Being Fully Persuaded 3/14/21
Being Fully Persuaded • Sermon • Submitted
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Happy Birthday Impact! - we are 4 Years old this month. We are still thriving having started three ministries while under COVID restrictions.
iPact Kids is excited to announce their Easter series, The Journey to the Cross. I want to encourage you to join me and the children in
Sunrise Services March 21st, 28th, and April 4th at 9:00am PST
The journey will explore Holy Week and recount the last five days of Jesus' life before He was resurrected.
Are you ready for the word?
Lets pray ...
Stepping Out in Faith
Stepping Out in Faith
What does it mean to step out on faith?
Some people believe it means, “Let go and Let God.”
Others believe it means, “Trusting God for everything.”
Some believe it means, “Walking with God.”
All of these are true but
God wants the concept of stepping out in faith to be practical and not mysterious.
He wants you and me to be able to understand what it means to step out in faith.
We see an example in Joshua chapter 3, of what it means to step out in faith.
11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe. 13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.”
It is not until the priests step in the water that God will part the waters.
God does not want us to place our faith in what we see, but trust Him for what we cant see.
Here is a story that comes from Dr. Tony Evans that helps us understand what is means to step out in faith.
A BLIND girl, one day, was caught in a fire on the tenth floor of a building. She could make her way to a window, but she couldn’t see anything. She felt the heat and smelled the smoke of the fire. Then she heard a fireman yell, “Jump, jump!”
She said, “I’m scared to jump. I can’t see.”
The fireman said, “If you don’t jump, you’re going to die. Take the risk, and jump.”
It’s bad enough to jump from ten stories high, but to jump when you can’t see where you’re jumping—that’s terror. In the midst of the chaos and confusion, she heard another voice, “Darling, jump, I’ve got you.” She smiled and said, “Okay, Daddy, I’ll jump.”
Stepping out in faith means acting when we cant see, knowing that He will catch us.
It means taking action in a direction that is not clear to us, but we move forward anyway believing God will guide us.
Its when we have a desired outcome, but the dots we see are not connecting to that outcome - we step out anyway!
God is the connector of the dots!
When it comes to stepping out in faith know this :
God will make a way!
16 Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea
And a path through the mighty waters,
This passage is referring to God making a way for Israel through the Red Sea - (explain)
13 And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
When you are trusting God for an outcome, and you step out in faith- He will not allow you to misstep - to stumble.
23 Then you will walk safely in your way,
And your foot will not stumble.
26 For the Lord will be your confidence,
And will keep your foot from being caught.
God is faithful and will always catch your feet!
2 My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
11 In God I have put my trust;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God;
I will render praises to You,
13 For You have delivered my soul from death.
Have You not kept my feet from falling,
That I may walk before God
In the light of the living?
God will always attend to us when we trust Him and step out in faith!
We step out in faith when we do what God says to do when we cant see!
We must be willing to trust God’s instructions!
Let’s look at this example - Elijah visits a widow during a drought.
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
12 So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ ”
15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.
Take the step of faith to do what God wants you to do.
He will never fail you! He will never fail you!
Lets look at another example:
1 A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”
2 So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”
3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.”
5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 6 Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”
And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”
The key to stepping out in faith is to do what God says to do!
Are you willing to do what you know God wants you to do, regardless of what it looks like?
Are you willing to trust God?
Are you willing to allow God’s outcome to become your outcome?
Are you willing to forsake your will and do God’s will?