When We Step Out God Steps InSample

Raise your expectation level

The first thing the lepers want to do is to gather as much as they can and to that ensure no one else cashes in on their discovery. So they dig a hole or find a cave and hide it. But after a while, common sense prevails, and they go shuffling off back to the city to share the good news. Of course, nobody believes them. (Well, would you believe them?) But the king sends spies to check the report, and they find the story true!

And so, the next morning in the city, seven litres of flour and fifteen litres of barley sold for a dollar, and the whole city had enough food to eat. The provision of God is more than enough for everybody. And the poor soldier who didn’t believe gets caught in a great rush of people like a bargain sale crowd in a shopping mall, and he is trampled underfoot!

Of course, difficulties still arise, and some problems do not easily go away. At the end of the day, the lepers were still lepers. But they now had fine garments, and their other daily needs were supplied. The windows of heaven had been opened, and there was more than enough for all.

This is a wonderful story of four men who had hardly any faith and didn’t have much else but were willing to have a go. The fact that God stepped into their crisis indicates that there was some hope in God in their hearts when they stepped out. The truth is that when we step out in faith, God steps in with power.

Further, God not only blessed them; through their actions, he showed his favour on the whole city. His intention is always that we look beyond ourselves to the benefit of others. Good news is to be shared. We are blessed to be a blessing.

God’s provision is more than we can imagine! For our sadness, there is abundant joy; for our weakness, God’s limitless strength; for our fear, the uplifting power of faith; for our hesitation, indomitable boldness; for our sickness, divine health—and above all, for our sin, God’s wonderful salvation!

In this Bible Plan, no matter what your situation right now, I hope you have been challenged to raise your expectation level and to be willing to step out more often in faith to claim the blessing of God in Christ (it is all through him) and to share it wherever you can. Sometimes we miss out simply because we don’t step out.

Whenever I visit my old church, which I do from time to time, almost without exception, someone will tell me about something exciting that has happened and then say, ‘When we step out in faith, God steps in with power.’ It has become part of their spiritual DNA.

And I hope that this will be true of you, too, and that every day of your life, you will remind yourself that, When we step out in faith, God steps in with power.

What next?

(a)Go back over the verses you have remembered over the last few days.

(b)What could you do right now that would bring benefit not only to you but also to others? See what happens when you pray about it.

Note: If you would like to go deeper into this topic, see my e-Book When We Step Out God Steps In (Amazon).