Become: Less of Me, More of Jesus

Jul 19, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When God Says "Go" Before You Know

The call to follow often comes without maps or guarantees. Like Abraham leaving Ur or missionaries packing suitcases, faith requires stepping into uncertainty. God’s invitation to "go" isn’t about having all the answers but trusting the One who holds the journey. True obedience begins when we release our need for control and let God redefine our understanding of "home." This is where faith becomes a compass, not a checklist. [37:15]

The Lord had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you." (Genesis 12:1, NIV)

Reflection: What "unknown" is God asking you to trust Him with today? How might clinging to comfort keep you from joining His work?

Day 2: Yogurt, Blinkers, and the Mirror of the Heart

Cultural differences often reveal hidden biases we never knew we carried. Frustration with foreign customs—like post-dinner yogurt or confusing traffic signals—exposes our assumptions about "the right way." These moments become sacred mirrors, showing us where we still prioritize comfort over Christlike humility. Transformation begins when we stop judging others’ practices and start examining our own hearts. [45:37]

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2, NIV)

Reflection: Where do you instinctively judge others’ "way of doing things"? How could curiosity replace criticism in those moments?

Day 3: Mission Thrives Where Perfection Dies

Abraham lied. Peter denied. Yet God built His kingdom through their availability, not their flawlessness. When we focus on our inadequacies, we forget the mission belongs to God—He only asks for willing hands. Like Abimelech encountering God despite Abraham’s deception, divine work happens through cracked vessels. Our failures become grace-filled classrooms where we learn dependence. [49:23]

Abraham replied, "I said to myself, 'There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.'" When God had me wander from my father’s household, I said to her, 'This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, "He is my brother."'" (Genesis 20:11-13, NIV)

Reflection: What past mistake makes you doubt your usefulness to God? How might He repurpose that story for His glory?

Day 4: The God Who Arrived Before You

Missionaries don’t bring God to Nepal—He’s already there, stirring hearts like Abimelech’s. From 180 to 8,000 churches, explosive growth happens when we join what He’s already doing. Our role isn’t to initiate but to collaborate, like Abraham showing up where God was already speaking. This truth liberates us from savior complexes and invites us into holy partnership. [53:39]

He must become greater; I must become less. (John 3:30, NIV)

Reflection: Where are you trying to "force" spiritual outcomes instead of joining God’s existing work? What needs to decrease for Christ to increase?

Day 5: Becoming the Answer to Your Own Prayer

"God use me" often starts with "God change me." Missions isn’t just crossing oceans—it’s crossing the street to the Nepali neighbor or Guatemalan coworker. Becoming like Jesus means trading fear for friendship, seeing divine appointments in grocery lines and school pickups. When we stop waiting for a calling and start loving like Christ, every interaction becomes holy ground. [58:13]

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15, NIV)

Reflection: Who in your daily routine needs Christ’s hope? What one step can you take to build trust with them this week?

Sermon Summary

The call of God in Genesis 12 comes to Abraham with a simple word: go. God does not hand Abraham a five year strategic plan, a full address, or a promise that the road will be easy. God simply calls him to leave what is familiar and move toward a land that will be shown later. Faith always comes before understanding, because if everything were already clear, it would not really be faith.

The mission journey to Nepal shows that God is not just moving people across geography. God is also moving hearts from old ways of thinking into new ways of seeing. Nepal was different in the big things, with Hindu temples instead of churches on every corner, and different in the small things too, like yogurt after lunch and dinner and blinkers that seem to mean the exact opposite. Those little irritations exposed something deeper than culture shock. The problem was not Nepal. The problem was the heart carrying American cultural baggage and assuming that different meant wrong.

Abraham’s story shows the same thing. Abraham went to Egypt and Gerar with fear in his heart, and fear pushed him toward self protection. Abraham assumed there was “no fear of God in this place,” even without evidence, and that assumption led him to lie and create distance. Fear always creates distance, while love moves toward people. God used those moments to expose what needed to change in Abraham, just as God uses cross-cultural relationships to expose pride, prejudice, and self preservation.

The mission of God never depended on Abraham being flawless, and it does not depend on flawless people now. God was already speaking to Abimelech before Abraham ever understood what was happening. Abraham’s job was not to bring God into Gerar. Abraham’s job was to be available where God was already working. The same truth stands in Nepal, where the church has grown from a small, young community into a vibrant movement with hundreds of thousands of believers.

Prayer, giving, and going still matter deeply. The word become belongs beside them. Becoming means more humility, more compassion, more curiosity, more availability, more like Jesus. The greatest journey God may ask for might not be across the ocean, but across the street, from fear to faith, from prejudice to love, and from self protection to self sacrifice.

Key Takeaways

1. Faith moves before understanding. God’s call to Abraham did not come with all the details filled in. Faith had to step forward before the map was clear, because certainty is not the same thing as trust. The life of mission begins when obedience stops demanding complete control before it moves. [39:12]
2. Culture shock exposes hidden pride. Yogurt after dinner and different uses of blinkers were not really the deepest problem. Those small irritations uncovered an assumption that familiar ways were automatically right and other ways were wrong. God often uses ordinary discomforts to reveal the parts of the heart that still need to decrease. [44:56]
3. Fear always creates distance. Abraham’s fear in Egypt and Gerar made him protect himself instead of love honestly. Fear built a shell around him and turned people into threats before they had ever shown themselves to be dangerous. Love does not require agreement with everything, but it does require movement toward people instead of retreat from them. [47:19]
4. God works before people arrive. Abraham did not bring God to Abimelech, because God was already speaking there. Mission is not introducing God to places where he has been absent, but joining conversations he has already started. That truth takes the pressure off and turns availability into a holy privilege. [49:23]
5. Become more like Jesus. Prayer, giving, and going are all vital, but becoming is the deeper journey beneath them. God forms humility, compassion, curiosity, and availability in people who want to be used by him. The great mission field may be across the world, but it may also be across the street. [57:56]
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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[28:40] - Missionaries to Nepal Introduced
[29:22] - Twenty Five Years of Family Journey
[32:47] - Pray, Give, Go, Become
[33:46] - Genesis 12 and the Call to Go
[37:15] - Landing in a Whole New World
[39:12] - Faith Before Understanding
[41:05] - Temples, Yogurt, and Blinkers
[45:37] - Abraham’s Fear in Egypt and Gerar
[48:13] - God Works In Before Through
[49:23] - The Mission Belongs to God
[51:16] - Growth of the Church in Nepal
[53:39] - Pray, Give, Go, and Become
[55:38] - Nations at the Front Doorstep
[57:56] - Becoming More Like Jesus
[58:35] - Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Genesis 12:1 — “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.’” [37:02]
Genesis 20:11 — “Abraham said, ‘I did it because I thought, There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’” [46:52]
John 3:30 — “He must increase, but I must decrease.” [48:42]

Observation questions

In Genesis 12:1, what does God tell Abram to leave, and what does God leave unsaid about the journey? [39:01]
What were some of the big differences and some of the small differences noticed in Nepal, and which small examples stood out most? [41:05]
In Genesis 20:11, what assumption does Abraham make about Gerar before he really knows the people there? [46:52]
What words are added alongside pray, give, and go, and what kinds of qualities are included in that idea? [57:56]

Interpretation questions

Genesis 12:1 gives Abram a command before giving him all the details. What does that show about how faith and understanding usually relate to each other in the Christian life? [39:12]
Abraham says, “There is no fear of God at all in this place.” How can fear lead a person to make quick judgments about others and then act in self-protection rather than trust? [47:19]
John 3:30 says, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” What might “decreasing” look like when pride, assumptions, or cultural superiority are hiding in the heart? [48:48]
God was already speaking to Abimelech before Abraham understood what was happening. How does that change the way a believer thinks about mission, witness, and everyday relationships? [49:23]

Application questions

Where might God be asking for obedience before full clarity right now? Is there an area where waiting for a complete plan has become a way of delaying faith? [39:23]
What kinds of everyday irritations tend to expose pride or a “my way is the right way” attitude? Where has discomfort with people who are different revealed something deeper in the heart? [44:56]
Fear always creates distance. Is there a person or group that has been kept at arm’s length because they feel unfamiliar, difficult, or threatening? What would one small step toward love look like this week? [47:29]
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” In what situations is there a need for less self-protection and more humility? What would it mean to let Jesus increase in that specific place? [48:42]
God is already at work in people before anyone arrives. How might that truth change the way conversations happen with neighbors, coworkers, classmates, or family members who do not share the same beliefs? [57:01]
The nations are often right outside the front door. Who are the people nearby from different backgrounds, cultures, or religions, and what would it look like to move toward them with curiosity, respect, and love? [55:38]
Becoming more like Jesus may be the greatest journey of all. Which part of that journey feels most needed right now: from fear to faith, from prejudice to love, or from self-protection to self-sacrifice? Why? [58:08]

Sermon Clips

58s

#JoinGodsConversation

“``Jesus never confused love with agreement on everything. He just loved people. God was already speaking to Abimelech. God used Abraham's presence in that country to bring Abimelech into covenant relationship with him. That changes everything for you because you're not introducing we're not asking you to go and introduce God to someone. You're at we're asking you to go out and join a conversation that God is already having with someone in your community. Amen? God is already moving. The pressure is off. Your job is not to save people. Your job is to love people, to listen, to ask questions, to serve, to build friendships, and one day like Abimelech, somebody's gonna come to you and say, I wanna be in relationship with your God and you're gonna get the honor and privilege of bringing them into that covenant relationship with Jesus.”

36s

#BecomeMoreLikeJesus

“I encourage you to be involved in all of those things. Those are those are good words. But the fourth one today is become. This is a word we're gonna add. Become. Become more humble, become more compassionate, more curious, more available, more like Jesus. Because the greatest journey that God may ever ask you to take is not a journey across the ocean. It's a journey in your own heart from fear to faith, from prejudice to love, from a sense of self protection to a sense of self sacrifice.”

41s

#FaithBeforeUnderstanding

“He doesn't give him a five year strategic plan for what he needs to accomplish. He doesn't promise him an easy journey. He simply says to Abraham, go. Church, we need to realize once again or be reminded again this morning that faith always precedes our understanding. If we understood everything before we moved, that wouldn't be faith. Amen? If we knew what the outcome was gonna be, we knew exactly what was gonna happen. That's not faith. Faith by definition precedes our understanding. We have to move and trust God that he is gonna provide along the way.”

34s

#GodWorksInUs

“One of the greatest lessons that we've learned in our twenty five years of ministry in Nepal is this simple lesson. It's simple to say, a lot harder to to live and experience, but the lesson is this, that we we bought we thought when we went to Nepal that God wanted to work through us, that we needed to learn the culture, we needed to learn the language. We need to do all these things so that we could make an impact on Nepal. And what we realize out now after twenty five years is that God has always desired to first work in us.”

49s

#LeaveComfortFollowGod

“Sometimes God does ask us to leave. Leave comfort of family, home, leave things that feel certain or feel solid around us, to leave things that are familiar, to leave things that we prefer, things that we've gotten used to in our lives before he shows us what comes next. For us, that meant leaving The United States. For me, specifically, leaving my family in Alabama to travel to Nepal for you know, in an exchange of everything that was familiar with a lot of things that were completely unfamiliar. But God continually calls us as believers to leave behind the old and move into the new things that he has for us. This is a journey that a journey that we're all on.”

66s

#ChooseLoveOverFear

“And we still do this today. When we find people around us who are different than we are culturally or religiously, spiritually, we look at them and we think, wow. They're really different. They won't understand our way of doing things. They're maybe we think they're dangerous. We think that it's impossible to connect with them. Fear always creates distance. When love wants us to move towards people, fear makes us close in in a shell of self preservation, and it moves us away from people. And there were definitely times in Nepal when I experienced this and I became very frustrated. I thought to myself, why are they doing it this way? Why is everything here so different? And every time I would think those thoughts and have that attitude in my life, God would speak to me and say, the problem is not Nepal. The problem is you. The problem is your heart, and that was a very, very difficult lesson for me to learn.”

36s

#LovePeopleNotEndorsements

“They're your neighbors. They're your coworkers. Their children are sitting next to your kids in school. They're walking down the aisle, pushing their buggy down the aisle at Walmart just like you're doing. God is asking you this morning, are you going to see them as a threat, as a burden, or will you see them the way that Jesus sees them? I wanna be clear too that loving someone doesn't mean that we're approving of everything that they believe. Just hear me on this. We don't we don't affirm idol worship. We don't compromise truth, but we love people.”

59s

#GodWasAlreadyThere

“the growth of God's kingdom in Nepal is a modern day mission success story like like very few we've ever seen in the world. It rivals China in the in the amount of explosive growth that has happened in the last twenty or thirty years. But do we say all these things so that we can get a pat on the back or that we can be congratulated for all the great work we've done in Nepal? No. Of course not. Because it wasn't ever us doing anything. We were there. We were available. We made mistakes. We did all kinds of crazy things. But all along, like in the life of Abimelech and Gerar, God was working ahead of us. When we got to Nepal, this might surprise some of you, but we didn't bring God with us when we got there. He was already there. He was already moving in people's hearts. He was already speaking to people about his kingdom and about following him and serving him the same way that he did with Abraham and king Abimelech.”

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