Diary of a Youthleader

To many, this may appear to be an obvious statement, but even to some of them, they do allow fear to rule over them.

To explain;- This month's free audiobook from Christian Audio is a book by the head of International Justice Mission which is an excellent Christian work dedicated to ending slavery of all forms all over the world. In his book, Gary Haugen writes about some of the brave souls who have risked life and limb to go across the world and rescue weak people.

One of his big premises is that slavery, injustice and ultimately fear all crumble and fall in the face of true courage. The question in my mind, especially as a Christian Youth Leader is this - do I allow fear to hold me back, do I see the great needs around me and take a step back because although I know that something must be done, I'm still making weak excuses for my fear?

Possibly.

Well, yes, really.

I've just finished Taming the Tiger by Tony Anthony, and the twist at the end of the book has made me question whether or not I allow fear to rule me at all, and the truth is; it does! I'm still scared to talk to people about Jesus - i suspect that this is related to my family's reaction to my being a Christian, but that's not a valid reason for me to withold the gospel from people.

Here's the test that I've devised for fear in this area; you meet someone, or you talk to a friend - why aren't you talking about Jesus? Is it because this isn't a suitable conversation (it is okay to not be bible bashing 24/7) or is it that you're worried about being seen as a bible basher - are you witholding Jesus selfishly (out of fear) or do you have a plan that you're working toward introducing this person to Christ?