When you make it a habit to practice how to share your faith, you may find that you notice more opportunities to share Jesus. These opportunities are referred to as “touches” in chapter 7 of In the Red Zone. In the game of football, the coach gives a player more “touches”—chances to carry the ball through rushing attempts, pass receptions, or kickoff returns—when the player has proven he’s ready. God seems to put his people “in the game” and give them more chances to share the gospel when he knows we are willing and eager to share Jesus. If we’re not ready, the pressure can seem unbearable. Here are a few tips for how to share your faith under pressure:
1. Practice How to Share Your Faith to Build Confidence
Dr. Tucker gives an example of one of the many times he was called on to share the gospel with a terminally ill patient. The man only had minutes to hear the gospel message before he would be heavily sedated again and taken off life support. The pressure was on—except it wasn’t—because Dr. Tucker knew exactly what to say. When you practice how to share your faith with a few key evangelism tools, your confidence will naturally increase.
2. Practice Sharing Your Faith to Banish Fear
Chapter 7 paints us a picture of Eric, a self-proclaimed socially awkward introvert who operates best “behind the scenes.” He had been practicing the evangelism tools and techniques in Red Zone Evangelism (RZE) by studying the simple bridge diagram, recalling what is also simply illustrated in the How to Share Your Faith app. He drew the bridge diagram for his friend after repeated moments of assurance that his friend was truly open to receiving the gospel. Although Eric didn’t remember each of the evangelism tools and acronyms perfectly, he was amazed that his friend bowed his head to accept Jesus into his heart and become a Christian. This experience made Eric practice how to share the gospel with even more diligence, and, when another opportunity presented itself weeks later, he was ready to share the gospel. That opportunity to share Jesus resulted in another spiritual victory that was successful under pressure because of his newly formed habit.
3. Practice Sharing Your Faith to Bring Peace
When you are consistently sharing your faith after plenty of practice, not only are you bringing the good news of peace that passes all understanding to others, but you bring peace upon yourself. With the confidence that you are prepared, there is no need to fight anxiety because it simply does not exist. That energy can instead be used to make sharing your faith a genuine, relatable experience that the seeker will remember for the rest of his or her life.
You never know when a natural disaster, car accident, potential terrorism, or other life-and-death situation will present itself. Even if the circumstances are not dire, the gospel message is still urgent when the seeker is ready. To perform well under pressure, practice, practice, practice—until sharing your faith becomes instinctive.
For more tips on how to share your faith under pressure, be sure to read chapter seven of In the Red Zone. You can order your copy online or download the Kindle edition to learn more. For small group or church-wide training, be sure to explore The Red Zone Evangelism Complete Kit.