Stepping Forward

I read this quote by Nora Roberts, and it got me thinking of similar expressions…

‘Step up to the plate’ – Chicago Tribune

‘Step up or step aside’ – Christopher Titus

‘It is not enough to stare up the steps – we must step up the stairs’ – Vance Havner

‘if you keep silent at this time, relief & deliverance will rise elsewhere…who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’ – Esther 4:14

How brave are we to take that first step forward in a situation that may be confronting us at the time?

Walking in the dark without a light, climbing down a ladder and you can’t see below, treading water in the deep and can’t find your footing?

I recently travelled overseas with my hubby to celebrate a milestone in our marriage and while away, we decided to lash out and be ‘adventurous’ (well it was for me – big time!)

We went zip lining over a cavernous gorge that was a tad freaky for me, but my hubby was totally enjoying himself!

Once all strapped up with the correct protective gear, waiting in line to be hooked onto the line and take the plunge of stepping off the cliff edge was rather terrifying for me but with others waiting behind me and this being the only way to return to where we started, I didn’t really have a choice at that point!

The quote above says ‘if you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place’.  I can now say that I have done ‘ziplining’ to others… would I do it again?  Probably not!

I am all for people conquering their fears and moving on their journey to continue improving themselves.  There are many things that I struggle with, in my life but have pushed myself to do them as I don’t want to be held back in anything as I know that I have someone walking beside me in all I do.

Don’t panic. I’m with you.    There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you.    I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. - Isaiah 41:10 MSG

I always want to be saying ‘Yes’ (unless I don’t feel safe – another story for another day) as I know that my heavenly father has me here for a plan and a purpose and I don’t wish to miss out on anything he has for me up ahead.

In August 2007, I was reading a book called “Completely His” by Shannon

Ethridge. Her dedication to praying over her and her husband’s passports to be

available and used for the Father’s business was inspiring. At that time, my

husband and I had passports sitting in a top draw (for seven years) for a family

trip to the UK that had never happened. I thought what a waste of money to

spend having them and do nothing with them so from that day on I took out

both mine and my husbands to start to lay hands on them every day for them

both to be used for God’s purposes for whatever life they had left in them. I did

not want them to be a waste but used for His glory.

In December of 2007, I was on the door one Sunday morning, shaking people’s

hands when, a lady that was praying for my husband and I came to me very

excitedly to say that she had a vision that morning of me standing up in front of

women, preaching! Of course, I just said “good morning, thanks for that, enjoy

the service” I was a little sceptical and thought that is one I am going to put on

the shelf for the time being.

Early in the New Year, some months on, I was experiencing some difficult

circumstances and had the desperate sensation of just wanting to run away – any

way possible. I happened to be speaking with our mission director. I jokingly said

to him, “do you have anywhere I can run away too?” He came back to me and said

there is a woman at church who would like to take a team to Sri Lanka to

minister to groups of women and would I be interested. Straight away, I said, “no,

thank you, I was not asking for that type of running away to.” Over the next few

months, several situations arose (and it would take another whole book to

recount – but I shall share just one below) but God was orchestrating for me to

make a choice – would I go and do what I had been praying for over my passport

or not?

It was a hard choice to make as the enemy tried so viciously to interfere, but as I

chose to be obedient and went, God was always a step ahead, and walking in that

revelation is a whole new level again. Awesome actually!

Quote from ‘Door of Hope’ by Kim Stanfield

Earlier, I quoted a scripture from Esther 4:14 and through her strength of courage, to step up to the King and go against his decree, the Jewish people were saved!  Do take the time to read the whole story as she is amazing!

I am so encouraged by many in the bible that stood against adversity to see their heavenly father turn things around for their good.  I too have experienced many occasions through my life when my heavenly father has met me in a moment of panic and stepped in to bring about the miraculous!

In all of this significant life change, not only for my parents but for myself and my

siblings. We know that God is always and continually watching over us in all we

do. At the beginning of 2019, when we put their home on the market, we were

told that homes were sitting around for months on end, and for my parents to live

in the nursing home financially, they needed their house SOLD!

On one occasion, when I was driving over to visit with my parents and pouring

out my heart to the Lord in prayer on the issues facing us as a family (me more so

as I was the person who signed all the paperwork). Sitting at a set of lights, I

distinctly heard the Lord say to me, ‘today, take your parent’s hands and pray

together for the house to sell.’ I said, right, I can do that. After my visit, before

leaving them, I shared what God had said to me on my drive over, took their

hands, and the three of us prayed together for God to sell their home! Within 2

hours of those prayers, I received a call from the Agent to say we had an offer for

the asking price! Their house had been on the market for only six weeks and the

most viewed house with this Agent! How good is our God!

Quote from ‘Door of Hope’ by Kim Stanfield

I need to ask the question then… what is God asking me to step up for now?

What is ahead that I need to be courageous about and am I up for the challenge?

The two things that I experienced when doing the zipline…

1.      The whining noise it made while hanging there underneath it! (terrifying)

2.      The momentum of moving forward did not stop me from spinning around and I had no way of stopping it, it was out of my control! (rather unnerving)

The control thing is hard in life, we see others around us doing things, messing up and we want to step in and fix it but in the end its probably best for them to sort it out themselves.  Stepping back, praying and leaving it for God to deal with is even harder as we can’t physically see him doing anything in the moment, but I do know that He is always there behind the scenes working on what is needed.

And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. - Romans 8:28 AMP

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. - Philippians 4:6 MSG

So how can I be brave enough to face what is ahead of me and take that next step?  Even if it’s a doozy!  God calls me to be ‘strong & courageous’ Deut 31:6 and ‘let your heart take courage’ Ps 31:24. So I will continue in that vein and give each day to Him to ‘direct my path’ Prov 3:5-6.

PRAYER by Stormie Omartian –

LORD, shine the light of Your Word on the path of my life today. Make it a lamp for my feet so that I do not stumble. Bring it alive in my spirit so that it illuminates my mind and soul. Let it be a guide for every decision I make, every step I take. Keep me from turning to the right or the left so that I will stay on the narrow path that leads to life. Help me daily to carve out time to be alone with You and to feed on Your Truth. “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” (Psalm 119:97). Open my eyes to see new treasure every time I read or hear it. Speak to me and comfort my heart. Make your Word come alive in me and use it to nourish my soul and spirit like food does for my body. Align my heart with Yours and give me revelation and guidance so that I may know Your will for my life. Shine the lamp of Your truth where I am right now and show me the next step to take.

AMEN