Kyle Idleman has written another challenging book. This one is entitled, “Don’t Give Up”. Early on, Pastor Idleman makes the statement, “Faith doesn’t tend to be sedentary. It’s always sending us somewhere.” He follows this up by encouraging us to ask ourselves two questions: 1) “Am I following God in a way that requires faith?” 2) “Do I do anything at all in my life that requires courage and confidence?”
If you aren’t squirming a bit as you contemplate those questions, you are a better person than I. Since we are fellow sojourners in our quest to serve God with all our heart, mind, strength, and soul, I’m going to go ahead and assume those questions made you as uncomfortable as they did me.
First, let’s dive into his initial statement a bit. Faith is never sedentary. It is always moving us forward, pulling us in the direction of Christ. He longs for us to know Him completely. You cannot draw closer to Christ while you are standing still. If you want to know more of who He is and what He is like, you’re going to have to step out in faith and move into the unknown. We cannot fathom the depths of His mercy, glory, and love. Seeking after Him will keep our feet moving on uncertain paths. It’s okay. He’s worth it. He’s reaching out His hand to steady us along the way. But we’ve got to keep moving. We can’t sit still. We’ve got to want a relationship with Him more than anything we desire on earth.
As for the first question, I think our answer will change many times throughout our lives. When things are tough, we are left with no choice but to desperately rely on Him. At other times we may find ourselves with everything going right and faith begins to fade into the background. This is a very dangerous position to be in and is far riskier than having no option but to rely on Him. In truth, we never have any option but Christ. To believe otherwise is to buy into the lie Satan is craftily weaving into your mind. We are lost without Christ no matter our station in life.
The second question is the most painful for me. What was the last courageous thing you did for the Kingdom? When was the last time you took a step of faith having no idea what the next step would hold? I have a friend who felt God leading her to move to a new city five hundred miles away. She doesn’t know anyone there. She has no job waiting for her. But she felt God leading her there and two weeks later she left her high-paying job, packed up her things, and moved. Like Abraham, she heard God say, “Go”, and she went. I am amazed and candidly more than a little jealous of such faith.
Are you sitting still or moving forward in your faith? Are you living in a way that even requires you to have faith? Finally, are you living in a way requiring you to be courageous and confident in God rather than yourself? We can claim our faith in Christ with our lips all day long, but when was the last time we demonstrated it with the way we live? We are playing it way too safe, and my fear is our safety will be shattered when we look into the holy eyes of our Creator. Let’s move. Let’s live in a way requiring us to demonstrate our faith, courage, and confidence in the King of all Kings, the only true God, and the lover of our souls. Stop playing it safe. Demonstrate the faith burning inside you.