What am I to do now?

In Disciples are Made Not Born, Walter Henrichsen states, “The type of person God uses is someone who is surrendered to Jesus and will adopt the same objective life that God sets forth in the Scriptures.” What is it that objective?

Matthew 28:18-20 TPT Then Jesus came close to them and said, “All authority of the universe has been given to me. Now go in my authority and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And teach them to faithfully follow all that I have commanded you. And never forget that I am with you every day, even to the completion of this age.“

Spreading the Gospel, making disciples, that is our objective. They are not my disciples, they are His disciples. How can I teach a people if I do not have His presence? This can be overwhelming if you think that you do not have it in you, but you do. If you are a born again believer of the Son of God, then you have been given everything you need.

How can I teach a people if I do not have His presence?

John 15:5 (Amplified) I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for (otherwise) apart from Me (that is, cut off from vital union with Me) you can do nothing.

It was not until nine years ago that I was able to lead someone in the prayer to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, for the first time. I took all the classes before then, I had attended seminary, I had memorized scripture…but I was all in my head about what and how to do it. It took me telling about who Jesus was to me and the transformation that I allowed Him to do in me, and most importantly the leading of the Holy Spirit. There have been times when I talked to someone and they did not receive Him and that it okay because I planted a seed. There have been times that I was in total shock that they said yes, I had to make sure they knew what they were saying yes to.

Oscar Thompson wrote, “A person can never lead another closer to the Lord than he or she already is. Evangelism must flow from a life that’s deeply in love with the Lord.”

I taught a year of pre-k in my day care, years ago. Just one year, as I was restructuring how I wanted things done. In that year I taught the kids about the love of God (along with the basics of phonics, manipulative play, shapes, etc.). Years later I met one of my former parents at the library. She told me that her daughter was able to tell her of God’s love during a time of struggle in her own life. She said the words daughter speak helped her fully believe and know that God knew where she was. I would have other parents tell me that their kids would speak of me as, “Pastor Amanda loves God.” It would bring a tear to my eye that through their children I was impacting homes for Christ.

Where ever we are we can make an impact for Christ. Do your grocery clerks know the love you have for God? You do not have to preach at them for them to know. They know by your actions and your words of kindness. Do you talk to them as they ring you up? How about the waiter/waitress at your table? What about your colleagues on your job? Or most importantly the children in your home?

Matthew 5:14-16 (TPT) Your lives light up the world. Let others see your light from a distance, for how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light. So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that the commendable things that you do will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.

I can honestly say that I am living my best life right now. Does that mean that I do not have struggles? No, it does not. Why do I say it is my best life? I know that He is with me. Apart from Him I do not want to be. I have grown in my relationship with God that the glow is starting to show. I cannot and should not keep that to myself. You should not either. It is not about what He can give me, or that He saved me from hell, it is that He is with me in the here and now. That is the best life. I pray that this gives you hope and courage to let your light shine bright and to go out and make disciples.