You Can Start Having Adventures for God’s Kingdom

Life with God should be fun and adventurous.  God has an amazing plan for your life, and it involves relationships, places, works, family, excitement and more.  Maybe it’s hard for you to believe that when considering your current situation.  But don’t worry about that.  Today can be the first day of the rest of your life (I say that to myself all the time when I’m feeling down).  The key is that we just need to focus on our relationship with God so we can start listening to His directions for our lives.  We can develop an exciting existence for God's Kingdom.

Sure, God wants church to be a big part of our lives.  By church, I don’t necessarily mean the building where you go to sing songs to God or hear a teacher.  I really mean the group of believers God wants in your life.  You may find that group at a local building.  You may start volunteering for some of the projects at that building.  You may go places with those people.  Your local church is a great way to meet other Christians and find ways to grow in your Christianity, but it certainly isn’t the only way, and it’s not what I want to focus on today. 

God wants to improve and complement every part of your existence, including your work, your home life, your hobbies, and everything else.  The question becomes how to make that happen, how do we begin seeing the plans and influence of God in every area of our lives?  

It’s actually easier than you might think.  It will largely happen automatically.  As you start spending more time with God and in His Word, you will learn His ways.  You will get tuned into His voice.  You will start thinking as He wants you to think.  You are going to start acting as He wants you to act (with Godly love, character, wisdom, etc.).  All of these truths will have a dramatic impact on your daily life, and soon you will see God’s influence everywhere you look. 

But what about the idea of adventures with God, or truly having an exciting life for the Kingdom?  God wants this for all of us, including you.  That’s right, you can start having exciting and supernatural adventures for the Kingdom of God.   Let’s talk about that idea today so you can see how to add some Kingdom Excitement to your life. 

I’m going to start with a simple example from my own life.  One day I was jogging down the street here in Tampa, Florida.  It was hot and sunny.  I saw up ahead of me an older woman walking along the sidewalk.  She was not wearing exercise clothing and this is a very long sidewalk in a residential area, so something was out of place.  As I saw her, God’s Spirit told me “that woman speaks Spanish.” 

I minored in Spanish in college, and I can get through basic conversations pretty well. I didn’t want to stop running, so I basically said, “that’s great, God, I’m jogging now.”  But sure enough, as I got close to that woman she began speaking Spanish to me.  She asked where the bus stop was and I explained that I wasn’t sure but I thought it was several miles down the road.  I think she was about 70 years old, and I knew this woman was in for a long, hot walk to the bus. 

I kept running and after a few minutes I knew that God wanted me to give her a ride.  After a few more minutes I realized He didn’t want me to just take her to the bus stop, I was supposed to give her a ride wherever she needed to go.  I had no interest in doing this, and I needed to get back to work.  However, I felt bad for her so I decided I would ask if she wanted a ride, and I figured she wouldn’t want one anyway. 

As I turned around and passed her, I decided I would just go home and get my car.  I thought it might be weird asking her to get in my car, so I got my mother in law to come along, who was staying with us at the time.  Probably about 30 minutes had passed since I spoke to this woman when I finally got back to her with my car, probably a long, hot 30 minutes for her.  I asked if she wanted a ride and she hopped right in. 

It turned out that this woman had no money, no cell phone, and no way to get home.  A friend had dropped her off at a doctor in the area, meaning she had probably walked 2 miles already when I first saw her.  She had her address written on a post-it note in her purse.  We ended up driving her to one of the roughest government housing projects near downtown Tampa, about 12 miles from my house.  She was a Christian and she was very nice.  When we arrived she got out and I’ve never seen her since.

This woman probably would have made it home eventually, but it would have been a very long day.  The reality is that God saw one of his daughters in a tough spot, so God dispatched her younger brother to give her a ride.  Maybe this doesn’t sound very exciting, but this was an example of God using me for the Kingdom.  Maybe it was a minor sacrifice on my part, but God was showing this woman His love for her and He was using me to do it.  How awesome is that! 

You can have events like this in your life all the time, if you will be open to the voice of God and His instructions.  Maybe you have never experienced anything like this, where God prompted you to do something (to show His love to someone) and it really turned out great.  It’s actually difficult to describe this feeling because I don’t think anything else can compare.  Knowing that the Creator of the Universe asked you to show His love to a person is a truly wonderful feeling.

Being involved in another person’s experiencing the tangible love of God is a unique kind of awesome. Honestly I get jealous of those in ministry who get to do this all the time, because I know how great it is.  But we can all get involved for the Kingdom like this regularly.  We just need to be open to God’s directions.

It’s actually more wonderful when you tell the person that they shouldn’t thank you, but that God told you to do it.  It can be kind of funny really.  I didn’t want to give that lady a ride at all, but God told me to.  That kind of statement quickly moves the thanks straight to God, which is where it should be.  That person will probably start thinking about God in an entirely new way, knowing that He was thinking about them, even though they weren’t thinking about Him.  This is a wonderful way to witness for Jesus.

I remember another time I was in a checkout line behind someone with a problem (not the story from the other day).  I was ready to go and I think they didn’t have the money.  I was in a bad mood, but God impressed upon me to just pay for their groceries.  It wasn’t even that much money.  I’m standing there angry and trying to hurry up and get out while paying for their groceries, and they are looking at me like I’m some sort of angel.  Not only did their reaction help my mood, but it was another great time of showing God’s love.

Here is kind of an interesting point, at least to me.  It’s a lot of fun to serve with your local church group or with other groups and help what they are doing.  I love going with my daughters to different service projects.  But there is something different when it’s just you and God doing something for the Kingdom, with someone who isn’t expecting it.  It’s truly a wonderful, exciting feeling. 

As you start becoming spiritually minded and open to the leadings of the Holy Spirit (as we have previously discussed), God is going to prompt you to do things.  Sometimes you will be prompted to pray for someone or call someone, even someone you haven’t spoken to in a long while.  Maybe you should help someone on the side of the road.  I remember pushing this guy’s car down the street one time while he steered.  Maybe you should approach someone and ask to pray for them.  These opportunities will become a part of your life, and truly great Kingdom excitement is found in them. 

I know that common courtesy leads us to be nice and help people when you see them in a bind, that’s part of being a good human.  We have those times too as we go through life.  But I’m listening for the leading of God’s Spirit.  I’m wanting Him to point things out to me.  When I see someone in need and I don’t want to help because I’m busy or being lazy, I’m still checking with Him for His opinion.

These opportunities may not be easy or comfortable or exactly what you want to do in a given moment, but you must give in to them.  No one may ever even know about what you do for the Kingdom, but that doesn’t matter, God knows.  I taught a large Bible study at my church for a couple of years.  We probably averaged 200 people.  It was a wonderful experience, truly an honor.  But those memories don’t elicit the same emotions that the other memories do, the memories where I did something by myself or with my wife only because God told me to, and it worked out great for the Kingdom. 

Here is an amazing truth, to have an exciting life for God’s Kingdom, where you can have adventures with God all the time, you don’t need money, you don’t need recognition, you don’t need a team around you, you really don’t need anything.  You just need to be open to God’s leading and obedient to His directions.  That is the secret to an exciting, adventurous life with God.

Let me show you one story from the Bible which I think is a great example.

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means "queen of the Ethiopians"). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." (Acts 8:26-29 NIV)

If you aren’t familiar with the story then please read the rest.  In short, Philip teaches the man about Jesus, the man receives Christ, and the man gets baptized.  God told Philip to go to a certain road and then go up to a certain chariot.  Philip may have felt awkward.  Philip may have been a little scared.  We all feel those emotions when listening to God tell us to do something that makes no sense.  But God sent Philip so this man could get saved.  God wanted to bring this man into His Kingdom, so He dispatched Philip to preach him the Gospel.  What an amazing story.  The story is no different from the time God told you to pray for that person at the gas station, or the time God told you to invite that old friend to church. 

I once heard Joyce Meyer say that we need to have an attitude that God can use at all times.  That has not been me, but that is a great point.  I’m going to work on that.  I want to live the adventure for the Kingdom that God has for me.  That’s going to require me walking in love and being in the right attitude, so I can hear His leading to show His love to the world around me. 

Sometimes we feel like God is telling us to do something but we aren’t sure that it’s God.  I can tell you that I have been there many times.  Sometimes I didn’t move forward, but sometimes I did.  I have no memories of times where I went for it but left the situation thinking I missed God.  I’m not saying it never happened, but I don’t have those memories.  I do have numerous memories where something great happened, where God’s love came through my life to bless someone else, where someone else was encouraged and saw God’s love for them. 

But before we move on, next time you feel led to invite someone to church or talk to someone about Jesus (as examples), just analyze the feeling a bit.  Is that the devil trying to get you embarrassed?  Probably not.  The devil is never going to tell you to invite anyone to church or teach anyone about Jesus.  Well, is it your flesh or your human mind?  It’s probably not your flesh or your human mind either.  Naturally, we don’t want to be inconvenienced.  We don’t want to risk embarrassment.  Naturally, at least some of us, are selfish with our time.  We want to go about our agenda and keep going.

If you feel prompted to invite someone to church or teach someone about Jesus, the MOST LIKELY explanation for that prompting is that it is a leading from God’s Spirit.  Your spirit and God’s Spirit are connected when you become a Christian, and God’s Spirit communicates to your spirit and those communications then rise to your mind (a lot more often when you are tuned in and spiritually minded).  Just go for it.  What do you have to lose?  I would rather God see me try and fail then to hold back and risk missing an amazing opportunity God had for me.  In fact, I’ve started getting bolder and bolder, and that’s what I’m going to do.  I want these adventures.  I want these moments.  I want people to encounter God’s love.  I want them to know Him even better than I do, and I will do whatever I can to help them on that path.

Here is another story from the book of Acts. 

“In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. One afternoon about three o'clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. "Cornelius!" the angel said. Cornelius stared at him in terror. "What is it, sir?" he asked the angel. And the angel replied, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter.” (Acts 10:1-5 NLT)

I love this story for many reasons.  As you probably know this was really the beginning of the Apostles telling the gentiles about Jesus.  But let’s look at this in the context of what we have been discussing today. 

First of all, Cornelius is not a priest or in the ministry at all. He is a soldier.  He probably had a tough job and a life filled with most of the issues we all encounter today.  But he loved God.  He spent time with God.  He wasn’t a Christian, but he worshipped God and put himself in a place to receive directions from God.  We can all do that, regardless of what job we have.  We just have to make the time.  Sure enough, one day he received direction from God with something to do.  He obeyed, and his obedience resulted in the salvations of his household and it had a major impact on the early Christian church.

I believe this is a great model for us.  We need to find the time to pray.  We need to focus on God and live according to the directions we have.  We also need to be open to God giving us more directions.  Just like Philip and Cornelius, God is going to give us directions.  Please look at some of my other teachings on hearing from God.  You may never see an angel (I have never seen one) but God will definitely speak to you.  God will tell you to reach out to others.  Maybe God wants you to bring them some wisdom (like Philip did).  Maybe God needs you to get some wisdom from them (like Cornelius).  Maybe God just wants His love to be expressed between some of His people. 

God is going to give you directions, and these directions will result in major blessings in your life and in the lives of others.  A couple of years ago my family went through a difficult period.  God spoke to me in a dream that a pastor friend had a book I needed to read.  I called the pastor and he brought me some teachings from Andrew Wommack.  Within ten minutes I knew it was God’s answer to our situation.  We received everything we needed from God, and our lives have never been the same.  

Our lives with God should be exciting, filled with adventures for the Kingdom, and interactions orchestrated by the Holy Spirit.  You don’t need money, you don’t need a big support structure, and you don’t need to go far away.  Regardless of any aspect of your current situation, God will lead you into these adventures that bless you and others.  They are adventures for His Kingdom, and they are adventures in His love.  There is nothing quite like hearing from God, doing what He says, and then seeing God’s love show up big time in that situation.  It’s definitely one of the best feelings life has to offer, and we can experience it every day.

We need to be open to God, listening for Him to communicate to us using one of His Biblical communication methods.  Then we need to go for it.  “The righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1).  We need to be bold for the Kingdom and bold for the salvation of those around us in this lost and dying world.  When you think God has told you to do something, just go for it.  Trust that God is with you, even if you missed it.   God will never tell you to do something that isn’t in line with His love, so keep that in mind.  But if it’s an act of love and you think it’s from God, you should boldly move forward.  An amazing adventure for the Kingdom is probably ahead of you.