3 Ways to Live Faithful on God’s Mission

Join me on an imagination exercise. Think of that day when you first see Jesus face to face. What an incredible moment that will be! Just gazing at His incredible beauty. My heart longs to see Him! I wonder, will He say to me – Well done, faithful one? I truly believe He will!

I imagine myself falling at His feet in worship, tears of joy streaming down my face. I picture him reaching out His hand. He lifts me to my feet, looks into my eyes, and says, “My beloved.” We embrace for a long time. He speaks gently to me again, looking into my eyes, and says, “Well done my good and faithful one.” My heart soars with unspeakable joy, and a huge smile lights up my face!

It is my imagination now, but one day…one sweet day…I will see His face. I hope to hear those precious words stream from His lips.

As Jesus’ followers, we all want Him to one day say, “Well done. You were faithful“!

How do we live faithfully in His service, so that dream will one day be a reality?

Living faithfully on mission with God is about stewarding what God gives. It is opening our ears to hear His guidance and becoming the kind of person the Father shares His heart with. He speaks His mind to those He trusts to faithfully respond.

A faithful missionary life includes:

• stewarding (taking care of) what God gives
• listening to His voice for guidance
• obedience as a daily lifestyle
• a habit of choosing the Father’s will over our own desires

When God Speaks

I was praying in my hotel room one day. We were on a trip to a new city. I had oversight responsibility for our mission’s work in that area but only had a handful of staff and much to do.

Spending time with God, I felt connected. As I sat before the Lord, an unusually strong sense of conviction rose within. “There needs to be a large missions conference here. I want to mobilize thousands of young people from this place to reach the unreached.”

“Wow, God! That is awesome!” I responded in prayer. “I wonder who you will use to do that.”

The idea was brilliant (Obviously! All His ideas are right?) I was curious about what He’d spoken to my heart. There were many Christians in our part of India. They could be sent to the unreached nearby. As I continued to listen, God revealed more. I began to see pictures in my mind. They further described the things He wanted to do.

I somehow knew this was from Him. He had spoken so distinctly in my heart. God’s leading isn’t always this clear to me but this time it was! But what should I do with this rhema word?

For a few days, I continued to pray and listen. I then shared what I believed God had spoken with my husband and a few other team members. Each one confirmed it, agreeing that what I sensed was from the Lord. (This is an important thing to do when you sense God directing you. The confirmation of leaders and spiritual mentors is key to hearing God’s voice without going astray.) Taking the next step, I began talking with fellow leaders.

Some of them had led large conferences before. I asked, “Would you be willing to come and lead this kind of gathering in our area?”

Since I believed this was from God, I shared passionately. Strangely, none of them responded with a “yes” to take this on.

One leader I had known a long time, listened with interest. “It sounds like God is speaking to you,” he said. “Maybe, if God gave you the vision, you are the one who is supposed to lead this.”

“Awwwkkk! Not me!” I thought. I had never led a meeting for more than around a hundred people. The vision God was showing me was of thousands and thousands of young people released into missions. My friend’s words stuck with me like glue. I couldn’t shake them off. I knew being faithful to what God spoke meant I would need to step out in faith. I’d need to take risks to obey.

To make a long story short, two years later, we hosted a missions conference with 1,500 day-time participants and around 10,000 in the open-air evening meetings! When the main speaker canceled, I gave the final night’s message to the huge crowd. Hundreds of youth streamed to the front, responding to the call to reach the unreached. It was utterly amazing! What a blessing to obey and watch what God does!

3 Ways to Live Faithfully on God’s Mission

In the Matthew 25 story of the Minas, faithfulness meant taking what was given and multiplying it. The servant who was faithful put his mina (coin) to work. He didn’t leave it sitting, or bury it. He invested it.

Being faithful is not only about the physical things we are given. It is also about the dreams, vision, guidance, and desires God has shared with us. It’s about walking them forward, step by step.

1. Live Faithful by listening to His voice.

First, we position ourselves to hear God speak. How do we do that? We need to be the kind of person He would share His dreams with! That means developing a life of intimacy with Jesus. On the mission field, it is easy to get busy with ministry, projects, and even the constant pressures of doing what it takes to live life in difficult locations. Times with God can become rushed, routine, or even mundane. We do our missionary duty and have our devotions, but sometimes there is no life. The sense of closeness fades. God wants to draw us into that place where we can pour out every concern to Him. He also wants to share His longings with us, His dearest friends.

Are you actively seeking to hear His voice? Have you positioned yourself as a friend God can confide in?

2. Live Faithful by being obedient and taking risks of faith.

Given a chance, God will speak. He wants to talk to His followers. There is much on His heart! He has plans to solve the world’s worst problems through His people. Creative solutions wait to be released. There are mountains He wants to move. During the recent pandemic, I often wondered…what would happen if Christian scientists started listening to God’s solutions for this global issue rather than looking only to scientific wisdom and knowledge.

Once He speaks, how do we respond? Faithfulness is demonstrated by action.

We don’t have to be perfect. God does love it, however, when we take immediate steps of faith. Most likely, the things God has spoken, are much bigger than your capacity, skills, and experience. Is Jesus calling you, like Peter, to get out of the boat? To walk on water? Trust Him and step out in faith.

3. Live Faithful by carefully stewarding His Word and the Vision He gave.

A good steward not only takes initial steps of faith. They continue to walk by faith until they see the dream of God fulfilled. This requires perseverance. We face obstacles, difficulties, and spiritual warfare as we move forward. What do we do at that point? A faithful steward pushes through the problems. They ask God for further guidance. Faithful stewards refuse to give up until the vision is accomplished. They know God’s words will come to pass, and He will accomplish His purpose (Prov. 19:21). This journey of risk-taking and obedience develops the character of Christ in us (Rom. 5:3,4).

What Dream Are You Stewarding?

Are you living faithfully on the mission field? What dream has God shared with you? What word has He spoken that you knew was for you? Are you still listening? Keep going forward! He is going to accomplish what He promised through you!

Maybe you’ve been paralyzed by fear. Perhaps you pushed aside and conveniently forgot what He spoke to you years ago.

Repent for not stewarding His words, direction, or vision. Receive his forgiveness – it’s yours (1 John 1:9)! Reach out for His help to take new risks of faith.

He is with you! He loves you. You are His beloved! By His grace, you will one day be called His faithful one.

What do you sense God is highlighting for you in the article above? We’d love to hear about it in the comments or on the Missionary Life Facebook page.