God's Agenda or Ours?

At the recently concluded World Missions Summit, I had a conversation with a dear friend of mine. He had shared a very powerful word in the general assembly on not being afraid to try, not being afraid to cry, and not being afraid to die. A very challenging message indeed. As I talked to this visionary, he looked at me and said: "Steve we all have agendas, including me, and God is calling us to lay them down." His statement shook me. I contemplated his words for several days. In Amsterdam, on my way back to Africa God developed the thought further in my heart. "God's blessings only follow God's agenda". So often the body of Christ is consumed with their personal agenda. We pray- "God bless what I'm doing" instead of praying "God how can I be apart of what you are already blessing." I see so much promise of blessing for God's purposes in our lives in 2009. However, I also feel very strongly that only those that lay aside their agenda will experience the fullness of God's blessings. This past Sunday I preached along these lines at Bahati Christian Center in Nairobi from Acts 16:6ff. I won't develop the sermon here. However, I see several key factors in this passage that helped Paul lay aside his agenda and find God's agenda. First, he was lead by the Spirit. Second, he promptly obeyed the Lord. Third, he was willing to minister to hurting people. Fourth, he trusted God with the results. May we be full of the Spirit in 2009, prompt to obey, willing to minister to hurting people, and confident in God's timing for results. In summary, I believe that the Word of the Lord for 2009 is this: "God's blessings always follow God's agenda". God we want your agenda!