I asked permission to share my daughter’s encouragement today on my blog. She had posted this on Facebook Sunday, but she’s been discussing this with me over the past several weeks and it’s blessed me watching her make this journey. I hope you enjoy it as much as others have.

We can take a lot from the examples of the bible. Take Peter for instance. Peter was the only one of the disciples who had the faith to step out of the boat onto water. Modern day examples; God told you to quit your job with no plans for future income. Maybe God told you to pick up, pack up and move with no home, no income, no way of making a way for yourself or your family. That’s a big ask, no, that’s huge.

There’s no way that God would ask you that, right? Hold on, in Genesis 12 God told Abram to leave his home, his job, his family, his friends, everything he’d ever known and move to “I’ll show you where”. Our response today would have been, I’m going to need a little bit more information before I do this, Lord. Like, where will I get my income from? Where will I live? How will I feed my family? What we need to realize is the answer is in the obedience.

Now back to Peter and the boat. Peter asked to step out of the boat because he wanted proof that it was Jesus who was walking on water. When Jesus said, “Come,” Peter did. He walked on water with Jesus, in obedience. There was one problem, though, when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, when he moved his focus to the waves, the waves became bigger that Jesus, he got scared and started to sink. When we take our focus off of the one who said, “Come,” the problems become bigger than the One who gives us peace in the midst of the storm.

“Sometimes God calms the storm, but sometimes God lets the storm rage and calms His child.” Leslie Gould.

Don’t allow your storm to get bigger than the one who can either calm the storm (Luke 8:22-25), or let the storm rage. Focus on Jesus. He won’t necessarily calm the storm that rages. He won’t magically fill your bank account (I’m not saying it’s not possible, because “…with God, all things are possible,” Matthew 19:26). What I am saying is that God may not do it in a way that you envision.

God told me to quit my job, I am now down to my last pennies, the storm is raging and He’s not calming it. But I tell you, when my focus is on Jehovah Jireh, my provider, I have peace that passes all understanding. He may not provide in the way I think or want. He may not fill my bank account to overflow right no, but I know that in my obedience to pick up, pack up and go, so to speak, “My God shall supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.

People looked at me like I was crazy, some even called me crazy and tried to talk me out of it but they did the same thing to Noah who, at the instruction of God, started building a boat. He didn’t even know what rain was, it had never rained before. At that time, the ground water would raise up and water the plants. But because of his obedience, his family and 2 of every species survived the flood.

Your obedience will be your blessing. Stepping out in faith is never an easy thing, but when you do and the blessing comes, just know that the God of the universe will be bigger than your problems, if you only keep your focus on Christ and not the waves. When God says, which He has to me many times, “Just keep doing what you’re doing and i’ll take care of the rest,” don’t question it. Just keep moving in the direction that you’re moving in. God will handle the steps you have to take to get to where He wants you. “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9. Be blessed my friends. Hope this speaks to you as much as it did to me. #BigLoves-Shannon Gregory

So my dear crazy-faith-remnant friends, if you want to know every aspect of God to the fullest–be obedient and enjoy the ride.

Sandy G