How can I increase my desire for soul winning?

from the old testament

• God values all people and desires that none perish. Jonah’s mission to Nineveh illustrates God’s compassion for even those far from Him (Jonah 4:2; 3:10).
• God calls His people to influence others for His purposes. Abraham was called to bless all nations through his obedience (Genesis 12:2-3), and Moses was tasked with leading Israel and proclaiming God’s truth to Pharaoh and the people (Exodus 3:10; 4:12).
• Prophets were sent to guide people back to God, emphasizing the eternal importance of declaring God’s truth. Isaiah and Jeremiah repeatedly called the people to repentance and faithfulness (Isaiah 6:8; Jeremiah 1:7-10).

from the new testament

• When Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission, He did not tell His disciples to convert the nations (Matthew 28:18–20); He told them to teach and to make disciples. God is the One who works in the hearts of others to hear and respond to the gospel. We are called to be faithful in teaching people who God is and how to follow Him.
• Another commission is given in Acts 1:8: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Here the disciples are told they will be witnesses. Witnesses tell what they have experienced. They are not responsible to convince the hearers of the truth of what they say.
• Jesus said in John 12:32, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." Jesus will draw people to Himself—it's not our job (and we don't have the ability), so we shouldn't fool ourselves into thinking it is our responsibility. Biblical "soul winning," then, is witnessing, not necessarily persuading.
• However, we see through the entire book of Acts that both Peter and Paul witnessed persuasively and passionately while sharing their testimonies (Acts 18:4; 19:26; Acts 26:28; 2 Corinthians 5:11).

implications for today

Knowing we are called to witness and reflect who God is, and that God will draw people to Himself, how can we increase our desire for soul winning? The only way to increase our desire for soul winning permanently is to ask God to increase our desire to witness. It's not something we can work up for ourselves; we must walk at the direction of the Holy Spirit, asking God to lead us. We can witness in our own strength, but that lasts only a while. Reading the Bible and understanding man's hopelessness and ultimate destination without Jesus does help. Romans 3:23 says that all men have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Then Romans 6:23 states that "the wages of sin is death." These two verses taken together make it clear that all men in and of themselves are doomed. We can ask God to make this truth real to us and to give us His love for all men. The assurance that, without Jesus, mankind is doomed and a real love for people will lead us to want to tell them of the only way they can be saved from sure destruction, which is through Jesus. Acts 4:12 says, "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." It is also helpful to think about the ways God works in our own lives. The more we know God and experience life in Him, the more we will want to share that life with others. Steeping ourselves in God's truth will help transform our minds and align our hearts with His.

God is the one who draws men to Him for salvation. He is the One who wins souls. We can ask Him to create in us the desire to witness and the courage to do so. He will take care of the rest.