When we are asked by God to witness to someone about Jesus or tell them something specific about their sins it might come with much resistance. You see, people do not like to be called out, especially when they are comfortable in their sinful lifestyle. But when God is prompting us to continue talking to someone about the gospel, we can either back down or continue and do as He says. Moses knew this when he was called to go into Egypt and talk to the Pharaoh about letting God’s people go free. This is that story, “and afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.” (Exodus 5:1-3) They began to reason with the Pharoah, but like when we share God’s message of hope, it came with resistance. People often doubt the truth of God like Pharaoh had doubts about God’s request also.
The conversation with the Pharoah and Moses and Aaron continued. It is written, “and the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.” (Exodus 5:4-7) So the Pharaoh began to give unto God’s people even more work in order to stop them from sacrificing unto God. It was after being turned down that Moses asked the Lord, “why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.” (Exodus 5:22,23) So many times when we witness to people it comes with backlash and even persecution. And if we are new to the ministry, this might cause us to doubt ourselves and if we are really supposed to reach people for Jesus. Thankfully, through prayer and Bible study, God does give us strength to carry on and gives us peace.
Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I pray that people will go forth in the harvest no matter if there is much resistance. Truly, not everywhere we go there are people ready to hear Your voice and be converted to the gospel. However, as we heed Your voice, I know that we will be led to people who have been seeking the truth and are ready to receive You. I love the times I’ve been on the streets witnessing for You, especially when a person is willing to pray for salvation. This makes the night worth it. I can still remember the day that I was preaching the gospel in front of a pizza place and a bunch of teenagers began asking me questions about You, Jesus. It was then that they were all convicted of their sins and wanted to do a joint prayer while holding hands. Each person prayed for salvation and many tears were shed that day. The hardest thing was having enough gospel tracts and Bibles to hand out for they were all given out in an instance. That night like other nights in the harvest, it took a while until we found someone to witness to. Thankfully, I didn’t give up. And even now, I continue to witness Your gospel truths. I love You, Lord. Thank You for that night and give me many more encounters like this in the future. I trust in You. Amen.
