The Time is Now

The world constantly tells you that standing in public to speak about Jesus is risky, and your body believes it. The racing heart, the dry mouth, the shaking hands are real, but anxiety before preaching is a signal to prepare, not a sign that you're unfit. Since you were never meant to preach in your own strength, you can learn to walk through the fear instead of waiting for it to leave. How? Two things:

Preparation- anxiety feeds on the unknown, so remove as much of it as you can. Know your message, rehearse your opening lines, and have a few Scriptures ready. The more settled you are in the Word, the less you'll worry about what to say when the crowd gathers.

Prayer- prayer calms the heart and steadies the voice. Before you step out, pray that the Holy Spirit will give you peace, put the words in your mouth, and fix your eyes on the souls in front of you instead of on yourself. Anxiety shrinks when your focus shifts from "how do I look?" to "who needs to hear this?"

The more you do these, the less anxious you'll feel about preaching open air, and the more you'll see that God shows up when you do.