What makes you believe?

As I was doing my Bible study this morning this question popped into my head.  What makes you believe?  What makes you so sure you are right?  What makes you know that you know that you know?

Interesting question but why could the answer to that question be important?  Because it could help us reach others like us. 

Those of us that are Christians have come to Christ in many different ways.  Through crusades, through friends, through TV ministries, and the list goes on and on.  We've learned about different scriptures that lay out the Biblical basis for Jesus.  But when you get right down to it, was it all of that logical stuff that got you to believe or was it something deeper and more emotional than that?

For me, witnessing has always been the weakest area of my faith walk.  As I look for reasons as to why that is I think the main thing is that I am focused too much on the cold dry logic part of it instead of sharing the human story of what Jesus has actually meant to me in my own life. 

The reason that I have always focused on the factual part is that it is my nature.  I think of myself as quite analytical and factual.  So I was always hesitant to witness because I didn't have all of the arguments and counter arguments memorized.  One of the key traits of my personality type is my need to be right. 

That is why my answer to the question What makes you believe? took me by surprise.   As I look at my own life I realize that it isn't any of the logical, Biblical stuff that makes me truly believe.  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that it is there and it is important, but the real bedrock of my belief  is all of the times I can look back in my life and actually see God's guidance and design. 

So what have I learned from that?  A couple of things.  From now on I am going to be much more conscious of opportunities to just share my faith.  Not try to talk people into believing based on facts but to just share what God has done in my life.

The other thing I learned is not to worry about what I am going to say.  Just trust God to put the words in my mouth.  I don't have to have all of the "facts and arguments" memorized.  I don't have to worry about being "right" when I am just sharing my story.  I'll let you know if that helps my witnessing efforts.

So here's an idea.  Take some time to ponder the question for yourselves.  What makes you believe?