Healthy You
Guest post by Alyssa of Life from My Laptop
A faith leap is stepping out of your own comfort zone into the hands of God. Is it time to take a faith leap in your life?
There have been several times in my life that I knew without a doubt it was time to take a faith leap. Did this make the step any less scary?
No way.
Sometimes no matter how strong your faith, there is still some amount of fear. Just imagine what would happen if we all stayed in our comfort zones all the time. We wouldn’t get to experience so much of life that way, now would we?
The first true faith leap that I can recall taking in life was when I transferred colleges in the middle of my freshman year. I had dreamed of going to the private Christian college I was attending, but I hadn’t expected to get engaged a couple of months before leaving for college to my soon-to-be husband. Our whirlwind romance had changed so much about my desires for the future.
I can fondly remember my father saying to me on one of our nightly talks, “Alyssa, you don’t have to stay there.”
Did you know that sometimes our Heavenly Father is whispering the same thing to us: “Dear, you don’t have to stay there.” He is often ushering us out of our comfort zone into his hands, but we are afraid to take the first step.
I have taken other faith leaps since those days and there is one common theme in every leap: God is always there. It’s like His Word says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
So, when I took a leap of faith to quit my job and stay home with our two children at the time, God was there. God provided and guided me along the way. When I took a leap of faith to get my first full time job teaching school God was there and even when I didn’t feel comfortable and in control in my classroom all the time, He did and He showed up each day.
You may be wondering, “How do I know when it’s time to take a faith leap?” I’m glad you asked. There are a few indications. These include:
A call
God is clear in His Word. He calls us and He equips us. However, sometimes He isn’t clear on exactly where He is taking us or how quickly He will get us there. Our calling is not like a flight to another location, where we know the detailed itinerary. It is a clarion call, a summons to go forth.
Most likely, God will not give us all the details up front. He doesn’t usually work that way. Instead, He gives us the information bit by bit, as we rely on Him in faith. That’s why it’s called faith. We can be sure that God calls each one of us to something. He puts a passion inside us, deposits dreams, equips us with the necessary abilities.
An inner sense
When you are feeling led to take a leap of faith there will often be an inner sense that will continue to come to you again and again. I have often described it as a feeling that I could not shake. God would bring it to my mind time after time.
Circumstances
God confirms or denies what we may believe to be true often through the circumstances in our lives. He can use those things to help alert us and to spur us to action.
Do you need to take action today? Do you need to take a faith leap?
Alyssa Avant is an author, Christian mom blogger and virtual assistant. Alyssa is the mother of three children and blogs about WAHM tips, frugal recipes, parenting and cash budgeting over on her blog, Life From my Laptop.com. She is the author of FaithLeaps: The Christian Mom’s Guide to Passion, Purpose, and Profits.
Melinda
WOW! This came through at a wonderful time! I had a impression to travel, both for the experience as well as for serving the Lord. Now, what I mean is selling just about everything, finding a bus or RV to live full time on the road with 2 kids, 2 dogs and my amazingly supportive husband!
We don’t have anything saved, so I am trusting Got he will provide!
We will Roadschool the kids ages 14 and now 3 yrs old. Plans for income on the road will or may include, setting up a space to offer Reflexology, Young Living Essential Oil treatments (Raindrop Therapy/Feelings therapy), Empowerment Speaking/Vision Board/Crafting/selling antiques and also sharing my story as a Survivor of abuse from my first marriage. I’m hoping by then to have the book I have wrote published officially so I can tour for that.
We also hope to pass out Bibles/tracts and whatever else the Lord sets in our path.
I’m nervous with the thought of no steady income, no savings and I ponder how. We don’t even have a bus or RV!? We are leaving it to the Lord. Surrendering and doing what we need to do.
Neither of us have ever done this before! We have went on a weekend or few weeks trip in a car. We don’t know anyone that RV’s or is a full timer traveling.
I can’t quote scripture nor now the Bible from cover to cover but there is a “nagging” that has been keeping me up at night and making my mind busy with planning.
Thank you for this post as I asked the Lord today for a sign that this isn’t just something my mind has conjured up! God bless!
Julie
Sounds awesome!
Sue
I think I’m a wee bit older than your usual readership, but not unlike these young women. I raised four children to know The Lord, faithfully homeschooled them until my abusive marriage of 21 years ended and I needed to go to work to put a roof over our heads, and am now a soon-to-be grandmother and happily married wife to a faithful man for the past six years.
I want to ask you this: Is not faith a leap we should take every single morning with our first breath, and with every following breath throughout the day? If we are, indeed, faithful, will we not put our trust in The Lord to guide all our thoughts and actions?
And if it is a leap which we should the take every day, should it not become our discipline? To recognize that our time, our minds, our bodies, our resources and very breath belong to The Lord? That everything we do is to honor Him and to live for Him and not for ourselves? To give up our own selfish needs to honor the One who gives us eternal life?
Are you faithful enough to embrace your life Right Where it Is and toil onward in the work He has set before you? “Taking a Leap of Faith” sounds daring when it’s a life change…but is it not daring to live here, now, and in His grace?
My divorce started a roller-coaster of hardship into which I won’t delve…except to say that God was with me (and my family) throughout everything and did not once leave us. Do we not owe Him the same. Our Father who loves us? Three years ago, my husband and I had to move for his job…to an area we don’t like…but made it our job to become invested in a local Bible-believing church. We have been blessed. Faith is a daily discipline where one can find joy…and blessing. If Faith like that is only an occasional leap, I say, Leap Every Day!
Kimber
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post. A few months ago, I took a leap of faith and began writing. As I’m sure you understand, there is a lot of time spent pouring out my heart, trying to encourage others to serve and to spread a little bit of sunshine … and as a beginning writer, there’s not a ton of feedback. It gets discouraging. But as I read these words this morning, I kept thinking, “Yes, yes, yes!” My Heavenly Father has given me the desire to reach out and make this world a better place. There’s no roadmap – I don’t know what the end goal is for me. But right now, writing is the best thing I can think of to do to share that passion. Thank you for giving me the encouragement I needed today to keep going!
Kim
This post came at a key time. My husband and I have been feeling drawn to leave our home state for a couple of years. We’ve done things to help us be prepared in case a clear call came to move. We sold our house & have been renting, paid off debt & made sure work licenses were in place in the new state. Then, mid-summer we were pretty sure we were going but life got in the way so we canceled the move. Just 2 weeks ago my husband lost his job. With nothing left to hold us here, we decided to just go. We both ‘know’ this is the right move but it’s still scary. Reading your post, over the last 2 years we have been given all 3 of these signs. I guess it’s time to pay attention. I needed this tonight. Thank you.