Beth Moore was 18 when she realized God was seizing her future. The setting was a missions camp, where she sponsored a cabin of 12-year-old girls.

The future Bible study author and lecturer remembers the occasion with her trademark wit: "I much preferred the idea of being at the mercy of God than a dozen rambunctious sixth graders!"

She accepted her calling but not without some teen-age trepidation. Audiences today relate to her many stories of an awkward youth. She tells them with a straight face to auditoriums filled with listeners doubled over in laughter.

"I knew I was 'wonderfully made' but felt I was 'fearfully' without talent. Anyone who knew my family would have expected any of my four brothers and sisters to wind up in the public eye instead of me. They succeeded in everything they ever tried to do, playing instruments, singing, but it took me awhile to find my niche."

She tells about hiding behind closed doors to see if a beautiful singing voice had miraculously developed ("the results were tragic"). She recalls returning to her piano bench from which years of fruitless practice had erupted ("but the noise was definitely joyless").

"Finally, I accepted that God's call must mean missions work in a foreign country with no indoor plumbing and no outlets for my electric rollers." She struck a martyr's pose and waited ("but nothing happened"). She finished college still expecting a call to a distant corner of the earth.

Also, as a young woman, she had a shaky self-image left over from 12 years of orthodontics to correct "such buck teeth I couldn't close my lips. My parents had sacrificed to fix my teeth on an Army man's pay. My mother was determined. She kept telling Dad that one day God might want to use my mouth."

Turns out her mother's words were prophetic. God filled Beth's path with supportive people who saw something in her she could not see in herself--a gift for writing, teaching and speaking. Today, the 40-year-old Houstonian with the lovely smile, the hilarious anecdotes, the colorful illustrations and the deep insights into God's Word regularly packs sanctuaries and fellowship halls and civic centers with people eager to hear her spoken commentary to supplement her best-selling Bible studies. The latest is To Live Is Christ, the Life and Ministry of Paul, published by LifeWay Press.

She has learned that missions work happens "wherever you are. I believe every Christian has a mission, whether it is in the foreign field or in our offices or in our school carpools. It is our responsibility, our privilege, our joy."

She shared with On Mission how people who want to become on mission Christians can prepare themselves, be bold witnesses for Christ and counter both the apathetic and skeptical people God places in their paths.

How do you recommend that people shore up their courage and prepare themselves spiritually to share Christ with people they meet in their every- day lives?

If we take full advantage of the benefits of our salvation--and every born-again Christian will have these, because God promises to give them to us at the moment of our salvation--then we will be naturals at sharing Christ and leading people to Him. By the "benefits," I mean the fullness of the Holy Spirit and also the boldness and discernment which He provides by living in our hearts. He will direct us to non-believers whose hearts He has prepared and give us the words to say at the appropriate time and place.

That's why I teach and teach and teach that we must consciously and deliberately pursue the love of Christ. Being full of His love will put us in a posture, a mindset that will make us likable to people and will draw them to us. If we are overflowing with Christ's love, people will see us and experience us as different from others. They will notice that we don't take part in office gossip. They will see that we are kind to the people who live next door. They will observe a radiance, a joy in our lives. People notice things a lot more than we give them credit for, I think. They will see that our joyful spirits are natural, not faked or forced, if the source of that joy is our love for the Lord.

How do you initiate a conversation with people about Jesus?

Well, first I believe I have to earn the right to talk to them about Him.

I'm not necessarily comfortable hitting people with the spiritual laws the first time I talk to them, except perhaps under certain circumstances, such as when I'm traveling on an airplane and know I probably won't see that person again, at least this side of heaven. But even in those cases I feel I owe them some information about myself as a person, a woman following Christ. If I strike up a conversation with someone on a plane, I say a quick silent prayer. I ask the Lord to make an opening for me to say something personal, to provide some way for them to relate to me, so I can reveal a bit about myself, something authentic, so they will know that followers of Christ are real, that we have struggles, but that we have a solution in Him.

For example, if the conversation goes this way, I may talk about my decision-making process by revealing that "God is leading me in such and such direction." That may open the door for discussion about my communication with God, my dependence on Him.

But with people who can observe me over a period of time, such as family members or co-workers or friends, I have a longer time to reveal the authenticity of a life led by the Lord. I prefer that, because I believe people need proof that what you say is true. Words can be so cheap. But actions are expensive! I think of Timothy who said he was touched by the sincere faith of his mother and grandmother.

I think people are blown away by observing sincerity. So, if I'm going to eventually talk to my neighbor about Jesus, first I'm going to pave the way by baking her a pound cake. Then I'm going to reveal bit by bit, piece by piece, how I live. And then I will make sure she knows that what she sees in me is not about who I am, but Who He is. The danger, of course, with living a life of sincerity in full view of people who can be influenced by your actions, is not telling them in words just exactly Who is the Source of your character, the side of yourself that you are revealing, the persona which, I hope, is showing to them Christ. So I have to be disciplined enough to deliberately reveal to them that the character they are seeing is really Christ's character.

It's a step-by-step and, frankly, rather detailed process which includes both action and words, and it should be done with as much care as we give other tasks such as managing our finances. Witnessing should not just happen to us. We should make it happen. We should manage the process.

Is there a wrong way to do this? Are there pitfalls to avoid?

I have to be careful that I'm not just seeking another notch on my spiritual belt.

I personally believe in seed-planting. That's the notion that one person may plant a seed and another person sent by God may water it, harvest it and so on. I have to respect that process, which is God's creation and plan. And I have to be willing to be only the planter or the waterer on some occasions.

Learning to discern those steps takes an understanding of scriptural truths and being in constant communication with God, who directs all our steps if we are in His will.

Leading people to the Lord should be a process of humility, not self- aggrandizement.

Tell us more about being at the center of God's will.

I can tell when I'm living in God's will by how my family operates. With a heavy travel schedule, things at home can be quite hectic or--believe it or not--they can be surprisingly calm. But I find that the schedule itself is not what causes the chaos. It's the degree to which I'm living at the center of God's will. If I'm doing so, then what appears impossible to accomplish becomes quite possible. And when I'm out of the center of His will, I find that the least amount of stress, such as a tiny change in my schedule, will make me crazy.

For example, when my children seem irritable or there's a lot of turmoil in my household, then I know that I'm out of balance. I believe that, although the man is the head of the household, the woman is its heart. In other words, Keith can come home very stressed and yet if I'm calm, then frankly the girls are not very affected by his stress. They continue to function without much disruption. But if I'm stressed, then it's felt throughout the house.

So it's between me and the Lord  to keep this balance. He's given me a gauge, which I nurture through prayer and Bible study and fellowship with others at my church.

Your walk with the Lord is very real to you.

    Absolutely. The most precious gift He's given me, besides my salvation and my calling, is a passionate love for Him. I've prayed for this since I was in my twenties. He draws me to Himself, and yet I ask for more. People often inquire of me if I "like" what I do, my calling. Of course I enjoy what he's called me to do, but that's irrelevant, because I'm so compelled to do it. I absolutely love to spend time with the Lord in Bible study and prayer. I can't not do it. It's like breathing to me. And I believe that this desire is actually a gift from Him.

In my lighter moments, I tell people that really what God is doing is keeping me under His thumb. He can't trust me for a minute! You know how some people say they're on a long leash? Well, I say the Lord has me on a keychain.

You can laugh about that, but, actually, there's a lot of theological truth to it. I know I would not be as disciplined to accomplish writing Bible studies and speaking engagements if God did not hold me tightly to Himself. I'm thankful to Him, and  I ask Him--no, I beg Him--to do more of it!

Share with our readers an anecdote of how God used your on mission life to draw someone to Him.

Once I got a letter from a woman who had gone through a 10-week study. They met in someone's living room and, at the end of the course, they took turns sharing their responses. This woman admitted that, because of what she had learned from God's Word, she had decided to receive Christ as her Savior. Everyone in the study assumed that all the others were already committed Christians, but this woman had never taken that step. In her past, she had seen hypocrisy, had observed people who weren't good examples of the faith. Now she wanted to take that step, which she did with these women with whom she had studied. Her letter to tell me about it was a real blessing.

People sometimes come up to me at the end of a talk and ask me to pray with them as they receive Christ. When they do that, I always write in their Bibles that I witnessed this deliberate step on their part and that I can testify to its truth. Then I explain to them that the reason is so when Satan tries to trick them into believing that they really are not saved, that they do not belong to the Lord, they can read this notation I have made and know the truth.

I also suggest that they join and become active in a church body as soon as possible after taking this essential step. That's where they will find others at various stages of Christian growth, and it will be so helpful to them in times of trouble and doubt. And, of course, it will be fun as well.

It's so important to disciple each other, to mentor and encourage other believers. Life does not necessarily become easy when we accept Christ as our Savior. In fact, sometimes it actually becomes harder. Satan uses this trick to deceive us, to discourage us, to try to stymie our growth. But believers can demonstrate to each other how the love of Christ "looks."

Witnessing to non-believers and sharing how Christ is working in our lives, even with fellow believers, should have a supernatural quality which comes from prayer--specific prayer for those things that are lacking. We need to pray for a passion from God so that witnessing is not such hard work. We should ask Him to make His Son so real to us--and in us--that others will see Him and know Him. We must pray for the desire to share Him plus the circumstances and boldness to do so. God changes hearts, so He can make a person eager to share Christ. But to be obedient, we have to ask for that heart change. And He will grant it.