The minute I set out on this journey of great depths, the one thing I said was, ” If all I learn from this, is how to be obedient to my father it will be worth it.” That proclamation has stayed true for the last six months. The Lord has allowed me to learn how to be obedient. He has taught me to recognize the sound of his voice. God has revealed to me and directed me towards his plans that HE has for me, rather than the plans I made for myself.
Matthew 18:1-4 says, “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Our sovereign God has peeled back my pride, my ego, my questions, my wants, or whatever I think is best for me and made me like a child at his feet. I stand at a distance from him just to look up to see his face. At that moment I point my hand towards him and sprint with all I have to later smash into his chest with the side of my cheek screaming, “That’s my daddy!! That’s my daddy.” His arms embrace me as I sink into his holy presence. To be like a child is to have child like faith. This type of faith follows at the fathers feet, in sink with his footprints he has layed out before you. If you miss one, who knows where you will end up. As a child, your mindset is not to make a path right along side the footprints that have been made by your daddy in the sand. Your goal is to ultimately put your baby foot in every footprint your daddy’s foot has made. Every footprint, every step, works together to get you to the end.
I see this analogy to be vividly true in my life. If I miss a footstep on my journey with my father, I might miss the end goal, or it will take me longer to get there.
I am walking with him, I am listening to him. He is not a God of only silence. He will speak with you as well. He will have conversation with you through the spirit. The Holy Spirit has been unveiling the wants of the father in my life. The favor of the Lord has been directing me into the paths he has for me. I am pouring out with gratitude for His direction. I am humbled by his calling on my life.
God has taught me my passions, and where I most effectively advance his kingdom. He is glorified when I am serving him through sports ministry. This is a calling on my life that he has pointed me towards.
He brought me through the fire and the flames to bring me to a land of milk and honey. I was broken before I could receive what he had to tell me. Cambodia was a breaking point for me. It showed me how crucial it is to recognize my daddy’s voice, because when I’m surrounded by darkness and I have no way out who will I listen to? He brought me out of the darkest place I’ve stepped foot in, to a place of learning and growing at rapid measures. My host is someone God graciously allowed me to connect with, to know that he had something I needed. He has been leading sports ministry in Africa for years. He teaches and equips leaders in the sports world on how to use their gifts to glorify the father. The ministry I have been doing has been sports ministry. My host has come along side me, and walked me through how to advance the kingdom in a way that is effective using sports. He has been the father’s hands and feet in my life. Never have I been so grateful for a man of the Lord to enter my life. This man has reminded me of where I stand in the kingdom of God, and it is close to the father. I am only a glove to my daddy’s hand. I go where he goes, and I do what he does.
Obedience is not a choice, it’s a demand. Children obey their father, as I will always obey my heavenly father. Whether it’s difficult, lonely, or tiring there is no reason to ask the Lord to wait on you, while you try to live your life before you choose to obey him. Life is too short to lose sight of time.
In this time of my life God has showed me where I need to direct my eyes, and my steps. He has allowed me to find clarity in him, and he is using my passions for his good. God has called me home. He has not called me away from ministry, he is calling me to ministry. This is a crucial time in my life, and a vulnerable time for the devil to work. This is a battle field I am fighting on. God has blessed me with knowing the ministry that my heart craves. He is showing me where that ministry needs to be. As I leave South Africa, I will be taking that ministry to America. I am following the vision I received from the father and relying on him to supply the need of sports ministry in my home town, by using me.
The race is not a race with a finish line. The race is a lifestyle with Jesus as your focus. Wherever he is, is where you go. I am endlessly grateful for the World Race supplying me with a host that has taught me how to live with the spirit directing my every step. I am thankful for the teammates and squad mates who have made an eternal effect on my life, and pointed me towards the kingdom of God.
Devoting yourself fully to what the Lord is showing you looks like sacrifice. It would be easier to stay on the race. It would be less questions, less hassle, and easier ministry opportunities. God did not say it would be easy. I am not willing to lose sight of my focus and wait until I get home to do what I know the Lord is calling me to do now. Satan is too deceiving for me to put myself on the front lines in this battle. I am devoting myself fully to what the Lord has asked of me, and in His time, not mine. I will not look to the right or to the left, but on Him and his footsteps.
I will follow in step with the pattern of his stride. I will thank him for the opportunity to glorify his name. You only have one life, and it passes in the blink of an eye. Build up his kingdom with this one life.
See you on March 4th 2016!
??
