Stepping Out in Faith

Stepping out in faith sounds easy, but it means leaving our comfort zone, and facing our deepest fears.  It is considered to be one of the most difficult feelings to harness and to get under control.  God doesn’t call us to obedience only when it is convenient and clear.  Sometimes God wants us to trust and obey Him no matter what.  So if God has clearly told you what He wants you to do, but He has not yet shown you how He wants you to do it, usually this means God wants you to step out in faith so He can show you what to do when the moment comes.

Several times in my ministry I’ve experienced this.  I was 47 years old when God called me to go to college.  It was a difficult decision to make at that age.  We would have to move to another state, and both of us would have to find work to pay for school and to support ourselves.  I had worked jobs before but Alice had never worked for anyone else.  She had always been self-employed.  We spent some time praying about it but the time came when we had to take a step of faith and trust God to provide for our needs.  I can say today that God did not let us down.  He provided jobs for both of us and we were able to prepay every semester.  He gave us an inexpensive rental house, and enough money left over to cover our other expenses.  And even though it had been many years since I last attended school He helped me pass all my courses. 

The pervasive problems of our broken world–from poverty to crime–can seem overwhelming.  But if God is telling you to do something, He is not asking you to do it when it’s easy.  If you want to obey the Lord even during the hard times, you will have to learn to step out in faith with Him.  As Psalms 15:1-5b says, “LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart; and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts… He who does these things will never be shaken.”

You can’t follow God like this without the Holy Spirit empowering you but when God calls us He will always equip us.  We just have to take that first step of faith with Him.

Throughout the Bible we are told that the only person we are to fear is God Himself. (See Matthew 10:28; Proverbs 1:7)  Fearing God means having a healthy respect for His awesome power, and doing your best to honor and obey God in everything you do and say.  When you fear God, He will give you the peace you need, so you can keep stepping out in faith as the Holy Spirit leads you to change the world for the better.  1 John 4:17-18 says, “In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

If there is some earthly fear in our hearts, this is a clear sign that God is asking us to step out with Him in faith, for as Joshua 1:9 states, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."  When you fear God you will not need to fear anything else.  And when you know the love of God all fear will vanish from you.

Eventually the time for planning must stop.  You can only strategize so much before actually doing something.  You can only have so many board meetings before a decision must be reached.  You can only attend so many counseling sessions before you must move forward in your life.  While we must never stop praying, eventually, even our prayers need to result in movement.  In Joshua 7 Israel sins, and as a result they are defeated in battle because God’s favor has left them.  Then Joshua begins to plead with the Lord as he laid on his face.  But in Joshua 7:10-13 we are told, “The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep . . . . Go, consecrate the people.”

Throughout your life there will come times where you have done everything you can possibly do to prepare.  When you have done everything but move forward with God, this is often a sign He is asking you to take a step of faith with Him.  Never forget how much God loves you.  He is always trustworthy and has your best interest at heart.

When you start letting go of fear and stepping out in faith with Christ, your life will never be the same.

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