Welcome to Muskogee Missions!

Family and Friends,

Ever since I was fourteen years old I have known exactly what I wanted to do and who I wanted to become. Even at an early age there was a desire within me to obtain my education, return home to my Tribe, and serve my people whom I so deeply care about. For over thirteen years now, year after year, I have been laying the foundation for this time and this moment. Every committee served on, every hour worked, every lesson learned under the tutelage of those who have paved the way before me has prepared me for what I thought was the inevitable. Those that know me best can attest to my ambition that I have diligently and meticulously prepared myself as a follower in the hopes of one day picking up the baton of leadership for my Tribe. As the goals of our life become more apparent, we often become infatuated with our own personal agendas that we quickly forget that our God is much more concerned with accomplishing His will and His purpose for our lives. In this season of life I’m reminded of Proverbs 16:9 which states: “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” The latter half of that verse is my heart’s desire that I cling to in this time of drawing closer to God and living out my faith. Instead of pursuing a run for Tribal Council, I am extraordinarily excited to announce that I am officially launching my own missionary organization, called ‘Muskogee Missions.’

At the same time of having a desire to serve in the capacity of leading my Tribe there laid dormant within me God’s true purpose for my life. This organization is the culmination of that dormant purpose that was within me the whole time, aligned with my obedience to Jesus Christ, coming to fruition. The premise behind my organization is to help spread the hope, love, and Gospel of Jesus Christ to Indian Country and wherever the Lord sees fit to lead our hands and feet. Each year I will work to offer several mission opportunities for my brothers and sisters in Christ that would like to take part in this Great Commission. The spreading of the Good News is a task that I certainly do not take lightly and I fully understand the weight that comes with such a responsibility. By prayer, fasting, and obedience in the Word this decision is one that I’ve taken directly to the Father and I wholeheartedly believe He is right in the middle of it. Contrary to what you may often hear, there is still a generation of followers that are still believing in: Jesus Christ as the Son of God, repentance of sins as being essential for salvation, the surrendering of one’s life at the foot of the cross, and the keeping of His commandments as He instructed us to. I truly believe that God is getting ready to tear down the denominational divide that has severely hindered the church’s ability to save those who are lost. He is going to leave us with the common denominator that we have and that is the belief in what Jesus Christ has done on our behalf. Not a code of conduct, not legalism, not a set of traditions that have skewed our ability to comprehend what we perceive salvation to be, but only the finished work that was accomplished by the Savior on the cross. Religion says do, Jesus says done. The world has been blinded by the enemy and it needs us, all of us, to put our religious differences aside to bring back into the fold all those who are lost. May we fervently seek the lost and break down the walls of Cultural Christianity which is running rampant and is perhaps our greatest mission field. May we fully comprehend that true life change happens only when we acknowledge that we are sinners, repent of those sins, and believe that redemption of those sins has been bought for us by the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Christ. May we then go and lead lives that puts Jesus front and center, trusting him as our Savior and allowing Him to lead us as Lord of all. May we never be grace abusers and continuously strive to live lives that are holy and acceptable unto Him. The pursuit of progress is the goal not the unattainable objective of perfection.

I have wrestled and toiled with the notion of making this my lot of advancing His kingdom. Many of us have prayed and sought God in an attempt to understand our roles in His kingdom. In my life I have found that God works sovereignly, strangely, and slowly. He takes time, but He does not waste time. As the adversary often does, he whispers those unsettling words into our ears of being “inadequate” or “unqualified.” Unqualified for this calling would certainly fit the billing for me. But all praise be to God that He doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. To my children, friends, and family members that have encouraged me to pursue this ambitious goal I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your friendship and support means more to me than you will ever know. Finally, I just want to be of encouragement to everyone that may read this. This message is less about me displaying what my own personal dreams are and more about encouraging everyone to pursue a closer relationship with the One who deeply loves and cares for you. He’s on record for how much He loves us, the question has always been how much do we love Him? May the divine tasks from God always take precedent over the dreams of our own desires in our lives. If God sees fit to open those doors of leadership within the Tribe for me, Lord-willing I will stand by ready until that appointed day. Until then, there is more following to do, more ground to take, and more lives that must be brought the hope and freedom that rests ONLY in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Psalm 138:8: “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.” He will fulfill the purpose that was instilled within you before the foundations of the world were created. Put your faith and trust in Him and He will accomplish that which concerns you. God Bless and may the Lord encamp you and your family with his loving kindness and mercy during this unprecedented season that we are in.

-Justin