“He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might feel around for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His descendants.’”
Acts 17:26-28
Assignments are to people and places for a season (time), and everything God does is through a person or place. When He wants to bring something to you, He will bring someone to you.
Here are some ways you can discern whom God has assigned to you or whom you have been assigned to:
- Whom do I feel a burden toward? When I sense God’s com- passion toward someone, I know God is sharing His heart with me because He has an assignment for me. This assignment may be short-term (for someone He wants to touch) or long-term (for something He wants to change). This is how God gives us opportunities to serve Him. He places people on our path and a pain or desire in our heart for someone and credits our account as if it were Jesus Himself we were serving. (“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” John 13:20)
- Whom do I feel drawn to? When God shares His heart with me (Psalm 37:4), it may take the form of a person whom I have a desire to see, call, or write to. I want to be obedient to where He is drawing me, and I want to be swift to act, knowing His assignments are time-sensitive.
- Whom am I called to? There are some people I feel protective of or think about often. I may even feel their pain. I may have a desire to serve them. Some assignments are obvious: family, friends, and some in the work environment. If God is putting me together with someone or wants me to do something, a prompt- ing desire will build within me that I can’t shake.
- What place am I called to in this season? When I am where I belong, I have a peace and a sense of being settled, even in difficult circumstances. When I am not where I belong, I am uncomfortable as if I am out of place or out of season. When you feel pushed, it is often from below; when you feel pulled, it is from above. When God calls you to a new place, He always calls you to a person, too. God likes the waiting season because it is during such seasons that He births something new in us.
- Where am I feeling pain? This is an area that God wants me to resolve. When my bell is getting rung on the inside, this is God’s alarm to wake me to action.
REFLECT TO CONNECT
- Where has God been leading you?
- Whom has God put on your heart to engage?
- In what ways is God getting your attention lately?
God is Spirit, and so it is within the depth of your being that you will find Him nudging you.
