Explore!

Read or listen then scroll down to the end for questions to help you apply this to your everyday life!

How many of you have ever had the Lord give you a word for the upcoming year? Literally, just one word for you to focus on throughout the year. Well, without me even asking, He gave me the one word He wants me to focus on for 2021. And the word He gave me is explore! 

Just the word itself breeds excitement. It suggests there’s so much more out there that I haven’t experienced and know nothing about. And yet, on the other hand, the thought of actually going out and doing it can breed fear because there’s so much out there that I know nothing about and I have no experience in. But that’s where faith has to step in. If I want to experience new things and learn something beyond what I already know, then I’m going to have to be obedient and choose to explore!

Now, I’m in no way deceived into believing this is a random word of instruction that gives me permission to run off and do whatever and call it exploring. Rather, it was clear to me when I heard this word it was very specific to Him. It was an invitation to explore the deeper depths of Him in a whole new way.

If the Father has given you a word to focus on for 2021, then I encourage you to go after it with all you’ve got. If He hasn’t given you anything specifically, then I invite you to come along this journey and explore Him with me. It doesn’t have to be difficult or mysterious. Here are some simple things I believe we can do to get us started on our journey:

Expand your understanding of who God is. Knowing about somebody and actually knowing them are two totally different things. How can you effectively introduce someone else to someone you don’t know well yourself? Trying to worship a God you’ve only heard about can quickly lead you down the road of religion. But worshipping a God you know intimately, keeps you securely on the road of relationship.

eXamine your heart. Why would you want to explore higher heights and deeper depths in God? Is it because you want to know Him more or because you believe it will help others come to know you more? Is it because it’s a passionate pursuit of purpose or does it simply provide a platform for you to post and publish? Are you excited about discovering Him or more interested in someone discovering you? 

Purpose to read His Word consistently. Have you ever been in love? Okay, what about deep like? You know how you are when you really like somebody… you always want to spend time with them, you can talk to them for hours at a time, you do whatever you can to get to know them better – you’ll search social media, you’ll ask mutual friends about them, and if they wrote a book about their life you would read it! So, if we say we love God, why don’t we spend more time with Him? Why don’t we talk to Him any more than we do? Why won’t we seek Him out? Why don’t we make it a point to talk to others about Him? Why won’t we read His book?

Look for Him in new places. If you go to the same places, talk to the same people, and do the same things, you’re going to continue to have the same experiences. Let’s stop confining God to only showing up in one particular place. If you’ve only ever encountered Him at church, then maybe that’s because you’ve never invited Him to your home. If you’ve only seen the frustrations of your workplace, then maybe it’s because you’ve never actually looked for God there. How can we say we serve an omnipresent God and yet we only see Him in certain places? Lift your head. Open your eyes. If you look for Him, you will find Him.

Open your mouth. How can you be a good steward of a speaking gift if you won’t open your mouth? How can you share your testimony if you never open your mouth? “But I don’t know what to say…” The Father has already promised us in Psalm 81:10 that if we would open our mouth He will fill it. There’s no need for Him to fill a mouth that we refuse to open. He’s faithful to do His part. Are you willing to be faithful to do yours?

Refuse to stay in your comfort zone. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is absolutely nothing to explore inside your comfort zone. You already know all there is to know there. That’s what makes it so comfortable. To explore means to seek out the unknown; and the unknown is outside your comfort zone. Stop asking God to expand your territory if you know you’re not willing to leave your tiny comfort zone. There is so much more of Him to be found, but you will never find it until you get comfortable being uncomfortable.

Enjoy the search. Let’s not turn this invitation to explore the Father into a work that we dread or into a task to complete. I believe God intends for this to be fun and exciting! If your life has gotten to the point where it’s dull and mundane, then you need to embark upon the search of a lifetime and don’t stop seeking until you’ve found all He has in store for you to find!

Come on 2021! Let the journey begin!

To go even deeper, get your copy of one or all of our Everyday Wisdom Book Series and subscribe to our Everyday Wisdom Podcast.