I will make you fishers of men

And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." - Matthew 4:19 NASB

     Who are you ministering to right now, in this season of your life? As followers of Jesus, we should be ministering to someone. Jesus, himself said, He would make us into, "fishers of men". So, are we fishing?

     Insecurity in our ability to actually help someone often stops us from trying. We may think we aren't intelligent enough or lack leadership skills, but the truth is we don't have to know everything to help. There is always someone who knows less than we know. Plus, many times all people need is a friend, someone to lean on and share their heart with. If they do have questions we can't handle, we can always refer them to someone who can.

     Another thing that hinders us from ministering is our idea of what ministry should look like. Maybe we think it has to be a huge dramatic event, or the person has to have some major issues in order for it to count as "ministry", but truly that is not the case. I remember this very quiet, nervous looking young girl working in the check-out line at Wal-Mart, with another stern woman standing over her. I thought to myself, "Is she new?" and before I could finish my thought she timidly said, "It's my first day." I knew my assignment in that moment, I was to encourage her, make her laugh, and lighten the mood in her poor stressed out face! I did just that, and wished her good luck, on my way out. Something that simple is consider ministry, believe it or not. We are all capable of being friendly to those who provide services for us throughout the day. So don't limit "ministry" to big dramatic events, take the pressure off. =)

     Maybe we neglect ministering to people because we aren't necessarily sure who to minister to, or how to open the door. I've struggled with this at times as well, but again, it's not as difficult as we may think. Almost all ministry starts with relationship. Now, don't get me wrong, the Holy Spirit will do spontaneous, random things and you may be led to minister to strangers at any given moment, but most ministry is based on relationship. Simply look around at the people you come in contact with daily, or almost daily. Is their a younger person you could mentor? Or a single mom you could help? Maybe you live near someone of another faith? The examples are endless. Start small by saying "Hi" or starting small-talk, over time God may develop it into more. There's no pressure! Take a deep breathe, and simply be available.

     For many years I ministered to a group of people with an alternative lifestyle. I never had to preach at them or  rub verses in their face. I was just a friend, and they knew I sincerely cared (still do) for them. The safety of our relationship allowed them to open up and ask all sorts of questions about God, church, and their lifestyle. They even went to church with me for years, several giving their life to Jesus, and a few attend church on their own now.

     I learned that most are not as against the gospel as we may think, they are just against our approach. People don't want to feel used, as if the only reason we're talking to them is to earn a notch on our belt. Our intentions must be sincere! We love not because someone accepts what we're giving away, but because Love, himself, lives in us.

     I remember as a teenager visiting a few churches and talking to a few people there who only seemed interested in "converting" me. I felt cheap and used, when they totally blew me off upon realizing I wasn't interested. It's not that I wasn't interested in God, I was just turned-off by their approach. They didn't really care or even like me. They just wanted credit for forcing me to join their way of life. Let's not do that to people. Let's love others because we see and feel how much God loves them. Love is a lifestyle, not a face we put on and take off whenever we want.

     Anyway, we really have no excuses not to be ministering to people. I'm confident as we pray for God to lead us, that He will. He will bring people into our lives, and strategically place us into other people's live for His glory. We are witnesses, and witnesses don't have to know everything, they only know what they've witnessed. I heard a preacher on a local christian radio station give that example. He said, when we witness a car accident the police officer doesn't expect us to know everything, He only asks us to report what we saw. That's what a witness does, we report what we saw - what we experienced. That's the same way with ministry. We don't have to know it all, the part we have is enough.

     I know in my life God is always bringing someone knew for me to minister to. I believe part of this is because I pray and ask Him, "Father, show me who I can minister to. If anyone needs you right now, and you see that I'm a good fit for the assignment, I'm willing." I've learned that ministering to others doesn't just benefit the other person, but it benefits me. It keeps me in faith, sharpens my thinking, forces me to study and research whatever topic the person needs help with, dedicates me to prayer, and leads me into more passionate worship. You see, when we know someone is depending on our relationship with Jesus, for a season, it puts healthy pressure on us to do what we know to do.Whenever I feel "blah", like I'm slacking in my spiritual walk, I always ask God to bring me to someone, or someone to me, that needs ministering to. It's a sure-fire way to stir the flames.

Be committed in prayer, and God will make you a laborer in someone's life.

You will be a blessing and be blessed.