Daily Devotional

A Ministry of the Kerwin Baptist Church

February 27, 2018

by Pastor Hawtree

I AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE:

TO HELP ME SHARE CHRIST WITH OTHERS (part 1)

ISAIAH 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

it is always intimidating to most people when you bring up the subject of sharing Christ with others. It can be a very scary experience. While it does come easier to some, I believe it is somewhat difficult for all. We don’t want to impose, we do not want to make others feel uncomfortable, we feel that it is an awkward situation, and we fear that they might become upset or put us on the spot. So many reasons why it is difficult. Then us preachers unwisely will get up and say that a person doesn’t really love the Lord if they do not share their faith aggressively. We can try to guilt people into evangelizing. Let me make it clear that if an individual finds it very difficult to share their faith, that does not mean that they do not love the Lord. It is true that every saved, redeemed individual should desire to share with others what Christ has done for them. But I do not feel most of the time that it is because they are ashamed of Christ, it is simply the fact that they are intimidated by circumstances and individuals.

Having said all that, we need to look at the promise that this verse shares. First, I want you to understand that in verse one, the first phrase states that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Isaiah. You see, before Jesus Christ died, rose again, and ascended back into heaven, the Spirit of God would come upon a believer. But now that we have been given the Comforter, the Holy Spirit; the Spirit of the Lord lives inside of us. Before Christ, the Spirit of God came upon an individual to help, strengthen, and empower. But now, the Spirit of God lives inside of us to do these things. So when we read the Old Testament and hear what the Spirit of God moved upon an individual to do, we now have the Holy Spirit already living inside of us that will do the exact same thing.

Isaiah says that the Spirit of God anointed him to share good tidings. Similarly, remember that the word gospel means good news. You and I have been anointed to share the gospel, the good news of Christ. This word “anoint” is a wonderful word. It means more than just one thing. Let me explain:

1) Anoint means that we have been CHOSEN. That means when we chose Christ, He chose us. That means we are different, blessed, and loved.
2) Anoint means that we have been CALLED. That means that the Lord not only chose us to serve, but has extended a “call” to us to serve. If you’ve been saved by the Grace of God, you do not have to wonder if you have been called or not. You have!
3) Anoint means that we have been COMMISSIONED. That means that the Lord has empowered us. He has given us what we need, to do what He has called us to do. When He called us, He has given us access to all of His resources.

We will continue to deal with this tomorrow, but I want you to understand and important truth today. You have the Holy Spirit living inside of you if you have been born again. Because of that, you have what you need to share your faith with others. There might be a lot you don’t understand, and a lot you still have to learn, but you can do it, and God can give you the ability to share your faith.