How the Jesus Challenge Equips You To Naturally Share Your Faith
You’ve probably heard of the Great Commission, but what does it mean?
Your pastor says it’s a commandment, but it feels impossible to live out. 😰
How does it work in everyday life?
Is Jesus even talking to us?
How do you know if you’re doing it right?
“Help! How does this work?” 😫
Friend, I’ve got two bits of good news for you.
- The Great Commission is not as big and scary as it sounds. We’ll break it down together.
- You’re in the right place to grow. I’ll show you how to make it a smooth, natural part of your life. 😎
Believe it or not, sharing your faith is an attainable and reasonable commandment. And the Jesus challenge is the perfect environment to learn how to live it out.
But first, let’s talk about some questions that might be swirling around in your head.
“What is the Great Commission?”
The term “Great Commission” comes from Matthew 28:16-20 when Jesus appears to the disciples after His resurrection.
He tells them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Um, what now? 😳Seems like a pretty giant ask…
“How does that even involve me?”
The Great Commission must be directed towards the “spiritually elite,” right? Pastors on stage, missionaries in a distant tribe, youth ministry leaders, those with a special calling.
WRONG. There is no such thing as the spiritually elite. 🙅🏻♀️
Living out the Great Commission is a calling for every follower of Jesus, including you and me. It’s not about standing on street corners preaching to strangers, it’s about sharing your faith through daily actions, conversations, and relationships.
Before you tuck your tail, let me encourage you! When you look through the Bible, you see God called the most normal humans to share His truth with those around them.
🚶 Regular old townspeople.
🎣 Hardworking fishermen.
🧑🌾 Farmers.
👵 The elderly.
🕌 Members of a political movement.
🤱 Stay-at-home-moms.
🧑🦯 Blind people.
🫵 You and me.
Think about your daily routine. Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, a student, a business owner, or a 9-5 worker, you interact with people every day.
Living out the Great Commission means looking for opportunities in those interactions to share the love and truth of Jesus.
“But how can I make disciples of all nations, I’m just one person?”
I have more good news for you. 😊
It’s not up to you to change someone else’s heart – in fact, you can’t. Let alone the world! All you’re responsible for is saying “yes” when God opens the door to talk to someone about Him. The most and best you can do is be faithful, and the results are not your responsibility.
God’s sovereignty fills in the gaps where we fall short or just plain don’t get it.
You don’t need a seminary degree or title to share the Gospel. Each of us has unique spheres of influence – our families, friends, coworkers, and communities. God placed you exactly where you are for a reason. 🌱
“How can I practically share my faith?”
Sharing your faith doesn’t have to be a complicated, scary, unattainable task. We tend to wayyyy overthink it and make it SO much harder than it needs to be. Sharing your faith can be incredibly simple!
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Write someone a note, encouraging them in God’s truth. Add a meaningful verse to bring it home.
- Tell the story of how God changed your life. It’s easy to talk about yourself and no one can argue with your personal experience.
- Ask if you can pray for someone, and then pray for them on the spot. **HINT – people rarely say no to being prayed for! Everyone’s going through something. 🥺
- Boldly live out your faith. Actions speak louder than words. Your commitment to honesty, compassion, sacrifice, patience, etc proves your life flows from another source.
- Simply talk about what God’s taught you lately. It doesn’t have to be forced or awkward. You can share that with anyone, whether or not they love Jesus.
- Share the Gospel. If that feels intimidating, check out this blog post. It covers all the options – easy, in-depth, child-friendly, etc. – to help you feel confident and smooth sharing the Gospel.
- Show up in your community. Getting involved in local events and outreach gives you the chance to connect with others and share your faith naturally.
No matter how you do it, It’s about being present, available to the Holy Spirit, and showing up with a servant’s heart.
“How does the Jesus challenge play into the Great Commission?”
Lucky for you, my virtual Jesus challenge is the perfect launchpad for you to naturally share your faith with others. It’s not another “to-do” to add to your list. 📝 The Jesus challenge enables you to make sharing your faith a natural part of your daily life.
As you spend 40 days walking and reading God’s Word, you build habits and discipline that equip you with the most crucial tools you need to share your faith. Tools that other believers struggle to master their whole life. And ta-da! You’ve got it naturally built into your daily walks. 🥳
Let’s talk about these habits and how they empower you to share your faith naturally and confidently.
Jesus Challenge Habit 1: Soaking in God’s Character
In my 40-day Christian walking challenge, you spend 20 minutes daily reading and meditating on God’s Word and walking your one mile with Jesus.
And though you might feel like nothing is happening, God’s always working through His Word.
Spending consistent, daily time in God’s Word spills into a life-changing domino effect. It’s pretty mind-blowing…! ⬇️
As you read the Bible, you see His faithfulness in the story of Abraham, his power in the exodus from Egypt, His wisdom in Proverbs, His love in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, His sovereignty in Acts. Each day, you uncover more of who God is.
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Like any relationship – the more time you spend with a friend, the more you appreciate them. When you see God’s patience in dealing with the Israelites, you understand His patience with you. When you read about Jesus’ compassion for the sick and outcast, you feel His compassion for you. This growing love becomes impossible to contain only within your private life.
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When you fall deeply in love with God, excitement about Him spills out of you. It overflows into every conversation, decision, and activity. His love is more real than the feelings, pressure, and chaos around you. You long to tell others about Him because you can’t imagine someone not knowing the freedom you’ve found.
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You can talk about His faithfulness because you’ve experienced it. You can speak about His love because you feel it. You can share His wisdom because you read it daily.
To me, that’s a pretty powerful domino result of simply reading the Bible every day. 🤯
**Plot twist – my 40-day Christian walking challenge isn’t about walking and reading the Bible. (But you knew that, didn’t you? 😉)
It’s about transforming your heart and mind to fall in love with God and reflect His character.
As you grow in your knowledge and love, you’ll find that sharing your faith is a natural extension of your relationship with God. It’s not a task to check off your list, but a joyful overflow of your love for Him.
Jesus Challenge Habit 2: Surrendering Your Plans
We all love the feeling of having our life under control. We make plans, set schedules, and work hard to stay on top of everything.
One of the most life-changing habits you develop during the Jesus Challenge is surrendering your daily plans to the Lord. 🤲
This means you acknowledge that…
- He is in control, not you.
- This life you’re living belongs to Him, not to you.
- You’re simply a vessel and steward of this life for Him to use as He deems best.
- Every moment of your day is available to Him to change however He chooses.
This simple, powerful act of surrender creates space for God to work through you rather than rushing around from task to task. 🥵
When you surrender your plans, you become aware of the divine appointments God places throughout your day.
🤝 It might be a conversation with a coworker you would’ve otherwise brushed past.
🙋🏻♀️ Maybe it’s the chance to finally talk to that mom at the playground.
🧎Or pray with the homeless person on the corner.
These moments become more apparent when we’re not fixated on our agenda.
One of the most beautiful byproducts of surrendering your plans is God’s overwhelming peace. 😌 Full surrender seems daunting at first, but it’s a habit that brings TRUE freedom. When you let go of control, you can trust that He’s orchestrating your day for His glory and your good.
Jesus Challenge Habit 3: Learning To Listen
In our busy, noisy lives, it’s challenging to tune out the distractions and hear God’s voice. But your daily practice of walking and reading during my 40-day Scripture challenge does just that! 🤩
The intentional rhythm of the virtual Jesus challenge helps you slow down and make space for God’s voice to break through the clutter.
As you read His Word and reflect on it, you become familiar with His voice and way of speaking.👂This sensitivity enriches your personal journey but also empowers you to hear Him when He leads you to share your faith with someone.
“How does this play out in real life?”
- During your walk, ask God to show you people in your life who need to hear about Him. Be open to whoever He might bring to mind.
- Make it a habit to pray for divine appointments every day. Ask God for opportunities to get out of your comfort zone and share His love.
- When you feel a nudge from the Holy Spirit, don’t overthink it. Act on it, believing God will use it for good. Whether it’s sending a text, making a call, or meeting up for lunch, these small steps of obedience can lead to powerful life transformation.
Jesus Challenge Habit 4: Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
There’s a good chance when you looked at my virtual Jesus challenge, you said, “There’s no way I can do that.”
Lo and behold – you’re doing it! And what was once a daunting obstacle is now part of your daily routine. 😲But I’d be failing you if I only challenged you that far…
This challenge pushes you out of your comfort zone both physically and spiritually. It’s not just about becoming a better walker or runner – it’s about developing spiritually. And true spiritual growth requires more than only personal development. It involves sharing your faith as an act of obedience.
Just as your muscles strengthen through the challenge of daily walks/runs, your spiritual muscles grow stronger when you face and embrace discomfort. 💪 My 40-day Scripture challenge is designed to stretch you in deeply transformative ways – both physically and spiritually.
By embracing the habit of getting comfortable with being uncomfortable – which you’re already doing! – you open yourself up to a rich, new level of spiritual growth and impact in God’s Kingdom. And with God’s Word directing your steps, you can’t go wrong!
Jesus Challenge Habit 5: Taking Advantage of Your Built-in Accountability
When you join my virtual Jesus challenge, you gain access to a private, incredible Facebook group of like-minded people who are in this with you! They encourage you, challenge you, and remind you why you’re doing this in the first place. 🙌
But it’s not just about staying accountable for your daily walks or reading – it’s about having a support system that encourages you to live out your faith in tangible ways.
Here are some ways to set up accountability for yourself in the Facebook group:
- Make it a habit to check in and post daily. ✅
- Share your successes and struggles. 📊
- Ask for help and motivation when you need it. 🗣️
- Pray for others and ask them to pray for you. 🙏
- Set goals with others in the group. 🏆
4 Practical Ways You Can Share Your Faith in the Jesus Challenge Today:
Sharing your faith isn’t a far-off, abstract idea. You can do it today, on your next walk!
The cool thing is, my 40-day Christian walking challenge is perfectly designed to help you live this out.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Scott, one of my 40-day Scripture challenge participants, says, “One of the biggest benefits was the opportunity to witness to many I normally would not have talked to.” As he walked his route, people asked Scott about his walking and he used the opportunity to share his faith with them.
You don’t have to conquer this challenge alone! It’s an incredible faith-sharing opportunity to invite someone else to. Check out my last blog post about bringing the virtual Jesus challenge to your community.
Make a habit of sharing what God’s teaching you. If you always tell the same person, try pushing yourself to share with someone new.
Don’t let yourself become too comfortable on your walks. Ask God to put someone on your mind to talk to every week. Then ask a friend to hold you accountable to make sure you actually follow through every week. 😉
Making the Most of Your Jesus Challenge
The habits you develop through my 40-day Scripture challenge empower and equip you to share your faith with others. It’s not just a tool to get in shape – it’s a launchpad for your ongoing spiritual development.
Now is the time to step forward. Don’t let fear or hesitation hold you back. As His child, God has given you a spirit of boldness, not of fear.
Embrace the challenge to push yourself spiritually, and watch how God uses your obedience to transform your own life and the lives of others.
You’ve got this. And more importantly, God’s got this. 💪
If you haven’t yet signed up for my next 40-day Christian walking challenge, you can do so below.
I’m excited to meet you and see God work in and through you!