“I looked up at the driver and felt the need to share Christ with him,” says Jordan, a Leading The Way partner. While traveling for business, Jordan sensed God was giving him an opportunity to strike up a conversation with his taxi driver, a Muslim from Syria. It would have been much easier, and much more comfortable, for Jordan to disregard these promptings. But God was up to something.

 

“I asked him what he thought of Christ,” Jordan says, “and then it happened. A total traffic jam. The city had been crushed with rain and there were flash floods everywhere.” Only 10 minutes away from his destination, Jordan would remain stuck in traffic for another hour, in which time he and his taxi driver would engage in a powerful conversation about the Gospel.

 

It’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of everyday life and miss the opportunities God is giving us to be His messengers. But, if we ask Him and purpose to see the world with an eternal perspective, God will bring people and situations to our awareness, opening doors for the ministry of the Gospel and for obedience to His plan.

 

Throughout the Bible, we encounter faithful individuals who recognized and seized the divine appointments God was placing before them. In Acts 8, we read an account of God leading His disciple Philip on a journey to share the Gospel with an Ethiopian man.

 

Philip didn’t seem to have plans to take the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza that day. The journey was probably inconvenient. But step by step, the Lord guided Philip. When he finally came across the Ethiopian on the path, the man was puzzling over a passage of Scripture that spoke of the Messiah. “How can I [understand it], unless someone explains it to me?” the Ethiopian asked (Acts 8:31). Prepared for this moment, Philip shared the Good News of Jesus.

 

Today, Jesus presents open doors of opportunity for His faithful saints to walk through. No matter how tired, weak, or overwhelmed we may be, we must walk through them. Just like Jordan’s taxi driver, and just like the Ethiopian man, God has strategically placed people in your path who are hungry to know the Truth. He has already prepared the way. Will you be a willing Jordan or a faithful Philip? Will you follow God’s leading, whatever the cost to your time and comfort?

 

Prayer: Lord, help me to be alert to the promptings of Your Spirit to share the Gospel—the hope that every soul needs. May I step out of my comfort zone and trust in Your faithfulness to draw people to You as I humble myself and obey Your leading. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

 

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14).

Check out more from Dr. Michael Youssef, here!

About The Author

Dr. Michael Youssef, Ph.D.

Even before he was born, it is clear that God had a vision for Michael Youssef. His mother was in poor health when she became pregnant with Michael, and because his life was in danger at the time of birth, the doctor recommended terminating the pregnancy. An abortion was scheduled. But God intervened and sent the family pastor to reassure them that God was involved in this pregnancy. He told them not to be afraid and that the child would be "born to serve the Lord." Michael's parents accepted the pastor's message as a message from God and obeyed. His mother gave birth, and lived to see him give his life to the Lord at the age of sixteen.


Believing that God had called him out of Egypt, Michael sought an exit visa in a time in which no university student was allowed to have a passport or leave the country. God intervened again, and miraculously he managed to acquire a visa. He immigrated to Australia, where he studied at Moore Theological College in Sydney, was ordained as a pastor, and met Elizabeth who became his wife.


The Youssefs came to America in 1977, and in 1978 Michael received a master's degree in theology at Fuller Theological Seminary in California. Then he earned a doctorate in social anthropology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Michael served nearly ten years in the Haggai Institute, traveling around the world more than 32 times, teaching courses in evangelism and leadership. He rose to the position of Managing Director at the age of 31 years. The family settled in Atlanta, and in 1984, Michael became a citizen of the United States, making his dream of many years come true.


He founded The Church of The Apostles in 1987 with fewer than 40 adults with the mission of "Equipping the Saints and Searching for the Lost". The church has since grown to be a congregation of over 3,000 people today. This church has driven the international ministry of Leading the Way. While it is heard by millions at home and abroad, behind every message preached through radio waves, is the heart of a pastor, willing to nurture and care for these people. Clearly God has uniquely equipped Dr. Youssef to speak to a global audience. The path he has taken has given him an understanding and firm grasp of the Scriptures that transcend cultures. He preaches, teaches and calls with a sincere, based on the authority of the inerrant, inspired Word of God. With his personal knowledge of the Holy Land, its history and culture, Dr. Michael Youssef transmits life to listeners all over the world.



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