Walking By Faith

You know what? God has given me a pretty cool story. Yeah, it's cool right now (although sometimes it's ridiculously hard), but it's actually going to get even better. I totally believe that.

I know most of you don't know the details of my story (actually, very few people do, and by that I mean like 2) or what God has been doing in my life and heart the past few years, but trust me, it's pretty awesome. I have seen God do what only He can do and in one specific area of my life, that has been the cry of my heart for about 10 years.

Regarding this, I know I am meant to write my story. My story of this one aspect of my life and how that has affected me and what God has taught me through it over the past decade. And every time God nudges me again to get going on writing it, I end up saying no. I say no because to me, in my mind, from my perspective, it's not finished. I feel foolish writing down what I believe and what I have heard and seen God say and do when sometimes 'reality'/what my senses tell me, is so contrary to what I believe God is doing. So I refuse. I say, 'When it's finished, then I'll write it.'

But that's the thing: it is already finished. Psalm 139 says that all my days were written before even one of them came into being. Paul wrote in Ephesians that God prepared good things for us long ago. God has always had a plan for my life and He has been leading me and preparing me and to Him, this is actually finished. The work is done, it is certain, it is sure. The only thing is, doubt creeps in because I can't see the fullness of it yet.

And the Word comes to convict my heart:
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe...
We walk by faith and not by sight
Without faith it is impossible to please God
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen
He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind...

I want to walk by faith and not by sight. I want my spiritual eyes to be open to the leading of the Lord. I want to believe what He is saying and what He is doing because I want His power at work in my life to do what only He can do. But honestly, sometimes that feels so foolish.

Walking by faith is so contrary to our natural disposition. It's not normal to us. It's not our default. It's the opposite. It's actually quite difficult.

And you know what else I've found to be difficult? Listening to the responses of people in the church when you tell them 'This is what I think God is saying to me.' I am going to exercise some self-control here and not vent about how unsupportive some Christians can be when you trust them by sharing what you believe God is saying to you and doing in your life. I have found they very often pull out the logic card, the reasoning, the practicality of why that cannot be so. I have one piece of Scripture for those people: 1 Corinthians 1:27. Oh and actually, they can chew on 1 Corinthians 2:14 as well.

So, that's why 2 people know my story. Two people who have been the most encouraging, incredibly supportive sisters I could have asked for to walk this journey with me. They even surprise me sometimes. When I share with them something I've found discouraging and if I were them, I'd be saying, 'Amanda, give it up,' within two seconds they've spoken the word of the Lord to me and reminded me of His goodness and faithfulness in His leadership. And honestly, it's in large part due to them that I have made it this far. (NG & AB I so love you both!!)

But my encouragement for you today is to walk by faith, not by sight. To submit your life entirely to God and let Him do with it what He wants, trusting Him that the plans He has for you are so much better than any plans you could possibly come up with for yourself. And as you follow His leading, let go of the wisdom of this world. Embrace the Holy Spirit and let Him do more than reason says is possible. Expect the miraculous, because that's what God does. This week in our team devotions we're studying 1 Kings 18, when Elijah calls down fire from Heaven and Yahweh proves that HE alone is God. There will probably be a blog post born of it. But God is POWERFUL and He wants to do so much more than we could ever ask for or imagine in our lives, because He loves us so much and because He is ABLE!

Also, one other piece of encouragement--be a cheerleader. :) When someone else comes to you and says, 'I feel like this is what God is saying to me,' support them. That doesn't mean you have to agree with it or you have to hear God about it as well, but listen to them, pray for them and speak the word of the Lord to them, encouraging them to TRUST Him. That's what God is looking for, faith that follows Him wherever He leads. And His destination, no matter where it goes, is always glorious.