Has God ever spoken to you in a moment you weren’t even in prayer? This happened to me earlier this year. I was just getting ready for work and the Lord spoke, from what seemed to be out of nowhere. He said: “Before you think you can, you have to think you should. In other words, before you think you can change the world, you must think you should change the world. If you think you’re not supposed to be relevant to the world, you won’t wonder if you can be.”
Believers aren’t impacting the world in the way we can or the way I believe we should be. It sometimes saddens me to see the church become irrelevant, crippled by the “should nots” and the fear of what others may think. The Scriptures describe men and women of God who took hold of their positions of divine influence to shift the destinies of nations. Their prominence was not for their own benefit but for the purpose of shaping society toward God’s original intent. They created catalytic cultures that maximized the godly influence of their constituents on the rest of creation. Believers throughout the book of Acts are great examples of noble people who catalyzed culture. They had such deep impacts on their societies that when Paul and his friends arrived in Thessalonica, the people said, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also” (Acts 17:6).
So today I want you to think about this: what places could God be calling you to impact that you haven’t even considered because you put them in the “should not” box?
I’ll say it again—before you think you can change the world, you must think you should change the world! The only reason dark places in society stay dark is because we’re not there to bring the light. Before you can find the full possibility of your impact, you have to ask yourself if it’s okay to be the politician, businessman, actor or whatever it is you’ve been too afraid to go after or maybe even too afraid to allow your heart to dream of. I want you to know that you have permission; permission to dream big dreams, to go to the dark places and be a shining light and to impact every realm of society. You not only have permission but a mandate to disciple nations.
Be Salt and Light
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how shall it be made salty? It is from then on good for nothing but to be thrown out and to be trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a basket, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:13-16).
This week, let’s be the kind of salt that hasn’t lost its flavor, and let’s let our light shine bright for the world to see. What are the things in your life that you haven’t thought were possible because you didn’t think they should be possible? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! {eoa}
Kris Vallotton is the senior associate leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, and co-founder of Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM). Kris travels internationally, training and equipping people to successfully fulfill their divine purpose. He’s a best-selling author, having written more than a dozen books and training manuals to help prepare believers for life in the kingdom. He has a diverse background in business, counseling, consulting, pastoring and teaching, which gives him unique leadership insights and perspectives. Kris has a passion to use his experience and his prophetic gift to assist world leaders in achieving their goals and accomplishing their mission.
This article originally appeared at krisvallotton.com.
Curt Landry 
Michael L. Brown 
Rabbi Eric Tokajer