She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. Mark 5:27 (NLT)  There are times when we have to persevere through something even though we want to quit. Stubbornness can be an excellent quality to have—if it’s aimed in the right direction.  For example, if you’re a business owner, there have likely been numerous occasions when you’ve felt like throwing in the towel, but you got up and pushed through. Or maybe at some point in your marriage, you had to batten down the hatches and get stubborn about making it work.  When it comes to faith, the same tenacity is needed. Mark 5 tells us the story of a lady who understood this very well. …

I have not kept Your righteousness to myself, sealed up in the secret places of my heart; instead, I boldly tell others how You save and how loyal You are. I haven’t been shy to talk about Your love, nor have I been afraid to tell Your truth before the great assembly of Your people. Psalm 40:10 (VOICE)  Over the past several days, I’ve been telling stories of people I’ve shared Jesus with. As you ask God for opportunities, it’s becomes easy to tell people about the hope you’ve found. But it requires having your eyes open to the people around you.  I once taught at a conference in New Zealand where I told some of these stories. In a question and answer session afterward, one …

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)  Sharing your faith doesn’t have to be complicated.  I was in line at a bookstore one day when a young woman asked me, “Are you that guy on TV?” I reluctantly said yes, and everyone nearby turned to stare or roll their eyes. “Can you pray for me?” she continued. “My mom just died.” Instantly, everyone’s expressions changed to sympathy. So I took this young woman aside and prayed that God would make her strong during one of the most horrible times of her life.  Another time, during my days as a paramedic, I worked with an upbeat, older nurse whom everyone loved …

“Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” Luke 12:11–12 (NKJV)  When I was training as a paramedic, I wasn’t allowed to talk to people about God. But one day while I was treating a patient, he started crying out of the blue and said, “Would you please pray for me?” So of course I did.  Not long after, I was called to the hospital administrator’s office. She had received a complaint that I was pushing my religion on people in a forceful way. I explained what really happened, but …

But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” Acts 17:6 (NKJV)  As a believer, you’re not called to blend in. You’re not designed to fade into the fabric of society. You’re meant to stand out.  In Acts 17, Paul and some of the disciples were witnessing in city after city, and people were getting saved left, right and centre. But not everyone was happy about this disturbance of the status quo. A group of Jews got angry and raised a mob to drag the disciples out of Jason’s house where they were staying. What was the mob’s accusation? “These men …