What Hinders Your Purpose?Sample

When We Don’t Step Out in Faith

Though God intended all the Israelites to make it to the promised land, none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, except for Joshua and Caleb, made it there. The problem wasn't with the Promise; the problem was with the people believing in the Promise.

Your purpose unfolds to the degree of your obedience and willingness to take steps of faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb.11:6). In his book 'Chase the Lion,' Mark Batterson wrote, "Stop living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death." No one is getting out of life alive.

The journey of purpose is a journey of faith and courage. To experience what God has in mind for you in its entirety will require a stretch and proactive steps of faith.

David, by faith, stepped out to fight Goliath which won him the people's approval to become the next king. Joshua, by faith, believed the Promised land was theirs for the taking, though there were giants in it. You also have to step out. If you put God's name on the line for His own glory, He will show up.

Start risking God's reputation on something destined to fail without divine intervention. Don't hold back at life. Step out in the direction God is stirring your spirit.

I often hear people say they are waiting for clarity to take a step. You won't always be clear about everything; you have to trust God that someway, somehow, He will work out the details. Remember the three Hebrews (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego) who refused to bow to the king's idol. Here's what they say in Daniel 3:16-18 (AMP).

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to answer you on this point. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up!”

That was resolute, bold, and audacious faith, but we serve a faithful God. The "fourth man" appeared in the fire.

Let me share a personal story. Every devotional I have written on the YouVersion platform often takes about a month or less to write, but it took me almost five years to overcome the limiting belief that I can write something worthy of this platform. The moral is, if I hadn't made the first attempt, I would have denied over sixty-one thousand combined subscribers the opportunity to read what God has laid in my heart and I would have missed the testimonies I've received across the world. When you don't step out in faith, you hinder your purpose. You have to be willing to try.

God has called you to a higher life; defy the urge to play small. Remember the saying, "It is those who risk going too far who really know how far they can go."

Are you ready and willing to step out with faith in God, believing Him to see your purpose fulfilled?