Every January, I start out determined to live more on mission than the year before, but too often that motivation sometimes doesn’t even make it to the end of the month. Why?
I’ll begin the new year with a particular thing on my heart – to more intentionally pray for various nations, to join a club and relationships with people who don’t know Jesus, to start praying for my sons school and community with my wife every week, to manage my money better so I can invest into a mission opportunity. But somewhere along the way I wake up in February and it has dropped off my calendar or out of my mind. Cam you relate?
In many ways, this isn’t surprising. When we’re pursuing mission we’re swimming upstream and against the natural flow of the world, the flesh, and the devil. We’ve got to be prepared to fight for these God-given priorities. And fighting well often means knowing what you’re fighting.
So here are five mission killers I want to be prepared to fight this year and an idea of how to fight them.
1. Distraction
If you average recent studies, most Americans spend around 5hrs a day on their phones and pick up their phone to check it over 100 times a day. In our world today we often live against a hum of distraction in the form of shows, podcasts, audiobooks, sports games, and funny video clips.
But when we’re distracted, we’re not living on mission. Ephesians 5:16 calls us toward, “making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” If time is short and eternity is long, the task of mission is urgent. We must make sure we’re not distracting ourselves away from the urgency of the task.
Fight distraction // When you see something in the Lord’s mission to pursue, create a rhythm of mission in your life. Make it a habit. Set aside the same time every day to pray, get a club’s schedule on your calendar, etc.
2. Comfort
When I was a kid, I thought it was crazy that my parents wanted to stay in bed a little longer on their days off. Now I understand. When life feels busy or stressful we often crave comfort – mornings without work, evenings without interruptions. While comfort isn’t a bad thing in itself, when it becomes an idol or the thing that drives us, that’s a problem. Because whether our pursuit of mission looks like early morning prayer, initiating a conversation, or serving the needy, it’s often uncomfortable.
But the Scripture calls us to something better than unlimited earthly comfort: Philippians 3:13–14: “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” We are meant to strive forward, to be as uncomfortable as a runner straining forward for a great prize.
Fight comfort craving // Ironically, one of the best ways to put this gift in the right place in your life is to plan for when you’ll rest. Often comfort cravings are out of control if we don’t have times of biblical rest. So plan to practice appropriate Sabbath rest, then work hard at the mission when you return.
3. Lust
This may seem strange, but stay with me for a moment because I think this is one that often applies to men. Once, a pastor friend of mine was asked why there weren’t more young men ready to be sent as missionaries, to join church plants, or to be joyful gospel patrons. He thought for a moment then replied, “They’re all stuck in lust.”
Proverbs 5 gives us a chilling picture of lust as the forbidden woman invites the young man to indulge in sin, only for him to discover there is death behind her door. The tragedy of Proverbs 5 is not just that he’s mired in sin, the tragedy is that the young man now trapped can’t pursue any of the other good things Proverbs holds out for him. Too many men have the strength God has given them for mission siphoned away by lust, leaving them weak and ineffective.
Fight lust // Don’t believe the lie that a secret moment of lust on your phone has no consequences. Not only is it sin and grievous to God, it saps your strength to do what God has called you to do.
4. Self-Doubt
The first time I tried to invite someone to an evangelistic course at my church I was a teenager and I was so nervous that I did a better job convincing the person not to come, than inviting them to come to the event. For many years I struggled, thinking, “I’m just not that kind of person – I can’t invite people, I’m just not a mission person…” For many Christians, that tug toward mission is quickly snuffed out by self-doubt and fear.
But here is the good news: We have a new identity in Christ. 1 Peter 2:9 tells each believer, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” We have a new identity and part of that identity is to proclaim what God has done for us. So there are no “non-mission” Christians because to be a Christian means to be a miracle of God’s mission to us, now joining the mission of God to others.
Fight self-doubt // Spend less time listening to yourself and more time talking to yourself. Don’t list the reasons you can’t make that phone call, remind yourself of who you are in Christ.
5. Condemnation
For several years, when I would be freshly inspired toward some mission-oriented action or pattern, I’d find myself quickly condemned. “How can you even think you’ll be able to do that?” I’d hear in my head, “Haven’t you failed at things like this before? How could God use a failure like you?”
Conviction is a teacher, but condemnation is a liar. Conviction says, “You need to grow in this.” But condemnation says, “You need to grow but you won’t and you can’t.” Romans 8:1 reminds us “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” If we’ve failed, if we’ve sinned by selfishness or sinful neglect, we can find forgiveness at the cross of Jesus Christ. And living in the good of that forgiveness is what turns us to say, “Jesus has saved me and changed me, now I want to continue to change.”
Fight condemnation // Even with a full view of our sins, weaknesses, and failures, God still chose to save us. He knows the worst about us, yet gave himself for us. It may be helpful to name a particular sin or failure, then specifically receive God’s forgiveness for that area. It’s only then we’ll have hope to change.
So this year when it comes to taking up God’s mission in your life, be prepared to fight. Don’t be surprised you’re swimming upstream. Expect it.
But expect God’s power and grace to meet you there. He goes before you, friend.
The same God who sought and saved you when you were lost, now invites you to join his work to the world.
Onward.