Fueled by FaithSample

Day 10 - (Part 3) Faith gives us supernatural boldness.

One of the things that my father said that has always stuck with me is that God does not call us to be successful, He calls us to be faithful. It is not our responsibility to make things happen, nor it is our responsibility to make sure that everything works out perfectly. Our job is to do what God says to do, in the way that He says to do it, and at the time we are told to do it. It is far too common for people to blame themselves for something not going the way that they had hoped, even though they obeyed God. When we obey God, we expect everything to work out, but God may have more planned than we realize, so we must be flexible. It is important to remember that God is the One doing everything. We are just obeying God, giving glory to Him, and watching Him work.

If God tells you to open a business, and you obey Him, but the business fails, it would be easy to feel like you have failed God. I have not been through anything as serious as losing a business, but I have encountered things that have really tested my faith. If you are reading this plan, you are part of the way God answered my prayers. I had always heard teachers, friends, and family tell me that my writing was better than average, but I was never a writer. It was when I began to seek God that I was able to understand what He wanted me to do, and as soon as I obeyed God, I watched as He opened doors to new opportunities and gave me the faith to pursue them. God has given me the skills that I need in order to do what He has called me to do, and many of those skills were learned through times of suffering.

It is no secret that I am young (I am currently 21 years old), nor is it any secret that I am writing without the help of any editors (I hope that this is not too obvious). Knowing myself and knowing how much went into getting to where I am today, I can say that God has given me the skills, the desires, and the determination to do what has been done. I am not where I am because of my skill, nor am I here because I have some kind of attractive personality. I am a sinner, I struggle to focus on what I need to focus on, and I am often met with failure when I try to do something. However, I have seen the way God has given me the faith to do what He has called me to do.

I will not go into too much detail, but I have failed quite a few times in trying to do what God has called me to do. If I fail, am I doing the wrong thing? Not necessarily.

Faith produces many things (I should write a plan about it), but one of the most interesting things about faith is the way it gives people the ability to try again at something that seems ridiculous, no matter how many times it takes. I have stepped out in faith, only to be met with failure. However, when I am truly doing something that God has called me to do, failure does not sting quite as much. In fact, I have found that when God gives me the faith to do something, I am hardly affected by failure. When we walk by faith, each setback is a blessing in disguise.

This brings us to the final passage of this plan. In Acts 27, we see Paul sail for Rome. As he sailed to Rome, he encountered a great storm. After several days without seeing the sun or the stars, the men aboard the ship gave up hope that they would make it to their destination. However, one man did not give up hope. That man was Paul, and he got up to speak to the other men aboard the ship so that he could encourage them.

How did Paul encourage men who had given up all hope? Paul began by telling the men that they should have listened to him (Paul suggested an alternate route to take), but then he told the men to take heart. How could the men take heart? Paul explains that an angel appeared to him, and the angel told him that he should not be afraid, for Paul must stand before Caesar. In addition to Paul’s life being spared, the angel told Paul that God has “granted you all those who sail with you” [Acts 27:24, ESV]. In other words, God has a plan for Paul, and that plan requires that Paul make it to Rome. Therefore, the men will be safe, and they will make it to their destination.

There was one more thing that Paul told the men on that ship, but this thing was noticeably less exciting than the things that preceded it: “But we must run aground on some island.”

Basically, they will all survive, but they are going to crash on an island. Faith gave Paul the boldness to tell men without hope that they would be saved, even though they would be shipwrecked on the way to their destination. A shipwreck is certainly not a fun time (as far as I know), and a shipwreck is even less enjoyable when it comes after you are sailing somewhere to be put on trial. Paul suffered as he told the men what the angel had told him, and Paul knew that he would have to suffer even more before he reached where God had called him to be.

REFLECTION:

1. Imagine that you were aboard the ship with Paul. How do you think you would have reacted to what Paul said?
2. Have you ever suffered while you pursued what God called you to do?
3. Why does God allow us to suffer?

If you enjoyed reading this plan, you would probably enjoy the other things that I have written. My name is Daniel Teberian, and I regularly update my website with essays about faith, applying God’s Word to life, and whatever else God puts on my heart. I also write about apologetics, I answer questions from readers and friends (they are one and the same), and I answer questions about the Bible.

This plan has been adapted from part three of my series on faith (“The Power of Faith”). The full essay (as well as the rest of the series) can be found on my website.

Finally, if this plan has been helpful for you, I would love to hear about it. I write about my faith because I am passionate about it, and I want others to experience the joy of the Lord as well.

Thank you, and may God bless you.

• Daniel Teberian

www.danielteberian.com

danielteberian@gmail.com