Before You GoSample

Keeping Your Arrow Sharp

Some short-term mission teams are technically sharp but make a little long-term impact. Perhaps they have some incredible evangelistic presentation, excellent music skills, knowledgeable builders, or experienced preachers on the team. But the team bounces off their host nation like a dull arrow glancing off its target. If you are carrying the light of God into a dark place, you expect some penetration!

Another team might be less skilled, practiced, or polished, but they leave more of a mark on the lives of the people they ministered to than the team that appeared sharper. How can this be?

The answer is that your long-term impact depends more deeply on the team’s heart preparation than their technical preparation. God cares about excellence in your practical preparations. Most importantly, however, team members must prepare their hearts to stay focused, unified, positive, humble, submissive, and full of faith. Combining practical excellence with focused heart preparation will cause the team to be like an arrow of light penetrating the darkness and touching people’s lives.

What are some heart-related issues that dull the arrow of any short-term mission team? Pride, attitudes towards leaders, division, and strife among team members, complaining about circumstances, negative attitudes, coarse language, and impurity are just a few. These are like grinding the edge of an arrow against a hard rock. Be vigilant to keep them away from your heart and your team.

Go Further: Are there areas of your life that you’ve hesitated to surrender to God’s will or that you’d rather not be corrected on by a mission leader? Can you let those go for the sake of this team and its effectiveness?

Prayer: Father, You have an eternal inheritance in the nations for our team and me, and I don’t want to miss out because of fleshly carelessness. Help us stay sharp as a team, walking in the light and preserving the unity You’ve given us, resisting both the devil and every fleshly temptation. May the point of our ministry arrow hit the target You are aiming us towards, and may the impact of Your Spirit strike deep into the hearts of the people.