Today, I’d like give some advice on what it’s like to be a missionary for the glory of the Lord! It is an absolute privilege to be a servant of the Lord and to share the gospel in a foreign land where the gospel has not been heard or accepted yet before. Many people have expressed interest to me specifically lately in becoming a missionary and what it entails, so please allow me to humbly share my tips with you today. For those of you desiring to seriously pursue this endeavor; in my humble opinion, these qualities are necessary to be a missionary in a foreign land:
- Have an honest desire to follow God above all else.
“In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” – Proverbs 3:6 NKJV- - Be willing to follow the voice of God above anything else in your life; whatever He may ask of you to do, be willing to listen and obey.
“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. ” -Deuteronomy 28:1-3 ESV- - Read your Bible and become familiar with scripture in order to share it with others.
“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” – 2 Timothy 4:2 NIV- - Be instant, ready and able to give an answer to those who ask you why you believe in Jesus.
“…and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” – 2 Timothy 4:2 NIV- - Life a life that is “set apart” and sanctified. Life every day walking by faith and not by sight.
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts” -1 Peter 3:15 KJV-
“For we walk by faith, not by sight” -2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV- - Have a strong prayer life; bring everything to the Lord in prayer.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
-Philippians 4:6-7 NLT- - Be willing to live and love in a sacrificial way . Be willing to lay your life down for others.
When you become a missionary you forsake all. You sacrifice the comforts of your home country and as for your way of life; everything changes depending on the new country that you are living in. Be ready to adjust to your new country and above all remember to walk in the Spirit wherever you are. “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” -Philippians 3:8 ESV- - Surrender your thought life to God and be constantly consumed with a Heavenly perspective.
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:2
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. -Proverbs 3: 5-6 NIV- - Be a F.A.T Christian: Flexible, Adaptable, Teachable.
A great missionary once told me to be a F.A.T missionary and I will never forget it. Many unexpected things happen in ways that we could never explain or expect on the field and it’s best to be flexible to be able to heed to the voice of the Spirit at a moment’s notice. Adaptability is also necessary as you will be put in a variety of new situations that you may never have experienced before and the ability to adapt quickly to the new situation (whether it be housing, financial, circumstantical or serving related) is absolutely essential. Teachability is also vital as we need to realize that we will never, “know it all” and there is always room to grow in life and in the knowledge of God. God will put mentors, pastors and leaders in your life to help you along the way, so my advice is to never have an attitude that you, “know it all” already. Be teachable not only from others but also allow the Holy Spirit to expand your mind and teach you new ways to do things in new ways with new methods that you are not used to. The Holy Spirit is our ultimate teacher, trust and guide.
Jesus gave sacrificial all of His love to us first on the Cross and it is a privilege to share this love and joy with others who have never experienced Christ before. If you feel the calling to be a missionary and have a heart for God, the lost or a specific population, being a missionary is the greatest joy on Earth and I encourage you to prayerfully consider it if God is leading you in that direction!
–Romans 12: 1-2 -KJV-
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Lifted Vision Ministry 