Dear friends and family,
What do you do when your heart still believes, but something inside you is afraid to trust again?
Maybe you’ve prayed about something for months, even years. You’ve held on to God’s promises, whispered prayers nobody else heard, and tried to remain strong while quietly wondering why nothing seems to be changing.
You haven’t stopped believing in God. But somewhere along the way, disappointment, fear, or unanswered questions have made it harder to take another step.
And perhaps the hardest part is that nobody knows you’re struggling.
I want to speak to that place in your heart today.
Just because your faith has been shaken doesn’t mean your faith is
gone.
Sometimes the greatest battle isn’t deciding whether God is faithful. It’s finding the courage to trust His faithfulness when life has given us reasons to hesitate.
I’ve discovered that believing God and acting on what we believe are not always the same thing.
We can believe He heals while carrying pain. Believe He provides while worrying about tomorrow. Believe He directs our steps while being afraid of where the next one might lead.
And somewhere between what we believe and what we actually do, our faith is tested.
James 2:17 reminds us, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
I don’t believe James is asking us to manufacture more religious activity. He’s reminding us that genuine faith was meant to become visible in our everyday lives.
But here’s what touches my heart.
Before God changes the direction of our steps, He often begins by changing the condition of our hearts.
That’s what Jesus was revealing in the Beatitudes. He spoke of mercy, purity, humility, and a hunger for righteousness. He was reaching beyond outward behavior into the places where our decisions are born.
Because what happens in our hearts eventually finds its way into our lives.
Sometimes faith looks like forgiving someone who has deeply hurt
you.
Sometimes it’s opening your heart again after disappointment.
Sometimes it’s getting out of bed and whispering, “Lord, I still trust
You,” when yesterday took everything you had.
And sometimes faith is simply refusing to give up on what God has placed in your heart.
Never underestimate the spiritual significance of one small step of obedience.
I’ve lived long enough to know that some of God’s greatest works begin with ordinary people making extraordinary decisions to trust Him.
Not because they had all the answers.
Not because their circumstances were perfect.
But because they believed God was greater than what stood before
them.
Perhaps that’s where you are today.
You’re not looking for another sermon about having more faith. You simply need the courage to use the faith you already have.
Can I encourage you, my friend?
You don’t have to feel strong to take a step of faith. You just have to know the One who is holding you.
Don’t let yesterday’s disappointments make tomorrow’s decisions.
Don’t allow fear to become the voice that determines your future.
And don’t confuse a season of waiting with a lifetime of standing still.
Maybe your next step is to forgive. Maybe it’s to begin again. Maybe it’s to obey something God has been speaking to your heart.
Whatever it is, trust Him enough to take that step.
Because living faith doesn’t mean we never hesitate. It means we refuse to let hesitation have the final word.
And here’s what I want you to carry in your heart today:
The step you are afraid to take may be the very step through which God begins to change your life.
You were created to believe.
And your faith was made to move!
Blessings,
Mike