By: Deborah Lovett

I was remembering our vacation a couple of years ago in the Bahamas. There was a slide at the pool called the “Leap of Faith.” I think it should have been called, “Finding God in a leap of faith!”  It was a 60-foot vertical drop into a protected tunnel (from a pool of sharks), which shot you out like a rocket into the ‘normal’ swimming pool. I figured, “Hey, I am a Christian-what is the worst thing that could happen?” So I did it!  (Not to mention my children were counting on me, major peer pressure!)  Now it is important for you to know that the first 60 feet you do not even touch the slide, you couldn’t, for you are literally dropping with your body in a straight vertical position in a downward motion! The other thing you should know is that the sharks are in a glassed in area and cannot eat you alive!  So really the part that seems the easiest was actually the scariest and the part that seemed to be the nightmare, was the easiest!  But that could easily change, depending on your viewpoint.

It was interesting to see how many people would wait 30 or 40 minutes to get to the front of the line, and then back down in fear.  The other rather comical thing was to see my son, who was only ten years old at the time, talk people out of going down the slide he was in line for!  (So he could get to the front of the line faster!)

The reason I share this story with you today is because I feel God is calling Christians to a “Leap of Faith”.  It is not easy being a Christian in mainstream America these days.  It takes real faith to swim with what seems to be shark-infested waters, and yet remain loving, truthful, and abiding to the Word of God. 
Sometimes when the Holy Spirit calls us to do things, we are just like those who backed down after waiting 30-40 minutes in line.  We want to be obedient, but when it comes right down to it, well, we really don’t trust that God is always good, or we just want our own way and we back away in fear from what He is instructing.  Sin always takes God out of the picture and puts I, myself, and me, at center stage.

A lady asked me this week, “What is it that would bring Christians out of their lulled sense of a ho-hum faith (that I call sleepwalking) into real live abundant walk that speaks volumes of Christ’s love to the hurting world?” I responded, “We need to be finding God in a leap of faith! When we acknowledge God by being obedient to His voice, He will show us all great and mighty things–when our faith is sparked, then His fire is started.” God deserves a decisive, intentional, deliberate choice for Him from us everyday.

Will you take the leap today?  Dare to ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you today, and then be obedient out of your love for Christ. You’ll never be the same again.

Remember Jesus took the hugest leap of faith when He died for us, to set us free from the legalism, rules, and sin that tries to rule our lives.  Where His Spirit lives, there is freedom won’t you join me in finding God in a leap of faith today?

Here’s a video of the Leap of Faith Slide itself:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6lBefOfd88