Based on “Ventures of Faith = Step out” by Pastor Mark Balmer; 3/24-25/12,
Message #MB509; Daily Devotional #3 - “Stepping out in the Work of God”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go and tell this people…" (Isaiah 6:1-9)
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): As we celebrate the faithfulness of the Lord for the 20th Anniversary of our fellowship in the Body of Christ, it is encouraging to see what God can do in and through the lives of those who are willing to trust Him. Pastor Mark encouraged us to exercise many steps of faith towards God. Taking a step of faith requires that we are prepared, and this preparation and equipping comes from the Lord. We see the preparation that Isaiah went through before he was commissioned to go and speak. First, Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord. This comes through reading the Word of God. Then, in seeing the Lord and His holy character clearly, we are made aware of our sinful nature and our need to be cleansed. Through the grace and blood of Jesus Christ, we are cleansed when we believe that His sacrifice is sufficient for us personally and atones for our sin. Once we have been refreshed in His presence and kept in right relationship through experiencing His Word, then we can understand the heart and purposes of the Lord, and we are prepared to act on them. This is a daily, often moment by moment process of believing, or having faith in, God in our lives. The process for Isaiah is the same for us. It starts with the revelation of God, which comes through the Word of God. Daily, are we spending time with the Lord in His Word, and in relationships with other Christ followers, so that we are prepared and equipped to believe Him and act in faith?
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”" (John 6:28-29) This is a very personal journey we are on as followers of Jesus Christ. The Lord is intimately involved with all the details of our lives. There is nothing that goes on in our lives without His purpose. Every circumstance, situation and relationship is orchestrated by the Lord as opportunities to trust Him and to see God's faithfulness. God gives us His Word to transform us. He gives us our lives to practice and grow in the application of His Word so that we can know His Truth, Grace and Faithfulness personally. We are invited to step out in faith to know Him more; the only thing we have to do is believe Him. Prayer: Father, thank You for Your Word. Your Word is truth. Sanctify us by Your Word. Amen.
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Romans 10:17
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Calvary Chapel of Melbourne; 2955 Minton Road; W. Melbourne, FL 32904; 321-952-9673
All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.