Stepping Out in Faith
“So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.”
2 Thessalonians 1:11 (NLT)
Have you ever felt prompted by faith to do something you knew it would take God to do through you? Paul’s prayer for the church in Thessalonica was a powerful encouragement for them to live a life worthy of their calling as followers of Christ. As Christians our calling from God is to become like Christ. Becoming a Christian is a decision followed by a process of learning to be the Christian we have become. That process will continue until the day we see Jesus face to face. The power to become like Christ comes from God Himself. He gives us the power to do what we could not do apart from Him.
What jumps off the page to me about this verse is found in the last part when Paul prays, “May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.” Have you ever been prompted by your faith to do something you knew you couldn’t do on your own? When God prompts us to do what we can’t possibly do without Him, He is inviting us to join Him in what He wants to do! Nothing can be more exciting! This is the adventure of faith! It reminds me of when Peter stepped out of the boat and began to walk on water! He was prompted by his faith and empowered by God to do what was humanly impossible to do in his own strength! Later, Peter would be prompted to pray for the sick and even raise a girl from the dead!
Your faith may not prompt you to do such sensational miracles as these but if you are a Christ follower, God will prompt your faith to stretch you out of your comfort zone. The comfort zone for a believer is the death zone. If all that you ever do can be explained by your own ability, resources, and talent, then where is God? Pray that God will prompt your faith to do something that has no other explanation, but God and He alone will get the glory.