We all have a unique path to live and we are the only ones who can
live it. We need the Holy Spirit to
speak to each of our hearts. We need to
learn how to hear God’s voice so we can discern His will for us. We also need to make choices to step out in
faith even when it’s hard or the results aren’t pleasant. Knowing when and how to walk in faith is
challenging. Unfortunately, we can’t
look for an absence of issues or a flurry of positive open doors to tell us, “Yes,
this is the way. Walk in it.” Nor can we look at a string of negative events
and assume it’s not God’s will.
How do we know when we’re supposed to step out in faith?
Sometimes, you can’t stop sensing God is telling you to do
something. But following through might
mean doing something different than you think should happen. It isn’t opposing God’s truth, but it doesn’t
seem typical or logical either. 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. For example, 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, 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.
If God tells 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 Psalm 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) This type of fear is not where we
try to avoid God but rather where we respect His power and judgment so much
that we are eager to obey Him, for as 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 in faith with Him. Joshua 1:9 reminds us, “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.
For example, in Joshua 7 Israel sins and is 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 verses 10b-13
God says to him, “...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 many 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. We might say we believe truths about God, but
if we don’t act out of this belief it hasn’t penetrated our hearts. Even so, we can choose to move in ways that
are consistent with believing what we know to be true about God.
God calls us to step out in faith often and He will always equip us to do so. 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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