“Getting out of the boat” is one of my favorite Radical Faith topics because this is where I start to share what living by faith looks life in real life.  While I know there are no “mechanics” to living by faith (since faith is spiritual, not physical), if there were “mechanics” to it this topic is where you start to learn how to apply it.

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[00:00:00] Hi this is Caroline Springer and welcome to the next session of sellers calling you Beatty Carmichael Beatty is the CEO of Master grabber and the creator of agent dominator and one of the top marketing experts in the real estate field. Today we’re gonna be talking on one of our radical faith calls and I’m going to pass it over to Beatty for our little disclaimer on just explaining what that is.

[00:00:23] Real simply this has nothing to do with real estate today. It has everything to do with Christ. So if you don’t want to hear about Christ and this podcast that’s pretty simple isn’t it.

[00:00:34] Pretty simple.

[00:00:37] All right. Well I guess I’d call this meeting so I’ll start the agenda. Actually I think Caroline has been a little while since we did the last radical faith call. So if I recall correctly the last one we’re talking about is faith. So maybe less just a real quick recap on what is faith and not trying to put you on the spot. But if you if I were to ask you Caroline what is faith. What would you tell me.

[00:01:16] Well the first thing that come to mind is just like being sure of what we do not see and believing not just what meets the eye but what goes beyond that. So that’s kind of my first thought that first from Hebrews immediately comes to mind. But I know it’s definitely multi-dimensional and something that we walk through our lives processing with the words. But that’s the first thought.

[00:01:43] Great. So first in Hebrews we’re talking about Hebrews 11 1. Can you quote it.

[00:01:48] Do you remember it faces the assurance of what we do not see and nothing about it.

[00:02:03] It’s about it’s about what we do not see right.

[00:02:06] So Faith assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen. And faith comes from where do we get that level of faith.

[00:02:18] It’s a gift from God.

[00:02:20] It comes from Romans. Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ and that word is actually the Greek word Rama. Now there are lots of uses for Rama. But in general you’ve got two words in the Greek so the New Testament was written in Greek and then it was translated ultimately into English. And there are two primary words in Greek use that’s translated as word one word is logos logos I guess is how our logos logos and the others Ramo are EMEA. When we were talking last time we’re talking about logos means primarily just talking about a concept or an idea. Rima is very specific Okay real simple explanation. I want to tell you about the Kingdom of God that’s going to be logos but I’m going to say Caroline can you give me please give me that water. That’s a Rima I’m directing you on something or I’m going to say Caroline. You’re going to have another child in the next year. That would be arraignment if that were actually from God’s word. So is something that’s very clear specific and most importantly it’s specific to you.

[00:03:48] Does that make sense. It does. Great explanation too.

[00:03:53] Yes.

[00:03:53] So faith is when you’ve had that word some revelation some word from God and it is now faces the conviction of things not seen in other words we it’s not something that we have to work on believing it’s intrinsic and within our being. And that’s what faces faith is not something that we well up and try to belief. If you have to try to believe if you have to will yourself to believe that’s not faith that’s simply in the natural. That’s what we’ll call hope. We’re just hoping it’s really true. But you know we have to work on trying to make ourselves believe it. So this thing that we talked about last. Is is all about this. This alternate. Understanding of faith being a clear direction a clear revelation a clear truth from God to us and we act on it. That’s kind of where we’re talking and where I want to talk about today kind of the topics that we’re going to move into now is taking this understanding of what faith is and starting to see how it’s applied in our lives.

[00:05:21] And I call this topic stepping out of the boat or getting out of the boat and I remember I read a book I love the title I got a little bit of the book but I get more out of the title Jon Burge wrote a book. I’m sure you’ve never heard of it or you don’t recall it. Do you recall a book that John Burge wrote.

[00:05:42] I do not.

[00:05:44] The title is real simple if you want to walk on water you’ve got to get out of the boat right. And so that’s kind of where I want to take our call today if you want to walk on water if you want to do the most amazing things in God’s work by his direction then you’ve got to be willing to step out of the boat. So also just to cover a couple of things I want to use the term sometimes radical faith. In reality there is only one faith. It’s just faith. We kind of think of it as radical because for us as it’s what I call normal Christians or Western Christians. Faith is well I believe in God and I pray and I go to church right. I’m sure you know some people like that don’t you.

[00:06:38] Definitely in the south definitely in the south. Radical faith is when you go oh my gosh I can’t believe you go do that. Well that’s actually what Jesus expects of us.

[00:06:52] So let’s see. One of the things that we came out with is a definition that radical faith or this true thing I call faith is choosing to step out on God’s clearly defined will. His revelation or his direction for you in such a way that it’s usually great personal risk or sacrifice. In other words when you walk by faith you’re not walking by sight and therefore you have to step out in faith and trust that you can’t see it. And it’s at great personal risk in fact. Do you remember there a great example of this and I’ll watch the movie in search of the Holy Grail not Monty Python. But this is Raiders of the Lost Ark. You remember when do you remember. I think it may have been the last the last part of that series. And they’re searching for the Holy Grail. Did you ever watch that movie.

[00:07:57] I did. I’m sure my husband had toward the end of the last scene.

[00:08:03] Here’s where they are. What’s his name. Who’s the main actor in that. The name escapes me. Harrison Ford thank you. Harrison Ford has just come to this. He’s he’s somewhere in the middle of nowhere in this cave or chasm and he comes to the edge and there’s this great big chasm below him and across the way maybe a hundred feet or maybe two hundred feet is one of the nights of many years back story like a crusade or type of night.

[00:08:45] And there is the Holy Grail the goblet that Christ used at the Last Supper. And Harrison Ford has been walking been following all these clues and secrets on how to get here. And now he has to take a leap of faith. That’s basically the next clue is a leap of faith. He looks down in this chasm and it’s straight down for a thousand feet or whatever it is and this is sheer death. But he chooses to step out by faith and so he steps out.

[00:09:19] He can’t see anything but yet his foot now lands on solid ground that he can’t see. And he starts walking across this invisible bridge is basically what it is. That’s kind of an idea of what faith is. You can’t see it. You know it’s there you trust is there and you trust is there because God said it is. That’s God’s word. And that’s kind of what I mean by stepping out typically at great personal risk or sacrifice because if God doesn’t show up in the way that he says he will then all is lost. And so I want to talk in terms of showing you how this applies from biblical things and start to apply to our lives.

[00:10:04] Do you have your Bible handy by chance. I can’t.

[00:10:09] Okay. I want you to pull up Matthew 14 and let me know when you get there.

[00:10:18] And we’re going to do Matthew 14. This is versus 28 and 29. And as you get there let me just kind of give everyone the background of what’s going on. So Jesus has just the day before. Literally that afternoon before has fed 5000 people with five loaves and two fish. He sends the people away he sends his disciples back across the lake in a boat and then Jesus goes up to the mountain to pray. Now it is early dawn before the sun is risen and the disciples are rowing against the wind and they see Jesus walking on the water and they can just make him out and they all get afraid because they think it’s a ghost. And Jesus says no it’s it’s me. And now that’s where we picked up Matthew 14 versus 28 and 29 Can you read that.

[00:11:16] Yes. This is Peter. He says Lord if it’s you Peter replied tell me to come to you on the water. He said Peter got down out of the boat and walked on the water and came towards Jesus.

[00:11:32] Okay.

[00:11:36] So Peter says Lord if you command me to come and Jesus has come and Peter gets out of the boat and walks on the water and comes toward Jesus. So here’s a question when Peter stepped out of the boat and started walk on water. What happened.

[00:11:54] I didn’t know you’re asking me directly. Well he doubted. I mean he he took his eyes off of the word and saw the wind and fear.

[00:12:04] Hold on. Okay. Before that we’re going gonna get to that before but when you get out of the boat at the very beginning what happens. Does he walk on water.

[00:12:13] Yes he walks on water. And how does he walk on water by faith by listening to the word of the Lord Jesus said Come on he’s not gonna let me think.

[00:12:24] That’s right. So here’s a little truism that we start to see when we step out of our comfort zone because we stepped out by the Lord’s direction. So Jesus Jesus’s revelation if we want to use that term or his direction or his command if we want to use those terms to Peter was come and so Peter steps out of the boat. Great personal risk and sacrifice. If God doesn’t show up he’s sunk no pun intended. And guess what happened. God shows up. God does a miracle.

[00:12:59] Do you see the little equation that’s starting to come up. We stepped out by God’s clearly defined well for us. We have faith that God is going to perform because faith is the assurance of things hoped for. Now the word hoping that Sharon says things to hope for another translation gives it faith as the title deed is the absolute. You actually own the title to what has been promised. Is that confident. So that’s what faith is. That’s what Peter does. He steps out of that boat and when he does something happens and what happens is God shows up and does a miracle. Pretty cool and it really cool. So the question then is or the comment on this is when God acts the God showing up moments because this is what we want in our lives. How do you live this life of faith and what does it look like. This life of faith is when God constantly shows up and he either shows up miraculously like he did with Peter walking on the water or he shows up providential where he just kind of organizes and orchestrates all kinds of events.

[00:14:22] Now I want to talk in terms of these things. I think one of these I may have to fall back but does the name George Mueller ring a bell to you.

[00:14:34] He’s an author right.

[00:14:36] Well he’s written several books were maybe better spoken several books were written about him. He was actually a man of God back in the eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds. He was in England in a town called Bristol England and he felt the Lord leading him to start an orphanage. And so he started an orphanage and within 10 or 20 years that orphanage was housing I think it’s 20000 children. And he never once it was faith based people gave and contributed and supported the work and he never once asked anyone for money.

[00:15:26] And he later said in light that the reason he started at the orphanage was not because there was a great need. There was a great need. And it was not because he felt that this was his life’s calling. He started the orphanage. He said to show people how to live by faith that he could by God’s direction start an orphanage. Never ask anyone for money but trust God for all of the resources and God continue to provide more and more and more resources to start it and to grow it. And so a lot of the books have been written about George in terms of how do you get your prayers answered. How do you live by faith.

[00:16:07] And I want to share an example because this kind of talks in terms of what this stepping out by faith really means getting out of the boat. So because it is faith based ministry they never really had much money at any given time. They didn’t have this great big bank account with lots of money to carry through months and months. They live basically day to day trust. It’s like what Jesus says Lord give us this day our daily bread. And so I want to read you an excerpt from one thing that happened with George. So here’s the extra one morning. So this is in an orphanage and they bring all the children together for breakfast one morning all the plates and cups and bowls on the table were empty. There was no food in the pantry and there was no money to buy food. The children were standing waiting for their morning meal just as they would always do. And Mueller said children you know we must be in time for school and then lifting up his hands. He prayed Dear Father we thank you for what you are going to give us to eat that pretty bowl.

[00:17:23] That’s really all.

[00:17:26] I love it too. So then here’s the rest of the story. There was a knock at the door. The Bakers stood there and said Mr. Mueller I couldn’t sleep last night. Somehow I felt you didn’t have bread for breakfast. And the Lord wanted me to send you some. So I got up at 2 o’clock this morning and baked some fresh bread and then brought it.

[00:17:47] And then Mr. Mueller thanked the baker and no sooner had the Baker left when there was a second knock at the door and there was a milkman he announced that his milk cart had broken down right in front the orphanage and he would like to give the children his cans of fresh milk so he could empty his wagon to repair it. So here’s my question.

[00:18:09] Do you think that was orchestrated by the Lord.

[00:18:16] I do. I mean obviously if the Lord inspired those people spoke to them to do those things but I think it I think it can be inspired by the Lord. But I think also partners with his faith his willingness to say my husband lovingly says All right Jesus. Are you under the bus. You better show up. I’m just gonna put it out there. So I think it’s kind of a partnership of both.

[00:18:45] It is. I think partnership.

[00:18:48] I think this is the key I think you hit it on the right word. It is a partnership because the Lord gives us a revelation gives us a promise like the promise he gave. Mueller was I’ll meet all your needs. Mueller takes that promise at face value. And he says Lord thank you for giving us whatever you’re to give us. Mueller had no doubt that the Lord was going to provide food. And yet here’s the thing that’s really interesting. When did the food arrive at the orphanage a long time before Mueller prayed a long time after he prayed or

[00:19:29] At the moment he prayed.

[00:19:35] You remember when you said at the moment he said Father thank you for what you’re going to give us to eat. And then there was a knock at the door right after he prayed thanking by faith the Lord showed up. Does that make sense right.

[00:19:50] But now here’s a bigger question. This is what’s so fascinating about this. When did the Lord prepare everything to show up at that moment. Did he prepared at that moment or did he prepare it beforehand he prepared it beforehand for the baker. He got the baker up at 2:00 in the morning for the meal and he had the milkman leave at a certain time go through his route and all of sudden his car breaks down at that moment. So here’s what’s really fascinating and this is a hot topic for a whole nother discussion that we’ll do. Is that faith actually operates outside of time.

[00:20:30] Think about this for a moment when Mueller thank the Lord. By faith all of these things were put in place prior to him thanking the Lord. Here here’s a hypothetical question If Mueller never thanked the Lord by faith do you think those people would have showed up.

[00:20:52] That is a bigger question. I think that sometimes there is a grace over our actions and the Lord does show up but I think how much more soul or delight in our faith and our willingness to you know to believe and to step out and how much more fun is that for us to partner with it. I don’t know.

[00:21:15] Good thing he’s sovereign is sovereign. We don’t know the answer entirely but let’s say for a moment that Mueller was scared.

[00:21:27] He doubted that he doubted God’s provision and therefore he really couldn’t pray in faith and say Lord thank you for what you’re going to give us to eat. If he was in that situation what do you think would have happened. Do you think the Baker would have shown up and do you think the milkman would’ve shown up.

[00:21:49] They might not have. I think in those months like I was saying I think there can be a grace that can happen and you can you’re just blown away at God you’re so faithful even when I’m not. But then I think also there are things that we missed out on. From not believing and not stepping out and taking a risk in faith with the Lord just even the way you just worded it I did envision I mean if you hadn’t. They might not have shown up.

[00:22:18] So let me ask you a question because this is kind of the fascinating part with all of this. So let’s look at when God moves when God shows up when God showed up with Peter and he walked on the water which was an absolute miracle. Was that. Any more of him showing up than him coordinating the baker and the milkman to providential show up at the same at the right time is walking on the water. Any greater an act of God than coordinating what appears to be human events.

[00:23:01] I don’t think so. I mean I think that’s the privilege of walking through life awake and aware of the Lord and how he works is that we’re constantly in awe of every miracle he does whether it’s walking on water or the provision in those moments of orchestrating all of that. So my my personal answer would be I think it’s equally as beautiful and miraculous.

[00:23:29] I think you’re right on that.

[00:23:31] I think you’re right. Let me ask this question. Is it any harder for God for someone to walk on the water versus coordinating those events for them to show up.

[00:23:43] No I wouldn’t think so.

[00:23:45] Is it any harder for God to heal someone from a cough versus heal them from multiple sclerosis and getting him out of a wheelchair. Is it any harder.

[00:23:55] No. No it’s not.

[00:23:57] So when we look at things from God’s perspective this is kind of tapping into where I’m going with this thing on faith. When we look at things from. God’s perspective there is no level of difficulty greater than another and what we do in our lives whether we walk on the water or whether we bring some people to show up and bring bread and milk. It’s all God acting he does it through different methods but it’s all God showing up. Faith is actually seeing everything from God’s perspective. This is if you go back to faith is the assurance that things hope for. It’s a title deed to those things that God has said is the conviction of things that you cannot see what it actually is. In a broader scope in a more realistic scope. Faith is seeing things from God’s perspective.

[00:24:54] And when you can see from God’s perspective with Mueller God’s perspective is I’ve got people bringing you stuff. So Mueller had no doubt from God’s perspective with Peter on walk. Walking on the water. It was it was happening. It doesn’t matter because God’s perspective. God knows what’s going on. And faith is when we operate from the perspective of God because we’re operating from the Word of God and the word is absolute truth. I’m making some connections there. Does that make sense.

[00:25:30] It does. And what an honor. An amazing thing. Jesus made possible that we can see things through the lens of heaven and operate from that place because that’s ultimately what it means to be a son or daughter is to operate with him and seeing things in the way that he does and walking in that kind of faith. Absolutely that makes sense.

[00:25:55] So then let’s put it.

[00:25:57] Let’s take this a step further because this is another truism we’ll get into this a little bit more on another session but just to kind of open the door real quickly into this Jesus says Thy word is truth.

[00:26:10] Remember that I think it’s John 17 and what Jesus is saying about the father’s word is that it’s true. And I’m gonna use the word truth with a capital T.

[00:26:26] Truth.

[00:26:28] Is not the same as reality. Reality is in the moment and reality can change. Truth is always absolute and always truth. Now when I’m talking in really deep terms for a moment. But are you following me kind of following at least generally the concept I’m trying to articulate.

[00:26:53] Yes.

[00:26:55] So now let’s go back to Peter walking on the water. I’m gonna bring this up again a little bit later I think but go back to Matthew where you were and read where I stopped you from reading.

[00:27:09] Okay so let me let me catch this up 28 and 29 and you read from after that so catching up 28 29 as Peter says to Jesus Lord at that you command me to come on the water jesus gives Peter a command a word a word of truth come with that word of truth that command come is intrinsic within that the the truth that if he operates on that command then he’s going to get what Peter asked for which is walking on the water so from that one word is encapsulated the truth of what’s about to occur. Are you following me so far. Mm hmm mm hmm. Okay so it says Peter guy got out of the boat and walked on the water and came towards Jesus a miracle occurred as Peter operated by faith according to God’s word according to the reign of Christ. Now pick up from there and tell me what it reads.

[00:28:13] So in verse 30 it says that when he saw the wind he was afraid and beginning to think he cried out. Lord save me right.

[00:28:22] And then what would Jesus do.

[00:28:26] Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him a little face and said Why did you doubt.

[00:28:32] Perfect. Okay now here’s something really cool. If you pray and God answers your prayer does that mean that you are righteous. Does that mean that you have great paper or does that mean that you’re really special because God answers your prayer.

[00:28:54] Yeah. I was thinking about because I know there is the righteous the righteous man or the right to effective prayer for a righteous man accomplishes much.

[00:29:07] James Right. But generally speaking when most people think about a man or woman to praising God answers their prayer. Generally speaking do most people look at that person saying Oh a man or woman of God. Because God answers their prayers.

[00:29:25] All right.

[00:29:25] Well I guess generally speaking though generally speaking they think that way or generally speaking they don’t think that way.

[00:29:33] They don’t. They wouldn’t think that. I guess I would think generally people would just think that might be normal. I don’t know. Okay so books have been written about George Miller

[00:29:48] On how his prayers are consistently answered.

[00:29:52] Because it’s been so unusual that someone can pray in their prayers answered. Does that make sense. Have you ever prayed and prayed and your prayers were not answered at least not answered the way you asked God to answer them.

[00:30:08] I think the Lord always when you release the control of what you believe or thought was supposed to be there was something that you’re praying specifically into. You can usually go and we’ll take you into a place where you can see his way. And so I don’t know I don’t I don’t know that I feel like defeated thinking Oh I know because I trust the words ways are better.

[00:30:36] I guess I’m not saying you feel defeated. Have you ever asked Lord please do a and he doesn’t do a. Have you ever had that happen. Yes. Have you ever asked the Lord please do be. And he does.

[00:30:52] Yes. Which one of those instances are you more enthused and delighted about.

[00:31:00] Well you’re definitely worth doing what you pray for is answered. Okay. Okay.

[00:31:05] So that’s where I’m going. Most people believe that when you pray and ask the Lord for something and he does what you’ve asked him to. There is an elation and there’s a specialness to it because frequently we ask and we don’t see the answer to the prayer that we’ve asked. I’m not making sense of that.

[00:31:25] You are. You are.

[00:31:26] Okay. So here we have Peter. He prays to the Lord and the Lord answers him exactly how he prays. It says Peter cried out to the Lord which is prayer. Lord save me. And it says Jesus reached out his hand and saved him.

[00:31:47] God answered Peter’s prayer but here’s the question is that good or bad. Let me go. Let me go where I’m going. Okay so often we’re related because God answers our prayer. But answering our prayer is not necessarily God’s highest and best of what he wanted for us. What was God’s highest and best for Peter at that time. At that moment.

[00:32:24] To believe that he could walk into walk on the water and he lost the highest and best because of what now because of doubt and then he prayed in crisis and the Lord answered his prayer.

[00:32:45] And how many times do we pray for something far less than God’s highest and best. He answers our prayer. We’re elated but we have no real clue how much we’ve really lost out on what he wants us to have done something that does make sense.

[00:33:05] That’s a great way to put it into perspective.

[00:33:09] But what happens then is Peter. So let’s look at the sequence of events. Peter is given a word. A Rama from the Lord in some circles. We call it a revelation in some circles we’ll call it a promise in whatever word you want to use. It’s very clear to Peter that the Lord has given him a special direction.

[00:33:38] And so by absolute faith the assurance of things he could not see. He claimed the title deed.

[00:33:48] I can step out and he boldly steps out of the boat and starts to walk on the water and he’s all excited and then his carnal mind gets in the way and starts to look at the circumstances and says oh my gosh this can’t be happening. And instantly he goes from faith to doubt doubt is the opposite of faith. He immediately goes from operating from God’s perspective

[00:34:25] To operating from man’s perspective. He goes from operating from truth to operating from reality. And as soon as he goes from truth to reality what happens to his reality.

[00:34:43] It changes does it change.

[00:34:46] Here is the most amazing thing I’ve learned about faith. The most amazing but kind of the first of the many amazing things is you have truth which is God’s word. Jesus says to his father and the High Priest I think they called the high priestly prayer. I think it’s John 17. He’s talking to the father praying all kinds of you know he’s about to be turned over and then crucified. So this is the last stuff that he said. This is real important and one of the state statements he made his father die. Word is truth.

[00:35:26] Truth trumps reality. Truth modifies reality and look at what happened with Peter as long as Peter operated by truth. From the perspective of truth God’s word by faith any claim that title deed then truth overcame natural laws and what should not have occurred did occur.

[00:35:56] Peter walks on the water as soon as Peter doubts in his heart instantly in a twinkling of an eye. If we want to use that term he transformed from operating by faith. To operating in the natural instantly just like that and instantly it says immediately he begins to sink. He loses the impact of truth and reality of his circumstances instantly changed. He goes from acting boldly upon God’s word to sending up a prayer crisis.

[00:36:36] Lord help me and the Lord answers his prayer but the Lord would have preferred not to have to have intervened to answer that prayer. PAUL Peter lost the Lord’s highest and best because he got his eyes off of Jesus and onto his circumstances and where you place your eyes is what you get is this kind of making some sense it is I think that’s a really great way to put it and I think it’s kind of a challenge for us to really think about like what we’re asking the Lord for and to make sure that that is God and not settling racist.

[00:37:27] And he’ll answer that.

[00:37:29] And it’s not only based on what we’re asking the Lord but what are we doing with what the Lord has directed us. Because often when the Lord directs us he directs us. Makes no sense in the natural. Do you think it made any sense to step out of the boat. Now keep in mind let me let me give you where this situation is. It says that they were rowing against the wind and had made very little progress to get to where they were going. By the time Jesus walked up to them. So that means you got all these strong men. They’ve lived on the on the on the sea for years. That was their livelihood being fishermen in a boat. They’re rowing against the wind and they made very little headway. This is not calm water. This is a water that is very turbulent is very turbulent. They got a lot of things against them and it was in that situation that Jesus says stepped out of the boat and come walk with me. It’s not going to be in an easy situation it’s going to be one of those situations that is turbulent. Does that make sense. It does and it makes no sense in reality this is where the idea of faith really comes in stepping out. Let me look at my arm. I also make someone make a little point because I think it all kind of ties in a real simple point. Look at your phone for a moment and for those who are listening to this if you’re driving you look at your steering wheel for a moment.

[00:39:24] Do you have faith that that telephone or that steering wheel exists.

[00:39:30] What about you. You have faith that it exists. Yes it’s right here.

[00:39:36] Very good. So go back. And now I want you to read Hebrew see love in one for me.

[00:39:47] Ok.

[00:39:56] So now faces confidence and what we hope for an assurance about what we do not see.

[00:40:02] Stop. Do you see your phone. Yes. Can you have faith that it exists. I can’t. I’m sorry. Something to speak to on me. I just said I can. Okay. Ready. Hebrew see love in one again.

[00:40:23] Now faces confidence and what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

[00:40:29] Assurance of things we do not see. But you can see your phone. Yes. You cannot have faith that your phone exists because you see it. Are you okay. Right. If you can see it. You do not have faith because faith by definition is the assurance of things not seen.

[00:40:57] And that’s why it’s so hard in the natural. We have to operate with our will use a very broad non-technical term. We have to operate with our spirit mind and our spirit eyes rather than our physical mind and our physical lives. And what happens is we’re always pulled back our natural self wants to keep using our natural senses and our natural logic to tell us what reality is. That’s what happened with Peter as soon as his naturalize left Jesus and went to the wind then at that point. Everything. Fell apart. And this is what happens in our lives too. Let me tell you a story is real interesting. This was 2003. To set the stage 2002 we we brought on this large account. We were making a lot of money. This one account was producing 2002 seventy five thousand dollars a month in profit a large account. And at that time we were giving a high percentage of what the Lord brought us back into the kingdom. And this account was scheduled to leave on I think it was June 1. We were holding nothing in reserves. By the way it was a lot of profit but it was all of the profit the company made. Without that account we would immediately be losing money because of our fixed expenses. So they were scheduled to leave on I think it was June 1 and we knew it. But we were saving nothing up in reserves and then they left and we immediately went from making a lot of profit to going upside down and we had no reserves to lean on because we’d given all the reserves away. And so that’s where I found myself. And for the first month or two I was gung ho Lord’s going to take care of us. Right. And operating what I thought was my faith but it kept going and we were borrowing money to survive.

[00:43:25] And all of a sudden I get scared and I shift and I start to batten down the hatches tell my business manager cut every expense put everyone down on reduced payroll. Now these are not bad things but they were things that I enacted out of fear.

[00:43:47] And so we batten everything down. Everyone took pay cuts. I took the biggest of all the pay cuts obviously since I owned the company and I was going to lead by example. And we’re going to quote unquote weather the storm. And it kept going bad and bad and bad. And it was January. It was about January 25 2003. So we’ve been like this for six months seven months. And I was out on a what I call a day of prayer with the Lord just seeking Him going Lord of what’s going on. And I was in a panic mode just like Peter Lord save me. And I remember asking the Lord Lord Quinn are you going to let up. And the Lord spoke to me in my heart this conversation we have in our spirit with the Lord so to speak. And he said Well do you really believe my word to take care of you. I said yes.

[00:44:50] And guess what the next question he asked me was any idea he believes that he’ll take care of you and then can you see it make you pay for it almost.

[00:45:06] Pretty close he said. If you truly believed how would you act differently than you’re acting right now.

[00:45:16] That’s a great question to even ask ourselves. We say we’re trusting the Lord we say we have faith that he’s going to handle whatever we’re going through. The question is if you really believed how would you operate different. And so I said well if I really believed I would put myself at full pay and I put all my people back at full pay.

[00:45:43] So you know what the Lord said to me what do I do. So I did. I called my office manager that moment I said my business manager I said put everyone back to full pay retroactive for January 1.

[00:46:03] So to put this in perspective we got paid twice a month on the 15th and on the 30th first and so on the 15th everyone was at the reduced pay amount. So what I told Walter was put everyone back to full pay for the month meaning let’s say that month the full pay for selling was five thousand dollars but it reduced pay to thirty five hundred. So that means that that mid-month pay there were only going to get it paid about seventeen hundred instead of the normal twenty five hundred. Does that make sense. Because 17 is half of 35 right. So for the end of the month pay we’re going to make up whatever is remaining to get them back to 5000. So that end of the month was a much bigger paycheck than it would have been if I just said start now. So we start at the first went back to the 1st of January to catch everyone up for that month. Well now that was only five days later. We lost that at that moment. We lost ten thousand dollars. We were ten thousand dollars in the hole by doing that but then the end of February. We had made ten thousand dollars profit.

[00:47:28] So there was a 20 thousand dollars swing in revenues not to get you lost with numbers. Twenty thousand dollar swing in revenues. And even to this day as I look at my profit and loss I cannot find where that money comes from. It wasn’t that we had a lot more. Excuse me. Twenty thousand dollars swing in profit. It wasn’t that we had more money that came in. It wasn’t that we had fewer expenses. Literally I cannot find it. But here’s the cool part. From that moment on for an extended period time we were making profit every month. The only thing that changed was operated by faith on God’s promise to me rather than by sight with what I saw. And this is the whole idea of stepping out of the boat not being afraid to step off the boat because the word of God cannot fail God’s promises can never fail. In fact it says I think in Luke 1 37 and 43 or something like that in the living Bible it says you believe God would do what he said. That is why he is giving you this wonderful blessing right. I think that says that God’s promises cannot fail or something like that.

[00:48:59] And so when we at in that direction and when we act on God’s word then what’s happening is we’re acting by truth not by reality and in some mysterious way God. God’s truth alters reality because reality is variable. It changes all the time but God’s truth is fixed and it is absolute is this kind of making sense.

[00:49:29] It is absolutely.

[00:49:30] So let’s go back to the Mueller situation. He says Lord thank you for what you are about to give us to eat my question to you was if Mueller had doubted would the Baker and Hamilton have shown up.

[00:49:54] I understand.

[00:49:56] I love your question. Your answer was actually a little bit better than mine. Black and white.

[00:50:01] God’s grace will still come into play at times even in the absence of us having faith. But if we look at the strictly strictly from a faith perspective. If Mueller had doubted then I think it’s not near as likely. Except by only by God’s grace and nothing more. Not near as likely that the food would have shown up because there’s something about when you operate from a perspective of God’s truth it changes reality. And when you operate from a perspective of the natural you don’t get the truth reality. You get the natural reality and they are two different things.

[00:50:50] Kind of cool it it is something to feel like I’m going to do over some of this for a while because it is challenging in the best way for us to kind of even evaluate what we hear and how we act on it and just knowing what a vital role we get to play and be a part of it. It is I think a lot of this is going to stay on for a few days and I’m applying Yeah.

[00:51:22] So then let’s talk about applying it because this is now at an academic level to a degree. We start to understand just a very shallow level of the truth about faith. ROMANS 10 17. Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. This is what we talked about last time. That word is the Greek word Rama and it means something very clear a very clear direction a promise a truth a quote unquote revelation something that’s specific to you a rama. A lot of times is when you’re reading God’s word and something pops out of the page directly at you and you go oh this is God’s word to me. Sometimes God speaks to you. Like that example where we’re losing money and God said well if you really believed how would you act differently.

[00:52:14] You’re right. Okay so you have that faith is rooted in God’s word rooted by hearing God’s word. It’s rooted by hearing God’s Word which is truth. And then Faith Hebrews love and one is the assurance of hope for the conviction of things not seen. Okay we start to understand that truth change is reality. Reality doesn’t change truth. Truth change is reality and based on truth. Reality changes and based on the absence of truth I doubt you’d get the absence of truth. You get reality. This is what happened with Peter walking on the water soon as he doubted. Same situation two different outcomes right. One outcome God shows up another outcome. The natural consequence shows up. If we went back to Mueller one outcome by faith Lord thank you for what you’re about to give us. God shows up he had already coordinated things to occur at that moment but in the absence of faith. Oh Lord please help us we have no food. I don’t know how we’re going to feed all these children. Help Lord God might have shown up but my guess is God would not and they would’ve gotten the natural consequence. Then you have.

[00:53:44] Let’s see where was I going. God showing up.

[00:53:49] Then you have things like healing look at healing in the Bible. Jesus represents truth Jesus. In the beginning was the Word the Word was with God the Word was God thy word is truth. Jesus operates from the perspective of truth from the perspective of God. He walks up to someone and they’re instantly healed demons are instantly cast out. He gives authority to his disciples to do the same thing. And a lot of the people who heal the demons are cast out but not all. There is an element the further away you get from truth. The further away you get from truthful modification of reality and you get to just natural consequence to tell you just one story is really interesting. So you’re talking about West sometimes putting God under the bus and I know you don’t put it on the bus but he commits God right. Also there’s a story. One of the guys is out at a McDonald’s. This guy’s name is Judah by the way. And dude is at McDonald’s and he sees there’s a bunch of high school football players students on crutches with a broken leg and it hurts.

[00:55:08] And the guy walks up and says hey what’s matter with your leg is is broken does it hurt you. Oh it hurts a lot. So would you like to heal it. I would love for him to. Great. And then Judah says he puts God under the bus so to speak. He yells out to the entire McDonald’s restaurant. Hey guys come over here. You’re going to see a miracle right now. God’s going to heal this leg right now. And the guy says Well I don’t believe it. I’m an atheist and you come up front and watch this. And he prays and God instantly heals that leg. For two reasons. Judah is operating from a position of faith.

[00:55:59] Absolute confidence in the unseen that God is about to heal that leg. And then because he operates from truth the leg gets healed. Have you ever known anyone that prays that they’re sick and they’ve been praying and praying and praying and they’re not healed ever had no people like that. Yeah. So for those who are listening so I actually go out with Caroline’s husband yes once a month what we call straight ministry and literally just go out to Wal-Mart and say hey we’re just praying for people anything I can pray for you. And frequently there are illnesses elements usually in the area of pain degenerative discs in the back.

[00:56:49] Major knee pain arthritis and blood clots and all kinds of things and they have their believers and they’ve been praying for healing and they’ve had this situation for years and nothing happens. I come up or w comes up or some of the folks with us will pray for that person and instantly they’re healed. What happened. What’s different is that it was simply God’s timing now for them to be healed. Or do you think by God’s grace a providential put the two of us together so that I could pray with a level of faith that hasn’t been prayed for before for that person and because of my faith and what God’s going to do. God heals or is it something different. There’s something there.

[00:57:44] It’s where I’m going. And when you operate from that perspective then truth overcomes reality. But here’s the here’s where I was kind of going. I was making a long circle around to get to this one point faces a choice think about it when Peter stepped out of the boat.

[00:58:08] He had a choice do I act on God’s direction or do I not even once he got out of the boat.

[00:58:19] He had a choice. Do I look at Jesus and confidence in him or do I look at the wind and the waves and then he changed the choice.

[00:58:34] He chose the same thing happened with me with my business.

[00:58:40] I started into that unprofitable season when we lost that account by choice to trust the Lord and then because I couldn’t see I could not see how is happening. Faith is the conviction of things not seen because I couldn’t see what was going on or how God was going to take care of us. I became afraid and doubted James. I think it’s James five says I’m not the man who doubts expect to receive anything from the Lord. That’s kind of a paraphrased version of 2 3 versus all together. Actually I think it’s James 1. It says For anyone who lacks wisdom let him ask of God but let him not down in his heart for the one who doubts ought not to expect to receive anything from the Lord. So I started it out. I started by fear. I started to go down and as soon as I changed and chose to act by faith everything changed. And this is the cool thing about faith. You choose to act by it. You don’t act by it naturally. You choose to act on that word that the Lord has given you. You choose to believe it to be true. And then by believing it to be true you acting on it.

[01:00:05] That’s when God starts to move. And I could tell you some more stories but I think that’s probably got enough right now. We’ll talk about some other stories later but it’s kind of cool.

[01:00:21] I love it. And inspiring too. Food for thought.

[01:00:26] It is. So hopefully you take this and go look at these passages and ask the Lord What does this mean to me. The most important thing to be asking yourself is Lord if I really believe the promises you’ve given me. Faith is rooted in truth so it’s not what you want to happen is what God has told you is going to happen. Lord if I really believed these promises you give me or really believed this direction. There is command that you told me how you want me to operate how would I act differently than I am acting right now.

[01:01:05] And if the way you would act differently is different then you’re acting right now.

[01:01:11] Then that means you’re acting in a natural not in the spiritual. You’re acting by sight not by faith. You’re acting by doubt not by faith and ultimately lead into this. If faith is the perspective of God would you agree that that’s basically a decent definition of faith based on what the Bible says what faith is the perspective of God right.

[01:01:45] Right.

[01:01:45] Or how he sees things.

[01:01:49] I think it’s operating by truth. If you operate in a way contrary to God what is that called.

[01:02:04] I guess that would be called doubt or disobedient.

[01:02:09] Right.

[01:02:10] And what is disobedience called sin.

[01:02:15] Huh. Okay. So now we’re getting down to a deeper root. Faith is obeying God because faith comes from God’s direction his truth.

[01:02:27] And it’s believing God to be true believing his word to be true. Acting on that when you cannot see it that is complete obedience when you don’t act in that direction you’re doubting God’s word to be true.

[01:02:44] Does that please God. No.

[01:02:48] That’s right. Later in Hebrews it says Let not the one who doubts. Let’s say what does it say. But act in faith for God has no pleasure in someone who doubts or something like that forget these phraseology. So when we do not act by faith if we do not act in a way that we would be acting if we absolutely believe God’s word to be true then that ultimately means that how we’re acting is in sin. When Peter took his eyes off of the Lord and put them on the waves. At that moment he disobeyed. He doubted God’s word. He doubted Jesus and for him that is sin and he starts to get the consequence. He still praise the Lord saves him but he doesn’t have God’s highest and best God’s highest and best is when we operate in total obedience with the Lord in total congruency with his direction for us in total faith in his word.

[01:03:55] Anything less than that is sin.

[01:04:00] And then we get into lots of degrees of sin. If we finish then. But surely there is a degree but that’s where we’re kind of moving. So just to throw that out that’s a bonus. I like it.

[01:04:15] I’m thinking one of the one quote I love is obedience is actually obedience. That’s right. That kind of reminded me of that. It’s just like when we feel that prompting what you’re saying from the Lord. Immediate obedience. That’s what faith is. That’s where that plays in. And what’s holding us back from just jumping in. Because if there is anything holding us back that either out of fear or sin or ultimately that’s just obedience. Even if it’s just a slow obedience it’s still disobedience. That’s always been a convicting quote. It is here now to kind of just

[01:04:58] Speak philosophically or philosophically maybe fill out theology philosophically we sin because we feel it’s better for us than following the Lord. Ultimately I mean it’s a choice we send by choice and therefore we make a choice because we always make choices that we think are the right choices or make the choices that satisfy our desires. Imagine for a moment. Let me ask you you have said before is that correct.

[01:05:36] Yes. Okay right.

[01:05:39] Yep yep. So do you remember any time when you send when you kind of knew it was wrong but you did it anyway.

[01:05:49] Yeah I mean I feel like those kind of moments are few and far between.

[01:05:55] We’re talking about any time. Do you recall any. Yeah.

[01:06:00] So let me ask you a simple question if at that moment you had a choice to send or not if you knew that if you resisted that said you you would be given a million dollars and have everything your heart’s desired would occur if at that moment you knew what was going to occur. Would you have still chosen to send or do you think you would have had the will to say no.

[01:06:31] Yeah I would say that’s some pretty powerful incentive. I’d probably have the will.

[01:06:37] I think we all would. So here’s the issue. When we do not follow the Lord we know what he’s telling us to do but we choose to go a different direction because we get afraid.

[01:06:50] Ultimately it’s because we really don’t understand how good the Lord is and what’s in store for us. That’s why we always sin when we sin is because we choose to satisfy our own desire based on what we think is maybe not best for us both what we really want but if we really understood what God has in store for us and any and every situation we would never sin. It’s the lack of root truly understanding it. I think this is probably possibly where Paul talks about the renewing of your mind where he talks about in Romans 7. I do the things that I don’t want to do but the sin in me that does it. And in Romans he talks about your mind the mindset on the spirit is life and peace in the mindset on the flesh of sin and death. The more we live by the spirit the more we live by the renewing of our mind the less we actually sin because the more we’re conformed to Christ is therefore that obedience that conformity but also the more we realize how much the Lord has in store for us and we’re willing to step out on his direction without really knowing the ultimate end of it. But we know who’s leading us. Abraham stepped out went toward the promised land but he had no idea why he just followed the Lord. And so this kind of this great big cauldron of all of these spiritual truths kind of wrapping together but all pointing in the same direction. Anyway that’s a freebie.

[01:08:27] I like the freebie so let’s wrap up the call.

[01:08:31] I think we’re about out of time on this one. I don’t know if we have an official wrap up but here’s the official wrap up if you like. Be sure to subscribe. We’ll go get more radical faith love to share more if you have any questions on this you can email our support support at Master grabber dot com direct them to me if you have any questions on spiritual stuff and we’ll either try to get there and try to answer them personally or maybe as a topic for another radical faith call as questions and answers from the field that might be a topic to try. Okay well you’ll be blessed. Caroline thanks for being the sounding board on this one.