ENEMIES TO FAITH (6) FAILURE TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP!

Today we are continuing our discussions on the enemies to faith – FAILURE TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP!” Many Christians today are waiting for God to move on their behalf, while God is waiting for them to take the first step. God’s power is always released when one plays his own role. 

Do what you can do and God will step in and do what you cannot do. Moses could stretch the rod, but he could not part the Red Sea. That’s God’s part. Mary and Martha could roll away the stone, but they could not raise Lazarus from the dead. Isaac could sow in the land during a time of famine, but he could not make his crops yield fruit. That was the responsibility of Jehovah Overdo. 

For every breakthrough you desire in life, you have a role, and God also has a role to play. When you step out in faith by taking the first step, God will surely perform His own part and you’ll see the victory you desire.

Failure to take the first step by acting on what God has promised in His Word concerning your situation is a major enemy to faith.

It is always your responsibility to take the first step by doing whatever God has promised in His Word concerning your situation. Your taking the first step will open the door for God’s blessings which have already been released (Eph. 1:3; 2 Pet. 1:3) to flow in your direction. 

In 2 Kings 3:5-20 the children of Israel had a need for water. In 2 Kings 3:5-20, the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.

The Lord instructed them through His servant Prophet Elisha saying, “As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. 16 And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches.

17 For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.

18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.

19 And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.

20 And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water” (2 Ki. 3:14-20).

King Jehoshaphat and the people of Israel were stuck in the season of dry and empty. But they needed to dig the ditches first. Why must they dig the ditches first? (2 Ki. 3:16). They were instructed to dig the ditches so that they can have something to contain the water the Lord will send.

Here is the truth: you must take a step of faith before the Lord will play His own part. Therefore, stop waiting for the Lord to move first because if He moves as you expect, you have not dug your ditch which will contain the blessing He is sending to you. You MUST do your part first - dig your ditch.

Again, in Joshua 3:13-17 God said to Joshua, “The priests will be carrying the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. When their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will pile up there in one heap.” 14 When the people set out to cross the Jordan, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them. 15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) 16 That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. 17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.”

The Israelites were eager to enter the Promised Land, conquer the nations there, and live peacefully in the land. But they had the challenge of crossing the Jordan River before they can access the Promised Land. And without overcoming this problem, they would never be able to enter the Promised Land. 

God gave them specific instructions: In order to cross the Jordan River, the priests should step into the water first. What if these priests had been afraid to take that first step? They would have remained on that side of Jordan.

What are the rivers, or obstacles, in your life right now? Is it your business? Is it your finances? Is it your children? Is it your marriage? Is it your relationship with people? Is it your health? I have Good News for you, no matter what it may be, in obedience to God, take that first step into the water by stepping out to do what God has said in His Word concerning that your situation. 

You must demonstrate that you trust Him (Prov. 3:5-6) by taking the first step. For instance, if you are asking God for an increase in your finances, the first step God expects you to take is Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 and Malachi 3:10. 

Look at the promise that follows: “And God is able to make ALL grace abound toward you, so that you having ALL sufficiency in ALL things will abound to every good work…” (2 Cor. 9:8).

You are asking the Lord to heal you of your sickness. The first step He expects you to take is to act on James 5:14-16.

Examples of people that got their miracles by taking the first step (the step of faith) abound in the Scriptures:

1. Moses: In Exodus 8:16 the LORD said unto Moses, “Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.” 

In Exodus 9:22 the LORD said unto Moses, “Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 

In the above instances, if Aaron and Moses did not take the first step, there would have been no result.

2. The man with the withered hand. When Jesus told the man with a withered hand to stretch forth his hand, the man had to take the first step before the healing of his hand manifested – with his whole mind he stretched forth his hand (Mk. 3:5). 

Mark 3:5 says, “And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.”

3. Elijah: In 1 Kings 17:2-7 the Word of the LORD came unto Prophet Elijah, saying, “Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 5 So he went and did according unto the Word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. 7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.”

Prophet Elijah had to obey the Lord’s instruction before the ravens brought him food. If he did not obey, the ravens may have brought the food but he was not there to receive it.

Also when God told Prophet Elijah to go to Zarephath, the first step he took was to go as God commanded him. 

1 Kings 17:9-10 God said to Prophet Elijah, “Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath…..”

4. A certain sister in Christ: In another instance, a certain sister was in one of the programs in a certain church where the man of God promoted an offering. God told this sister to give her entire month’s earnings. Though she struggled with it, but she eventually obeyed. 

She took the first step by going to the bank to cash the said amount. But on getting to the bank, she discovered that the money in her account was double the amount that was usually put there as her salary. After a series of cross checking with the bank, the source of the extra money could not be explained, because the bank was not losing any money. For sure, God sent His angels to put it there because the Scriptures say, “He giveth seed to the sower…” (2 Cor. 9:10). He is El-Shaddai – the God of more than enough.

5. Wedding ceremony at Canaan: In the wedding ceremony at Canaan, had to take the first step by obeying the instructions of Jesus before the wine they needed showed up (Jn. 2). Notice that it was as they obeyed the second instruction by taking the water to the chairman of the occasion that the water became wine (Jn. 2).

6. Naaman: Another example is the case of Namaan in 2 Kings 5. Elisha told Namaan to go and jump into the River Jordan seven times and he’ll be made whole. He took the first step by acting on the Words that the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophet of God, Elisha, and he became instantly healed. 

In 2 Chronicles 20:20 the Bible says, “Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” 

7. Peter: Peter took the first step by obeying the instruction of Jesus. In Luke 5:1-7 Jesus asked Peter to let down his nets for a catch. In spite of all contrary evidence, Peter let down the net. Peter said, “But at thy Word, I will let down the net.” But at Your Word, “I will take the first step. I will obey your voice.”

8. A certain woman Evangelist: A certain woman Evangelist was ministering to four people in wheel chairs. In a very quiet voice, she said to them, “Rise and walk in the Name of Jesus.” Three of these people got up and walked. They simply took the first step. The fourth said, “I can’t walk.” In other words, “I can’t take the first step.” 

The others couldn’t walk either the Evangelist said, “But they did.” I know they did, the crippled replied, “But I can’t. You see I have not walked since 3 years.” At that point, the Evangelist walked away and left her sitting there in her wheelchair. 

What happened, someone may ask? The other three acted their faith by taking the first step and reaped the results. They obeyed the instruction the Holy Spirit gave through the Evangelist. Obeying the instruction of God will yield the result you expect. 

Beloved, are you prepared to take the first step by acting on God’s instruction concerning that your aching situation right now so that your reproach in your life will be permanently rolled away? Until you take the first step of acting on God’s Word, it will never become a reality and there will be no change in your situation. It is not praying or crying, but it is acting on what God has said that brings results. Rise and receive your miracle today by acting on God’s Word!

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!

• Your friend, I. I. Madubunyi (Head Pastor) March 15, 2020 @ HQs.