Experiencing Adventure


One of my favorite Bible verses is Romans 8:14: “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the children of God”.

At first, this is exciting - who would not want to be led by the Spirit? But then, it is challenging - no vehicle has two steering wheels. Oh! If the Spirit is in control of my life, I am not in control. Do I really want that? I face a choice.

It should be a no-brainer. My God created me, uniquely, for good works (Ephesians 2:10). He designed me, knows me and holds the instruction manual for my best life. Then He bought me back from sin, so I’m not my own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). True Christian life is ‘other-centered’; the key to experiencing adventure is being yielded to the Holy Spirit. Submitted to Him, we experience the adventure of life in the obedience of faith.

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Experiencing physical adventure

  • It was surely goodbye to skiing when I joined World Horizons and moved to tropical Southeast Asia; but 30 years later I was in North Korea teaching local people how to ski.
  • Hours by boat in Laos took me to a village with no metal or plastic – only wood – that worshipped an American soldier.
  • Stabbed in Algeria when I failed to follow the Lord’s clear instruction, I nevertheless experienced His peace and the loving care of a local family.

Experiencing spiritual adventure.

  • During prayer for a deaf boy in southern India, seeing the joy on his mother’s face when he could hear; and that same day the greater joy of watching the brightening face of a white-bearded day labourer hearing and accepting the Gospel.
  • Preaching and teaching in many nations – once in Mongolia without local language or translator (secret: stay very close to Scripture!) – Sometimes speaking words that were not my own. This gave me a deeper understanding of His Word.

During the past 40 years of attempting to obey the Spirit, through my weakness and His grace, my family and I have lived a life richer and more fulfilled than ever I could have planned for us. Seldom have I known where we’d live next, or where our money would come from. Here’s another verse that’s precious to me:

“Faithful is He who calls you, who also will do [it]” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Do you see? It’s all about Him, not me. He’s faithful. He calls. He does. If I will yield control, if I will step out in faith, I will experience adventure and, most importantly, experience His faithfulness.

- Bill