Psalm 119: The Word and the Spirit to Follow Your Mission

Introduction

With this message, Pastor Rod closes a four-week series on life purpose and mission at Lifehouse Tokyo. He recalls the steps along the way. Week one asked "Who am I?": a son or daughter of God, a blessed person on whom grace has poured out a purpose. Week two was about the joy of discovering the gifts God has entrusted to us, what I am and what I am not. Week three was about the calling: God calls all of us, so the prayer is no longer "Am I called?" but "What am I called to?"

This final message is about the joy of following the mission of your life. The key text is Psalm 119:105: "Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path." The pastor sees two things here: a light that shows the long-term direction, your future, and a lamp that lights the ground under your feet, right now.

The message is practical. Pastor Rod talks about the big decisions of life, how the Word and the Spirit shed light on them, and he tells how God led his family from Australia to Japan.

Outline of the Message

1. A Lamp for Today, a Light for the Future

Psalm 119:105 speaks of two kinds of light. The lamp at your feet is about this season, this exact moment: where do you take your next step? What is God saying today about your family and the season you are going through?
The light on the path is about the future: knowing your mission, what God says about your tomorrow.
God speaks about both. The pastor often meets good Christians who tell him: "Rod, I have to make a decision and I don't know what to do." He wants them to know that God speaks about their future and about their present.

2. The Two Wheels of the Bicycle: the Word and the Spirit

As a young Christian, Pastor Rod heard a pastor at a church in Singapore talk about God's guidance using a bicycle. Both wheels move forward together, at the same speed. The picture may seem too simple, but as he listened, he found it remarkable. He still remembers it today: "There is wisdom in that."
The first wheel is the Word of God. The pastor encourages you to keep a journal: write down what God tells you today, hold on to the key verses, remember his goodness. Through this journal, the Spirit speaks too.
The second wheel is the Holy Spirit. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God" (Romans 8:14). "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27). There is joy in being led by the Spirit and by the Word.
Riding on one wheel makes balance difficult. Lots of Word without the Spirit, and faith becomes legalistic and dries up. Lots of Spirit without the Word, and you get puffed up, and it doesn't work.
With a good balance between the two, there is growth. It is through the Word and the Spirit that God leads us toward our mission.

3. Know Who You Are Before You Know Where to Go

Pastor Rod returns to something he noted in the first week: in 2026, the most frequent Google search that starts with "who" is "Who am I?"
Believers need to know and receive this: you are a son or daughter of God, chosen, gifted, filled with the Spirit, forgiven, loved. According to Ephesians 2:10, you are God's workmanship, his masterpiece.
From there comes the joy of discovering your gifts, your passions, your personality, and the season you are in. You understand the present while looking toward your vision and your future.
Proverbs 4:18 speaks of this discovery: the path of the righteous is like the dawning light that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. Discovering what you do well, what you don't do well, what you are passionate about and what you are not should be a joy.

4. Paul: a Blurry Vision, Then Steps Guided by the Spirit

When Paul became a believer, he understood that Jesus was calling him to something great, without seeing exactly where he would go. At first, he speaks to the Jews. Then Jesus puts the nations on his heart: a major change of direction.
Galatians 1:15: God had set him apart from his mother's womb and called him by his grace. From the start, Paul senses a future without seeing it clearly. He probably did not know that he would go to Greece or Italy.
The pastor draws a parallel with himself, without comparing himself to Paul: he had never imagined coming to Japan. The principle is the same. At first you see something vague ahead of you: a field related to business, coaching, teaching, sales.
1 Corinthians 13:12 describes this long-term vision: today we see in a mirror of polished metal, dimly, but then we will see face to face. As you take good steps, the road becomes clearer, like the sun rising toward noon.
Acts 16:6-10 shows the lamp at his feet. The Spirit keeps Paul from speaking the Word in Asia, so he travels through Phrygia and Galatia. Near Mysia, he wants to go into Bithynia, but "the Spirit of Jesus didn't allow them." At Troas, during the night, Paul has a vision: a Macedonian says to him, "Come over into Macedonia and help us!"
"Not now, not that way": Paul might go to those regions one day, but it was not the time. Then the pieces of the puzzle come together and the Gospel reaches Macedonia. Pastor Rod sees in this a beautiful picture of the principle.
In this text, the pastor notes the action of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, and God who calls: one God. The Father sees everything and warms the heart, the Spirit of Jesus is with us, and God calls us. God commits himself to guiding us. You can trust in that.

5. Making a Good Decision Before God

The pastor suggests a simple exercise. Put the two options in front of you and write them down, with what is good and what is not, the pros and the cons. The answer may not come right away, but your thinking becomes focused and logical, and the present situation gets clearer.
Talk with your spouse and with the leaders of your church. They cannot give you the answer, but they can show you the principles of God's guidance. The pastor warns against "crazy" decisions, made without understanding that they will have consequences.
Ask the concrete questions: is it financially possible? What about the family? What is the school like? What church is there where you are going? According to the pastor, many people don't ask these questions.
He gives a common example: people write to him to say they are moving to a rural area of Japan and ask him to start a Lifehouse there. He would love to, but the resources are not there yet, and the decision has already been made. It is still possible to follow the service online, but the question of community and school has often not been asked.
Do serious research on schools, churches, and visas. There are many ways to get information today, you can even ask ChatGPT, but don't leave everything to these tools: do real research yourself.
"Don't worry, don't be afraid." Place your decision before God's eyes, let yourself be led by the Word, by the Spirit and, if you are married, in agreement with your spouse. God walks with you and he guides you.

6. From Australia to Japan: a Mission That Becomes Clear Step by Step

Pastor Rod and his wife were in ministry in Australia. The church was growing, full of wonderful young people. They had built a house, the one his wife had dreamed of. "Life was at the top": they were walking in the mission God had given them.
Then his wife received a vision from God, the dream of a new journey in life: a vision of a tsunami. They did not understand everything, but they knew that "tsunami" is a Japanese word. God's tsunami does not bring destruction: in this vision, they received his grace, his blessing and his love. The picture remained blurry, but it pointed in a direction.
They decided to go on vacation in Japan, with their two sons and the pastor's parents. They loved everything: the food, the people, the trains running on time, the cleanliness. But what struck them most was that the Japanese do not know Jesus. The rest was still blurry, but one thing was in their hearts: to bring the Word of God to those who do not know Jesus.
They entrusted their church to the next pastor. God helped them, and that church is today a large, blessed church.
They had to work on the children's school, on finances, and build a team of ten Australians. They were thrilled by the vision, but they still had to light the lamp at their feet. God gave them the answers one after another, until they arrived in Japan.
"It was hard." But, face to face, the pastor and his wife keep asking each other: "What did God tell us?" It is hard, but God has spoken: "We can break through this situation," and move toward the future with his help.

Key Takeaways

The Word of God is both a lamp for today's step and a light for the direction of your life.
The Word and the Spirit are the two wheels of the bicycle: one without the other throws off your balance, and both together produce growth.
Knowing who you are in God comes before discovering your mission: you are his child, his work, gifted.
The vision of the future is often blurry at first. It becomes clearer as you take good steps, as it did for Paul in Acts 16.
A good decision is prepared: in writing, by talking with your spouse and your leaders, with serious research, and without fear before God.

Personal Application

Which of your two wheels is the weakest right now: the Word or the Spirit? What can you do this week to restore the balance?
Do you keep a journal of what God tells you? If not, what could you write down starting today?
What decision do you have in front of you? Have you taken the time to write down the options, their pros and cons?
Have you talked about this decision with your spouse or with a leader in your church, and done the concrete research needed?
Where in your life does the Spirit seem to be telling you "not now" or "not that way"? Can you trust him for what comes next?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

What do the two wheels of the bicycle represent according to Pastor Rod?

For Pastor Rod, the two wheels represent the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. With the Word without the Spirit, faith becomes legalistic and dries up. With the Spirit without the Word, you get puffed up. When both move forward together, there is growth and a clear direction.

Why does Psalm 119:105 speak of both a lamp and a light?

The preacher sees two dimensions of God's guidance here: the lamp lights your feet for today's step, in the present season, and the light shines on the path, that is, the long-term direction and the future God shows you.

How do you make an important decision according to this message?

Write the options in front of you with their pros and cons, talk about them with your spouse and the leaders of your church, do serious research on the finances, the school or the church where you are going, then place the decision before God, listening to his Word and his Spirit, without fear.