14-1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.2 Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men, 3 among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left.4 On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh. 5 One cliff stood to the north toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba.6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”7 “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”8 Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them into our hands.”11 So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. “Look!” said the Philistines. “The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in.” 12 The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.”So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.”

13 Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. 14 In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.

 

The Faith of Moving Forward!

 

It doesn’t take a lot of time or energy to wish and want things, we can do that without even trying.  We all can sit around daydreaming and thinking about all of the wonderful and amazing things that are possible.  The only problem is after all of that thinking and believing, wanting and desiring, we have not made a move, and that is not faith.

 

One of my very favorite stories in the Bible comes from Jonathan and his armorbearer, two men with very different backgrounds.  Who end up at a very interesting place.  They are in the midst of a battle and they have two choices, sit and wait or do something crazy.  Guess which one they chose?  If we do what is expected, what is normal, and what is comfortable, we are not exercising faith.  Faith is what you use when you jump into something without knowing what will happen, it is what happens when you take a risk, that could possibly take you were you want to go, or give you an incredible education along the way.

 

The best experiences come from being willing to trust God and take a risk, knowing that the God you serve is able to make inconceivable things happen in your favor.  If you are willing to go, you may be surprised, similar to the way Peter was when he walked on the water with Jesus.  Even though, he got scared and panicked when he realized what was going on, the memory of knowing even for a second, he did the inconceivable, is priceless.  Inside of you is the inconceivable, and the unimaginable, because God promises each and every one of us, that we will do greater things.  The only thing we have to remember daily is it is impossible to swim on the shore.

 

Today I encourage you to dream loud, live your life with purpose and destiny.  Know God is a healer, a deliverer, and already has an amazing plan all set out for you to take hold of it, if you are willing to step out on faith and go.  Safety is not always your friend, but faith in God is.  This year, choose to live your life fully, push yourself toward the arms of God, knowing that no matter where you go He always has you in His hands.  The rich life you desire, and the pictures and visions you see in your head, are not sitting on the shore, but they can only be found in the deep with the God who is able to keep you from falling!