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{"id":2937,"date":"2015-05-11T08:39:08","date_gmt":"2015-05-11T13:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/newwineskins\/?p=2937"},"modified":"2015-05-11T08:39:08","modified_gmt":"2015-05-11T13:39:08","slug":"7-things-ive-learned-by-taking-the-next-step","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/newwineskins\/7-things-ive-learned-by-taking-the-next-step\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Things I've Learned by Taking the Next Step"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Jesus is always calling us to take the next step of faith as we follow him.\u00a0Here are 7 truths I\u2019ve learned along the way as I\u2019ve taken the next step:<\/p>\n

$\"5.11.15\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n

1. Every Step of Faith Requires Death to Self.<\/strong> Taking the next step is about surrender. Daily surrender. I have to be willing to put God\u2019s will above mine for every step of faith I take. That\u2019s a big leap of faith when he\u2019s asking me to trust his plans for my education, his plans for my career, or his plans for my family.<\/p>\n

2. The Sacrifices are Real.<\/strong> The sacrifices hurt. I miss out on stuff. Others seem to get ahead of me in life. There are a lot of things I\u2019d like to selfishly do for myself, things the rest of the world gets to enjoy. My time, my energy, my resources are no longer my own. The sacrifices made to follow Jesus are very real.<\/p>\n

3. God doesn\u2019t Want Something From Me, He Wants Something For Me.<\/strong>\u00a0This was a watershed truth for me to truly understand as I began to take the next step. When God wanted something from me, it wasn\u2019t because he wanted to deprive me out of joy or happiness. He wanted to clear away distractions that were keeping me from a deeper joy and happiness found in him. He wanted to take the saltine crackers and rice cakes away (what I thought was happiness) because he wanted to replace them with a filet mignon (happiness that comes from him).<\/p>\n

4. The Goal of Next Step Is Always To Deepen My Trust In Jesus.\u00a0<\/strong>The goal of the next step, really the entire goal of my faith, is to deepen my trust in Jesus. God uses circumstances, sacrifices and opportunities to help us depend more on him. That\u2019s why it\u2019s called a step of faith.<\/p>\n

5. I Never Arrive. Beyond Each Step of Faith a Bigger One Awaits.<\/strong> God is in the faith stretching business, and I\u2019ve never come to a place where God tells me my faith is big enough. It can always go deeper. There are moments I\u2019ve chosen to trust him that\u00a0in the moment seemed like huge leaps, but looking back they seemed like small steps compared to what God called me to next. I figure I\u2019ll finally arrive in heaven. Until then, there\u2019s always another step of faith out there.<\/p>\n

6. God is Always There.\u00a0<\/strong>God\u2019s asked me to do a lot, but here\u2019s what I\u2019ve discovered: he\u2019s always been there. Always. He\u2019s never failed me. He\u2019s never let me down. God is the very definition of faithful. Through every next step, God has been there every step of the way.<\/p>\n

7. The Grass is Greener on the Other Side.<\/strong> It really is. A life spent trusting Jesus, a life following Jesus step by step, is an incredibly fulfilling and purpose-filled life. The faith, hope and love that await those who take the next step makes all the sacrifices pale in comparison. But don\u2019t take my word for it. Discover for yourself. What\u2019s the next step of faith Jesus is calling you to take?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"