WHY should I consider Expedition237

Understanding God's Will for Your Life

He chose a different plan.. He went out and found 12 men, many followers (many of whom were women) and lived life-on-life with them. He loved them, briefed them, sent them out, debriefed them, trained them, and encouraged them. I imagine there were many nights that they sat around the camp fires roasting kosher hot dogs when he stopped their conversation and said, "No, no, no, the Kingdom of God is like this..."

 

See, He chose to mobilize nationals - soon to be converted Jews - and He sent them out. Then one day He left them. And when we look over what took place we see that they turned the world upside-down.

 

You are His chosen vehicle to see the nations reached. You are His choice. So take heart. If you are reading this you are in a good place. So let's check out five simple, practical ways that I believe will give insight and help.

 

So get out your Bible and a piece of paper. No test will be given, but take your time and think and of course pray. Maybe you will want to do this with a friend that knows you well but also one that is willing to give you honest input.

1. What does the Bible say about seeking God's future for your life?

First here are three things the Bible says will stand in the way of knowing God's will:

 

• Ps. 18:24-26 - A heart that is not pure before the Lord, cannot know His will.
• Ps. 66:18-19 - The one who cherishes sin more than holiness will never know His will.
• James 4:7-8 - The one who fails to resist the devil and His plan for their life, and refuses to draw near to God, will never know His will.

 

So, what does the Bible say about seeking His will for your future?

 

• Jeremiah 29:11-14 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.
• Jeremiah 33:3 - The Lord will speak clearly to you in regard to His will for your life if you call out to Him.
•   Ps: 119:105 - Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
• Proverbs 12:15 - The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.
• Proverbs 15:22 - Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed.
• Isaiah 32:17 - The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.
• Philippians 1:6 - Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

 

Now finally here are some words of encouragement. God always equips us to do what he calls us to do. If you aren't gifted in a certain area, God is probably not calling you to minister in that area. Remember that God's ultimate purpose for all of us is that He would be glorified and that the gospel and God's kingdom would be advanced.

 

Some additional scriptures to meditate on are: Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 10:31 and 12:1-11, and Ephesians 4:11-13.

 

2. What does your common sense tell you?

Many times people will talk about a desire to work with certain people and yet they make no attempt to learn about or build relationships with these people while in the US. Common sense will tell you that your passion should spill over into almost every aspect of your life. Do you love or have a strong interest in other cultures? How many friends do you have with people of other cultures? Do you have a track record of consistent ministry? Are you growing in your personal relationship with Jesus? Are you willing to set into motion a set of events to explore your dream?

 

3. How is your leadership (those who know you best) affirming you?

Are you in touch with those you have community with? Who are those you look to and see as your spiritual leadership? Have you sat down and shared with them your thoughts and dreams? If not, you need to do so. When you decide to head cross-culturally, you will want to have a community behind you. People who love you, pray for you, and now have the opportunity to invest in your life because you have invested in theirs. So, if you have not spoken to your leadership, set up an appointment today!

 

4. Can others help you identify how your passion for Jesus is best expressed?

This is a great place to enlist the help of others. What are others saying about you? How would they describe the expression of your faith? How is it that your faith and passion work itself out into everyday life? What is your sweet spot? How are you wired up? If you could write your own job description what would it be?

Many people feel that in order to be a great leader you must be great in every area. Not true. When you work to be well-rounded you become mediocre in everything. Work to identify the two or three things you're exceptional at. Then take these and lay them overtop a global matrix of opportunities. We can help you do that.

 

5. What does your heart tell you?

One final question. Does this make any sense? Now some may call you crazy for leaving a job, taking time out of a career, or setting aside what could be financial security. But what is your heart telling you? You have worked through the other four steps, gained a consensus, looked deep into yourself to examine how you're wired up, and maybe you've had to make some changes but you're ready.

 

So what is your heart telling you? Don't let fear sideline you. He is a big God and my prayer is that you will have the confidence and courage to fulfill your dreams even if it isn't cross-cultural work. So get going, get trained, and get living!

 

One final note:

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is found in Samuel. Let's set the scene. You have David's family preparing for the arrival of an important visitor, a VIP, Samuel the Prophet. David's father, Jesse, was busy preparing and told his sons to get ready because he knows Samuel is going to anoint a new king for Israel.

 

Each son was busy getting primped. I'm sure each was visualizing what they would do when they were picked. They all had their acceptance speech ready. But where was David? Nobody was thinking of him. He was busy caring for his fathers animals. He was doing what he was told to do. He could have left the sheep and tried to engineer his own effort to have his voice heard. He could have maneuvered so that his face would be seen. But he didn't. He remained busy doing what he knew he was supposed to do. He was busy being faithful.

 

Finally Samuel comes onto the scene. I'm sure everyone wanted a piece of his attention. After getting cleaned up and eating supper, he asks Jesse to gather up his sons. Everyone thought the moment of truth has arrived. Samuel took a good hard look at the candidates. He thought, hmmm, it must be him, but God said no.

 

Okay, then it must be him. Again God said no. Finally after looking over the entire bunch Samuel asks Jesse, "do you have anyone else?" Jesse took a moment to answer, hmmm? Oh yea; I do have another son, David.

Well, right about now you may be thinking, wow, now I know what Jesse must have thought of David, nothing! The servants went to get David, he got cleaned up, and Samuel sensed God's favor on him. He was the one!

Now, I'm not sure it happened exactly like this but I don't think I'm far off. The point though is while David was being faithful, while David was doing what he thought he should be doing, God saw him. Though David didn't show up in the right place at the right time, God went and got him.

 

In other words, work at being faithful. Work at knowing God, sharpening your skills, talents, and passions through ministry involvement and training. And if you happen not to be in the right place at the right time, God will come and get you. This is what a loving, redemptive God does!

 

Press into Him and press on!