Start Small, Stay Focused, and Don’t Sink

I’m excited to get this into your hands today — because I want to give you something practical you can start using before you even finish reading this.

We’ve been walking through the recipe of faith, using Abraham as our model from Romans chapter 4. And today I want to bring it all the way down to ground level — so practical, so simple, that you’ll have no excuse not to start right now.

Here’s the assignment: believe God for a pair of socks.

Don’t wait for a crisis to start practicing faith.

Most people only try to exercise faith when everything is on the line. The mortgage is due. The diagnosis is in. The marriage is falling apart. And then they wonder why it feels so hard.

Here’s the thing — you don’t wait until you need to run a marathon to lace up your sneakers for the first time. You practice. You build. You start somewhere small so that when the big moments come, you know how to use what God gave you.

So start with socks. Something simple. Something that, if it doesn’t show up tomorrow, is not going to unravel your life. Find three Scriptures that cover it — and yes, the Word of God absolutely covers socks.

And whatsoever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.— John 14:13 (NKJV)

God said whatsoever. Socks are a whatsoever. So are headaches. So is a better job. So is healing. Whatsoever means whatsoever — and it’s time you started taking Him at His Word in the small things so you’ll trust Him in the large ones.

Don’t tell anyone you’re believing for socks.

I mean it. Don’t post it. Don’t announce it. Don’t mention it to your prayer group.

Why? Because when somebody hands you a pair of socks, I want you to know beyond any shadow of a doubt that it was your Father who did it. Not the Facebook crowd. Not a well-meaning friend who read your post. God.

And when He shows up over something that small, something shifts on the inside of you. You realize — if He’ll do it for socks, He’ll do it for anything. That’s exactly the foundation of faith you need before you take on the bigger mountains.

The recipe is the same no matter what you’re believing for.

Start with the Word of God on the matter. Get a promise — not a wish, a promise. Find the Scripture that covers what you’re asking for. Spend time with the God who made the promise until you are settled and at peace that He will keep it. Make a decision to believe He will do what He said. Begin to call it as though it exists. And then — contrary to hope, in hope — expect it.

“I asked the Father for socks in Jesus’ name. He said whatsoever I ask, He will give me. Therefore, I have my socks.”

That’s not weird. That’s faith talking. That’s what the recipe looks like in action.

Now here’s where people drop the ball — when the storm shows up.

We talked in the previous blog about Peter walking on water. Jesus says one word — “Come” — and Peter gets out of the boat in the middle of a storm and walks on the sea. While his eyes are on Jesus and His Word, he does the impossible. But then he begins to look at the wind and the waves, and he starts to sink.

Here’s what I want you to see. When Peter got out of that boat, the storm was already there. It wasn’t glass smooth when he stepped onto the water. The wind was already blowing. The waves were already crashing. He just wasn’t considering them.

And the moment he started considering the storm — nothing changed about the storm. The wind didn’t get worse. The waves didn’t get bigger. The only thing that changed was his focus.

That’s the only thing that changed. And it sent him under.

The storm never had the power to sink him. His focus did.

Think about this. What does a boisterous wind have to do with walking on water? Nothing. Not one thing. If it’s glass smooth outside, you still can’t walk on water. And if it’s a raging storm, you still can — with the Word of God. The storm was completely irrelevant to the miracle — except that Peter let it become relevant by focusing on it.

This is going to be true in your walk of faith. The problem you’re believing God to solve is going to cry out for your attention. It’s going to scream at you. And here’s what you have to remember: you had that problem the moment you said “amen.” Nothing has changed. The Word hasn’t failed. God hasn’t moved. The only question is where your eyes are.

But when he saw the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”— Matthew 14:30 (NKJV)

Notice it says beginning to sink. He didn’t go under. He started going down — and that was enough for him to cry out. But what he could have just as easily said was, “No. The Son of the living God told me to come. I’m walking on this water. I have His Word.” He could have pulled his eyes right back to Jesus and kept walking.

And so can you.

I’m not going to tell you the storms won’t come. They will. I’m not going to tell you the wind won’t blow while you’re out there on the water. It will. There are going to be mornings you wake up and the problem is louder than the promise. That’s part of the walk.

But here’s what I want you to know: you can always pull your eyes back. You can always redirect your focus. The moment you feel yourself beginning to sink, you don’t have to go under. You can say out loud — “No. I have a promise. Jesus said whatsoever I ask the Father in His name, He will give me. I believe I receive. My eyes are back on Him.”

Start with the socks. Build the habit. Fix your eyes. And don’t you dare look at that wind.

Fight To Win. Start today.