The term was popularized by John Ortberg and was illustrated in the Gulf War movie Three Kings. While the US army was tasked with the liberation of Kuwait, George Clooney leads a rogue unit pursuing Iraqi treasure. The unit ate in the same mess halls and attended the same briefings, but when the army marched into battle, they went off in search of gold. Their fellow soldiers were completely unaware that the unit was on a whole other mission.

Satan works hard to “sell” us on these shadow missions because he knows if he can distract or divert us, he can shipwreck God’s purpose for our lives.

Biblical case studies of the drift

When we look at Scripture through this lens, we see the tension between the divine mission and the shadow mission playing out in the lives of major figures.

1. Adam and Eve: Stewardship vs. “more” (Genesis 3)

• Mission: Take care of the garden.
• Shadow: Satan convinced them that what they had in Eden wasn’t enough and that they needed to be like God. They needed “more.” 
• Result: They lost their place in the garden because they couldn’t manage the tension of contentment and enough.

2. Samson: Liberation vs. validation (Judges 14-16)

• Mission: Free Israel from captivity. He was given abundant talent to achieve this.
• Shadow: Showmanship and worldly relationships.
• Result: Instead of leading, he squandered his gift, tearing lions apart (Judges 14:6), catching 300 foxes (Judges 15:4), and lifting city gates for sport (Judges 16:3). 
• His pursuit of the wrong women (Philistine prostitutes and Delilah) proved that while he had the strength of a giant, he had the drift of a lost child.

3. Jesus: The suffering servant vs. the celebrity messiah (Luke 4:1-13)

Even Jesus had to wrestle with this tension. In the wilderness, Satan offered him a corrupted version of the messiahship.

• The shadow offer: A mission without hunger (“turn stones to bread” – Luke 4:3) , without pain (“you won’t strike your foot” – Luke 4:11), and without sacrifice (“bow down… I will give you the kingdoms” – Luke 4:6-7).
• The reality: Satan was whispering, “You don’t have to do this God’s way. There is an alternative to the cross.”

Jesus stared this shadow in the face and rejected it. He knew that a mission without a cross was not a mission from God.

The danger: Morphing from servant to consumer

How do we recognize if we are drifting? One of the most common signs is a shift in our attitude toward the church.

We often join the church grateful for salvation, saying, “Here I am, send me”. But slowly, the crosswind hits.

• We stop wanting to serve and start demanding to be served.
• We ask, “Why isn’t the music to my taste?” or “Why doesn’t the church meet my needs?”
• We become experts at avoidance of service.

We morph from servants of Christ into religious consumers. This is the shadow mission of comfort: seeking a life without the inconvenience of the cross.

Overcoming the shadow

We cannot simply ignore the crosswind; we must actively correct for it.

1. Identify and name it

You cannot defeat a shadow you refuse to see. For some, it is selfish adventurism (an “adrenaline junkie” lifestyle without boundaries). For others, it is wealth, status or simply comfort. Shadow missions are often subtle—they aren’t necessarily “bad” things, but they become destructive when they have no boundaries.

Ask yourself: If you were Satan, what distraction would you use to sidetrack you?

2. Get conviction through prayer

Jesus fought his shadow mission all the way to Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-46). The reality of the cross hit him hard, and he prayed, “Take this cup from me.” He had to beg God for strength to stay on the divine mission.

Prayer is the key to surrendering our flesh. When Jesus struggled, he didn’t quit; he prayed until his will aligned with the Father’s (“Not my will, but yours be done” – Luke 22:42).

Conclusion

There is always a voice whispering, “Save yourself! Come down from the cross” (Matthew 27:40). It whispered to Jesus, and it whispers to us. But we must be like Esther, who overcame the shadow of self-preservation (“Use your blessing for yourself”) with the conviction of her divine mission (“If I perish, I perish” – Esther 4:16).

To live in divine tension is to acknowledge the drift but refuse to let it determine your destination. Name your shadow. Stare it in the face. And choose the mission.

For reflection:

• What is the specific “shadow mission” that competes for your time and energy?
• Have you drifted from “Here I am, send me” to “Here I am, serve me”?
• What practical step can you take this week to “turn the nose of the plane” back into the wind?

Click here for my sermon on this topic.

See also:

• Part 1: Divine tension in core doctrines
• Part 2: Divine tension in wisdom literature
• Part 3: Divine tension in church culture