Act and receive

I want to talk about taking our faith, hopes, desires and dreams to the next level. Many of us fall short of reaching the things that we say and believe we want. Many times we fail ourselves or circumstances don't provide the opportunity. I believe that there is a vital step that needs to happen in order for us to really see our desires take life. That step is action.

The kind of action I'm talking about isn't the same old actions that you've always taken. Not the actions that you feel comfortable with like leaning on your own thinking and ability to make something happen. The logical path. No, the action I'm talking about usually is uncomfortable, scary & definitely uncertain. It's the kind of action that trusts in a higher power to help you. It's the "faith" kind of action. It's stepping out of the boat and attempting to walk on water (like Peter did in belief that he would walk over to Jesus). Everything in your mind would rationalize that you know you can't walk on water... you'll sink. But nonetheless you take that first step. You ACT on your belief.

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. -James 2:18 NIV

Let me share an example of this in my own life. When I worked as the manager for that weight loss center, I had a desire to one day work independently from home. I wanted to take the emphasis off "selling things to people" and put it on healing them. I was tired of the pressures I was getting from the people above me. This wonderful idea came but was immediately dismissed by me as being ridiculous. I could see no way that it could happen without a lot of opposition and difficulty. I went on with my life. Several months later a center near mine, shut down. It was a smaller center with much less clientele. It had struggled in it's revenue for a very long time and the decision wasn't a surprise. After this happened that buried desire popped back up into my mind. The thought was more detailed this time. I had a feeling that my center may close down as well. But the next thought was the dismissal thought. I couldn't see how that would happen. Our revenue was decent. Sure we were in a bit of a slump, but not to the level of shutting our doors. It didn't seem possible. I let it go. However, this time the thought kept coming back almost in a nagging fashion. I couldn't let it go even though it seemed insane. I finally believed it was divine inspiration and decided to stop fighting it. At this point I really got excited about starting my own business. I continued to be committed to my job at work and do all that was required of me to bring revenue in and help clients, but I secretly pondered my freedom. I began to visualize it and speak about it to my husband but I saw no movement in the direction of my hopes. I started to think I was believing for something that was not going to ever happen. It was discouraging. But the nagging inspiration was still there. I felt deep in my heart that my journey was going in that direction... so I kept believing anyway. I'll tell you where it all came to a head.

One day it hit me that I needed to back my faith up with some action. I definitely was exercising my faith muscle by believing in the dream but I was reminded that the Lord wants to really see if I will step out of the boat. I did 3 pivotal things to show Him I was serious about this desire that I believed He put in my heart and head. First, I started to organize my house to get it ready to receive clients. Next, I knew that I was getting close to needing a newer car. If I had no faith I would have trusted that there was plenty of time to do that in the future. But because I did have faith in what was coming, I decided to take advantage of having a pay stub to show income, which would be more difficult when self employed. This decision had two opportunities for faith. It showed the Lord that I believed I would be self employed soon and it also showed Him that I trusted Him to prosper my newly formed business in order to help me support a newer vehicle. I believe if He didn't think the car was a good idea, he would have botched up the deal in advance (I know that sounds crazy to a lot of you... but I still have the car to this day and we're able to sustain it). I stepped out of the boat and showed Him I was serious in a big way. The third thing I did was to design my business website and order my business cards. I wanted to act "as if" it were here. I knew I needed to have those tools for my business when the time did arrive. Just 2 weeks after I did that last step.... I got a call out of the blue. My boss let me know that the company wasn't just shutting my doors... but the whole Utah market. I was in a state of shock! I had mixed emotions for myself and everyone involved. Joy, Gratitude, Sadness and fear. I knew employees and clients would be thrown into a state of chaos with this news. But I also know that the Lord's timing is perfect. He wouldn't have done it for me if it wouldn't have been the right path for everyone involved. I believe He put that idea back into my head so that I could have the opportunity to trust Him before the closure of the center. He wanted to allow me to learn this lesson of faith and action. I am truly grateful!

Ask yourself what you want. Then ask God to help you. If it's not right for your life... He will probably show you something better and you will get inspired. That inspiration won't go away. Trust that. Then believe it came from Him and lean on that belief. Don't let discouragement or impatience shut you down. Then take your belief to the next level. Act on your faith. Do something that signifies your expectancy of your desired outcome. When you do this... you are stepping off the boat. You are moving and acting in faith. As you can see from my story above... it didn't happen with just one act of faith on my part... it took several before I showed perseverance to the Lord. You must be persistent with Him. Show Him you believe. When you do this... you will have the desires He put in your heart!!!