He [Jesus] said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.
--Matthew 14:29
There’s nothing quite as scary as taking that first step of faith. Yet at the same time, there’s nothing quite as exhilarating as actually taking that first step of faith!
So often in life, we’re averse to any kind of risk… anything that might take us out of our comfort zone. But that’s the great part about the Christian life. It’s risky sometimes!
Yet we know that with any step of faith, our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ, who as the Scripture says, will not let your foot slip.
Remember Moses? There he was, minding his business as a shepherd when God spoke to him from the burning bush, and called him to deliver the children of Israel. What was Moses’ response? “I can’t do it, Lord. I don’t speak very well, and no one will believe me.”
Then God asked Moses, “What’s in your hand?” Moses looked down at his shepherd’s rod and said, “A stick.”
God eventually used that stick… that ordinary shepherd’s crook… to bring water from a rock, to split the Red Sea, and to deliver an entire nation from the hands of Pharaoh!
God used what Moses was already doing… something he was already good at… to do what only God could do.
So what about you? What’s in your hand today? Could it be that, like Moses, God could use something you’re already doing, something you’re already good at, to accomplish his purpose?
If you sense that God is urging you to take that first step of faith today, I urge you… once and for all… just do it! It may feel risky, but through Christ Jesus, your future is secure. Your course is set. God may be just waiting on you so you can start the rest of your life!
So look at what’s in your hand, trust in God’s care and provision for you, and take that first step of faith. Will it be scary? Yeah, maybe. Will it be exhilarating? Absolutely!
Jesus said all it takes is the faith of a mustard seed to move a mountain. It’s my prayer that God will give you the courage to take that first step to see the mountains move in your life today.
WITH ANY STEP OF FAITH, YOUR HOPE IS IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHO WILL NOT LET YOUR FOOT SLIP.
Monday, July 08, 2019
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Acts 7:56-59
Stephen started out by caring for the needs of widows in the church at Jerusalem, but he quickly also became a powerful and effective preacher. His preaching created such an uproar that the Sanhedrin brought him in to stand trial. Stephen preached with such power that his listeners literally put their fingers in their ears and screamed to make sure they wouldn’t hear his voice. The source of Stephen’s powerful preaching was the Word of God. Over and over he cited what Abraham, Moses, Solomon, and the prophets had done and said.
Our thoughts and opinions and philosophies and methods may have a place, but no human ability or plan can change the heart of people. Only the Word of God has the strength to do that. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
The living Word of God proclaimed faithfully in the power of the Spirit of God will produce an effect. It may be people coming to Christ as Peter saw at Pentecost. It may be such hatred that the speaker is killed as happened to Stephen. But there will not be indifference.
Today's Growth Principle:
If we want to make a powerful impact on the world, we must be people of the Word.
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