Faith Builder

This morning's devotion focused on the story of Abraham taking steps that ultimate would have led to the sacrifice of Isaac. And although Abraham may have struggled with following these steps, he did them anyways since he believed and had faith in God. In the end, God came at the last minute and provided a substitute sacrifice. What a faith builder this must have been for Abraham.

What kind of faith building experiences do you have in your own life? Are they ones where God showed up and performed an instant miracle? Or do experiences that require you to follow sequential steps and give you time to ponder the things of God build your faith more?

I've been on a journey for the past few months that has required me to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, step by step. As I put one foot out to walk in the direction that God has been leading, I don't know what the next step will be. It doesn't matter, though, because I trust God and I don't need God's whole road map in front of me to reach His final destination. This is a huge step of faith for me because I'm a person who likes to plan every step of the journey and know exactly what is going to happen along the way. I've had to relinquish my control and trust in God on this current journey. Now that I think of it, this is what Abraham did. He didn't rely on his own understanding, but he trusted the Lord and the Lord led him (Proverbs 3:4-6). What amazes me is that God shows me the next step as I walk the previous step out, and not before. I guess this is where walking by faith and not by sight comes in.

I must admit that my faith has increased more during this current journey than times of where I've received instant miracles from the Lord. I find this interesting in the instant society in which I live. This is not the way of the Lord; He wants me to trust Him and walk by faith as He continues to unfold His plan , step by step, for my life. I've learned and am comfortable now with doing this. I'll keep walking it out, trusting the Lord to keep showing me the way as I put one foot in front of the other.