Page 14 - November 2018 Traveler

Evangelism Corner

Faith and How I share it.

Faith: a belief in the existence of God: strong religious feelings or beliefs.

I was once asked if I was a born again Christian. When had I asked God to live in my
heart and be my personal Lord and Savior? I replied that, no I was not born again,
nor did I feel I had to be. Because as long as I could remember, Jesus had lived in my
heart and I felt that was the way I was born!

I was baptized and had my first holy communion in the Catholic church. Was con-
firmed in the Lutheran church. The first day I was completely aware of my faith, would
be the day my mother died. I was 8 years old. But I knew that my mom was in Heaven
with Jesus. And I knew I would see her again one day.

My faith has steadily grown over the course of my life. I've been through a lot of
things. Good and bad. But the one thing that remains constant, is my faith. I've been
told it is one of my greatest gifts. I sometimes question why some people struggle so
much in life. With decisions, with loss, with death. All the difficult things. Not that I
haven't, I certainly have. But through all those things, I have learned that God is there
no matter what! And my faith grows every single time. I feel like I have enough faith
for 10 people! At times I would love to give some away, just to make things easier for
someone who's struggling. Imagine my relief when Pastor preached about how it isn't
our job to bring someone to the faith! It's the Holy Spirit's job!

Working in a hair salon, I overhear a lot of conversations. And sometimes I can't help
myself but to interject. “But God doesn't want you to worry about that! You are to fully
rely on Him!” I have things on my station that point to my faith. A cross my son gave
me. A string art sign that spells out BLESSED. I'll admit that I sometimes have a hard
time with some people, talking about God. But my hope is that the love of God shines
through me.

On several occasions God has placed someone on my heart for prayer. I may not
know what the need is. But I will reach out to that person and let them know exactly
that! “Hey, I just want you to know that God put you on my heart and I'm praying for
you.” Guess what!? They usually have a need! God is so good!

Social media has been my favorite way to express my faith. I try to post positive
things. There is so much anger and ugliness in this world. I only want to share good
things. Things that direct attention away from this fallen world. Things that point to
God. When I read something in my “Jesus Calling” book that really strikes me, I share
it! There hasn't been a time I've done that, that someone doesn't thank me for sharing.
“I sure needed that today, how did you know?” That wasn't me, that was God.
I have purchased many of the “Jesus Calling” books. I buy several at a time and keep
them on hand. When I feel someone could really use some peace and understanding,
I give them the book.

This is how I share my faith. It's gotten easier ! Because loving Jesus is easy. Loving
like He loves can be challenging, but it's so worth it! Debbie Preston

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