It may come as a surprise to some, but my acceptance to the World Race was not as simple as, “You absolutely belong on this team!” In fact, my phone conversation was not a full acceptance. It felt like being boxed in, or that’s what I thought…
The phone call went something like this:
Charles,
We really love what the Lord is doing in your life. After much prayer and consideration, we believe you belong on the 10/40 Expedition Team. But, we have two stipulations:
1. You need to be abstinent until the race begins. We understand you have a girlfriend you’ve been dating for a year. We are happy you recognize that God wants you to be abstinent, but we believe your lack of obedience in this area will limit you on the race. You need to commit to God’s will for your life and be abstinent until launch in April (and beyond) if you want to be on this team.
2. You need to have an accountability person. You need to check in with him on a weekly basis and he will need to fill out a survey on your progress before you start the race.
WHAT?! YOU’VE GOT TO BE… at least that what my flesh was saying. I told my interviewer that I would need to talk it over with some people and think about it… we agreed I would provide an answer in two weeks. I immediately began discussing it with my parents, my girlfriend, friends, and colleagues.
During those two weeks, part of me thought, “Who are these guys?! Should I really allow them to dictate what I can and cannot do? Am I really going to submit to another set of rules after just leaving the military?”
The other part of me thought, “Well, I’ve been trying to clean things up for a while now.” Surprisingly, I felt a subtle voice saying, “Blame me. I can handle them.” Some of you are thinking, “What? God would not say, blame me… or would he?”
In Luke 9:59-60, Jesus said to a man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus replied to the man, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Still think that voice was wrong? In Luke 9:61-62, another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Jesus basically said, forget your earthly restraints and follow me. “I AM YOUR REASON TO GO; NO OTHER REASON IS NEEDED.”
I was almost committed and then then God orchestrated something amazing. My Dad and I were sitting in a hotel in Waikiki watching television, when this 2-minute conversation transpired. “Son,” he said, “If you want to do the race thing, I think it’s a good thing. I mean, you’re going to get a lot of perspective, be helping others, and people will see your character committing to something like this.” One of my BIGGEST concerns was my Dad’s thoughts on stopping grad school applications, and God handed me my father’s approval.
Needless to say, I agreed to the stipulations and since then God has been breaking barriers! He has provided $10,100 in two months! He lined up perfect times for fasting and spiritual growth. He moved powerfully through a prayer room to rid me of deeply rooted lies from my past. And, he gave me the words to handle those who question my decision:
“A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then, they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.” 2 Timothy 2:24-26 (NLT)
In closing, I have one month until launch, and I have no doubts that I will be joining my team on this 11-month journey. God has already given the January Expedition incredible testimonies and I know that wherever we set foot, we will be on land God has given us.
For those of you thinking about the World Race or any major life decision, you don’t get to pick the terms by which you follow Jesus. Jesus has made his terms clear:
Are you going to try to negotiate (and fail), or are you going to submit to His leadership, stop calculating, and go. If you do the former, I’m sorry… but, you will not be a disciple of Christ. If you do the later, I promise you that you will never be the same and your “yolk will be easy and your burden light.” (Matthew 11:30)
“There is no need of any preliminaries, and no other consequence but obedience to the call. Because Jesus is the Christ, he has the authority to call and to demand obedience to his word.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
