There are two kinds of Christians: the sitters and the movers.
“Let’s talk about ‘The Sitters’ first. Their motto is, ‘I do not move without God’s guidance.’ Those who hold to this philosophy wait and pray until God shows a way. They rarely move without a clear sign or instruction from God. Those who follow this viewpoint sound very holy and proper. They often say things like, ‘I am waiting on God. I am trusting God to take care of me. I do not want to miss God and go in the wrong direction. I have faith that God will provide.’ Year after year, they sit in the same place, doing the same thing, hoping and praying for God to move.”
I call the second group of people, ‘The Movers.’ They live their lives by a different mantra. If they had to put it into words they would say, ‘I expect God’s guidance when I move.’ They do not sit around waiting for a word from God; instead they begin obeying the commands God has already given them. They expect to receive guidance while they are in the process of moving.”
Here are some of the differences between sitters and movers:
* Sitters sit; movers move.
* Sitters listen to God’s voice; movers obey God’s voice.
* Sitters are quickly overtaken by movers.
* Sitters talk about doing great things for God; movers actually do great things for God.
* Sitters are still asking, “What should we do?” when movers announce, “Look at what we have done.”
* Sitters critique and complain; movers are too busy to attack others.
* Sitters point out problems; movers fix problems.
* Sitters say, “I am trusting God.” Movers say, “God is trusting me.”
Several years ago, I asked a pastor if we could hold a special series of evangelistic meetings in his church. He said, ‘Let me pray about it.’ Now years later, he is still praying about it and wondering why his church has not grown.” “I held a meeting with another pastor and six new families started coming to his church. The next year we held another evangelistic outreach and again his church grew. What was the difference between these pastors? While one was praying, the other was doing. One pastor prayed, ‘God save the lost.’ The second pastor was giving away hotdogs to people in the park on a Saturday morning and demonstrating the love of Christ in a tangible way. The second pastor is a mover. As he takes action, he trusts God to bless his actions.”