A Risk Worth Taking

I’ve discovered over the years that living by faith requires us to take risks, because God’s plans for us are always bigger than what we could ever do on our own. I love Ephesians 3:20 (NIV), which says that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

Living by faith means you’ll have to take step one before you know what step two is. And you won’t have everything figured out before you move forward, doing what you can do to follow God’s plan for your life (Hebrews 11:1).

When God put it in my heart to start teaching a home Bible study, I had a full-time job with a good salary, so we really didn’t have any financial pressure. But I didn’t know the Bible very well and needed more time to study. And I knew God was speaking to my heart to quit my job so I would have more time to do that.

Now I’m a responsible person, and that didn’t make any sense to me because our bills would exceed our income if I didn’t work. So I quit my full-time job and got a part-time job. But God didn’t want part-time obedience! So, when I got fired from my part-time job, it became obvious that God wanted me to totally trust Him and stay home full-time.

At that time, we were short $40 a month to pay our bills. It wasn’t a huge sum of money, but it meant we needed to believe God for a miracle every single month to meet our needs. And I had to take a risk—a step of faith—to do that.

You know, sometimes we think when we take a big step of faith, God is just going to shower us with blessings right away. It’s easy to have the attitude, “Look at this sacrifice I made today. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do for me tomorrow!”

But for six years, we had to trust God to provide for our most basic needs. I found a journal where I had written a prayer list to God, asking for 12 new wash rags and a new skillet. I can’t even tell you how excited I got when the doorbell rang one day and a woman I didn’t really know was there and she said, “I hope you don’t think I’m crazy, but I felt like God told me to bring you 12 new wash rags.”

When you live by faith and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, that’s when life gets really exciting. The truth is, as believers in Jesus Christ our number one goal should be to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in every area of our lives.

It’s important to ask ourselves questions like, Am I living the life I really believe God wants me to live—the life I’m truly meant to live—or the one that someone else has designed for me? And to honestly search our hearts to make sure we are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we do that, we will discover God’s purpose and plan and do what He puts in our heart to do.

The apostle Paul put it like this in Philippians 3:3 when he said, put no confidence in the flesh (ESV). In other words, true believers in Christ put their trust in God and rely on His Spirit to guide them and empower them in every area of life.

I want to encourage you today to refuse to settle for a life that doesn’t fulfill God’s plans for you. Don’t let the enemy discourage you with his lies, telling you that you can’t do it or you’re not good enough for God to use you. When you see yourself the way God sees you, each day can be an exciting adventure.

Remember that God loves you and Jesus gave His life for you so you can be filled with His love, joy, and faith that will take you places you never thought you could go. Get up every day determined to follow God’s leading, wherever He takes you. Step out in faith and watch Him do great things through you!

Next Step

Is there a step of faith you need to take, but you’re afraid to take it? Something that the Holy Spirit is leading you to do, but you are unsure of that next step. Read John 16:13 and ask God to show you the next step He wants you to take.