Why We Fail to Witness

Part 1

"Leaving the Presence of the Lord"

"Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD." (Jonah 1:1-3)

Notice Jonah's response to God's call:

• "...rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD..." (Jonah 1:3a)
• "...and went down to Joppa..." (Jonah 1:3b)
• "...and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it..." (Jonah 1:3c)
• "...to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD" (Jonah 1:3d)

(Mark 16:15) "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

One reason you may fail to witness like you should is because you do not consistently live in the presence of the Lord.

It takes power to witness and the only way to become filled with that power is to spend time in the presence of the Lord.

• You will become a coward when you are not living in the presence of the Lord.
• You will become powerless when you are not living in the presence of the Lord.
• You will become distracted when you are not living in the presence of the Lord.

What do I need to do in order to make sure that I am living in the presence of the Lord?

1. Schedule daily times of prayer and meditation on Scripture.
2. Be filled with the Holy Spirit moment by moment.
3. Obey the promptings of the Lord.