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!

I was born and raised in Argentina. And as a boy I went to an excellent church. The Bible was taught fantastically well – but, there were a few things missing.

We all worked very hard at being ’good’ Christians. All-night prayer meetings every Friday night, for one. We loved them – but after six or ten months, we began to feel, wow, this is such an effort to keep up! A lot of my friends began dropping out of church altogether.

Then, when I was 25, I finally realized that it wasn’t about what I was going to do for God. It’s what He will do in me, and through me. I finally understood that it’s all about me relying on Him and His power. It’s not about me — it’s Christ living in me, and working through me with His strength! That was the beginning of a great liberation and success in leading others to Jesus.

What about you? Are you slugging it out for the Lord, but lacking joy and freedom? That’s not the way God intended for us to live.

Galatians 2:20 tells us, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” As you submit to God, and rest in His supernatural power, He will work through you to influence your world for Jesus Christ!

God created every human being with the unique ability and desire to HOPE. We all know that hope brings us a buoyant feeling. If we struggle with depression and cannot find hope on our own, we long for someone else to lend us THEIR hope. Hope is what gets us through difficult times.

One major difference between followers of Jesus Christ and those who do not follow Him is our SOURCE of hope. You see, a nonbeliever knows what hope is. She experiences hope. But she often cannot trust her hope.

For example, she may hope the doctor’s test results come back favorably. But hoping merely in circumstantial change is a very unsure way to live.

On the other hand, the source of all Christian hope is Jesus Christ. We don’t just hope for a change in circumstance, we actually talk to God through prayer and ask Him to intervene. Whether He does or not is entirely up to Him. But our HOPE is secure because HE is secure.

In the Bible, the Psalms are filled with reminders that God, the source of our hope, is faithful. Won’t you share the reason for your hope today?

National Football League running back Sherman Smith had a reputation for bowling over defensive linesmen. This raised his celebrity to near-cult status. Then, without warning, Sherman’s team traded their most popular player to the San Diego Chargers. Everything changed overnight for him. He wasn’t with the Chargers for more than a few weeks when he blew out his knee.

But Sherman was also a committed follower of Jesus Christ. And he knew that more than football, his main mission in life was to share God’s message of salvation. So while in rehabilitation, Sherman prayed, Lord, why did you ship me here? What’s your plan in all of this? How do you want to use me?

While Sherman’s knee mended, God answered his prayers by allowing him to lead one of his teammates to the Lord. That converted party-man, Miles McPherson, is now an outstanding youth evangelist who reaches thousands each year with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

You may not understand why God has you in a certain situation. But instead of despairing, take a lesson from Sherman. Ask God how He wants to use you right where you are. And He will!