• Home
  • About This Blog
  • Contact Me
  • Subscribe
  • Comment Policy

Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
Home Bible Reflection Psyched out by the hills and what to do about it

Psyched out by the hills and what to do about it

Posted on July 17, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 7 Comments


Bike HillWhen riding my bike I am often psyched out by hills. To my shame, I must admit that I sometimes change my route because of them. When I am not the one choosing the route, I will be thinking of the hill (if I know about it) long before I get to it. The hill has me primed for defeat long before it is time to climb it.

Now, as I ride less often than I used to, I have the excuse that I am not in shape for the hills, but I struggled with the thought of hills even when in good condition. My problem is mental before it is physical.

In considering this, I find that the same is true in my spiritual life. I am often psyched out at the thought of sharing my faith or letting people know the good news of Jesus Christ. I can get overwhelmed at the idea of not being able to handle objections, questions or hostility.

In response to the question of hills on the bicycle, there are two things I can do to overcome this fear. The first is to work on conditioning so that the physical aspect is not the problem. The second thing is to take the hills as they come and not get psyched out before getting to the hill.

In the same way, there are also two things I can do in response to the fear of sharing my faith. The first is to study so that I can present a reasonable explanation of what I believe (2 Timothy 2:15). The second is to take the objections and questions as they come knowing that I don’t have to have all the answers. In Luke 12:11-12 Jesus promises that when his followers are brought before rulers and authorities, the Holy Spirit will bring guidance about what to say. Since we are commanded to make disciples (Matthew 28:19) and the only way to make disciples is to share our faith, the promise must hold true whenever we are seeking to represent Jesus to those who need him.

So, I need to borrow from a Nike slogan for both hills and sharing, “just do it.”

What do you think?


Filed Under: Bible Reflection Tagged With: Faith, Jesus

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

Follow Attempts at Honesty

Honesty in your Inbox

Twin Focus

External versus Internal Focus

I’ve been involved in some discussions recently regarding the focus of the church. Should our focus be toward the outside to bring new people in or should our focus be on building people up that are already in the church? I struggle to see how these two can be separated without doing damage to what […]

Chained Bible

Even Lawyers Can’t Mess This Up

At our church, we are studying through the book of 2 Timothy in the New Testament. A line from Chapter 2 struck me where Paul writes, “but the word of God is not bound.” Paul is saying that even though he himself is bound, Scripture cannot be put in chains. Our society is becoming increasingly […]

Pulling Guard

The Apostle Paul as a Pulling Guard

It is nearing the end of summer and soon we will have football. One of the fundamental aspects of American football is the running game. A key to a good running game is blocking. The runner must have players to go in front of him to keep the defenders away. The picture shows a guard, […]

Fortress

God is My Fortress

Psalm 59:16b (ESV) For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. Matthew 10:28 (ESV) 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. In reading Psalm 59 this […]

In what did Christ’s humiliation consist?

Question 27 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks: In what did Christ’s humiliation consist? The answer given is: “Christ’s humiliation consisted in being born, and that in a poor circumstance;[a] in being subject to God’s law; in undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God and the curse of death on the cross; […]

Post Series

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
May 2023
SMTWTFS
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031 
« Apr    

Categories

Archives

Blogger Grid
Follow me on Blogarama

Copyright © 2023 · Focus Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in