How do we take a step of faith?

hey there :)

i hope you are enjoying the summer sun today and treating yourself kindly

this topic is one i wanted to write about since it is currently something i am asking God to help me with.

part of my reason for being MIA for the past few months has been life just being busy. And more recently, in the past month, some big life decisions and changes have been in the forefront of my mind.

Now, today i am not going to talk about some of those big choices and changes, but i will share with you some of the wisdom those around me have poured into me over this past month as i walked the journey of "what is next" and "how do I trust God to make the right decision, even when it's scary".

Now, let's just be real with each other. It's okay to be scared. It's okay to feel overwhelmed and completely out of control when something in your life requires faith. But don't let that stop you.

My best friend says the phrase "do it scared".

And sometimes, we think to do anything for God or to take a step of faith means we won't be scared or won't get overwhelmed at times. The reality is, if you wait until you aren't overwhelmed or scared, then you will never do it.

You all know what I am talking about. Maybe it is going to that college out of state, maybe it's leaving that toxic relationship you're in and choosing to be single and heal, maybe it's finally starting therapy or going to a community group at your church for the first time or maybe even getting married or starting a family.

We can feel scared whether or not something is bad. For example, all of the things above are really great things, but all of those can be scary and super overwhelming to even think about doing.

I will take the first one as an example, since it is one I have done. At 18 I chose to move to Dallas, Texas-- a place with 1.2 million people-- for college. I knew no one and had only visited the state once for 24 hours. I definitely had days I wondered how crazy I had to be to willingly choose to do this. But 5 years later I can confidently say it was one of the best decisions of my life. And it took every little bit of faith I had.

So, we need to talk basics. How do we take a step of faith?

After many big moments where taking a step of Faith changed my life and I lived to see God be so so faithful, I currently find myself needing to remember the things others have said to me and I have learned along the way. I could use a boost of faith as I step into the next big story God has for me, and I am sure you could use that too. So let's get at it.

TIP #1 Know that nothing is perfect, but God is faithful

I have found that sometimes in the midst of taking a step of faith, we convince ourselves that because we have faith everything is going to turn out perfect and be great on the other side. Or, we convince ourselves that the other side of faith is total and complete suffering. No doubt you have experienced this. I have found this is often our way to still try and have control in the unknown. We want to know the end of the story so we can find peace.

Taking a step of faith also means taking a step into the unknown, trusting God with the outcome. Any time where I have had to take a step of faith, it is so much easier to go in knowing there will be great joy and hard times, but God is on the other side and He will meet me in both of those. It's okay to be in God's will and still be struggling. But don't forget you have a good God who can do exceedingly more than you ask or imagine :) He will bring good and His glory otherwise He wouldn't be guiding you there. But that doesn't mean it will be easy.

TIP #2 Just because it isn't easy, doesn't mean it isn't right

I have heard the phrase "What's easy is right" so many times and every time I just want to cover my ears and run. That is not true. Jesus Himself would agree. Dying for us to show He loves us wasn't "easy". But it was the greatest act of love ever.

In the same way, having faith and being a follower of God isn't always easy. And as you are making a choice to step out in faith, often times you will be countered with spiritual attacks from the enemy. I mean, it makes sense, why would the enemy want you to step into faith where you could see how great our God is and the plans He has for you?

The greatest example I have seen of this is when a couple who loves God and is honoring Him with their relationship gets engaged or married. I have heard so many engaged couples (as well as myself) talk about the immediate attacks they faced as they intentionally pursued the next steps the Lord had for them. BEWARE but DON'T BE AFRAID! Sometimes taking a step of faith looks more like fighting for Faith. And when the going gets tough, you need to remember your WHY.

(on a side note, do not use this tip as an excuse to stay in a toxic relationship that isn't easy and is also not right. I have been there and when it comes to the right person, it should feel safe and easy but it takes intentionally choosing to fight for one another, NOT toxic and like a daily fight -- especially from early on)

TIP #3 God puts desires into your heart for a reason

There have been moments where I have a dream and God finally opens the door for it---and then I find myself questioning if this is just Selena making her own plans for her life.

Now, as humans, we can have goals and dreams that don't always honor God.

But if you bringing your dreams and desires to God, and He is opening doors then know this is God's plan, not yours. The verse about God giving us the desires of our hearts is about how when we love and pursue God more, our hearts desires will become what His desires our for our lives. So just know, sometimes those random gifts or dreams you have aren't so random. Our amazing Creator wove some of those into your heart before you were even created, knowing that you would pursue them and be able to bring Him glory. In fact, He didn't just know it, He is counting on it :)

TIP #4 Don't go down the "what if" spiral

This is one my husband taught me recently which I didn't even realize I was doing. I found myself so excited one day about a decision we were making and then out of no where the next day the "what if" spiral hit me. You know how that goes.

"What if we are making the wrong choice"

"What if they get upset"

"What if I can't do it"

"What if it doesn't happen"

"What if I struggle"

and on and on and on.

I had in only a short time come up with every negative outcome possible and was on the brink of taking a step backward, away from faith and towards what my mind had told me was "safety" which was really just saying no to God.

My husband first posed the question, what do I think about God? Do I just think He is horrible and only going to bring horrible things? Or do I believe He is the good God He says He is.

Next, my husband challenged me to do my "what if" spiral the other way.

"What if you are making one of the best decisions of your life"

"What if there is healing on the other side"

"What if this is so good for you"

"What if God uses this to bring so much joy"

"What if we grow closer through this"

And suddenly, I found myself getting a whole lot more excited and eager to take that next step :)

TIP #5 Let God show you how much He loves you

For my husband and I, we knew this week was the week we needed to make our final decisions and step out in faith for what God has for us next. We said we would sleep on our decision and bring it to God. The next morning, I asked God to give me wisdom and peace, something He has been so faithful in providing throughout this journey even in the midst of sadness and nerves. He took me to a tab I had labeled "the future" quite a few years ago. It took me to Proverbs 16. An amazing chapter. One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 16:9 "In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps".

To the side of these verse, two sticky notes were filled with the following:

December 2021
Selena,
you need to let God be God in your life. 
Let Him show you how much He loves you.
Let Him show you how faithful and trustworthy He is.
You keep striving in your own power and taking away the opportunity to let God show His love for you in miraculous ways.
Trust Him.
He wants the best for you too.

So these are the tips that God and those near to me have taught me in this lifelong journey of being willing to just take one step at a time in faith. I have to remind myself that where I am right now is because of a compilation of many steps of faith before this moment. And i think I am going to bet on all those times God was faithful, over those fears that try and stop me. I look forward to the day when I will arrive in heaven and get to look back on all the steps of faith that God used to get me into His loving embrace at the end of it all.

And I know, it makes it a lot easier to take this one step of faith, knowing without a doubt where it will take me.