Four Simple (But Not Always Easy) Ways to Live Out Your Faith

“But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5

Sometimes the Bible speaks so clearly, it feels like a direct message. No fluff. No theological footnotes. Just one solid sentence packed with real-life wisdom—and this one is a prime example.

Four short phrases that tell us how to live well as people of faith, especially when life gets a little shaky.

Let’s walk through them, one at a time.

1. Keep your head in all situations.

Let’s be honest—life doesn’t exactly make it easy to stay calm.

Work stress, family demands, constant bad news, and just the everyday chaos of living—it’s a lot. But Paul isn’t just suggesting a chill attitude for self-care’s sake. This is something deeper.

Some translations say: be steady, stay cool, or even remain sober. Why? Because keeping your head isn’t just a personal virtue—it’s a witness to others. Calm is strangely powerful. Even contagious. When the world is rattling and you’re not, people notice. They start to ask, “Where does that peace come from?”

Not long after I became a Christian at 18, I lost my job at a chemical company due to some budget cuts. Thankfully, I found another job pretty quickly, and I moved on without much fuss. I didn’t think much of it at the time—no dramatic prayers, no big speeches.

But years later, my younger brother told me that the way I handled that situation stuck with him. It wasn’t what I said—it was what I didn’t say. He saw something unshaken in me. And shortly afterwards, he gave his life to Jesus. He’s now a Vicar in Leeds.

Encouragement: Your calm in the storm might be someone else’s first glimpse of God. Don’t underestimate the quiet power of steadiness.

2. Endure hardship

Now this one doesn’t exactly scream Instagram-worthy quote. You won’t find “Endure hardship” framed in cursive on a kitchen wall. But it’s real. It’s raw. And it matters.

Faith isn’t proven in comfort. Like precious metal, it’s tested—and refined—in fire.

I’m not the only person who’s experienced the heartbreak of a marriage breakdown. However, I might be the only one reading this who went through it while also serving as the Vicar of a church.

And let me tell you, the spotlight of public ministry doesn’t make heartbreak any easier. Most people were incredibly kind, yes. But not everyone. I bore criticism, whispers, and assumptions, often from people who knew nothing about the situation.

And yet, through all of that, I clung to Jesus.

Here’s what I learned: when people see you still trusting God even in the valley, something stirs in them. They wonder, “Maybe there’s something real about this faith after all.”

Encouragement: Your suffering doesn’t disqualify you—it qualifies you. Your pain might just be the doorway through which someone else walks to find hope.

3. Do the work of an evangelist

This one can feel intimidating. The word “evangelist” conjures up images of microphones, stages, and shouting preachers on street corners. And if that’s not you, your first instinct might be to quietly shuffle this instruction to the “not for me” pile.

But Paul isn’t asking for a performance. He’s not handing you a mic. He’s inviting you to show up.

Being an evangelist can be as simple as sitting with your grieving neighbour and saying, “I don’t have all the answers, but I believe God walks with us in pain. Would it be okay if I prayed for you?” That’s it. No script. No spotlight. Just presence.

Evangelism isn’t about volume—it’s about authenticity. About sharing the story God is writing in your life, one ordinary conversation at a time.

Encouragement: You don’t need to preach. Just show up as yourself, with a listening ear and a prayerful heart. That’s where the gospel comes alive.

4. Discharge all the duties of your ministry

Now, before you panic—this isn’t a call to become a church leader. Paul isn’t saying everyone needs to be ordained or start a ministry with a name and a website.

But you do have a ministry. Yes, you. And it likely looks beautifully ordinary.

Your ministry might be hospitality. Encouragement. Patience. Being a steady presence in your workplace. Offering kindness on the school run. Saying a quiet prayer for someone at the checkout in Morrisons or in our local coffee shop in town.

It might just be showing up, over and over, even when no one else notices.

That’s ministry. It’s being faithful in the small things. It’s saying “Yes” to what God places in your hands each day.

Encouragement: You don’t need a title. You don’t need a platform. You just need to be faithful where you are, and trust that God is at work—even when it doesn’t feel dramatic.

So let’s sum it up:

• Keep your head—even when everyone else is losing theirs.

• Endure hardship—even when it hurts.

• Do the work of an evangelist—even when it feels scary.

• Discharge your ministry—even when it feels unseen.

These aren’t glamorous instructions. They’re not flashy. But they’re powerful. Because when ordinary people live with this kind of quiet faithfulness, extraordinary things can happen.

You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be available. That’s when God does the rest.

Let this be a gentle reminder: your life might be the only gospel some people ever read. So live it with calm. Live it with courage.

And live it like it matters—because it really, really does.