It’s hard and difficult to admit, but even in your pursuit and persistence, you still may not succeed initially or on the next try. And you know what? That’s ok.
by Tanya J. Miller in Leading Hearts Magazine
So, when Amber, LH editor asked if there were ladies from the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association interested in being interviewed on her FB Live Show, I literally thought
• One: It’s time to shoot your shot.
• Two: Nothing beats a failure, but trying.
• Three: Step out on faith and put yourself out there again.
Well, needless to say, Amber and God had other plans for me. She messaged me and said yes, are you free? And then asked: hey you wouldn’t want to write an article about pursuing God’s call with impossible faith? With an impossible deadline of Oct 5th? Or better yet, how about Walking the Path of Impossibilities?
In my mind I was like: you did reach out, Tanya, and you did ask God to open doors. I mean you said that, Tanya, so here’s a double blessing. Say “yes.” So I did, and now you’re about to read my take on doing just that: Pursuing God’s call with Impossible Faith while Walking the Path of Impossibilities.
1. Stay open, honest and flexible on the God walk (2 Cor. 5:8)
Did I mention stay open? Yes, that is the first thing you have to do when walking out your faith walk. Seriously, God’s plans are often not our plans and usually not on our timetables.
When walking by faith, sight is definitely not an option to lean or depend on. It’s called blind faith for a reason; walk by faith, not by sight. In the faith walk, you must be willing to hear God and know that’s He’s the one leading and guiding you. Listen close, and remain open to all that is for you.
On the God walk, remain truthful and honest: to yourself, your purpose, your assignment, your call. It’s very easy to fall for fake truths because they sound better or seem easier. But, that’s not God’s plan for your life; usually, that’s not your walk. You must be willing to have those serious truth talks with yourself — and with others, if need be — so you will know the next move on purpose.
2. Persist, even if you can’t succeed (Phil. 3:14)
In Og Mandino’s infamous The Greatest Salesman in the World book, he wrote of the following:
“I will persist until I succeed. The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal. Failure instill may encounter, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road.“
When you first read point two, you thought I got it wrong, but I meant it just like you read it. It’s hard and difficult to admit, but even in your pursuit and persistence, you still may not succeed initially or on the next try. And you know what? That’s ok. It’s life; it’s the journey; it’s the faith walk.
What is important, though, is what you do in that journey of persistence and pursuit. How do you handle it? Do you have grace under pressure? Can you stand the rain? What you must do despite all of that is to still find your way. Find the light that leads toward your purpose and destiny. Press on. The prize isn’t just in the win, but in pursuing your purpose in God’s calling.
3. Embrace the impossible impossibilities (Heb. 11:6)
Have you heard the saying: expect the unexpected? While on a God walk, you will often experience the unexpected. In that same God walk, God talks and your faith walk is born. I dare you to lean in to the curves, the bumps and the stops along your journey. I dare you to embrace the impossible impossibilities that come from walking with God, talking with God, and faithfully heeding His call.
My dad would often say, “We never know the time nor the hour.” Most would assume that would only apply to death, but honestly, it’s most real in life. We never know what God is fully up to; we really don’t know His thoughts, can’t even begin to imagine. I suppose that’s what the author of the text above meant when he wrote: and it is impossible to please God without it, faith that is. Apart from faith, how and in who will you believe?
So, if I can leave you with three things, remember these three:
• STAY
• PERSIST
• EMBRACE
We don’t always get it right, but when we walk by faith and not by sight, we can stay, persist and embrace what we experience on our God walk because we’ve learned what it takes to lead a faith walk of impossible impossibilities.