayer, you’ll be more conscious of the Holy Spirit’s presence. Then, when He leads you to share God’s love with your world, you’ll know what to do! And the results will be changed lives!

The book of Acts, chapter 8, tells us one of the most miraculous evangelistic accounts in the Bible! It starts in verse 26: “An angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south on the road – the desert road – that goes south from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So [Philip] started out…” When Philip arrived on the desert road, he found an Ethiopian eunuch reading the book of Isaiah.

But this man was confused - he needed someone to explain the Scriptures to him. So Philip described that Isaiah was actually prophesying about Jesus Christ. Immediately, the Ethiopian believed in the Lord, and asked to be baptized!

That’s a powerful story isn’t it? Yet the Ethiopian’s conversion wouldn’t have happened if Philip didn’t listen - and obey - the voice of the Lord. No excuses. No hesitation. When the angel told Philip to go, he went!

God has amazing victories in store for us if we simply listen to His voice, and obey. So let’s you and I spend time in God’s Word! Let’s talk with Him in prayer! Then, when He prompts us to witness to our world, we’ll be ready to do it!

I love watching new believers in Christ. They get so excited about what God has done in their lives — they can’t help but talk about Jesus, and how much they love Him. In fact, their excitement is contagious!

But often, it’s different with us long-time Christians. If you’ve known Jesus for many years, it’s possible, over time, to even become ashamed of Jesus.

Why is that? Maybe we get frustrated when our efforts don’t seem to have immediate results. Or we get too caught up with other things in the church. Or our to-do list just seems too long to include the Great Commission.

We become calloused - or forgetful - when it comes to evangelism. And then slowly and subtly, we stop talking about our faith all together.

Jesus admonishes us in Luke 9:26 with these sobering words: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of Him when he comes in his glory.”

If you’ve been struggling with speaking up about your faith, there’s an answer. Start by confession. Ask the Lord to forgive you. Then pray that He’ll open up an opportunity, and give you the courage, to stand up for Jesus Christ. God loves to answer that prayer!