My wife and I prayed over the
decision for months. Should I resign or stay? God gave no clear direction other
than a nagging feeling resigning was the right thing to do.
Early Friday morning, I woke my wife and whispered, "I
know what I'm going to do." Logically, resigning made little sense. We could
move in with Mom, but how would we pay bills? We decided to sell half of our
antique collection just to prove to God we were serious about obeying him.
Once we took the faith step, unforeseen things
materialized. We tagged our antiques with "nonnegotiable" prices and no one
dickered. A friend bought a few things, handed us her payment, and said,
"Consider the rest a gift." A gift for times what she owed. Another friend
called: "I shared your situation with my Sunday School class and asked if they
wanted to help." They gave four times what she expected.
We wanted God to give a step by step plan; he wanted
trust. We wanted assurance we could meet budget; he said "Don't worry." Many
were concerned about our faith decision, but God said, "You take the step and
then I'll open doors."
Abraham probably wanted more specifics too, but God
simply told him to leave his homeland. The only promise was many descendants and
God's presence. So he went: By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he
would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not
know where he was going (Hebrews 11:8).
Faith stepping means moving ahead even when God hasn't
given the particulars. I'm more comfortable with it now than I once was. I've
built up a trust factor. God promises he won't let me down, and he never has.
When we're finely tuned to the Spirit's voice through prayer, we'll always step
where God wants at just the right time. Are you willing to faith step?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, wherever You lead, we'll follow.
Martin Wiles
mandmwiles@homesc.com
Harleyville, South Carolina, USA
www.morningliteministry.com
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.