I suffered a lot of avoidable heartache when the minsitry first started. I'd share the ministry and the works God brought through it to those in my personal life, but no one cared. The crickets had more to say than those listening, I felt a bit rejected and got a bit cold in response to it. I thought, "How could I open up about my life if it's full of Him when no one wants cares about Him? Am I supposed to just shut my mouth?" Then the Holy Spirit responded,
"God's work isn't heard by deaf ears. What are you expecting?"
I had to really check my heart and realized I was seeking the approval of others. After I died to this desire the Holy Spirit made it clear,
Share the testimonies of God in the same mind as evangelising. If they hear then amen, if not then God is glorified through the testimony.
I discovered an underlying power through this, people are donkies (myself included...). They will not listen if they don't think it benefits them, and they can be inexhaustibly stubborn. The Lord revealed to me when the Holy Spirit is leading a conversation, he reveals the path to their heat that goes around this stubborness. This is the only way to place God's truth directly into their heart to see the change we know they need.
I discovered another powerful truth through this. God started bringing more people to me in my personal life that wanted to know more about God. During these Spirit-led encouters people experienced personal touches and words from God that left them personally encountering his goodness. I also received more words by the Holy Spirit for them as well as more supernatural healings as the Spirit led my prayer life for these people.
This all comes from two principles Jesus teaches us. The first is,
When we seek to glorify Jesus in our lives, the Father draws people to Him, in us.
John 6:44 "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him..." The second is, when we are led by our own motives, we forsake Christ getting glorified and this literally manifests as heartache in our lives. We know they need Him, but we need to step aside to give Him the opportunity to move.
John 7:18 "He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him."
We need to learn to be sent by the Spirit to see Jesus get lifted up in our lives. I learned I was being religious by trying to force all my conversations into being a bible study. God leads us when we listen, and God has to be the one touching the hearts for them to listen. We're the only ones getting in the way of God changing the lives of those around us.
I learned to let people speak, I learned to listen to my own desires and shut my mouth when it's not by the Spirit. Beacuse the change I want in them won't happen by my ability, 1 Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." If it isn't revealed then I have nothing to add, and it's done in faith knowing what He has is better.
This was something I was blind to because of my own selfserving desires, but if you'll die to your motives the Lord will lead you to turn a dry wilderness into a thriving forest. Praying this blesses someone.