"For we walk not by sight, but by faith," the Bible says. Bible verse: 2 Corinthians 5:7
These aren't exactly complicated words, are they?
On the other hand, I am discovering that giving form to those words and that straightforward idea can be a significantly more challenging task. It takes a tremendous amount of bravery and strength to do so. You have to be prepared to be misunderstood and even for people to give up on you. You have to be willing to relinquish any pretense of control over your life that you may have imagined you had. You need to be prepared to look like a full and total idiot.
However, this is a path that leads to an incredible amount of blessing and reward. It is a voyage that is mind-boggling, life-altering, and exciting all at the same time. Because of this journey, you will be able to see and feel God as he was always intended to be seen and experienced: in all of his completeness and grace.
How Does It Appear When One Moves Forward Without Regarding Their Own Sights?Walking by faith rather than by sight asks you to go to a place you are unfamiliar with, a place that God will disclose to you as you walk in obedience to his will. Consider Abraham as a model in this regard (Genesis 12:1).
Walking by faith requires you to keep on to the dreams that God has placed in your heart, even when you've been cast aside and brought to prison for crimes you didn't do. This is what it means to walk by faith. Just look at everything that Joseph had to go through (Genesis 37-50).
Walking by faith takes a strong commitment to follow God's plan regardless of the challenges life presents. Walking by faith requires a strong determination. Look to Daniel to learn how to cultivate the determination to avoid falling into sin (Daniel 1:8).
When you walk by faith, it means you have the bravery to stand up for those who are hurting, broken, and downtrodden; it also means you are willing to face death for the sake of others. Consider Esther and how she saved the Jews despite the fact that she faced the possibility of execution (Esther).
It's possible that you'll have no choice but to act like an idiot. Consider the story of Noah, who prepared for a deluge by building an ark even though it had never rained on earth before. Consider how Abraham, who was childless at the age of 100, clung to the promise that he would become the father of many nations even though he was unable to have children. Imagine Moses standing in front of the Israelites in the wilderness and telling them that they would eat meat till it made them sick, but he had no idea where the meat would come from because he didn't know where it would come from. Consider the story of Joshua as he obeyed God's command to march around the walls of Jericho while simultaneously asking what good this would do.
If you decide to follow this course of action, you must be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and flee the Americanized form of Christianity that so many of us have been exposed to for our whole lives. You have to be willing to let God take your world, turn it upside down, shake it up, and start over completely if you want to have a relationship with him. In order for God to appear in the manner in which he sees fit, you need to be willing to release him from the neat little box that you have constructed for him.
Perhaps it will be a calling to do something that you have never imagined of doing before, such as become a foster parent or adopt a kid, quit your job and become a missionary, or give up the luxuries of this world in exchange for the treasures of paradise.
It's possible that it won't be very clean, neat, or socially acceptable at all. Perhaps, just like it did for me, the anguish of adultery and divorce will turn your world upside down and inside out. Or perhaps you will struggle with issues related to fertility or addiction. It's possible that you'll have a wayward child who dramatically alters the path that the rest of your life takes. Or perhaps you are someone who has been through the unimaginable pain of losing a kid.
I don't know what your shake up might look like, but I do know that if you will offer it to God, throw your arms up in surrender, and ask him to use it to alter your life, he will honor your request to do so. I don't know what your shake up might look like. He will lead you on an adventure, instruct you in the way of walking by faith, and entrust you with some of the most precious moments in life.
He will plant the seed of faith in you, the kind of faith that can move mountains and move the hands of God. He will show you how to live this life with abandonment, and as a result, you will have the freedom to walk in all of God's fullness and grace. He will equip you so that you might be used powerfully in this life for the glory of God.
Maybe you've already been through the experience of having your life completely turned upside down and thrown out of control. Perhaps you, like me, have found yourself lost in the wilderness, where you spend the nights watching his fire direct your every step and spend the days following a cloud as your guide. Possibly, you get the impression that you are close to entering the Promised Land; all that remains is for him to issue the order for you to take ownership of it.
Despite this, you feel worn out and exhausted. You have alienated some of your former pals because they do not see how you can stubbornly hold to a promise that is so patently doomed to fail. You are so close, but I get the feeling that you are so far away. You are having a hard time resisting the temptation to make do with what you have, despite the fact that you are aware that it is not God's best for you. You simply have no idea how much longer you are able to hold out for.
You are not alone. I envision God reviving a small band of faithful people, people whom he already knows would follow his commands. He is seeking for people who have clean hands and a pure heart, people who will choose obedience even if it costs them everything that this world has to give them. He is looking for those who would choose obedience even if it costs them everything. He is seeking for people who will throw caution to the wind and believe that he has an abundant life (John 10:10) waiting for us if we would follow his methods. He is looking for those who will fling caution to the wind. He is searching for people whose faith has been honed and whose hearts have been cleansed as a result of the tests that this life has thrown at them (James 1:2). He is looking for those who will remain steadfast in their commitment to his promises even when it may appear that there is little chance of success.
Be brave and strong for one another, my buddies!
God has chosen you in particular to be a part of this remnant, which consists of people who are willing to let him take control of their lives and shape them into what he envisions. He has selected you to undergo a severe examination and examination of your faith, and he assures that the fire will only purify you and not burn you. He has guaranteed that he will accompany you on each and every step of the journey, walking with you, carrying you, and providing support for you. Even when life appears to be spinning wildly out of control, he assures you that you can still count on him to be in control.
He is working to earn your trust so that he might accomplish something far greater and more wonderful than you could have ever imagined (Ephesians 3:20-21). He is instructing you to relinquish control and put your faith in him with everything of your being, including your heart, soul, and life (Proverbs 3:5-6). He is instructing you on how to walk in the spirit each and every day so that he might accomplish even bigger things in you and through you (John 14:12). He is preparing you to be a ray of light and hope to a world that so urgently needs to see Jesus. He is preparing you to be a beacon.
I don't know where you are on this path of walking by faith, but I encourage you, implore you, and plead with you to raise the white flag of surrender. I don't know where you are on this trip. Give your life, your suffering, and your loss over to God so that he might use them for his glory. In order for him to accomplish a great work through you, you need to ask him to do an amazing work in you first.
You need to get out of that boat and walk out onto the water and make sure you never take your gaze off of him. It is a choice that you will never look back on with remorse!