One of the greatest tests of our Christianity is not what we do in church. It is how we respond when life catches us off guard.

Many years ago, when Global Harvest Church was still a young ministry in Ibadan, we were preparing for a major programme. In those days, things were very different from what they are today. There were no AI tools or easy-to-use design applications that could produce quality publication artworks in minutes. If you wanted a flyer designed, you had to spend hours at a cyber café.

On one particular day, I had been fasting. I arrived at the cyber café around 9:00 a.m. and did not finish with the flyer I went for until about 4:00 p.m. By then, I was physically exhausted, hungry, and eager to return to the church office.

As I stepped outside, I discovered that a large truck had parked directly behind my car, completely blocking it. Workers were busy offloading goods, a process that looked like it would take several hours.
My driver pleaded with them to move the truck, but they refused.
By this time, my patience had worn thin.
I got out of the car and confronted them rather passionately.
Then, in the middle of my frustration, I heard someone say,

“Reverend, please take it easy.”

Those five words brought me back to myself.
Immediately, I became quiet, turned around, entered my car, and waited.
Not because the situation had changed.
Not because the truck had moved.
But because I suddenly remembered that people were watching.

The Reality Every Believer Must Face

Whether we realise it or not, every Christian is being observed by someone.
People may never attend your church.
They may never listen to your sermons.
They may never read their Bible.
But they are reading your life every single day.

The Apostle Paul reminds us:
“You are our epistle… known and read by all men.” (2 Corinthians 3:2)

Long before we open our mouths to preach Christ, people have already formed an opinion about Him through the way we conduct ourselves.

Anyone can appear spiritual when everything is going well.
It is easy to smile when life is comfortable.
It is easy to speak kindly when nothing is irritating you.
But hunger…
Fatigue…
Disappointment…
Delay…
Misunderstanding…
These are the moments that reveal what is truly happening inside us.
Notice that I had been fasting all day.
I had spent seven exhausting hours trying to finish an important assignment for God’s work.
Yet none of those things excused losing control.
Our circumstances may explain our behaviour, but they never justify sinful behaviour.
The fruit of the Spirit is expected not only during convenient moments, but especially during inconvenient ones.

Sometimes we imagine that our influence is limited to church services or ministry platforms.
That incident quickly reminded me that It isn’t.
Your witness follows you to the office.
It follows you into traffic.
It follows you into restaurants.
It follows you to the marketplace.
It follows you online.
Every interaction becomes an opportunity either to recommend Christ or to misrepresent Him.
That day, God did not use an angel to correct me.
He simply used the voice of someone who recognised me.
“Reverend, please take it easy.”

It was a gentle reminder that my life belonged not only to me but also to the Christ I represented.

One of the greatest prayers we can pray is not merely,
“Lord, use me.”
It is also,
“Lord, help me to represent You well.”
The world does not need Christians who only know Scripture.
The world needs believers whose lives give credibility to the Scripture they preach.
Our goal is not to protect our reputation.
Our goal is to honour Christ’s reputation.
When people remember us, they also remember the One we follow.

When you wake up every day, I want you to always do this:

• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you respond with grace, especially in moments of pressure.
• Remember that your private reactions often become your public testimony.
• Before responding in anger, ask yourself: “If someone knew I was a follower of Christ, would this response honour Him?”
• Make it your daily commitment to represent Jesus well wherever you go.

There may not always be someone around to say, “Please take it easy.”
But the Holy Spirit is always present.
Learn to listen to His gentle prompting before your emotions speak louder than your faith.
May our lives preach Christ just as loudly as our words do.

-Victor Adeyemi