Taking a Faith Journey (Episode 37)

According to Hebrews 11:6, without faith, it’s impossible to please God. Not hard; but impossible. If you must see the total picture, or if you must always know the total game plan before you move or act, you won’t accomplish much for God. In this episode, Frank King focuses on the importance of living by faith. He says that whenever we choose to follow God’s lead, His plan will always require us to take a faith journey.

When Abraham was past the age of 100, God tested his faith. He told Abraham to go to an appointed place and offer his only son Isaac as a burnt offering. What made this so challenging is the story behind the birth of Isaac. He was a miracle baby because his mother Sarah was born barren. God opened her womb to conceive Isaac when she was eighty-nine.

Isaac was Abraham’s only son. He was God’s answer to Abraham’s complaint that he had no seed.  But now God was telling Abraham to offer up his only son by fire. With child-like faith, Abraham proceeded to obey the Lord.

The angel of the Lord intervened to prevent Abraham form killing his son to offer him up. But God blessed Abraham for his obedience. He became the father of many nations.

I believe we would all agree that Abraham passed the testing of his faith.  A point we can draw from this account is that, sometimes, before God elevates us, He will test us. And for us to get through that test, we must be willing to make the associated faith journey.

The Metric for Our Success

It’s important to note that our success as Christians is not measured by how things turn out when we obey God. Rather, by whether we obeyed Him to walk by faith. Sometimes, when we are convinced God has called us to do something, we don’t do it. Instead, we agonize over whether or not it will succeed. But the metric for our success is our obedience to God and not the outcome.

Accordingly, consider the great men and women of faith mentioned in the book of Hebrews. “These having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised” (Hebrews 11:39, NASB).

Leaving Your Comfort Zone

Abraham’s faith journey really began when God told him to leave home. He said, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to a land which I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1, NASB).

Similarly, if you want to be relevant for God, you must be willing to abandon your comfort zone. If not, you will limit what God wants to do through you. In fact, the moment you reach a place that’s comfortable for you, and you decide to stay there, you will cease to grow.

That’s not true in Christianity only. That’s how it works in the world as well. The movers and shakers in our world are those who move beyond comfortable boundaries to explore greater opportunities. And by the same token, God wants us to be movers and shakers in the Kingdom.

Everybody who commits to following the Lord is on a faith journey. Why? Because that’s the only kind of journey the Lord leads us on. How far we will go on that journey is determined by how much we are willing to walk by faith and trust God for the outcome.