Steve Greene
Matthew 19:26 says, “With God, all things are possible.”
Do you believe that? If so, do you live like it? I want to look at three faith-inspired principles and then make some personal applications as we seek to follow God’s plan for our future.
Principle #1: We can’t play it safe and please God. In other words, if we can do everything on our own, in our own strength and power and we never need the power of God to make anything happen, that is not living by faith. The author of Hebrews reminds us “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” — Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
But let’s just be honest, faith can be messy. Faith is not always easy. There may be moments when you have great faith, and then the next minute, the clouds of doubt and questions start rolling in. I get it. It’s hard to follow a God you cannot see. But we have been called to walk by faith, not by sight. That is not easy.
One of the greatest examples of this is the Apostle Peter. All of the disciples were in a boat that was being tossed back and forth by the wind and the waves in a dangerous storm. Do you remember how Jesus came out to them walking on the water? Peter said, “Jesus if it is you, invite me to come to you on the water.” Jesus said, “Come on, Peter!” Peter then stood up, stepped over the side of the boat and he started walking on the water to Jesus. But when he took his eyes off Jesus. he started to sink.
People often criticize Peter, talking like he failed. If walking on the water is failure, what do you say about the 11 guys who were still sitting in the boat? They didn’t even attempt it. We should never allow the fear of failure to keep us from taking a step of faith.
The win is found in obedience. Peter could have sat in the boat saying, “This doesn’t make sense. What will happen if I step out of the boat?” Sometimes, you must step out to find out. Is God calling you to step out in faith and trust him in some tangible way? Peter took a giant step of faith. That is what God calls us all to do sometimes. And this is how we demonstrate our faith and confidence in God.
When God calls, we have a decision to make. Will my confidence in God cause me to stand up and step out or will I shrink back and sit down? It also is good to remember that what you perceive as failure may be success in God’s eyes all because you chose to trust him.
Steve Greene is the lead pastor at The Point in Seymour. You may email him at [email protected]. His weekly blog can be found at pastorgreene.wordpress.com. Send comments to [email protected].