Simply stepping out in faith isn’t enough.
Simply making a positive declaration isn’t enough.
Picture this: You go to McDonald’s in faith that I’ll be there to share a special one milkshake with two straws moment with you. You even made a positive confession to that effect. Kelvin will be at Mcdonalds’, waiting for me to share a milkshake with him. However, if I never told you that I’d be there waiting for you, you may well be disappointed.
Faith is only as good as what it is placed in.
If someone has been proven trustworthy, if that person says that something will happen, then, and only then, would you be justified in stepping out in faith based on what they had to say.
Did God say it? If the answer is yes, then you can have confidence that it will happen.
Did a human being say it? Some human beings are more reliable than others, but even the most reliable human being has been known to change their minds.
If you step out in faith based simply on what you really really really hope will happen, that is hoping for the best but that is no guaranty that anything will actually happen. Consider that mob over at McDonald’s still waiting in faith for me to show up and share a milkshake with them when I never even told them that I would be there.
Our status as children of God allows us to present our requests to our Father. However, a Father sees the bigger picture. Is it a good idea to give my six-year old child the keys to my BMW?
Is it a good idea to give my three year old toddler a gun, even if they really want it?
No. However, an answer of no does not mean that a Father does not exist. It only means that a Father wants the best for his children.
Bottom line.
Present your requests to God. Accept the answer you are given.
Read the word of God, accept that in faith.
Go out in hope, but accept that what you hope for may not be the same as God’s will for your life, or for the world. As hard as that can be, in the end that is for the best.
How do I know that? God has promised that He is good. We can put our faith in that promise.