Living faithful, fruitful and fulfilled on the mission field
“Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” Have you ever read Matt. 5:48 and thought, “Does God really expect me to be perfect?” He does have a high standard of holiness. Our Father wants us to become like Him. This can feel heavy …
“I’ve told him how I feel so many times. It’s like I am talking to a brick wall. Nothing I say sinks in!” These thoughts circled through my mind, making me feel miserable. My husband and I were talking, but definitely not communicating. It was …
“Hope is hard sometimes,” I thought, contemplating the impossible situation before me. “I don’t want to set myself up for disappointment. Is it worth hoping things can change?” Semi-hopeless thoughts ran through my mind. It is important not to put our hope in the wrong things. or we will indeed face deep discouragement. Where can we safely place our trust? Is it always right to hope? Or do we sometimes need to let go of hope and surrender in faith to God’s sovereign plan?
There is a time to fight and a time to stop fighting. There is a time to hope and a time to release hope. Sounding like Solomon in Lamentations? I’m not sure if he would have said it quite that way, but I think he would have agreed.
Hope can disappoint. It says in Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” We need to figure out how to do hope right if we want to be fulfilled and joyful in our missionary lives.
One of my greatest moments of supernatural joy was during a season of intense trial. I’d been evacuated to Thailand due to back problems. I was facing possible surgery. Every dream I’d been dreaming for the ministry was now on hold.
Getting sick was not part of my plan! Leaving our two small children behind, flown on a stretcher to another country for medical care…nope. This was not what I had envisioned when I set my goals for the year!
“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior, my God will hear me.”
Micah 7:7 NIV
In the midst of pain and confusion, I decided to let go. I surrendered. “God, you be in charge here. Your will, not mine,” I prayed.
A peace from Heaven descended on my soul. I released my future to the One I knew would be good to me. I had no idea what He would do. Would He heal me? Would things change? All I knew at that moment was that the best way to “fight” this was to submit myself and choose to trust.
As I did this, a deep joy filled my heart. A song of joy rose within me. It was going to be okay. No matter what happened, I was going to be alright. My family and the ministry were in His loving hands. I could rest. I could place my hope in God and be safe.
Hopelessness is a dangerous thing. In fact, the very definition of depression is “a severe sense of hopelessness.” We must hold tightly to hope. How do we do that?
God’s goodness is the foundation of our hope. We know God is good, and will always be good, to us. He will never act in any other way than out of goodness, generosity, and a heart of love for us. A steadfast assurance of His character, who He is, and who He will be is the bedrock of true hope. Apart from that deep experiential knowledge that God is good, we would be fools to hope for real change in many situations we face.
But God is good! He is powerful. He is loving. Our trust is in Him, not in a particular vision of the future. Will we be healed? Maybe, maybe not. Will that relationship be restored? Maybe, maybe not.
We know, however, that God will be good. We know He will act. We know He hears our prayers and cares for us. In this, we place our hope.
It is easy to feel I have the right to a particular future. Do I? Do we deserve anything more than judgment? Every good thing in our lives is because of His grace and mercy.
I must let go of my human (and somewhat tainted) sense of justice. I tend to believe I deserve to have an easy life, to have a perfect family, to see great fruit in ministry for all my efforts. Do I?
Actually, no. I don’t deserve any of that. If I got what I deserved, it would be a sad day indeed. I am incredibly blessed. Choose to be thankful that you don’t get justice, you don’t actually want it. We deserve death and punishment, instead, we’ve been given grace. Count your many blessings. None of them are deserved and few are earned.
You have the power to choose. Where do you focus your thoughts? On imaginary negative scenarios in the future? I sometimes do. Then I remember Philippians 4:8. I quote it to myself, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”
Choose faith over fear. Trust over worry.
I don’t imagine what it will be like when I pull my kids out of school because I can’t pay their fees. Instead, I praise God for the ways He has provided over and over again through the years. Instead of conjuring up pictures of going home a failure with no stories to tell of anyone coming to Christ, I thank God for how He has helped me persevere.
Praise Him for how He’s helped you keep going in spite of the challenges and spiritual warfare you’ve faced.
Intentionally focus on the good. Think about those things. Discipline your mind. Control your thoughts. It’s possible to do. God is standing by, ready to help you.
He promises His peace when we focus our attention on Him. Like the verse above says, “He will hear us.” Rest in that. God always hears. It’s even one of His names- the God Who Hears (El Shama). And when He does, He acts. He is not ignoring you. Angels are on assignment, responding to your prayers today. Let the peace of God fill your heart. I’m letting it fill mine. I’m choosing to let it come and wash over my anxious soul. Won’t you join me?
What would you add to the 4 ways to hold on to hope mentioned above? How has God helped you be steadfast in hope? Let me know in the comments below or share on the Missionary Life Facebook page or group.
We all depend on the instant modes of communication the Internet provides us today. As missionaries, we can quickly connect with new donors, send updates, and collaborate on projects. We can even share our faith online. Is this safe? After you have been on the …
“The police are raiding our offices,” said the Whatsapp message. “I got a phone call yesterday. We are under investigation,” another leader fearfully announced. The same day, a different leader sent me pictures. They were distributing thousands of gospel books at a religious festival in …
“Soon I will be going home. I am excited to see family, but I am dreading the support-raising part of it. I really need God’s help to get into the right mindset.” These words flowed out of my friend’s mouth a month or so ago. The task of gaining financial support for your ministry in the mission field can really be a challenge.
Most missionaries feel like my friend at times. Some people experience such a dislike for raising support they delay going back home. Others go home but return to the field with barely enough to make ends meet. Why is fundraising so difficult?
At the root of this issue is the way we think about raising support.
Missionaries need good financial support. It helps us to be faithful, fruitful and fulfilled on the mission field.
Fundraising doesn’t have to be difficult if we change our mindset.
This missionary task is part of the joyful life God has called us to. We must learn to see it that way! When you share about missions and the ministry you do, God deeply uses you to impact others’ lives. Christians in your home area need to hear about your missions vision. They need to partner with you and give to your missions vision more than you need them to! Helping you gives them a chance to obey Christ’s Great Commission. As we change our way of thinking about this, fundraising becomes easier. We get much better results too.
Last year I taught a group of South Asian national missionaries about developing ministry partners. One of them, an Indian man in his 40s, had been hesitant to come to the training. A few years before he had attended a similar training. Afterward, he had tried to raise support. But he still struggled to buy his food and pay his most basic of bills. My heart went out to him. He truly was suffering in the area of finances. There was never enough.
Curious, I asked him what the previous training had been like. I wanted to understand what he had tried to do in the area of fundraising. Then I could better help him.
“We learned how to make profiles and prayer cards. I created a list of all the possible contacts I could share my ministry vision with. We even practiced doing that. But it didn’t work. I didn’t even get one new supporter!”
That sounded hard. I wondered what had gone wrong. It seemed like he had learned some good skills.
Then he said something that opened my eyes to what the real problem was. “I felt like a well-trained beggar,” he said. Sadness and shame were evident on his face as he said it.
God never asked us to be beggars and it’s not part of our missionary call! We are sons and daughters of the King. How horrible that he felt that way in this aspect of his missionary life. Sadly many, many missionaries feel the same as him.
Over the next few days of training, this man experienced a major shift in his mindset. He wasn’t begging people to help him financially. Instead, he was inviting them to become partners with him in reaching the unreached. He was giving them a chance to give, pray and take part in making disciples as Jesus had commanded.
With this changed mindset, after the training, in only a few weeks, he more than doubled his support.
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV
God desires those He calls to the mission field to have enough to live in a financially healthy way. We may not become rich. I am not saying there won’t ever be times where we need to “tighten our belts” and be very careful with our money. But we can’t afford to allow our struggles with finances to cause us to be distracted from the main work God has called us to. We must pursue solutions in this area.
If finances is an area you are having difficulties, don’t stay stuck there. Do something to move forward. Here are some steps that can help.
First, address the issue of feeling like a beggar if that is there. Bill Johnson of Bethel Church says, “You can’t afford to think thoughts about yourself that God doesn’t think about you.” If you have thought of yourself as a beggar, repent. Ask God’s forgiveness.
When we get stuck in a poverty mindset, we see ourselves as helpless. We then look to others to do this part of the job for us. When leaders or rich friends don’t come through in raising support for us, we get discouraged. Sometimes we even get bitter toward them.
Stop blaming others for a problem that God can help you solve. God wants to help you find a solution to your financial issues together with Him!
He will show you the way forward if you determine to do what you can do. Don’t look to people from richer nations or to wealthy relatives alone for help. Often the most faithful supporters and ministry partners are people of little means. They give a small amount but are consistent and faithful in providing financial support for your vision.
If you have never had training in how to raise ministry partners, I recommend you get some. There are many great courses offered by different organizations at various locations. I hope one day soon we will be able to offer an online course on this.
If you’d like to be put on a list of those who will be notified when that is offered, use the form at the bottom of this post. If a lot of people sign up, we will definitely make it a higher priority to get this developed and available soon.
In the meantime, if you fill out the form, I will send some things to help you. You’ll get summaries of good books on this topic and a few other resources too.
Don’t wait and just hope things will get better. That is not faith. Faith almost always demands action on our part. Take a step forward.
What can you do?
-Sign up for info about the future online course we will offer.
-Research options for fundraising training in your area.
-Download a book about how to raise ministry partners (sign up and we will send you a list).
-Find a mentor or coach for this area of your life.
-Pray and ask God what He wants you to do to move forward.
What is one thing you will do this week to develop better financial support?
Feel free to ask questions or share your comments on the Missionary Life Facebook page. Or contact me via Twitter.
Hardship is not a popular topic. “Three Reasons You Should Embrace Suffering,” is probably not going to make a list of best-selling book titles. Yet in our lives as believers, hardship is something we must embrace. Popular Christian preachers tell us God doesn’t want suffering …
When I was starting out as a missionary, I was quite concerned about my finances. This is a word that God spoke to me: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made …
How does God see us? Often, as highly motivated missionaries, we view ourselves in terms of our work/ministry. Success or failure in that area is a big deal.
Jesus said to his disciples, “I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15 NIV.
God cares for us as friends, not just what we can do or produce. To grow in friendship with God, we must make time to be with Him, not talking about work, but opening my life and heart to Him.
We have all gone through times of distress in the last year.
Things have not happened the way we expected. There was loss, sickness, or loneliness. Many have longed for 2020 to be over so they could put it all behind them.
Maybe last year was a year where you look back and think; what have I accomplished, or done for God? Has it been a waste of a year?
The sorrow of this past year should not be wasted or buried.
We can take the pressing and squeezing of us as “grapes” and let it produce wine. How can we do that?
It is a matter of perspective, processing, and growth.
In Hebrews 12, the writer instructs us to look at hardship as discipline. We shouldn’t look at all that has happened as God with a big stick using it to beat us. Instead, we can see it more as an opportunity to be trained.
I have a son who is into body-building. He has to submit himself to discipline/training and coaching even when his muscles are aching.
Your perspective of hardship and discipline will either lead you into doubting God’s goodness or growing in wisdom and godliness.
“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children… God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.”
Hebrews 12:7,11-13 NIV
First, recognize that even painful things have a purpose as we grow from them. God is still our loving Father, and through it all he is training us, strengthening us to overcome.
How can we process? How can we be trained by what we have gone through? Processing takes reflection, thinking, and facing what has happened.
Here is a simple exercise that could help you process and unpack the last year.
You will need; 1-2 hours time, paper, and some different color pens. A Bible, your calendar, notebooks, or photos from the last year to jog your memory could be helpful too.
First, you are going to reflect, and remind yourself what actually happened this year. Unpack the events, relationships, thoughts, and feelings of the last year.
Two options of how to do this.
Put the positive things above the line, and negative things below. You can show the degree/severity of the event depending on how high or low you place it
Use a different color for each.
Write in the points for each month:
• good highlights that happened.
• all the painful/ negative things.
• the names of any significant people/relational things that happened in that month.
Pick another color for dominating thoughts you were having during the year. Write them down in that month. What were the questions that came to you during those times? Write them down.
Use a couple of different colors to depict different feelings you were having. Be as honest as you can remember. Try and cover the feelings of anger, fear, guilt/shame, sadness. If possible, write what was triggering those feelings in that color.
What are new things you learned from your experiences, “life lessons,” or new skills?
What has God been saying to you? As you look back on your year, and wait on God ask God for his perspective of your year. What does He want you to see?
What is one way you changed this year? Emotionally, physically, spiritually?
Talk to him about the questions you have had. Ask him for revelation and understanding.
Pray about the feelings you had. Ask him to forgive, comfort, or strengthen you.
Talk to God about the major relationships from this year. Give thanks, forgive, or make plans about how to restore, or work on, any important relationships that are not healthy or you have been absent in.
Try to write down three things you learned from this year that you will take forward with you into the future. Maybe make some new mottos. These are short sayings you can write and stick on your wall to remind yourself of. Allow yourself to be “trained” by what you have gone through.
Lastly, looking forward. Are there any “straight paths” you can make for yourself? Habits you can start? Or situations you can choose to engage or avoid?
As you look forward, what relationships do you need to invest in? Connections you want to strengthen? How will you do that?
I pray this exercise will strengthen you for all that is coming ahead in these turbulent times.
Any new mottos for the year? Share in the comments below or on the Missionary Life Facebook group.
The above blog was written by guest author. R.M.
My husband stopped counting. Not me. This was the seventh time we’d rebooked our flights. I felt angry and a bit depressed. Would we never get to return home? Living in exile isn’t easy. Whether physical or other, I often find myself not quite where …
