There are so many blog posts that I have been in the process of “writing” but as time goes by, God reveals more to me about each post to take it into a different direction than I originally planned. There is so much that God is doing in the lives of the people around us in each country we go to but also so much God is doing in my life and the lives of my teammates and squad mates.
Currently, my team and I are in South Africa. We are staying in an area of Cape Town called Ocean View and are working with Bradley Barnes who is a local that started his own ministry in Cape Town called Kingdom Sports Ministries after he accepted Christ and ended his professional soccer career. Each day we are busy sharing the love of Christ in Ocean View and at a neighboring school as we teach children how to play sports and stay physically active.
For myself, being a physically active person, I have really enjoyed working with Bradley and his family so far. We have had many opportunities to share the love of God with the locals and their children. But one unforeseen avenue God has used to open many doors for me to minister is the simple fact of me having dreads. I cannot tell you how many times I get stopped at the grocery store, on the beach, or even in our little neighborhood by people of all ages asking, “Are you Rasta?”
That simple question not only makes me chuckle, but it also opens up the door for me to share my faith with countless individuals and has allowed God to work through my words to take so many people to the EDGE.
What is the edge? There are many “edges” in life and with me being an adventure seeker; I have spent many times hanging off of edges of cliffs and mountains. But the most important edge is the edge of the cliff one stands on before making that final decision to jump into a relationship with God. And just like I love going to the edge in the physical aspect, I LOVE taking people to the edge in the spiritual aspect.
Many of you know about my recent experience in Nepal where God paid for me to go canyon swinging at the world’s tallest canyon swing. That once in a lifetime experience has helped me take so many people to the edge of making a decision to live for God.
About two weeks ago, God used my dreads to stop a man on the beach to ask if I was Rasta. We were led into a conversation where I found out the man believes there is a God, but unlike his mother and sister, he has never made a decision to follow God. He has never made the decision to jump off the edge into a life of no regrets in following our Savior.
While I would LOVE to say I was able to lead the man, John, to the Lord, I can only say I took him to the edge. Like many South African’s, John knows about God, but is afraid to make the jump off the edge. In talking with him, I asked what is stopping him from making the decision.
His response? “I am afraid to make that step.”
God quickly reminded me of my fun adventure in Nepal and how for a brief second I was afraid to jump off the bridge into the canyon and how it is so similar to that brief moment right before you decide to live for God or not.
I told John how I had gone canyon swinging and as I stood on the bridge and looked into the canyon below I was scared to make that jump off the edge. FEAR almost paralyzed me from having a fun adventure, just like fear often paralyzes people to make the decision to follow Christ.
Just like fear could prohibit one from jumping off the edge of a bridge into a canyon, fear can hinder people from jumping off the edge into a relationship with God. Fear of the unknown, fear of what people will think, fear of getting hurt, and fear that life will never be the same stops so many from leaping into the arms of Christ.
I explained to John, however, that even though I was afraid to jump, I did. Had I allowed fear to stop me, I would have missed out on one of the most awesome experiences of my life. It is so much the same with making a decision for Christ. Fear can limit the decisions we make and stop us from jumping off the edge into the best relationship anyone in this world will ever have.
This concept doesn’t just apply to those needing to accept Christ, however. Fear has stopped me from jumping off the edge into different ministries, talking to certain people God is leading me to talk to, giving to certain ministries, or making life changing decisions God is pushing me towards.
God has not only used my time canyon swinging to speak into lives of others to take them to that edge of making a decision for Christ, but has also spoken to me to not be afraid of the edge and continue living a life of jumping into the unknown to live a life for God, a life of no regrets and full throttle adventure.
I want to encourage each reader, if you have not made the choice to jump off the edge into a relationship with God, don’t let fear stop you. You can jump today!
And, if you are a believer and God is calling you to jump off the edge into a deeper relationship with God however that might look for you, don’t let fear paralyze you from living your life to the fullest.
Be an adrenaline junky in the life you have and jump off the edge.
