How do we eat an elephant?
We know that it is one bite at a time.
Meaning that anything that we wish to accomplish must be done in small increments of time and effort.
The same is true for developing radical faith.
When David killed his Goliath, of course that is not where he started.
He noted (speaking to the King Saul even as he is about to take down this giant) that God had given him the victory in slewing a lion; He had given him the victory in slewing the bear; and David felt confident that God would assist him in taking down this giant (even though he was only a teenager and all of the King’s army was hiding).
David Passes The Test. Your Turn.
Goliath taunted God’s people for forty days.
On the fortieth day, David went to battle with “this uncircumcised Phillistine”.
The number forty in the Bible means a time of testing.
What tests are you needing to pass in this season of your life?
It will take radical faith, but set your faith on what you know to be true.
The same God who brought you through that last crisis is the same God who can and will empower you to defeat this giant in your life.
Here’s what David knew and understood about His God:
He knew that he and the Israelites were God’s chosen people.
He knew Who His God was had given him the victory in previous battles.
He knew that he could trust God to deliver his enemy into his hand because he served and worshipped the One and True living Almighty God.
So, what about you? Is God calling you out to use radical faith in this season of your life to do what He Has created you to do?
Are you ready to demonstrate radical faith to pursue God’s call on your life?
Like the Israelite army, you may be afraid. You may feel like you don’t have what it takes to succeed. You may be down right intimidated at the thought of carrying out God’s Will for your life.
How do you conquer the fear and do it anyway?
You do it by rehearsing your past victories realizing that all of those past victories have led you to this moment.
The same God Who brought you through the storm and the rain wants you to trust Him to take you into your divine calling for His glory and the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God.
Will you do it?
Take one small step of faith and God will meet you.
You may ask “Where do I start?”. “What do I do?”
Those are good questions because if you try and think about everything at once, you will definitely feel overwhelmed.
So you start eating the elephant one bite at a time.
You began by setting a goal (perhaps a spiritual one) that will inspire you to prepare to take that launch into your glorious future.
Start S.M.A.R.T.
A popular way to set goals that will inspire you to take the next step is SMART goals. SMART is an acronym that is useful in laying out a process that will help you to turn your God-given dreams into a reality.
Once you have established what your first goal will be, use the acronym to help guide you through the process:
SPECIFIC – Set specific goals that will help you to accomplish your mission. This is as opposed to being vague and not focusing on exactly what you feel the Lord leading you to do. For example, if you have knowledge about a certain subject that you know that other people would benefit from, you could publish an ebook. Set a specific goal, determine the resources you need to achieve it and believe that God will supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
MEASURABLE – Measuring your progress towards achieving your goal (keep a journal, to-do list, calendar) will help to keep you on track to the finish line. Remember, breaking a project down into smaller “bites” will help you to remained focused as you declare, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
ATTAINABLE – To set yourself up for success, make sure that your goal is achievable. Remember David? He knew that he had what it took to defeat his giant because of the past victories God had given to him. If you have achieved goals that the Lord has given you in the past, you are ready for His next assignment in your life. Don’t fret about it. God’s got you! (Joshua 1:8)
RELEVANT – That’s what you need to know! What God has given you to do is relevant and is needed in the Kingdom of God and for His glory. So we and He needs you to get about your Father’s business. (Luke 2:49)
TIME-BOUND – When you sense God nudging you to start or complete the mission that He has assigned you to, now is the time to do it! It may not be time to complete the assignment/project, but perhaps you are suppose to move forward to take that next “bite”. (Joshua 1:9)
When I launched my first book, I did not even own a computer. Every time I got an opportunity, I would make my trek to the library to finish my manuscript. I cherished every step because I knew that the Lord was with me, and that each step was leading to greater things to come.
But, it all starts with that first step of faith. Trust God that in spite of the fear, the naysayers, and the seemingly insurmountable giant, He will meet you and know that He has already equipped you for the journey, because He has a vested interest in seeing His agenda come to pass.
Let’s Pray:
Father in the name of Jesus help me to do Your Will. When I get distracted, I ask you to please strengthen me and get me back on track. Thank You. Amen.
Grace and Peace,
Silvana