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In Romans 10, we can find instruction for accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior: we confess that Jesus is Lord and believe God has raised Him from the dead. The author of the book, the apostle Paul, goes on to write:
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?"
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

How shall they hear? the apostle asks.  We may not have all been ordained into the formal ministry, but we have all been sent to share the good news of Jesus Christ.  If we have had the salvation experience and have been born again, then we are responsible to share what God has done in our hearts. It doesn't require a special calling, but it does takes a willingness to share and obedience to the Spirit to direct our paths and to love and speak through us.

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In the one-chapter book of Philemon, we find this admonition, which is really a precursor to Paul's appeal to the recipient to restore a relationship with a former slave. He writes:
4 I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers,
5 hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints,
6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

One of the short features that you can hear on Faith Radio is Share Life Today with John Sorenson, who leads the enduring ministry Evangelism Explosion International.  The ministry encourages and equips believers in Christ to effectively share their faith.

Evangelism Explosion has partnered with Lifeway Research for a new survey, and the main point is found early in the survey summary: 

Christians say they’re seeking evangelistic conversations but not actually having them.

The summary of the survey, which consisted of "self-identified Christians," goes on to say that "The number of those who are never or rarely active...and those who are somewhat or very active...in evangelism are nearly identical." The number: 50% in each group. And, according to the summary: "...there’s a larger percentage who are never active (24%) as compared to the very active (13%) group."

The article goes on to highlight what it calls, "eight traits" that are "predictive of an evangelistic Christian."  Those traits are as follows:

1. Connect faith to everyday life

2. Biblical beliefs about heaven

3. Open to faith conversations

4. Warm feelings toward evangelism

5. Ready for evangelism

6. Embrace responsibility

7. Positive perceptions of evangelism

8. Training in evangelism.

I wanted to drill down just a bit on a couple of these traits. It seems from the research that the level of desire to share one's faith is directly related to the amount of evangelism in which one participates.  In the section of the article elaborating on trait #4: "Warm feelings toward evangelism," we find this paragraph:

A Christian’s feelings toward evangelism provide significant insight into their level of engagement with evangelism. Individuals who are very active in evangelism are most likely to be eager (37%) and willing (68%) and least likely to be indifferent (4%) toward evangelism. As Christians cultivate a willingness and eagerness to evangelize, they’re more likely to participate in evangelism more frequently.

This desire to be involved in sharing one's faith can certainly lead to a readiness to share the gospel, as trait #5 illustrates. The summary relates that among those who are not active in evangelism, only 1% "try to bring up faith in conversations with everyone;" only 6% “look for natural opportunities to bring up faith." A couple of other tidbits: 

"those very active in evangelism are most likely to try to bring up faith (35%)." 

And, "those never active in evangelism are the most likely to say they are 'not sure what information needs to be shared or where to start' (51%)."

The summary goes on to offer some perspective, stating, with regard to evangelism:

The fundamental starting point should be an assurance of their own salvation. If a Christian isn’t certain why they should get into heaven, it’s logical they would have less incentive to share with others.

Another step is addressing how someone feels about Christianity and their impressions of sharing Christ with others. When one believes their faith impacts all aspects of life, it’s likely to affect how they feel about sharing with others. There should be a concerted effort to help people understand evangelism is not meant to be offensive but a truth to be generously shared out of love and concern for others. Finally, training is valuable, as people who feel more ready are more active in evangelism. There’s room to debate the specific technique but not the accessibility and application of training.

When we think about sharing our faith, I think it's important that everyone who claims to be a Christian asks a fundamental question: Do you know Christ? Interestingly enough, the survey indicates "Only 30% of those who never engage in evangelism profess Christian beliefs when asked why God should let them in heaven."  It has been said that you cannot share what you do not have.  If we are not convinced of our own salvation, then I would think it would be difficult to share that with others.

The enemy will attempt to inject fear into our minds and we can become resistant or hesitant to share.  These 8 characteristics can really cause us to think about whether or not we are ready and willing to share what Christ has done for us.   We can stand strong against fear and intimidation that would choke out what God wants to do in our lives, which includes telling others about Jesus.  If we are saved, then God has given us a testimony, a story to tell, and we can be faithful to share what He has done.