Start Walking

Walk by faith, not by sight… easier said that done, right? God recently called me to move by faith halfway across the country. He called me to move away from all I knew to be familiar, all I was comfortable with, and all that I loved. Moving by faith is when you don’t know exactly what God is saying, but you know he is saying “Start walking… and I’ll show you on the way.”

To walk by faith and not by sight means there will be times when God won’t tell you exactly what he wants you to do, which requires a great deal of trust. God wants us to be willing to trust him enough to move forward without knowing all the details. God is not always going to give you the specific directions as to where he is taking you. Sometimes God will just say “start walking.”

In Genesis 12, God told Abraham to walk away from family and friends to a new land that he wanted to show him. God said, “If you leave your family I will bless you; I will make you a blessing; I will cause others to bless you.” Can’t you just imagine Abraham saying, “Wait a minute, where am I going God?” And God responding, “I’ll tell you on the way!” Abraham’s options were to leave behind all he ever knew or remain in the comforts of predictability.

Another example is found in Exodus. Egypt was a place of bondage. However, the Israelites did have a place to sleep and were guaranteed three meals a day. Then God calls his people to move out of Egypt: to leave bondage and take a chance. Step out on faith and follow God… that was the call. For the Israelites, the call of God is both an exciting adventure and a scary proposition.

It’s often the same of us. Up ahead is uncertainty, behind is predictability, and faith realizes the only certain thing at any given moment is God. In my recent move I dealt with the same thought patterns as the children of Israel coming out of Egypt. Behind me is comfort, yet also the bondage of predictability, routine, and status quo. Ahead of me is uncertainty, but that’s where God is waiting.

Most people miss their exodus (exit/way out), because they think about themselves physically leaving. Physically leaving is not the hard part, the struggle is to bring our minds with us (remember, you are what you think). Leaving physically was not the issue with the Israelites, nor is it our issue. Instead, the real issue is changing how we think.

Moving by faith requires changing the way we think, and if we’re not careful we will get stuck in a pattern of thinking that will keep us trapped for life. Believe God and move by faith when he says, “Start walking… and I’ll show you on the way.”

(Sources: Graham Cooke; Kraig Pullam)