Faith

Stepping Out on Faith

by Mark Parks
09/28/16
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Stepping Out on Faith

(The Willingness to take a Risk)

         Most times we hate being inconvenienced.  Inconvenience is a circumstance of un-comfort that tests our patience.  Webster defines inconvenience as causing trouble or annoyance.  When we are inconvenienced, we are taken out of our comfort zone.  We lose that place of comfort and security we have been accustomed to.  Most times we are inconvenienced by no choice of our own and we get annoyed because our place of comfort has been disrupted.  When we are called on by God, He may disrupt our comfort zone to fulfill His purpose for our lives.  As Christians, we often use the term “stepping out on faith.”  However, we may not stop to consider what it means to step out on faith.  When we step out on faith, we must be mindful of the aspect of taking a risk.

         Faith often means risk.  Although some may be a little uncomfortable with word “risk,” but most things we do in daily life are a risk.  When we leave our homes everyday, there is always the risk of being robbed or shot, no matter how safe we may believe our neighborhood is.  When we visit the doctor, although we may trust he or she will successfully treat whatever the illness we may have, there is always the risk of being misdiagnosed or prescribed the wrong medication. Of course, the most common hinder to taking risks is fear of what may happen. American author and motivational speaker Leo Buscaglia, once said, “The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing.  To laugh is to risk being a fool.  To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.  To reach out to others is to risk getting involved. To love is to risk not being loved in return.  The person who risks nothing may avoid suffering and sorrow but he cannot know, feel, change, or love.”

         An article by author and radio personality, Kristen L McNulty, entitled “Fear-Why we often Don’t Step Out In Faith,” she tells a story about how fear played out in a woman’s life.  A woman goes grocery shopping, as she is driving back home, she suddenly hears three pops, then, felt something hit her on the back of head.  While holding one hand over the wound, she managed to drive herself to the emergency room of a local hospital.  Frantically screaming for help, she got immediate attention.  The attending doctor, asked her to remove her hand from the wound.  The woman answered, “I can’t! My brains will fall out!” Finally, being convinced to remove her hand from the wound by the doctor, he was able to examine the wound.  Upon the doctor’s examination, he discovered she had only been hit in the back of the head by a can of biscuit dough.  Aside from the embarrassment, the lady was sent home unharmed.  This is what fear can do to us.

         Our fear can prevent us from reaching the potential God has for us.  However, this was not the case with Abraham.  Abraham was not afraid to take a risk and step out on faith.  At the age of 75, Abraham received a call from God to go to a strange, unknown land that God would show him.  God promised Abraham that He would make him and his descendants a great nation (Gen.12:1-3). Although Abraham was about to be inconvenienced, he had no idea as to where he was going, and the promise seemed unbelievable,  Abraham obeyed God.  With no hint of doubt or disbelief, Abraham took his wife and nephew Lot, and went to the land God would show him.  As we say, the rest is history.  Abraham became the father of nations.  Abraham had faith in the promises of God.  Today, he is considered the supreme model of vital faith and the prime example of faith required for the Christian believer (Rom.4:11; Gal.3:6-9).

         Even today there are believers who are willing to take a risk and step out on faith to achieve the goal, vision and purpose God has given them.  My friend Patricia Njenga, left a secure teaching job at a local public school to work at an urban charter school she cofounded.  Although Patricia was not certain if the school would be successful, she was still willing to go forward with her colleagues/partners, and establish the charter school.  As a result of their willingness to step out on faith, the Afya Charter School of Baltimore was founded in 2007.  Patricia is able to rejoice in the fact that Afya have increased in enrollment form 104 to 348 students and a staff increase from 8 to 58.  She sees nothing but great things ahead for the Afya School of Baltimore.  Patricia  presently serves as the Director of Teaching and Learning at Afya.

         So we must be willing to take the risk and step out on faith and do the things we believe God has called us to us to do.  If God has given you the vision then He has made provision to achieve success.  In the words of Dr. Charles Stanley, “Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.”