Craig Clouston

Set Apart

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ … set apart for the gospel of God.

Romans 1:1

“What’s your greatest barrier to telling people about Jesus?” Craig asked his friend Charlie.

Halfway through his excuse, Charlie got a sense of how lame he must have sounded by the look on Craig’s face. “Okay! Stop looking at me like that. You really want to know why?” He sighed. “A lot of the time it’s because I don’t feel very spiritual. You know, like I don’t measure up on the ‘Spiro-meter.’ So I think, ‘Why should people listen to me?’”

Craig understood his friend’s dilemma. He’d shared those same misgivings. Then God had convicted him that gaining our silence is one of Satan’s attempts to keep us from spreading the gospel.

Craig shared his revelation, concluding with, “If I let how I feel dictate when and where I say something, I wouldn’t spread much of the gospel. If I remain silent because I don’t feel like speaking up, then most of the time I’d be robbing people of the chance to accept God’s love. Satan will lie and tell me any number of reasons I shouldn’t speak on God’s behalf—guilt and shame, inadequacy, shyness, being tired, or sick. The list is endless; but the results are the same. I fail to share the gospel. And Satan wins that round!” He emphasized his last remark. “I’ve found that if I respond when God leads by beginning to witness, the words come, and my hesitancy disappears.”

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Until we come face to face with the reality and permanence of hell, we will fail to understand what our witness means; and, we will continue to succumb to Satan’s attempts to keep us quiet.

Fear of man and the threat of ridicule keep many Christians from sharing what God has done in their lives. Without this testimony, many may never hear what they need to hear to make a decision for Christ.

We are set apart for God’s kingdom. We cannot remain neutral in the battle for souls. It should be our privilege to stand up and proclaim the love and salvation to be found in Christ!

Prayer

“Help me, Lord Jesus, to share Your love. Give me the words to show what You’ve done in my life so others might find salvation in You. Amen.”