April 7, 2008

Stepping Out in Faith

Today’s Truth

Hebrews 11:6 (ICB) "Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is real and that He rewards those who truly want to find him."

Friend to Friend

Billy Graham once said, “Most of us do not understand nuclear fission, but we accept it. I don’t understand television, but I accept it. I don’t understand radio, but every week my voice goes out around the world, and I accept it. Why is it so easy to accept all these man-made miracles and so difficult to accept the miracles of the Bible?”

Faith can be defined as “confidence or trust”. We all have faith. We walk into a room and flip a switch, believing in faith that light will result. We sit in a chair, confident it will support us. We go to a doctor who is a total stranger. He gives us a prescription that we can’t read, which we take to a pharmacist we don’t know. We are given a bottle of mysterious pills and we gobble them down - all in faith!

Our problem is not a lack of faith. Our problem is where we place our faith. Faith is more than just believing. It is acting on that belief. The story is told of a woman who lived in a remote valley in Wales. When electricity came to the rural area, one of the first customers was a young woman with a large family. However, the electric company soon noticed that the woman was using a very small amount of electricity each month and suspecting a problem with the installed equipment, they sent a repairman to check the meter. After a close inspection, the worker found the equipment was installed properly. Confused, the repairman knocked on the front door to give the woman his report. “We've inspected the meter which seems to be working properly. The only thing I can figure out is that you are not using the power that is available to you. Don't you use any electricity?" the repairman asked. "Oh yes" she said. “We turn it on every night to see how to light our oil lamps and then we switch it off again."

We often approach God's power in the same way, knowing it exists but failing to appropriate that power. Instead, we work diligently in our own strength until that strength is gone and we are left feeling empty and without purpose. That is not God’s plan.

Hebrews 11:1 What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. (NLT)

We are not saved by faith plus works. We are saved by faith that leads to good works. We attempt to build a life on the flawed premise that if we do enough good works, God will be pleased. However, those works are useless and count for nothing unless the heart motivation behind them is one of faith. Faith is the altar of powerful living because faith pleases God. I often picture my Father watching with delight as I step into the unknown, walk straight through my fear and trust Him to be there. I truly believe God loves big dreamers, children who take Him at His Word and walk by faith…not by sight. Go ahead! Take that first step of faith today!

Let’s Pray

Father God, I pray that my heart and mind would be childlike in the matters of faith. I choose today to accept Your plan without understanding that plan. I choose to believe You and Your Truth, even though that truth is hard to believe. I choose to keep my gaze on You and my glance on circumstances. I want to be a woman of faith, Lord. I want to please you by stepping out in faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Now it’s Your Turn

· Read James 2:14. Examine your life in light of the faith James describes in this verse. Record your thoughts.

· In what area of life does doubt plague you most?

· What "God thing" is happening in your life today?

· What steps of obedience do you need to take in order to unleash your faith?

More from the Girls

Faith is a constant challenge in my life. One of the reasons is that I tend to fall into that old trap of thinking it is all about me. A walk of faith is all about God. Just about the time I think I have that lesson down, a crisis hits and I find myself asking the same old question, “Where are you, God?” Been there? He knows. If you long to be a woman of faith, just take that first step of obedience. Plant that tiny seed of hope. Mentally choose to doubt your doubts and believe God instead. Faith is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it grows. I would love to share my journey of faith with you. Check out my CD, “Stepping Out in Faith” as well as my weekly Online Bible Study, Light for the Journey. Blessings!