Finding Faith Along the Journey
The Christian life is a faith journey. Frequently, as we take the next step in our journey, our footing does not feel secure. Quite often we take a step of faith not knowing what comes next. Or, sometimes we must make decisions without knowing the end result. Thankfully, as we walk our journey in faith, God is there with us guiding us through His Word and through the Holy Spirit. When we rely on the trusted resources He has given us, He will enlarge the footing under our feet so that we will not slip.
Psalm 18:36, “Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.”
A Story
One time as a young teen, I was hiking with a group up a mountain. About half way up the side of the mountain, we came to a rock wall. Of course, the goal of our trip was to get to the top of the mountain to see the view. But the only way forward was straight up the brick wall.
I remember climbing up the wall, trying to find small crevices in which to place my hands and feet to get to the top. Some of those crevices were barely big enough to stick my toes into. My feet did not have a secure footing. At first, I was afraid to climb up the wall for fear of falling. However, after some effort, I made it safely to the top.
As we learn to step by faith, the Lord enlarges our steps. He makes the path under our feet larger in order to give us a solid and secure footing. It is not His goal for us to falter. Sometimes we may feel like we are going to stumble or fall, but if we are walking in His will our feet will not slip.
Psalm 17:5, “Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.”
Psalm 94:18, “When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.”
I love the following verse that the Psalmist wrote. We can safely and securely rest in the presence of God because He never sleeps or slumbers. Unlike the sleepy disciples who could not stay awake to pray, God never sleeps on the job.
Psalm 121:3, “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.”
Preparing for Our Journey of Faith
Putting On Christ
Before we can begin the journey of faith, we must put on Christ. We must accept His free gift of salvation and believe He died on the cross to save us from our sins. If you have never trusted Christ, dear friend, I invite you to do so today. There is no greater decision one can make during her lifetime.
First, Admit you are a sinner
Romans 3:10, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Secondly, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
Acts 16:31, “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,”
Lastly, Confess with your mouth
Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Purging the excess weights
Hebrews 12:1-2, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…”
When an athlete is training, oftentimes they will wear weights to help them build up strength and endurance. Until they remove the weights, they are not able to reach their fullest potential. In the same way in our Christian life, we can allow certain weights to pull us down.
We need to lay aside Sin
Are you allowing sin to creep into your life? When we examine our hearts in the mirror of God’s Word, our true condition will be revealed. If we want to grow in our Christian walk, we must lay aside the pride, envy, gossip, hypocrisy, and discontentment in our hearts.
I Peter 2:1-3, “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”
I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Thankfully, as we confess these sins to the Lord, He promises to cleanse and forgive us. What a wonderful promise!
We need to lay aside the excess baggage
Are you an over packer? In an attempt to be prepared, it is easy to pack so much “stuff” that you can hardly carry your bag. This may not be quite so bad on a vacation, but you surely do not want to over pack your bag on a long hike. For you will quickly become weighed down, overly tired, and unable to complete your journey. Have many times do we feel like this in our Christian walk?
Do you often feel like you are running from one task to another without ever actually accomplishing anything important? In our culture we seem to equate busyness with productivity. But just because you are busy all the time does not mean that you are accomplishing God’s will for your life.
The most important thing God wants from us is a relationship. When we are so busy “doing”, we often neglect the “being.” Christ wants us to come sit at His feet and commune with Him. He wants us to delight in His presence as He delights in ours. If we are too busy to take the time to do this, then we are too busy.
Martha was cumbered about with much serving. She was so busy that she neglected the most important thing. In her attempts to provide physical nourishment to Christ, she failed to take the time to allow Him to nourish her spiritually. We should be ministering to others from an overflowing cup. Failing to be filled up and spiritually nourished will lead to frustration, fleshly living, and ultimately spiritual burnout.
Taking a frequent inventory of our priorities will help us examine and adjust our perspective when needed. We need to ask the following questions:
“Are my priorities eternally focused?”
“Is my relationship with Christ preeminent in my life?”
If our relationship with Christ is not taking precedence in our lives, then something needs to change.
Packing Our Bags:
Water – Holy Spirit
Ephesians 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”
Without water we will die. Without the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we will die spiritually.
When we are filled with the Spirit, His fruit will be displayed in our lives. If we want to be fruit-bearing Christians, then we must not neglect taking the time to be filled with the Spirit. We receive His filling when we spend time in prayer and in the Word, and when we allow Him to control our thoughts and actions.
Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:”
“When you and I walk by the Spirit, our life is characterized not by fretting, panic, and anxiety, but by the quiet peace that comes with trusting God.” ~ Elizabeth George
Flashlight – God’s Word
Psalm 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
Walking in the darkness at night without a flashlight can be intimidating and scary. One never knows what may be lurking behind the shadows. Especially if you have a vivid imagination, it is easy to conjure up all sorts of creatures that may be out there ready to devour. However, as fearful as it may be to walk along in the darkness, nothing compares to walking through this dark world without the light of God’s Word shining on our paths.
God’s Word illuminates our path and gives wisdom and understanding. But it is only as effective as it is put to use in our lives. If you keep your flashlight pack away “safely” in you bag, how beneficial is it actually going to be? We need to pull God’s Word out of our “bags” or dusty bookshelves and begin to put it to use in our daily lives.
Compass – God’s Will
Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
According to Sciencing.com,
“A compass’s singular purpose is to tell you what direction you are heading in at all times, which prevents you from getting lost. Typically, hikers and backpack travelers rely on compasses to get them to their destinations. However, a single wrong turn can be disastrous, even life-threatening.”
Wow, is this not applicable to our walk with God? Do you know someone who made one wrong choice which led them off God’s intended path that resulted in wreckage and ruin?
If we are earnestly seeking God’s will, we do not need to be fearful of wondering off the path He has predetermined for us. He will use circumstances, His Spirit, and His Word to guide us back in the right direction. Just remember that nothing transcends His Word. He will never use other means that go contrary to His Word to guide us.
Encounters Along Our Journey of Faith
Brush or Tree Fallen in the Way – Trials
I Peter 1:6-7, “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”
Trials are to make us stronger and better Christians. Someone said, “The depth of your spirituality will be revealed by how you respond to things.” Trials will bring out the best or the worst in us. God takes us through trials to take out the dross in our lives.
“God is more interested in developing us than delivering us.” ~Mrs. Linda Schindler
Sometimes when brush is in our pathway, we must work to remove it. In the same way, sometimes it takes work to get through trials. Sometimes it takes effort to forgive and not let bitterness spring up in our hearts.
Sometimes when a tree is fallen in the pathway the easiest thing to do is just climb over it and keep on going. I think some trials are meant to be worked through but other trials we need to just climb over (or get over) them. We need to put the past behind and keep on moving forward.
Other times, the bolder in the way may be too big for us to move ourselves. We must rely on the help of others to help us move it out of the way. In the same way, God gives us problems that are too big for us to handle in order to teach us to rely and completely trust in Him. And He may bring fellow believers alongside to help us carry the burden.
Darkness
Sometimes, along our path we encounter times of darkness. This is why we need a light. A flashlight can give us security and comfort when we cannot see in the darkness. In the night of life, we can turn to God’s Word for comfort and guidance.
Psalm 42:8, “Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.”
Psalm 92:2, “To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,”
God’s Word will help us to find our way out of the darkness. It will provide the comfort and the strength that we need.
Fork in Road
When we come to a fork in the road we need to pull out our compass to show us which path to take. When we face decisions in life, we need to seek God’s will and not lean on our own understanding which is so easy to do.
Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Three things we need to do: 1) trust, 2) lean on Him (not our own understanding), and 3) acknowledge Him (recognize His authority).
Flowers – Blessings
Psalm 68:19, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.”
We need to take time to stop and smell the Roses. So often in our business, we forget to take time and enjoy the blessings that God has given us.
The song writer wrote:
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
When our path grows weary, we to take the time to pause and count our blessings.
Stream – Times of Refreshment
Psalm 23:2-3, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Sometimes, we feel like we always have to be “doing” something. It is hard to just sit still. But there are times when we need to take time to rest and be refreshed. We need to be still. It is in these times that He restores us.
Restore means to bring back into existence, use, or the like; to bring back to a state of health, soundness, or vigor.
We need times apart to restore our spiritual health. God cannot speak to us when there is too much “noise” in our lives. Coming apart will revitalize and rejuvenate us both physically and spiritually.
Final thoughts…
On our journey of faith, we will face many different things. Through it all, we must remember that Christ is with us.
Isaiah 43:2, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
No matter what we face He will bring us through it. As we continue to journey by faith and not by sight, God will enlarge our steps. It is not His desire that we stumble or fall. He wants us to reach the end of our faith journey in victory. We need to keep our eyes focused on the prize instead of the journey. When our eyes are focused on Christ, we will reach the end in victory.
Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
