Greetings! This blog continues to
hit on the subject of “Stepping Out In Faith.” Why do we give so much attention
to this topic? Basically it’s because, “. . . without faith it is impossible to please Him,
for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of
those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
I was talking to a friend the
other day, and he was telling me about this PX90 thing. Now, he’s starting to
look all trim and buff, and he said, “You know at first it really hurt, and I
couldn’t even lift my hands this high.” I said, “That right there is what keeps
me out of the gym.” People, if we’re going to get in shape, we’re gonna have to
do something. Similarly, if we want to see our current financial status change,
that means taking action as well! Faith
requires actions; we must take steps.
Stop waiting for God to do
something when He’s already told you what to do. He has taken the first step by
communicating what you’re supposed to do. Until you take a step in response, you have no right to further instruction. So if
you feel that God has been silent, maybe you haven’t done the first thing that
He told you to do . . . or maybe it’s the last thing that He told you to do.
You might be saying, “I just
can’t hear God; I’m in a desert place.” Well, maybe you ought to go back to
where you lost the ax head! God doesn’t have to speak because you push a button
and put a quarter in. I love it
when Christians say, “God asked me to . . ..” God doesn’t ask me; He says, “Do
it,” and then He awaits my response. Maybe it doesn’t work that way in your
life. I’ve never heard the voice of God say to me, “Emory, I need you to do
such and such. Would you? Could you? Pleeeaaase?” I ain’t ever heard God say
“please” to me. He gives out His instructions, and then He waits to see if I’m
gonna do it. Every time it requires faith!
It seems that He always wants me
to do something that’s going to require an element of faith, and that right
there is where many believers stop. It might be in the area of relationships or
attitude. God might be saying, “Emory, forgive them,” and I might say, “I can’t
forgive them.” Now would God tell us to forgive someone if it were impossible
to forgive him or her? No! How do you think God forgives you? It’s a
supernatural thing. You can forgive anybody if you choose to. The reason you’re
not forgiving is because you elect not to.
Here’s another thing to consider,
forgive doesn’t mean to forget. Forgive means to release someone from the debt,
offense, trespass, or penalty. Let it go! They probably let it go a long time
ago. Forgive them! God is not telling you to do something that He has not given
you the ability to do!
In your finances, God has
instructed you to do certain things. It’s amazing to me how many mature
Christians struggle with tithing. The reason there’s a struggle is because folks
don’t understand that it ALL belongs to God. They say they do, but they don’t
live it. So God says, “Give me back one tenth.” “Are you crazy, God? One tenth?”
Then you get into the offering part of it (above the tenth), and before long
Deuteronomy 28 becomes the reality, “Blessed going in, blessed going out,
blessed in the city, blessed in the field, and all of these blessings will come
upon thee and shall overtake thee.” Why? Man, you’re walking in the blessing!
You’re walking in the promise! You’re walking by faith.
God said, “Do it,” and I did it,
and here’s the fruit of it. Want to know why some people are more blessed than
other people? It’s not because God loves them more, it is usually because of
decisions and choices they’ve made. Those choices are based on perspective.
It’s really all about fulfilling God’s purpose. What are you doing in your life
today? What steps are you taking in order that you might walk in a greater
measure of God’s promises and God’s blessing?
~ pg
