Step Away

Posted on February 13, 2020 by Catey Stover in Freedom Fighters

‘To step toward your destiny, you may have to step away from your security.’

 

God’s journey always starts with a step of faith. The kind that reveals our willingness to trust His Word and knows He will fulfill His promises as we move away from what we know, towards all God desires to do, both in and through us.

 

The ‘moving’ event that sticks in my mind is when David fled Saul’s service and said goodbye to his dearest friend. Now, David had already left home, and all that was familiar, to serve in Saul’s royal court; but now he was being driven from this secure place by the King’s jealousy and selfish ambition.

God had a unique plan for David’s life, but that life would not be achieved by staying where he was… the extraordinary life and blessing God has planned can only be entered into through the gateway of faith. Consider the many examples God has given us; Abraham left his home and family to go to ‘a land God would show him.’ Noah built an ark in the desert to the mockery of those who did not believe. David Livingston left home and family to serve God in Africa, fighting against the evils of the slave trade. I think of my Aunt, who embarked on a steamer for Europe, at the age of 25, to shine the light of the Gospel across Germany. Every call of Christ involves a step of faith; that is, believing God can do all He has promised and then living according to that belief.

 

I am not a big fan of change, and I am loyal to a fault, usually staying in a situation way beyond when it hurts me. So for me, it takes a bit of turmoil to get me to uproot and move. This is why I identify with David in this scenario, and how God used the storm to reposition him to grow in faith. Alan Redpath writes, “When GOD wants to do an impossible task, He takes an impossible man and crushes him.” The evangelist, Charles Spurgeon, echoes this sentiment when he says, ‘We are but men, frail, feeble, and apt to faint.’ This ‘crushing or fainting’ removes our pride and selfish ambition, the kind that has destroyed such men as King Saul and any others who thought they had a better plan than God. This crushing is what leads us to identify our lives with Christ’s crucifixion, allowing our will to die there on the cross, and we then rise again anew with Christ in resurrection power… and the life we now live, we live by faith in the Son of God. Amen.

 

God knows our hearts and that this is a painful ordeal for most; so in His grace, He didn’t leave David on his own to deal with the turmoil, He provided a dear friend to help him through the transition. What a blessing this is not to walk alone. What comfort it is for someone to embrace you, and walk by your side in the toughest moments and ordeals of your life.

 

Alan Redpath went on to say, “There is some task which the God of all the Universe, the Great Creator, your Redeemer in Jesus Christ has for you to do–and which will remain undone and incomplete until, by faith and obedience, you step into the will of God.” So what is standing in your way? Is it finances, fear, failure, greed, or pride? All of which can be summed up in one phrase, ‘selfish ambition.’ What this indicates is we don’t believe God can do what He has promised, so we are going to handle it all by ourselves. I took one of the biggest steps of faith in my life, a step that changed everything about who I was when I turned from my plans and headed to Virginia for college. But by that step of faith, God led me to His plan and my dearest friend… who walks with me through every moment of calm and turmoil. God is good, He has an extraordinary plan for our lives, and He knows every need of our heart. But to enjoy these blessings requires faith anchored in His revealed Word. Scripture tells us that “it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NLT) The chapter goes on to testify that, ‘by faith Abraham left, by faith Noah built, by faith Isaac blessed, by faith Joseph said,  by faith, Israel marched through the water and around Jericho, and “By faith, these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.” I could continue but suffice it to say, “All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. God had something better in mind for us so that they would not reach perfection without us.” (Hebrews 11:33-34, 39-40 NLT) That something else was the birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our savior, and redeemer. God has shown his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation; and fulfill every other promise as well.  (Romans 5:8-9 NLT)

 

Do you want to enjoy God’s extraordinary plan for Your life? To step toward your destiny in Christ, you must step away from your sense of security and trust Him. It’s the only way to please God.

Choose wisely…

Praying 4 U

Written by David Brown: David Brown is a husband, father, grandfather, Pastor with a Masters of Religious Studies and a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions. Dave is the Associate Pastor of Pemberton’s First Baptist Church.

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Think About This: “Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees.” – Corrie Ten Boom

The Daily Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 3-7 | You can download our 2020 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here. 

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. –Psalm 7:17

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the doctrinal and theological views held by America’s Keswick.