I like the writer of Doable Evangelism uses practice language for his chapter headings. Step one is to practice kindness.
I understand practice makes us better… not perfect.
It’s like playing tennis. My serving gets better as I serve. Sometimes I hit the ball out of the court, foot foul, stumble, miss the ball completely, or respond incorrectly to what’s hit back to me, but I’m slowly improving my game. Sometimes, I even serve an Ace.
I’ve been thinking about who am I and what flows consistently from my life now and what has flowed throughout my life. I’ve discovered my practices flow from who I am. My practices may encourage you to think about who you are and what you practice. Most probably they flow from who you are and from what you value.
My practices.
I Practice:
- Being a friendly open-hearted person… a person who encourages others daily. I’m a task-oriented person so I have to consciously lean into this practice.
- Serving others… my lifestyle development and the way I’m wired.
- Awareness …moving from unaware to being aware. Being aware that I am unaware is my first step toward awareness. This last year has been a huge unaware toward awareness exercise.
- Slowing Down… I move too fast …I slow down by practicing living from faith-rest, which means choosing to position myself to Be in His Presence. I’m always a son first… messenger second… Outflow flows from the inflow. I chose to slip away even when it’s inconvenient.
- Noticing People during my day… Who is being highlighted? Double take… intuitive Holy Spirit knowing/seeing moves me to respond.
- Responding to God prompts. Those small intuitive “flutterbys”. What do I see/hear/feel? I’m open for business Jesus… to go do what You want me to go, and to encourage who you want me to encourage.
At this stage in life, I have more freedom to practice going and being with people I think I need to contact.
- Listening to people and the Holy Spirit…hearing with my eyes, and seeing with my Spirit. Listening, really listening is my greatest practice challenge.
- Praying for people. Prayer is our connection from heaven to earth. I pray with eyes and heart open. I pray for people in the now moment. The last 6 months I’ve seen a release into the power of Blessing declaration prayer. When someone says “pray for me” I pray then.
Jesus had several customs, disciplines, and practices which reflect all of the above and much more. I researched …As was His custom… in Matt, Mark, Luke, and John.
I also leaned into noticing what He did …as He went along His way.
He often: left to pray, went to church, read the scriptures, taught the people, noticed people and their hearts, responded to His Father, encouraged, healed, delivered, forgave, restored, loved, spoke up, spoke in parables, challenged etc.
Season
During this season I’ve realized He is being faithful to complete what He started to do in me when I first said yes.
Joshua 1:9 has now become my season of life verse. Be strong and very courageous for He is with me wherever I go.
My prayer for you is that you would grow in your understanding of His great love and grace and you would continue to practice that which is being formed in you.
