Taking the Leap: Exploring 5 Ways to Take a Leap of Faith and Move Confidently Into Your Callingናሙና

Let’s begin with one of the most common leaps that people feel they are called. I like to call this leap, The Fisherman. This leap comes from Matthew 4:18-21 when Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John to fully leave their careers and start to follow Him, becoming His disciples.

These men, as we may know, were fishermen by trade. There are different debates about whether this was a wealthy career or if it was one that barely supplied their basic living needs, but one thing that can’t be debated is that it was a job. You had to be trained in how to be a good fisherman, and I believe that training started when they were quite young.

Here is what I’d like to think, when Jesus went to look for who would be a good fisher of men, He first examined who was a good fisher of fish. This fisherman was someone skilled in what he was already putting his hands to or someone willing to get better. He may not have always caught the fish, but he was willing to. God can always do more with our willingness than He could ever do with our worthiness. I dare to believe that if the skill wasn’t there, the willingness and fortitude were.

This is the plight of The Fisherman. It is the person that has been called to leave their career and go fully into something God has instructed them to do. This was my story. One of the things He called me to do was to minister to the Bride of Christ outside and sometimes inside the church through teaching, speaking, and writing. My training ground for this calling started when I was a young girl having lots of friends. I was known for being friendly to so many different types of people. Later in life, I realized that this helped me to better understand the people God would call me to impact and influence. I wasn’t pigeon-holed into only being able to connect intimately with one group of people. It’s beautiful how my time “fishing” prepared me to fish!

The Fisherman leap can be a bit challenging and intimidating. It can feel overwhelming as you leave everything you know and step into what you believe God has called you to. Yet the keywords here are “GOD has called you to.”

When I took this leap, I was terrified until one day someone said to me, “Rachel, God is not going to punish you for your obedience.” Those words were like a dagger to the lies of the enemy. I carried that truth through challenges and successes as I walked with God in his assignment.

I want to remind you as well that if you have been called to The Fishermen leap, although it may be uncomfortable, God is not going to punish you for your obedience. This is your chance to truly walk on water.

Are you in a season of navigating the details of the fisherman leap? If so, what part of this email resonates most for you and why?