Find Someone Who Received from God — Then Do What They Did

I’m excited about where we’re going today. We’ve been building the foundation of why we walk by faith. But I want to start getting into the nuts and bolts — and I’m going to give you something today that will set the direction for everything we cover next.

But first, let me tell you about a time I jumped a fence with a bunch of dogs and a man who tried to shoot me. Because walking by faith isn’t just theology. It’s real life.

At some point, you’ll face a problem you can’t solve yourself.

When I was in my early twenties, I was learning to trust God for protection. I’d been meditating on the 91st Psalm. And then a situation came up with a subpoena that needed to be served — on a man who had a long fenced driveway, several Dobermans and German shepherds, and evidently a very bad attitude about receiving legal documents.

My employees couldn’t get near the property. The attorney threatened to sue if it didn’t get done. And honestly, I thought I had a legal obligation. So I jumped the fence.

When the dogs came charging, the only thing I could think of was that David ran toward Goliath. So I ran toward them. They laid down about twenty-five feet out. All of them. I even stopped to pet one. I was twenty-something and arrogant.

Then the property owner came out — first with a stick, then with a gun. He tried to shoot me. The safety was on and he didn’t know it. I filled out the subpoena paperwork while he had the gun in my face, turned my back, said “You have a blessed day, sir” — and walked out past those same dogs still lying there.

When I got to the sheriff’s office to report it, I found out the whole thing had been illegal to begin with. And that the man had shot several other people before. God had preserved me — even in what was probably pretty poor judgment on my part.

Now, I had the physical skills to take that gun away. I knew how to handle it. But I chose not to trust in my ability. I chose to trust God. Here’s the real question though: what are you going to do when you face a problem you don’t have the physical or financial ability to handle at all?

Start with your $50 problem — not your $250,000 one.

Thirty years ago, I would have gathered everybody around to believe God for $50. I would have been walking the floor, quoting scripture, calling out to heaven over $50. Today, when a department head tells me something costs $50, I rejoice. Because the needs that land on my desk now are $5,000, $15,000, $250,000.

The reason I can believe God for $250,000 is because I believed Him for $50 first. You build a track record with God — and faith grows from there.

That’s the instruction for you right now. Don’t start by believing God for the big thing. Start where you are. Start with a pair of socks. Start with something that won’t put you under pressure. Learn the laws of faith in small things, and you’ll be ready when the large things arrive.

Walking by faith requires faith and patience together.

Go with me to Hebrews 6:12:

That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

— Hebrews 6:12 (NKJV)

That word sluggish means lazy. Which tells you something important — during your walk of faith, you will have the opportunity to get lazy. Plan for it. Prepare for it. Don’t let it happen.

But notice the combination: faith and patience. Not just faith. Patience, biblically, means consistency — to be consistently constant. It means if you start believing God today, you’re still believing God in a week, a month, six months, six years. You are not riding a roller coaster — on fire on Sunday, in panic by Monday morning. You stay steady.

That doesn’t mean you won’t have to battle your emotions. I had to battle mine last night. It happens. You stand against them and you remain constant. That’s what patience looks like in a faith walk.

Find someone who received from God — then do what they did.

Here’s where everything is headed. The instruction in Hebrews 6 doesn’t stop at faith and patience. It points to a person. It says imitate those who through faith and patience inherited the promises — and then immediately goes to Abraham.

Find someone who received from God and do what they did. That’s the simplest, most practical instruction for walking by faith that exists.

That’s exactly what we’re going to do in the weeks ahead. We’re going to go to Romans chapter 4 and look at Abraham — what he did, how he believed, how he held on. And then we’re going to do what he did.

And before you start thinking this is about performing for God — it isn’t. What we’re going to do, we’re going to do because we believe He has already done it. Not to get God to act. Not to earn anything. But as a response to what He has already finished.

Grace has stocked the refrigerator. Faith opens the door. Now it’s time to learn exactly how to use the handle.

Fight To Win. Start today.