Do You Need to Put on the Brakes?

Experiencing God, by Henry and Richard Blackaby, Chapter 7...

     Bill and I prefer to not offer training to volunteers right off the bat.  Why?  Because training will be far more meaningful to a volunteer in special needs ministry once they realize how many questions they have and feel a need for direction and training. In a way, Blackaby used this tactic with their readers or at least that is how I took it.

     I had read six chapters of the book looking back over my life thinking I understood God, His will, and His work, but in Chapter 7, Blackaby puts on the brakes.  If we don't have an intimate relationship with God, none of that matters.  God has called me to love Him and know Him.

     I have felt this way in ministry a number of times.  I go full steam ahead thinking I know what God's will for me is, that He has prepared me for the assignment, and everything is a go.  Once I get started I then realize how much I don't know.  I realize how much I need God and I put on the brakes.  Have you ever started a project for God and then stopped and looked around to see where God is?  God is

always waiting for us to have a relationship with Him and not just a relationship, but an intimate relationship.

     In our busy lives of taking care of family, working to make a living, and serving in ministry, we often forget God.  I am embarrassed to say that even having time alone with God can be a "To Do" item on my list.  I love the following quote from, Experiencing God,

"It is never a chore to spend time with someone you love, although it can be tedious to spend time with a stranger."

Before I serve in ministry, I have to ask myself some questions,

• Do I truly love God? 
• Have I spent time with God lately?
• Do I truly know God as a loved one, rather than a stranger?

     A number of times I have jumped into ministry and then realized  I need training....God's training.  I can't possibly know God's will for my life and ministry if I don't know Him.  

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