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In a favorite book of mine, called "The Relentless Pursuit," Phil Strout suggests that there are four essential items tied to the reality of missional life. I would like to post them here and perhaps think on them more, so here they are. (These are direct quotes from the book)

1. Desire. Is there a desire in your heart to see God work in your life? The Lord is looking for able-bodied Christians who are willing to serve in order to advance His Kingdom. Even if you do not desire to participate in what God is doing, He remains ready to help you. "For it is God who is at work in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure." -Philippians 2:13 Our desire determines, to some degree, how much we will be involved in God's mission.

2. Expectancy. Do you believe God is really at work around you? Are you ever expectant that God is going to work through you and around you? If we do not expect God to work, it may sometimes take a dramatic wake-up call for us to see what He is doing. However, when we live in a constant state of expectancy, excited about His next move around us, we will be able to more easily see and hear what He is doing.

3. Staying filled. While you may have experienced an encounter with the Holy Spirit where you yielded your life to the work of the Lord, are you living daily in the power of the Holy Spirit? Paul encouraged the church at Ephesus to "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). Are you being filled anew each day with the Holy Spirit's power? I don't know how many times throughout my years in ministry that I've heard people say, "I got the baptism many years ago." It's great that they have had an experience, but are they walking in that power each day? Before your feet hit the floor each morning, do you have an attitude that says, "I want to live a life committed to You, Lord. I want to see what You are doing. I know You are involved in my life. Give me eyes to see what You are doing today."

4. A secret life. Do you make a point to spend time alone with God each day? Throughout the book of Luke, we see over and over Jesus' dependency upon the Father. Oftentimes, Jesus rose early in the morning and disappeared into the wilderness to spend time with God. "When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from getting away from them" (Luke 4:42). However, Jesus knew that in order to give the people what they needed, He must first spend time with God.