FAITHFUL AT EVERY STEP
God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
GENESIS 22:2
Our difficulty in following God isn’t that we don’t know His will. Our discomfort comes from the fact that we do know His will, but we don’t want to do it. When God first spoke to Abraham, His commands were straightforward: “Go … to the land I will show you” (Gen. 12:1). Then God led Abraham through a number of tests over the years. Abraham learned patience as he waited for God’s promise of a son to be fulfilled, which took 25 years. Abraham learned to trust God through battles with kings and through the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The pinnacle of Abraham’s walk of faith was when God asked him to sacrifice the one thing that meant more to him than anything else. Abraham’s previous obedience indicated that he would have quickly and decisively sacrificed anything else God asked of him, but was he prepared for this? God didn’t ask Abraham to make such a significant sacrifice at the beginning of their relationship. Rather, it came more than 30 years after Abraham began walking with God. God taught Abraham to trust Him step-by-step.
As the Father progressively reveals His ways to you in your Christian pilgrimage, you, like Abraham, will develop a deeper level of trust in Him. When you first became a Christian, your Master’s instructions were probably fundamental, such as being baptized or changing your lifestyle. But as you learn to trust Him more deeply, He will develop your character to match bigger tests, and with the greater tests will come a greater love for God and a greater knowledge of His ways. Are you ready for God’s next revelation?
As God leads you in your Christian growth, He will allow challenges in your life that match your character and relationship with Him. God won’t totally change your character at once when you become a Christian. Rather, He will lead you through a process to become more like His Son. He will keep working in an area of your life until it’s controlled by the Holy Spirit. You may eagerly desire maturity in every area of your character, but steady, gradual growth is more lasting.
God won’t take shortcuts in His process of making you like Christ. Because He sees your life from eternity, He will take as long as necessary to produce lasting spiritual growth in you.
Don’t become impatient while God is producing Christlikeness in you. Don’t seek more responsibilities than those He’s given you. Obey all you know He’s asked, and He will lead you at a pace that fits your present character and His purposes for you.
What aspect of God’s will are you currently struggling with? Why is this step of faith hard for you?
What’s been the scariest step of faith so far in your walk with God? What made it so significant? How did God prove faithful?
How has your character been conformed more to the likeness of Jesus through steps of obedience? What qualities of your character are clearly the result of God’s work in you?
What was the most meaningful statement or Scripture you read today?
Reword the statement or Scripture into a prayer of response to God.
What does God want you to do in response to today’s study? [Henry T. Blackaby, Richard Blackaby (2014). Seven Realities for Experiencing God – Member Book. LifeWay Press. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]