Learning to Ask What God Wants for You

YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED

Travis Greene is a well-known recording artist who has toured around the country, leading others in praise and worship before God. He never dreamed he would someday lead a church. However, in 2015, he felt the Lord calling him to start a church. When he called his wife, Jackie, she confirmed that it was from God. After praying and asking God where to go, they felt called to move to Columbia, South Carolina to start Forward City Church together. The first two years were great—large crowds came, people were getting saved, and everyone was excited until Pastor Travis wanted to change things up. 

He explains, “I didn’t want to do the same things. I’ve always considered myself to be a man of excellence, where good isn’t good enough. I had huge goals for our church. I’ve learned that if you’re not moving forward, you’re falling behind. If you’re not innovating, you’re stagnating.” Not everyone agreed with him. Many felt that good was good enough and some people left the church. “That season was hard, brutally hard,” Travis admits. Refusing to give up, he and Jackie kept moving forward as a team. During the same time, Travis visited a pastor friend with a large church and thriving ministry. As he drove Pastor Travis around the campus, Travis found himself being happy for his friend but angry with God. He didn’t understand why this pastor had everything while he was struggling to keep his head above water. “This ain’t cool, man,” he silently told God. “I never asked to pastor a church! I never asked to move to South Carolina! I’m working my butt off, and I have no money, no new building, no joy!"

In that moment, he felt God ask him what he would do if he gave Travis a million dollars. Travis responded, “Probably build something.” As the silent conversation continued between him and God, Travis knew that even though he prayed for more money, a bigger building, and more people, he wasn’t prepared for it yet. “And just like that, I understood. I was praying for the wrong thing! I was praying for stuff when I should have been praying for the strategy to lead. I wanted miracles but I should have been asking God to help me manage what I’ve already been given,” he explains.

The paradigm shift in his thinking that day changed everything! He went back to Forward City Church, focusing on maximizing what they already had. “When we stopped focusing on what we thought God needed to do for us and instead focused on what we needed to do for God…Doors started opening.” 

Today, they have purchased and are settling into a forty-four-thousand-square-foot facility that was a former Best Buy store. Forward City Church is growing and continues to help the unchurched and overchurched move forward in their relationship with Jesus.
 
NOT SURE WHAT TO PRAY FOR?

Pastor Travis understands that talking to God can sometimes feel overwhelming. We may ask ourselves where to start or what to ask for. Pastor Travis says we should pray about our day and for His plan for the season we are in. He explains, “That dual prayer—to pray for the day and pray for the season—is important for everybody. We need to talk to God about the day and about the year. And really, we should be talking to Him about everything.” 
In addition, Pastor Greene offers the following practical tips for prayer:
    •    Examine your prayers - Consider whether you are praying for things that are aligned with God's will and purpose, or if you are treating God like a "genie in a bottle" and praying for things that are not in line with His plans.  
    •    Be willing to wait and work as God allows - Be patient and faithful as you wait for God to answer your prayers, rather than becoming frustrated when things don't happen on your timeline. Be willing to put in the work as God directs.  
    •    Believe in God's miracles while being a faithful steward - Maintain faith in God's ability to perform miracles, while also being good stewards of what He has already provided.  
    •    Navigate beyond feeling trapped to thriving in God's purposes - Instead of feeling stuck or trapped if your prayers aren't answered as expected, focus on thriving within God's purposes for your life.  
    •    Learn to use what's left instead of focusing on what was lost – Shift your mindset to make the most of the resources and circumstances you currently have, rather than dwelling on what was lost or not received. 
 
SINGER/SONGWRITER

Greene’s latest CD, “Strike the Ground” features 12 songs and a variety of artists. Greene is known for incorporating several different genres into his sound. Following his emergence in 2007, he gained notoriety by topping the Billboard gospel chart with 2015's The Hill. The album spawned several Grammy-nominated hits, including "Intentional" and "Made a Way," the latter of which stayed at number one on the Hot Gospel Songs chart for 13 weeks. After taking home seven Stellar Gospel Awards, Greene earned another Grammy nod for "See the Light" for 2017's Crossover: Live from Music City. He picked up a fifth Grammy nomination for "Won't Let Go" from 2019's Broken Record before returning in 2021 with Oil + Water. Both collaborations with Forward City [Tent Revival and Strike the Ground] appeared in 2022 and 2023. 

To learn more about Forward City Church, please visit: www.ForwardCity.tv. To purchase Travis' book, "Are You Praying for the Wrong Thing?" please visit: www.TravisGreene.tv.