Faith Works One Step at a Time
Faith moves as if on stepping-stones, step by step, presenting a clear picture of the journey your faith must take when you begin to walk in it. I call this “putting feet to your faith.” Faith starts in a small measure and keeps growing until God moves your request into the realm of reality. It is a progressive process (step-by-step) characterized by your commitment to keep taking steps of faith until you have what you asked for. Sustaining your belief throughout this process is the key to seeing the Lord fulfill your request. Jesus said, in Mark 11:23-24 (NKJV), “Have faith in God. {23} For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. {24} Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
Through the years that I have served the Lord, I consistently observed how faith worked one step at a time. When you put faith into operation, the first thing that becomes apparent is your faith must be in God. Faith in anything or anyone else can let you down. God, however, is always faithful.
With each step of faith you take gives you the opportunity to strengthen your trust in the Lord. With each step of faith, there will be obstacles that do their best to discourage you. There will be voices among friends, family and others that will try to discourage you. Be sure to train your ears to listen only to those voices that speak encouragement and life to your faith requests. Let the Word of God be the judge of everything spoken over your faith walk. If the words you hear are not reinforcing your steps of faith, just put them under your feet and keep walking. You can do this by reminding yourself that faith is fully a function of focus. This means that with each step of faith, you must remain focused on God, His faithfulness and His promises. This sounds reasonably easy, but often, we can find it difficult. We are, after all, human and with each step we take toward our promises, we can find our emotions trying to turn our stepping-stones of faith into stumbling blocks of doubt. How can we overcome this?
Let me give you three characteristics of every successful faith journey. Apply them to your faith walk and you will have find every step takes you closer to your answer… and your victory. You will finish your faith walk as a devil-stomping winner and champion for Jesus! These three characteristics are: (1) discipline (2) devotion and (3) determination. Let’s take this threefold package and see what is inside of it.
(1) Discipline
Discipline is more than simply controlling your behavior or acting according to the rules. It is the steady pursuit of excellence in the ways you live your life before the Lord. A disciplined person welcomes accountability and seeks instruction. He or she strives for personal development and submits to training in both godly thinking and conduct. As you can see, I am describing a disciple. Jesus’ words, in His great commission to us (Matthew 28:18-20), taught the importance of discipline. The Lord’s great commission is characterized by one important command, to “make disciples.” This is a command to make people accountable to discipline in those things that make a servant of God into the champion he or she is called to be! This would be a good time to pause and reflect on what areas of your life need more discipline. As you identify them, make the choice to commit to walk by greater faith and with increased discipline. Take yourself beyond those things that currently hold you back. Welcome those things that will help you to become all God designed you to be.
Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV) provides the path for your stepping-stones of faith. It says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. {2} And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Let me paraphrase these verses for you. “In faith, decrease your attraction to the world by disciplining your thinking. You will reflect this in the faith steps you have taken. Your life will testify to the picture-perfect will of God in your journey to God’s best.”
(2) Devotion
Devotion means a dedicated, consecrated decision to honor the One who put the call of service on your life. If you want to bring increase to your faith walk, bring increase to your devotion to Him in whom you have faith. Give the Lord your highest priority in every aspect of your daily life. Allow nothing to have priority over God. This may take some adjustments, but determine that nothing will rise above your devotion to your Lord and Savior. As I suggested above, apply Romans 12:1-2 to your efforts to be devoted completely to the Lord. Be a person like David, who was devotion showed him to be a man after God’s own heart. Let David’s words, recorded in Psalms 27:8 (NLT) speak life into your dedication to God. “My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming;” Be relentless in your devotion. Set your heart on fire for Jesus.
(3) Determination
We all can testify to those times when we failed to complete a particular journey of faith because of the obstacles and barriers we encountered. Here is some truth that may help you to understand how to overcome these times. Life’s obstacles and barriers can be compared to a roadblock that has a big “detour” sign standing in your way. The roadblock prevents you from moving ahead on the road you were trying to travel and the detour points you in another direction. When you encounter a detour in your faith walk, think of it as a way around whatever would stop you from reaching your destination. Detours have divine purpose. They can be a disguised opportunity in which God will travel them with you. He will direct your steps and bring you safely to your faith destination. Along the way, you can grow closer to Him and build your trust. Proverbs 3:6 (NKJV) says, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” When you encounter a detour that seems to be an obstacle to your faith, be determined to follow the stepping-stones God places before you. Determination to keep going and walk with God will overcome every obstacle. Determination to see what you have faith for come to pass will allow you to safely navigate the change in your course and arrive at your blessing. Be relentless in your determination. Keep your heart on fire for Jesus. If you know me, you have often heard me say, “I am on fire and the devil is a liar.” I was talking as much to myself as to those who heard me.
Discipline, devotion and determination are the stuff of which stepping-stones of faith are made. They are a threefold cord. Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NKJV) tells us, “that Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Allow these three characteristics of your faith walk to be the stepping-stones of your life. You will find that faith really does work, one step at a time, all the way to your answer. God is faithful.
Dr. Bob Abramson