Is walking by faith taking a risk? Moving into the unknown is a risk many want desperately to avoid. But every day is unknown. The issue is who is your Guide. We need a trust relationship with the Person who leads you and knows the layout of the land.
If we are walking by faith, by definition it is not by sight, right? We may feel we are taking a risk. That doesn’t mean that there is nothing tangible at the end. The only risk in the plan of God is the deepening of your faith and trusting relationship with He who loves your soul.
«What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived
the things God has prepared for those who love him ». (1 Corinthians 2.9)
Jesus said to him, “Go where the water is deep” (Luc 5.4) That is where you find the miracles.
Overcoming risk step-by-step
« A young 8-year-old boy was terrified by the waves of the ocean. And he didn’t want to risk going into the water even in the arms of his father. He stiffened and fought to stay on the shore. And no way that he would put his head underwater. Of course, there were some traumatic experiences in his past that affected his behavior.
But his father was trained as a lifeguard. There is more water on this planet than land. And if someone falls into water and panics without knowing how to swim (or at least float) they are in great danger.
So he taught his young son the first lesson to survive in water: holding your breath. They stayed on the beach. The game was to hold your breath and count until 10. Since there was no risk, the boy was willing to play the game and did it with his father several times.
Lesson 2 was to put your feet in the water and hold your breath counting to 10. Then 20. Then who could hold his breath the longest! He became red-faced, but he won!
Lesson 3 was to bend your body 45° above the waves without putting your head in the water and hold your breath.
Lesson 4 was to go a bit further in the water (up to the waist but still have footing) and hold your breath, putting your mouth and nose just below the surface. A towel was ready to wipe the face. A few seconds, 10 seconds, and then as long as possible.
No risk management if you can trust the person with you
Lesson 5 was to go to where the water reached the chest. They did the same exercises with the head underwater for a couple of seconds and then longer. It was a game, so he no longer feared taking a risk.
Lesson 6 was to let yourself go down to the bottom of the lake or swimming pool and then push with the feet to come back to the surface.»
Of course, there were steps in between to learn how to float on his back and then with the face in the water. But you understand the process. Learning to overcome the fear of risk is a gradual process with someone you can trust. It is step-by-step.
Have you ever noticed that (over time) God brings you through the same experiences but deeper in each time? Is He is teaching us gradually to trust Him totally? A thought that may help is
I am trusting God (on His word) for my salvation. Can I not also trust Him in this matter?
Of course, we can always stubbornly oppose and refuse to go further in our learning of walking by faith. Because we no longer trust His voice.
Some people say they have been Christians for the last 40 years. But in reality, they have one or two years of Christian experience multiplied 40 times… Sorry about that!
Nevertheless
Knowing the voice of the Good Shepherd
Jean 10:4 his sheep follow him because they know his voice
Maybe we don’t trust our ears anymore. There is so much noise in the world...
A favorite thing we say is that it may be the devil speaking to us. No doubt if what is being whispered in your ears is contrary to what the scriptures say. You need to check what the Bible says. That is why you need to meditate on the word of God every day. God will shield your mind from all temptation. And the Devil will never be able to break into that intimate conversation you are having with your God.
But in some denominations, if it is something I desire, it must be from the devil. That is strange. The psalmist says
“Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart”. (Psalms 37.4)
It is a matter of priority. When God is our delight, he knows and will grant us the desires of our hearts. (You notice that the Word of God guides our emotions to the truth).
But the fact is you trust people you don’t know (or don’t see) every day.
- The Chernobyl radioactive cloud was stopped by the French Alpes the authorities said
- What if the pilot of your airplane has suicidal tendencies like it happened a few years back?
- Or a truck that doesn’t stop for a red light
- The doctor is not drunk when operating you.
Yes, the plan of God is that you walk by faith in the Good Shepherd. He is not leading to the edge of the cliff but to green pastures. And His Presence is the safest place on this earth!
You who live in the shelter of the Highest,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.” (Read Psalms 91)
So here is the Word of God for you. Go to where the water is deep. That is where the miracles happen.
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(Day 8) Pay attention to the condition
