I may not be an expert but I did have to wait nine months after being accepted for the Race to actually launch. There are things that I thought would happen in that time that didn’t, some stuff I knew would happen and other things that I hadn’t planned on happening….basically every scenario! Expect the same.
Off the top of my head I could give you names of six people that I know personally who have gone on the race or who are on it now. Ive heard many of their stories but there is probably even more that I haven’t. The point is: Ive had a heads up.
Not everyone joins the race and has people to give them advice because they’ve been there before and I’m extremely grateful for that…and yet at the same time my journey still looks completely different from theirs because thats just how it works and honestly how I prefer it anyway 🙂
Here is my Pre-Race advice thus far:
1) The first thing you are told is to not have any expectations – great piece of advice! However, make sure you are EXPECTANT of Papa God. Be aware that you will be challenged even before launching…probably in ways you won’t see coming, but be expectant before these things come up that Papa is awesome and will change you to look more like him through it. “no matter the cost”. Believe that Holy Spirit is going to dominate in massive ways and yet be all about the details at the same time….be expectant without expectations. Believe you will be radically touched and allow it to happen even if it doesnt look and feel the way you thought it would- press in.
2)Realize this: If He told you to “Go” and hasn’t given you any further instruction ..plan on going and REST in the fact that He will provide. Id read a few blogs before being accepted and id talked to my friends, the biggest thing I read was that fundraising was one of the hardest and most difficult processes because it was such a trust thing. I come from a background with the spirit of poverty so I made a very early decision based off Holy Spirit prompting to not have a day where I was concerned on how money or gear was going to come in. After being accepted the Lord told me to slow down and give him a month where I didn’t fundraise, I didn’t do anything really with the race other than maybe post some blogs and get to know my squad mates on our Facebook page. I said ‘okay’ so for the first month I enjoyed His presence and love on each other…I worshipped, read, talked, thanked, and rested. It was a very easy surrender – “I refuse to worry and doubt your provision” and that was the end of that. I have not been concerned about how the funds will come in- they will. There was no worry about getting all of my gear – He told me id go so of course id have it in time. Yes, there were weeks and weeks where nothing happened and I saw nothing come in …but me and Papa had a plan for that time too 🙂 He said to worship and thank Him for who He is..love Him. There was no promise at the end of that: ‘worship me and ill make sure its taken care of’…He didn’t say that. Worship. So I did. In those times It didn’t matter what funds were and weren’t coming in… I was with my Papa 😀 and I could want nothing more. He continually brings me back to that place and grows it deeper. Nope, that doesnt mean that I’m fully funded right now- it means I have an amazing Daddy who owns the bank and I just get to love on him and be in his presence. Worry and doubt were handed over to him a long time ago….His promises are true and its easy to rest when we know that. (this extends into all things ..not just raising support. you will experience the enemy trying to get you cause he’s pissed – but your Dad is great!)
3) Be real with your squad. You aren’t perfect, you have areas of improvement, you have areas of great gifting, you are awesome…..If no one else has taken that step of vulnerability yet in your squad then go ahead and just be the first one. I couldnt tell you who was the first in ours but we all just share life now. It will take you deeper and provide more growth overall. You signed up to live with them for a year….start acting like it. Some may not be the people you’d ‘pick’ to be friends with outside of this bizarre situation but that doesnt really matter anymore. Pick out the gifts and talents of each squad mate and appreciate them for who they are and what they bring to the table…you aren’t done learning either so don’t act like you’ve got it all together and they are a lost cause. Learn to love them. Love isn’t an emotion its choice.
4) Don’t forget to live right now. The race began on (enter your birthdate here) not in September, January, or July (launch months). I had a misconception that my call to missions was going to start when God opened the door to get me overseas – WRONG. Less and less emphasis has got to stop being put on ‘where we are called to’ and more on living with the call to represent Jesus everywhere we are. You may have an anointing to those in Asia, Africa, South America or North America and that is fabulous! (I know I have a heart for Asia) however, don’t get so focused on your ‘calling’ that you miss the one in front of you today. Yes, I do mean the co-worker in that other cubical, the person in the bread isle, the one on the other side of your gasoline pump, the one behind the counter at Starbucks, the one serving your meal at the restaurant, the one fitting you for your world race pack….You will not magically act any different the day you finally get to the destination of your calling than you do today- so start living with the commission to love because you were first loved – right now.
5) “Free to set others free” – ‘Christian’ doesnt mean you are set free…well yes, it does but that doesnt mean your job is finished in the ‘freedom’ area. You can love Jesus and still have things locked up inside of you, still have demonic influence, still have strongholds, still have brokenness, still have emotional damage, still have unforgiveness, still have hate, still have bitterness, still have offense…the list goes on. When we really walk with Papa this stuff falls off. We do have to face it and intentionally lay it down and not move until Jesus has all of it and we are no longer able to take any of it back. Freedom is more than saying the ‘sinners prayer’ its walking out healing everyday. I believe in the finished work…we don’t need to be ‘more’ forgiven or ‘more’ healed…you are…but do you walk in that reality? Im in the process of learning how to walk in that reality but I do know this – the only way you can really partner in setting others free is to walk in the reality of your own freedom and that means dealing with your junk. Papa will be there 100% of the time but its up to you to say that you are ready to go after it and allow him to redeem the areas you kept in the darkest of corners all of your life. You aren’t just getting free for you…your freedom effects the world. You can only love to the capacity that you allow his love to penetrate your life/heart, throwing away your old dead body and loving you back into new life where you walk in Kingdom Identity. This extends so much further than the race but for the sake of your team/squad and yourself, don’t wait till your on the field when stuff surfaces, cause it will, it probably already does…we just tend to call it having ‘a bad day’ cause we give more voice to the junk than we do our Daddy. “Bad days’ aren’t really a thing when you walk in Kingdom Identity cause then you are housing Kingdom and there are no ‘bad days’ there..its impossible. …..How can you have a ‘bad day’ when you realize who your Father is?
I haven’t perfected any of these…and I by no means have ‘all the answers’ …Id recommend these to everyone, not just future or current racers. These areas have come up over the past nine months – for me personally but also within my squad. The wait has only given me more precious time to pursue Papa and be overcome by this love affair to where I don’t just say I’m set free but I really know that I’m set free and I walk in what that really means….Thats Papas heart- for His kiddos to know who He has made them to be and the pleasure of seeing them live it!
