No one would accuse the Apostle Paul of being fearful or timid about proclaiming the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And yet he asked for prayer that he would have the boldness, courage, and the right words to proclaim the gospel.
Why is it so hard for us to do what the Lord has called us to do-- that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak? For one thing, when we tell others the gospel, we are on the front lines of an intense spiritual war; For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:11-12)
Our spiritual enemies will do whatever they can to stop unbelievers from hearing the gospel and whatever they can do to dissuade us from telling others how they can have forgiveness of sins and be reconciled to God.
Everyone wants to be liked, but proclaiming the gospel will probably cause people to dislike us, even to hate us, because the gospel is convicting and offensive. For this reason they hated and eventually crucified our Lord, as well as, killed Paul and all the other Apostles. Proclaiming this gospel will likely cause us to lose friends, offend family members, and may even cause us persecution. While still rare in America, many Christians are martyred everyday in other parts of the world simply because they openly proclaim their faith in Jesus Christ.
We must all someday stand before the Lord in judgment; So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Romans 14:12) And when we do, it won't matter if we were popular or well liked by others. What will matter is were we obedient to our Lord and did we proclaim His gospel of reconciliation as faithful ambassadors of Christ? Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20) Maranatha!