Since the beginning of time we have tried to make God fit into our box. We want God to squeeze into our worldview and live within the parameters we have set for Him, instead of allowing Him to do his job and just be God.

While God will never do anything against his Word and we must always test that which comes before us through the Bible’s truths, God is not confined to do things based on our expectations. So the Catholic and the Charismatic can both serve the same God as long as the theology is in line with scripture, regardless of the method with which they seek God.

The truth that God is not confined to our expectations is visible in our daily lives, in our church practices, and out on the mission field. When we choose to break out of the box, God meets us and shows us new aspects of His character, as I have discovered over the years.

God has on the occasion spoken to me through a line in a movie. Just a few weeks ago, a friend of mine had this same experience while we were watching, “What Happens In Vegas.” God spoke truth to her through a comedy! She is now preparing to go on the mission field for a few months. Even the routine act of watching a movie can have life-impacting results with God in control.

I attended a church service while living in Colorado with a few guest worship bands, with a techno group. It was the last section of the night, and as the music began, the audience emptied. I stood there bewildered, because God has created all music and was in fact a part of this man’s act of worship. ‘Can’t we worship God through all forms of music?’ I thought. I stayed, and met God in the techno music, having a wonderful, unique encounter with my Creator.

I had the pleasure of meeting missionaries just this last month heading into a mission field outside the box. Jeremy and Kendra Stephenson have been missionaries in Tanzania for years. The mission field is not a foreign concept as both of them were raised by missionary families on the mission field. Being a missionary is what they know, but God is calling them out of the typical mission experience into one that is nothing short of divine.

God has gifted Jeremy with amazing photography abilities. Growing up, he saw this gift as a hobby sidelined by a passion to pursue Christ and spread the gospel. It wasn’t until marrying Kendra that God began to speak to his heart and call him to use his gift in a unique way. God asked Jeremy and Kendra to change their spiritual target from the natives of their region to the foreigners coming for safari vacations. Now Jeremy will be taking pictures for the tourists on their adventure and allowing God to facilitate relationships that offer a different adventure than the one the tourists flew to Africa to pursue.

Each of these experiences are of God and wouldn’t be considered “normal” interactions, but are in fact movements of the Spirit. Who knows what will come of the direction God has led these missionaries? Who knows what will come of the outside the box experience He has in store for you? The question that needs to be answered is –- Are you ready to allow God outside the box?