Fear often drives us to live predictably and take the “safe” path. We default to living a safe life instead of placing complete faith in God. But either way, life is much like a walk on a tightrope. The danger of falling is on all sides. Life is frail. We never know when tragedy will strike us down from our precarious perch. So we do our best to build safety nets. We buy insurance, save money, build empires, exercise healthy habits, etc. There is nothing wrong with these things in and of themselves. Unless…our “safety” net keeps us from walking the path God has for us.
In fact, there is nothing more dangerous than the wrong kind of safety net if it gives us a false sense of security and keeps us from fulfilling our Divine destiny,
We were not created to live like a hamster on a wheel!
Let me give you an example from my own life. Several years back, God showed me I needed to give up a certain area of my law practice—divorce and paternity cases. You’d think this would have been an easy decision right? Well, yes except…it represented 75% of my income. I’m not gonna lie, it was scary to walk away. I wrestled with Him for two years over it! And when I finally did it, my financial safety net was gone. But as time passed, I found God had replaced that man-made safety net with something far stronger: an irrevocable knowledge that HE was my greatest security. This knowledge has made me far less fearful than my financial safety net and has given me greater peace than I’d ever imagined!
Trusting in God has allowed me to depart from the single wire I was trapped on above my safety net and…follow HIM to greater heights than I’d imagined possible!
The fact is, following your “safe” plan, is NOT safe or sound because tragedy can strike that is too great for your net to handle; and you will miss blessings and regret it for the rest of eternity! The safest plan is to be on the “God Plan.”
Let’s look at an example from the Old Testament, right before Israel entered the promised land. Their great leader, Moses, who, by God’s power, had defeated the mighty Egyptian army—was dead. Joshua was their newly commissioned leader. Giants occupied the promised land. The odds appeared to be stacked against them. But—God promised Joshua:
“Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
(Joshua 1:3, 5-8)
Joshua took God’s promise to give him the land of his enemies all the way to the bank. He knew GOD would give him success IF he followed GOD’S way.
Joshua developed a mindset that he was invincible because…he was following an unconquerable God! He knew…
God’s path is always the safest path.
Joshua faced Jericho, which from the outside looked invincible. God told him—not to attack it—but to have his army march around it armed with horns and trumpets. These battle instructions probably didn’t look “safe,” but Joshua knew OBEDIENCE was more important than the path which made sense to him. When the trumpets blew and those huge walls fell down flat—it was clear that GOD gave him this impossible victory. (Joshua 6)
The safest place for us to live is in absolute heart-obedience to God.
Obedience keeps us safe because it keeps us with God. But safety never looks like WE think it should. Obedience is proof of our love and allegiance to God. His rules protect our heart and our mind. His greatest law is love. When we find ourselves lacking courage to do what seems impossible it’s likely because we’ve fallen OUT of love with God. This is not a safe way to live. We will never be as courageous WITHOUT God, as we are WITH Him.
God’s Spirit will not lead us where His strength cannot keep us.
To learn more about Kimberly Faith and the mission of Faith Strong, click HERE.
Out Now – Essential Faith, Volume II. Find it on Amazon by clicking HERE.
