Obstacle 1: A fearful spirit. The greatest single hindrance to witnessing is fear. We fear what others will think. We fear failure. We fear making fools of ourselves. WE fear rejection. All of these fears create a powerful force to prevent us from telling others about Jesus. I have shared Christ with atheists, Hindus, Muslims, communists, animists, humanists, and nominal Christians. I have had to deal with almost every ideology imaginable. Yet the greatest hindrance to my witness has not been opposing ideologies. The greatest barrier has been my own fear. I must confess that I deal with fear almost every time I share Christ with others.

The antithesis of fear is love. Fear points to self, while love points to others. Fear is negative, but love is positive. Fear makes us insecure, but love secures our lives to the Rock that is immovable. "Perfect love casts out fear" (1John 4:18).

Perfect love is found at the throne of God. When we come before His throne, we encounter the One who is love. Peter and John were made courageous for Christ because they had worshipped Him, their Savior. Years later John wrote, "God is love" (1 John 4:8). It's only as we worship Jesus that we're engulfed in His love. As we're filled with His love, fear seems to disappear. Our security is in Him. When we find our acceptance in Him, all fear must flee. Fear cannot dwell in the heart of the one who worships Jesus Christ. The fearful heart becomes a courageous heart.

Obstacle 2: A frustrated spirit. Many opportunities to share the gospel are lost because of unresolved conflicts within the heart of the believer. Jesus told His disciples not to be fearful or troubled in their hearts. He warned them of the difficulties that they would have to face in the world.

It's a fact of life that every Christian will face difficult situations. However, if we're able to be witnesses for Christ, we must first learn how to deal with difficulties in the spirit of Christ. Many times it's the little problems that eat away the peace in our hearts. We find ourselves frustrated, and consequently, we miss many opportunities to witness.

The solution to frustration is peace. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you" (John 14:27). The peace of Jesus is a unique kind of peace. It's not controlled by outward circumstances. It travels beyond petty problems and great tribulations. It goes all the way to the depths of the human heart. Peace fills the heart of the one whose eyes are fixed on Jesus. It's the worshiping heart that experiences the "peace that surpasses all comprehension" (Phil. 4:7).

The door of difficulty often leads to the street of opportunity. It's on that street that we discover many opportunities to share Christ. However, the "difficult door" can only be opened with a key called "peace." That key is found in the throne room of God. As we worship Jesus Christ, our hearts are flooded with beautiful peace.

Several years ago, I spoke at a Christian university about the necessity of spiritual awakening in this generation. I had many precious times of worship during the week. The more I worshiped Jesus Christ, the more I felt a great burden to tell others about Him. I asked God for an opportunity to tell someone of His great love.

When I boarded the plane to fly home, I was seated next to a lady with a screaming baby. As the plane took off, the baby screamed louder and louder, As the baby screamed the mother became very frustrated. Tension began to mount in my heart. I thought, "Oh, no. I'm going to have to listen to this screaming baby for the entire trip."

As I looked at the situation, peace fled from my heart. But then the Holy Spirit began to convict me of my wrong attitude. He turned my focus to Jesus. I began to silently worship Him. The Spirit of God brought to my remembrance that Jesus is the King who became a servant. I was faced with this question: What would Jesus do if He were here?

I realized that Jesus would serve that lady. I asked her if I could play with the baby. Immediately, she said, "Please do." I made funny faces, acted silly, and talked baby talk. I laughed as I thought to myself, "Is this what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit?"

Finally the baby calmed down and fell asleep. The lady thanked me for assisting her and then began to ask me many questions. I shared Christ with her. As I was speaking to her she began to weep. Her husband was a medical doctor, and neither of them were Christians. Her mother-in-law had become a Christian just a few weeks prior to our meeting. The mother-in-law told her son and daughter-in-law about Jesus. However, because she was a new Christian, she felt inadequate. She told them, "I'm going to pray that God will send someone to you to explain His salvation more fully."

There I sat on that airplane as an answer to that mother's prayer. Yet I could've missed the opportunity. The choice was mine. I could have endured a plane ride next to a screaming baby. Or I could worship Jesus if we are to win a world that lives on a street filled with tribulation to Christ.

Obstacle 3: A negative spirit. If a person doesn't know how to deal with frustrations, he may develop a negative outlook on life. Unfortunately, many Christian are in this category. The gospel is good news. When we know, love, and worship the savior, our whole perspective on life changes. We develop a positive spirit and attitude. There's joy in the rule of God in the heart of man. That joy is the overflow of the heart that has worshiped Jesus. It's in worship that we discover the purpose of God. It's in God's intent that the whole earth be filled with His glory. There's righteousness, peace, and joy where the glory of God dwells.

The heart that has worshiped Jesus will be committed to world evangelization. He's not only worthy of our worship; he's worthy of the worship of men and women of every national, racial, ethnic, and tribal origin. Therefore, the bottom line of true worship is world evangelization. This is an exciting generation in which to love. The world has been corrupted by the rebellious nature of man. There's great human suffering on every continent. But in the midst of wars, famine, pollution, and population explosion, there stands a Savior. He alone can bring peace to the hurting heart and righteousness and justice to the nations. The door of difficulty can be opened with the key of peace. There are enormous opportunities to bring our world to Jesus. However, we must first go to the throne room. We must worship the Worthy One. The key to world evangelization will be found at the feet of Jesus. Let us bow before Him. Then let us walk into a world that is hurting and proclaim the power and love of the One who is worthy of the worship of all humanity.