Stepping Out in Faith
Stepping Out in Faith
Originally published in Issue 82 of Calvary Chapel Magazine
“Now the just shall live by faith.” Hebrews 10:38a
Is God calling you to take a step of faith? In Scripture, we see many examples of those who lived by faith, including Caleb and Noah— who trusted God despite others’ fear or ridicule. How can you know when God is calling you to take a special step of faith?
Ask for Wisdom
First, you need God’s wisdom. A lot of people do crazy things in the name of faith when it’s really nothing more than spiritual foolishness. James writes, If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting (James 1:5-6a).
If you ask the Lord for wisdom, then believe that He will give it. Ask in faith, trust that He will direct your path, and then move forward with no doubt or fear. If you genuinely desire to be led by the Lord, I believe He will hinder your plans if needed. When the Lord puts up a roadblock, I don’t try to push it away. He promises, The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way (Psalm 37:23).
Caleb’s Faith Rewarded
When Israel first reached the borders of the Promised Land, Moses sent 12 spies to check it out. Joshua and Caleb reported all the good that awaited them. However, the other 10 spies spoke of unconquerable giants and high-walled cities. Then Caleb quieted the people … and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30). Then the people made a huge mistake: They gave in to fear and refused to enter the land. God then decreed that only Joshua and Caleb would enter the Promised Land. Everyone else would die in the desert as they wandered for 40 years.
Later, under Joshua’s command, the nation entered the land, winning battle after battle. Eventually Caleb reminded Joshua that Moses promised him Hebron. “As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war ... Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day. … It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said” (Joshua 14:11-12). I love the grit of this old fellow. At 85 years of age he says, “I’m ready to go to battle.” The Bible summarizes his exploits: Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb … because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel (Joshua 14:14). God preserved Caleb, and eventually he made Hebron his own—all because he stepped out in faith. Obstacles don’t matter. If God is behind it, then God will see it through.
Fear will dispel your faith, and faith will dispel your fear.
God’s Heart for You
Some people feel absolutely terrified of taking a step of faith and surrendering themselves to the will of God. They think they’ll end up living their worst nightmare. But if God leads you to take a step of faith, He will also plant a desire for that thing in your heart. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).
Kay and I met a missionary 125 miles into the jungles of Irian-Jaya. He saw that jungle as a paradise on earth. Why? Because God had written that place on his heart. When we step out in faith, God does not condemn us to a life of drudgery or misery. Doing the will of God is a delight and a treasure. You will never be disappointed if you step out in faith wholeheartedly to do His will.
Choose Faith Over Fear
To step out in faith, you must get over your fear. Fear and faith cannot co-exist: Fear will dispel your faith, and faith will dispel your fear. Satan expertly uses fear to stop people from doing God’s work. Fear comes when we fix our eyes upon the enemy and his threats. Faith comes when we fix our eyes on the Lord and His promises. Remember that the Lord is with you, that He is wholeheartedly for you—then you can say with David, The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (Psalm 118:6). Trust in God’s protection: The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe (Proverbs 29:25).
Consider Noah
By faith, Noah built an ark to save his family. Though it took him 100 years, he chose to obey God rather than to cower at the mockery of those around him. Would you have stayed with such a peculiar task for a century? When we stand for the Lord, He stands with us.
Peter wrote, [God] did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly (2 Peter 2:5). Stepping out in faith may seem like foolishness to the skeptics, but if God inspired your obedient step of faith, you too will find grace in the eyes of the Lord.
All verses above are quoted from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.
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