Confessions of a (formerly) bored Christian - Part 3

My friends, I’ll be honest. Since last week I’ve been wondering just where this post on adventure would be headed. Day after day I’ve been asking God, “what are you going to have me share?”. I wrestled as the human part of me was a little anxious. God had given me the set-up – He had let me know it was going to be about adventures with him. But he hadn’t given me the answer. He wanted me to trust him. To trust that today, as I sat down to write, he would guide the writing. I share this with you now in part as an example of an adventure with God. His word, the Bible, says “Do not worry about tomorrow.” (Matthew 6:24). So, as I wondered, (and worried), and asked over the weekend about what he wanted this post to focus on, I would hear his voice lovingly respond with a question, “Are you excited?”. I could feel myself smile and respond with a hesitant “Yes??”. He followed up with another question, “Do you trust me?”. Still smiling I could feel the burden lifting and his peace settling in as I responded enthusiastically “Yes!”. And then he reminded me of the scripture above. To not worry about tomorrow and to trust him. To lean not on my understanding, but to surrender and trust Him and he would make my path straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

As I sit here now, I feel His smile and His presence. That with each word written there is a surrender and trust. This is the adventure that occurs every time I write for him and about him. God asks me to take a leap of faith and trust that he is guiding the writing. I trust that I’m hearing his voice. This is just one of the many adventures I have with God. They are all anchored in a relationship with him and always require a leap of faith. We have a post on hearing God’s voice and I truly encourage you to press in here. The adventures start and end with hearing Him. You can hear Him when you read the Bible and in prayer and conversation with Him. If I could point to one thing that changed my faith from being truly boring to feeling like I’m on an off-road adventure buckled up, holding on, with a smile on my face and trust and joy in my heart, this is it. God speaks. God will guide. He will comfort. He will bring peace. He will give you assignments (if you ask for them). He will have you pray for others. He will tell you again and again and again just how much you are loved by him. That you are seen by him. That you matter, so much more than you can imagine, to him. 

A thousand people could tell you that they love you. It wouldn’t mean even a fraction of what it means when you hear God tell you that he loves you. And He will. I’ve had the privilege of praying with many people and inviting Jesus to speak into the wounds of their hearts. Every time, Jesus will speak truth over them and tell them how dearly they are loved. They hear His voice. They feel His love. And they are changed in a way that only Jesus makes possible. We live in a broken world. People hurt us, often those closest to us. We carry around deep wounds that no matter how much time has passed, don’t seem to heal. In my own life, I carried around a childhood wound that years and years of professional counseling couldn’t seem to heal. The counseling was certainly helpful. I learned how to articulate and process the wound. I learned how to set boundaries. But the wound itself, decades later, was still there. It never seemed to heal and impacted my relationships and my ability to trust people. Do you have one of those? An experience that years, potentially decades later, you can remember where you were when it happened, what the person said, the expression on their face, the deep pain you felt? In prayer, Jesus can speak to you about that pain. He can take that wound and make it a scar. Your greatest pain can be given to the only one capable of healing anything. A broken heart. A deep childhood wound. That painful memory. Jesus can heal and wants to heal that wound. He wants to speak His love and His truth over you. And that is one of the most beautiful adventures I’ve experienced with Jesus. He took my childhood wound and decades later, when given to him, he took the wound and turned it into a scar. When that healed, friends, my heart changed. In place of the hurt and sadness were more love and joy. The best way I can describe it is that my heart felt bigger and my ability to love became greater. If this is you, please know you’re not alone. We’d be honored to pray for you. Simply reach out to us here.

Adventures with God can be described in so many ways. When you get to know him, just knowing him, being in relationship with him, hearing His voice, it will fill you with awe and wonder. Your life will be a series of exchanges with him. (He loves exchanges and in the very best way!) He will take your pain and give you comfort. He will take your worry and give you peace. He will take your open wound and give you a scar. A scar not as a reminder of the pain, but one that testifies to His healing power. I don’t want you to miss out. I don’t want you to go another day not knowing the profound love God has for you or the adventures he has in store for you. For those who haven’t heard his voice, I encourage you to try the experiment from the Hearing God’s voice post. For those who know his voice, I encourage you to start your adventure for him today by pausing, right now, and seeking Him in prayer. A prayer you can pray:

“Heavenly Father, thank you for today. Thank you for being a God that speaks. I want to know you and be used by you. Please speak to my heart and guide me on the adventure you’d like me to take today.” Questions you can then ask:

God, what do you want me to know today?

God, is there someone you want me to pray for?

God, is there something you want me to do for that person? Send a text? Send a bible verse? Send a song? 

And now here’s where the leap of faith and adventure come in. Step into what he tells you. As long as it’s kind and encouraging, there’s no reason not to. God has a plan for you and adventures in store for you. If you seek Him, you will find Him. (Matthew 7:7-8) You will hear His voice. (Jeremiah 33:3) And if you’re willing, he’ll take you on the most wonderful adventures of your life.

Blessing you with joy, peace, hearing His voice and amazing adventures with Him.