Better Promises : WK 5 - THU
Hebrews 11:28-32
It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.
It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.
It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.
Faith in action doesn’t make sense. Maybe that is why practicing faith is so much harder than declaring it. Saying you have faith in God takes no effort whatsoever but actually taking a step of faith is a whole nother story.
There have been many moments of stepping out in faith in my life. Deciding to not be a Computer Scientist and becoming a pastor instead was one of those moments. Everytime God has moved me from a successful ministry situation into an unknown ministry situation has been a step of faith. Some steps have been big and some have been small but they have all been challenging and have made little sense.
Imagine standing in front of the Red Sea and being told to step into it. Or standing in front of the massive walls of the city of Jericho and being told to walk around it. Or being told that your city will be destroyed and to save yourself, all you have to do is hang a scarf out of your window.
None of these instructions make any sense but faith, to the world, doesn’t make sense. There is not scientific data, no tangible evidence that says that walking into an ocean will deliver dry land, or that walking around a city will bring the walls down and deliver a victory.
And nothing told me that leaving a comfortable major would make me a success as a pastor. All I had was faith, and the willingness to take the first step. Sometimes, most of the time, that step was all I could see. The rest was unclear. But what was clear was that God was calling, He was leading, and my experience following God was that he was always with me and up to that moment, he had kept all His promises to me. And in the end, that is all I have needed to step forward in faith.
It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.
It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.
It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.
Faith in action doesn’t make sense. Maybe that is why practicing faith is so much harder than declaring it. Saying you have faith in God takes no effort whatsoever but actually taking a step of faith is a whole nother story.
There have been many moments of stepping out in faith in my life. Deciding to not be a Computer Scientist and becoming a pastor instead was one of those moments. Everytime God has moved me from a successful ministry situation into an unknown ministry situation has been a step of faith. Some steps have been big and some have been small but they have all been challenging and have made little sense.
Imagine standing in front of the Red Sea and being told to step into it. Or standing in front of the massive walls of the city of Jericho and being told to walk around it. Or being told that your city will be destroyed and to save yourself, all you have to do is hang a scarf out of your window.
None of these instructions make any sense but faith, to the world, doesn’t make sense. There is not scientific data, no tangible evidence that says that walking into an ocean will deliver dry land, or that walking around a city will bring the walls down and deliver a victory.
And nothing told me that leaving a comfortable major would make me a success as a pastor. All I had was faith, and the willingness to take the first step. Sometimes, most of the time, that step was all I could see. The rest was unclear. But what was clear was that God was calling, He was leading, and my experience following God was that he was always with me and up to that moment, he had kept all His promises to me. And in the end, that is all I have needed to step forward in faith.
- How hard is it for you to take a step of faith?
- What do you need to see or experience to take a step of faith?
- In what area of your life is God asking you to take a step of faith?
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