As we gather with family and friends each holiday season, what should be a meaningful and hopeful time can often become stressful and strained. We forget the joy of the Christmas message: God with us. It's a message that everyone needs to hear because only the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings dead people to life again. And it's a message that Satan is working around the clock to bury and stifle.

That is why Christians must be on guard to keep the joy of our salvation ever before us. We must not allow Satan a foothold to distract us from the wonder of Christmas and render us ineffective to share the hope of Christ with our family, friends, and neighbors.

• Invite your family, friends, and neighbors to church or to a Gospel-centered event so they can have an opportunity to hear the Good News of Christmas.
• Build relationships of care and trust by showing hospitality or by meeting a need. Show people that you see them and so does the Lord.
• Don't shy away from asking deep questions about issues of eternal significance. Be bold to begin conversations that delve into life's deep problems and motivations, and trust God for opportunities to share how He answers the profound longings of our heart.
• Remember: Eternal salvation is at stake. So, make the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:16), trusting that the Holy Spirit will give you words to say (Luke 12:12), that God's Word does not return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11), and that God is the one who changes hearts (Ezekiel 36:26)—we have only to obey the call to go and tell others the Good News.