STEPS OF FAITH
One night my son (who was about ten at the time) and I got caught in an ice storm. A fortyfive
minute ride suddenly turned into three hours of very tense driving. But not for my son. About half way
through he fell asleep in the back of my van.
To help put this in perspective for you. The ice was so bad even at five miles an hour on level
ground it was hard to stay on the road. The salt truck was driving in reverse so he could drive over the
salt he just laid down. My son wasn’t the least concerned. His attitude was, wake me when we get
home. NOT if we get home. Although my son’s faith in me was unmerited, this is a good example of
the childlike faith we should have in God. I was not in complete control, even though my son may
have believed me to be. BUT, God is, always. How many nights have we spent worrying needlessly
when we should have been fast asleep, trusting God. Faith is the main essential to the Christian walk.
“Without faith it is impossible to please God…” Heb.11:6.NIV
WHAT IS FAITH?
I knew a very devout woman who had, what was probably a treatable medical condition. She
refused to go to a doctor because she was sure God would heal her. She considered it a breach of faith
to seek medical attention. She told everyone who would listen, “Jesus is going to heal me.” She
believed that firmly right up to the day she died. (I was a pall bearer at her funeral) I loved this
woman, but her faith wasn’t childlike, it was childish. Having faith doesn’t mean we should ignore
sound advise. It is not an excuse for driving with bald tires. It is not a breach of faith to have a smoke
alarm in your house. Our faith however, should not be in doctors, tires or smoke alarms. We put our
faith in God.
Peter walking on the water is a good example for us:
Matt14:28-30 “Peter said to him, “Lord, if it is you, order me to come to you on the
water.” So he said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water, and came
toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind he became afraid. And starting to
sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” “NET
If Peter kept his eyes on Jesus instead of looking at the rough water all around him he would not
have sank. That same principle applies to us. If we are focused on Him we can do the works He
prepared in advance for us to do, and bring Glory to His name. Apart from faith we can do nothing for
Him. I probably haven’t told you anything you don’t already know. The burning question is; HOW do
I apply this in my everyday life?? After all Jesus isn’t standing on the water beckoning us to come to
Him. How do we know when we are being childlike in our faith and not childish?
There are many examples of faith in the Bible but the best way to understand faith, is to exercise
faith. I’ll share an example from my life maybe that will help you find ways to exercise faith in your
own life. When I was in Bible School I made a promise to myself that I would not do school work on
Sundays. Believe me it was tempting to take out the books on a quite Sunday afternoon to get ahead
on an assignment, or study for a test, but I didn’t. That to me was an exercise of faith. I don’t believe
my grades suffered because of it. Even if they did, my walk with the Lord was more important. If I
passed Bible School academically and failed spiritually I FAILED.
I challenge you take small steps of faith. Exercise your faith muscle, and as you do the Lord will
show you how to take larger steps of faith. One step everyone can take, being confident that it is the
lord’s will, is tithing. Give ten percent of your income to the Lord. Don’t think, I can’t afford to.
Realize you can’t afford not to. Giving of our finances to the Lord is an investment in this life and the
next. This is just one of many examples. Trust God by investing your time and talents. Be sure to take
small steps at first so you don’t become overwhelmed and find you can’t carry out what you intended. I
am sure if you give prayer consideration to this, the Lord will continue to open doors of faith
opportunities for you.
Hebrews11:1NET
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not
see.”
TO THE GLORY OF GOD