What's Next?Sample

What’s Next: The Stirring of Your Heart

Have you ever been stirred? You were just going about your day-to-day activities and something began to brew inside of you. A desire to be an advocate, a desire to help others, a desire to disciple others. It might have started as a small idea and then began to grow and ignite this fire, this drive, inside of you. It may have even stirred you so much you went on a Short Term Mission trip.  

I wonder if Samson was like that. He is quite an interesting Biblical character and you can read about him in Judges 13 – 17. God had definite plans for Samson and his role among his people for deliverance from their enemies. At times in the Bible, we read of people to whom God spoke, giving them specific direction as to a certain course of action. 

But this is not always the case, as we see here with Samson. Something was going on in his heart that urged him to do something about the dire circumstances of his day. Samson was born with a calling, but there was a point in his life where God began to prod him to begin to do that for which he was called.  

Judges 13:25 says, 

“And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him…”.  

Of course, not everything that stirs us is from the Lord. An advertisement for pizza when we are hungry can stir us to run to Little Caesar’s. So how do we know if a stirring is from the Lord?  That is a question that can be hard to answer. 

In Samson's case, he was called by God to "save Israel from the hand of the Philistines" (Judges 13:5). When God began to stir him to fight against the Philistines, he knew it was in keeping with God's plan. 

You and I may not have received such a clear map for our lives as Samson did, but the Scriptures are a beautiful blueprint for each of our lives. Spending time in Scripture can help us learn and discern God’s voice from others so we can clearly hear what He has for us. 

In considering your Next Steps in missions and what God is stirring in you to do, may I suggest some things to help you:

Pray!    

• James 5:16b 

“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”   

• Psalm 17:6 

“I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.”    

• Philippians 4:6 

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all that He has done.”

Quiet time with God  

Sometimes it is hard to find quiet in the midst of our busy days, but it is often time in those quiet moments that God really speaks to us and defines the plans He has for us. Jesus was an example to us in this.      

• Mark 1:35 

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

Gifts from God

Think about what gifts God has given you and what you are passionate about. I used to think that I wanted to be a family lawyer and even went to college in pursuit of that goal. God radically changed my path and led me into mission work instead.  

I later realized that I am passionate about advocating for the disenfranchised and at-risk children. God took my passions for that and put them to use on the mission field instead of in a courtroom.      

• I Peter 4:10 

“God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”

What is stirring in your heart and how can you use that to advance the Kingdom of God?

We want to thank Cheryl Ruckman, Director of Short Term Missions with VisionTrust for contributing this day's plan content.