The Stepping Stones – Taking Bold Steps of Faith (Part 2)

The Stepping Stones - Recognising the hand of God

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Subtitle: Recognising the hand of God

I need to recognise God’s hand in my life in order to see the plan and word of God come into fruition. God doesn’t show up unannounced, no, He makes His announcement and presence very clear, long before.

He places a pull in our hearts and calls our names several times before He calls us out openly. I need to recognise the hand of God. Why hand and not voice? Because we don’t always hear His voice, it’s very subtle, but we can always see His hand.

What is His hand? His work, and the way He puts things together. Recognising His hand means looking back at all the times we've seen Him do something in our lives, bringing those moments together, and identifying what He’s doing now as we connect the pieces. I need to see how His hand positions everything, and how, throughout the process, He has been preparing and positioning me. It’s important that I recognise this.

This is what God does in us - this is how we see that He never shows up unannounced. God is always preparing me, always doing something. He never places me into anything without first preparing me. I need to recognise that preparation. And when I do, I gain confidence, because then I know without a doubt that it was the Lord.

God doesn’t take lightly the small words, the preparations, and the steps He has been leading me through, because He knows they are essential for me to stand strong in the future. If I ignore them, I will compromise my strength and ability to truly stand in confidence and faith.

Sometimes, I need more than courage to take steps of faith, I need validation. But I have confidence because I’ve seen how God has been preparing me. And the more I see the signs of His work in my life, the more confidence I gain. I don’t just have His word, I also have the proof that He’s been preparing me.

If I don’t recognise God’s hand in my life, I’ll experience the results, frustration, for example. Many of God’s people who are strong and unshaken are not only that way because of His word, but because they also recognise His hand at work in their lives. God has been preparing us, building us, and working in us, and we must recognise it. He has always been working.

God gives us validation and evidence that we belong. And as we look back and see the signs, we become confident that what He has been preparing us for is truly ours. We can stand assured because of the validation He gives, and the process He has taken us through. But if I don’t recognise it, I’ll face frustration, delay, and more -  because I won’t be able to stand with confidence, having failed to recognise what God has been doing.

Sometimes we blame the enemy, when in fact, it was God taking us through a process. Failing to recognise God causes damage in our lives. But when I do recognise His hand, it’s like a child recognising their mother’s touch even in the dark.

Fear, hesitation, and procrastination are all signs that I have not recognised God's hand in my life. But when I do, I can walk in greater authority, confidence, and faith. God is a friend who is always near, though invisible, but when I recognise His hand, even if I don’t see Him, I know He is there. I can see His presence and His work.

For me to walk and take bold steps of faith, to step onto those stepping stones not knowing what’s next, is crucial right now. Peter took bold steps when he stepped onto the water, not knowing what would happen, but knowing that Jesus had called him.

In June, God said that He is the “on-time God.” But what does that mean now, in July? It means that if I take one step, even if I can’t see the next, as soon as I lift my foot to move, He will show up. Right on time.

The one who dares to believe in God will see great power. Hearing that God has spoken is one thing, but we remain stuck when we fail to recognise His hand. When I recognise His hand, I also recognise the signs of God. That recognition brings comfort, even when I’m surrounded by enemies. It gives me peace, even when there is no visible sign of peace. Why? Because I recognise His hand in my life.

When I recognise the hand of God in my life, I have a greater advantage. God might not have spoken directly, but I can still see Him working.

I can learn to recognise God’s hand in my life, it’s never too late. God announces Himself in our lives long before He shows up. Even Jesus was announced all the way back in Genesis. There were declarations about the coming Messiah. A king doesn’t arrive without an announcement,  and neither does the Lord.

Before anything happens in our lives, God has already given us the solution. If I don’t know what to do next, it’s because I haven’t recognised His hand in my life.

The flesh will die, but the spirit will live. That’s why I must obey God,  because my spirit is always in agreement with Him.

God speaks and expects a response. His word might sound like a request, but it is a command. A lack of response on my part is disobedience.

When I recognise the hand of God in my life, I can also recognise what He is doing today. And when I can see what God is doing today, it gives me courage, faith, and confidence to respond. When I come to that place,  where I recognise what God is saying, see what He is doing, and choose to respond, my life will never be the same again. Everything about my life will become supernatural. I’ll begin walking in the perfect will of God.

I need to stop feeding the flesh, stop being lazy, and stop neglecting the Lord. And when I change that, I’ll begin to see change.

Amen.