On Mission; Start With Your Heart

Being missional is an adventure that starts with a heart that is captivated by Jesus.  It’s an adventure to see what He might do if I am available to hear and obey Him in the press of everyday stuff.  That takes a quiet heart, one that is not caught up in everything around me. A heart that is listening for that still, small voice that says, “this way…,”  a heart  that is able to push past the noisy demands of the world to recognize a kairos moment.

Kairos moments are those opportunities we might call Divine appointments, serendipity, or even coincidence. They are the moments that make you go, “who would have thought….?”  Being missional means I am growing in my capacity to recognize the God moments of each day.  They may come in various forms:  an interruption, a change in plans, or an unexpected encounter with someone who crosses my path.  In those humanly unplanned moments, can I perceive  the Divine opportunity before me -to love as He does? To speak His words? To offer what is needed?

Four steps to start:
1. Bring your desire to make a difference to the Lord. 
Ask Him to lead you.  Talk with Him about your desire to be used by Him.  Mother Theresa has written, “Everything starts from prayer.  Without asking God for love, we cannot possess love and still less are we able to give it to others.”  When our love for Him overflows, we are able to respond as He would.

2. Ask Him for friends who will journey with you on the adventure. 
Going it alone is hard.  Having friends who will commit with you to step out in faith and be there when it gets tough is essential.  The Scriptures say it well:  “A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer...”  We need each other!

3. Ask Him to give you His eyes for the opportunities He has for you and the capacity to hear His voice. Learn to recognize His voice by knowing His Word.  “My sheep hear My voice; they know Me and they follow Me.”  Pay attention to His promptings.  

4. Act on what He shows you to do. 
Henry Blackaby has said, “If the God of the universe gives you a little assignment, can it every be a little assignment?”  When God shows us to do something, we never know how it’s going to come out.  this is the adventure of living by faith and trusting that He will use you for His glory.  Luke 16:10 teaches us “one who is faithful in little will be faithful in much.”  As we respond to Him in obedience, He is able to trust us with more and more of His agenda.

To be ready for His adventure, start with your heart. If, in your heart of hearts, you realize that you are not ready, start with this thought. A friend of mine always says, “If you’re not willing now, are you willing to be made willing?”  Give God your willingness to be made willing. He is able to bring about the kind of love in our hearts that takes us out of our comfort zones and into His kairos moments.  Let’s trust Him to do that and see what happens next!

About Andrea

On any given day you might find Andrea in a meeting, on a plane, or in some part of the world where she meets amazing people and sees just a few of the awesome ways that God is working.  She serves as the Global VP for Leadership Development and HR with Campus Crusade for Christ.  When she’s home, she enjoy books, time with friends and occasionally gets to the beach.

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