Incremental Obedience…God Leads in Steps NOT Leaps

The phrase “leap of faith” is commonly used in Christian circles.  I’ve probably even used the term myself.  But did you know that this phrase is actually unscriptural?  God leads in steps NOT leaps.  We’re not frogs.  We’re humans.  Humans walk, not jump.  We need to learn how to practice incremental obedience via steps that God gives us.

Previously, I  read through the devotional plan “How to Neighbor” by Pastor Craig Groeschel from Life.Church on the YouVersion Bible app.  It’s an excellent 10-day plan.  I highly recommend it.  In part of the plan, Pastor Craig is talking about Esther and her pivotal role in helping God’s people.  He mentioned that Esther had to take steps of incremental obedience…

“As a teen, Esther pushed back darkness and risked everything for her neighbors because Mordecai, her adoptive father, reminded her why she was alive “for such a time as this.” Think about this. Esther, and every other person who’s ever done anything valuable for God, basically just took incremental steps of obedience.”

The frequently quoted scripture, “Perhaps you were made…for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14) can apply to our lives too.  We will have “for such a time as this” moments throughout our lives.  Those moments will require steps, not leaps, of incremental obedience leading up to them.

Esther’s steps of incremental obedience

You see, Esther didn’t just leap into the opportunity to save the Jews from destruction.  She took steps.

• She was taken to a harem at King Xerxes’ palace—Esther 2:8 (doesn’t sound like a fun step with the word “harem” involved)
• She completed 12 months of spa treatments—Esther 2:12 (now I could handle this step!)
• She treated everyone kindly and gained the respect and admiration of everyone she encountered—Esther 2:9, 15
• She was humble and followed the recommendations of her authority—Esther 2:15, 20
• She became queen—Esther 2:17
• She protected the king—Esther 2:22
• She fasted and prayed, asking others to join her, and sought guidance from God—Esther 4:16 (Note: She still took steps here. Even after learning of the plot to destroy her people, she didn’t rush into anything, make any rash decisions, or take any big leaps.)
• She went to see the king, and requested that he and Haman join her for a banquet—Esther 5:1-5
• She requested the king and Haman come to a second banquet—Esther 5:7
• She humbly asked the king to spare her life and the lives of her people and pointed out Haman as the enemy—Esther 7:3-6
• She humbly and successfully pleaded for the reversal of Haman’s orders to destroy the Jews—Esther 8:3-8

Esther’s incremental obedience was a bit of a snowball effect with one step leading to and building on another.  Her purpose was fulfilled, step-by-step.  So will ours be.

God leads in STEPS that require incremental obedience

“The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalm 37:23 (NLT)

“Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil.” Psalm 119:133 (NLT)

“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

“The LORD directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” Proverbs 20:24 (NLT)

“LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.” Jeremiah 10:23 (NIV)

“Here are the stages [steps—emphasis mine] in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.” Numbers 33:1 (NIV) 

Good things are done in steps and phases and take incremental obedience…

Successful things are done one step at a time.  Building a house.  Going on a trip.  Even filing a tax return takes steps.  Cooking is yet another illustration.  You don’t just throw in all the ingredients at once and cook it.  That’s not how it works.  You have to stick to incremental obedience to each of the steps.  Take this family favorite Potato Salad recipe for example.  It takes steps to make it.  This is usually a request at our family cookouts and get-togethers—perfect for the summer!

Potato Salad

6-8 cups of potatoes (peeled and cubed)

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 cup dill pickles (diced)

1 cup onions (diced—I prefer red)

4-5 hard-boiled eggs (peeled and diced)

1 cup mayonnaise (more or less depending on preferred consistency)

1 tablespoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Cooking STEPS:  Boil the potatoes until you can break them apart easily with a spoon or fork.  I usually boil my eggs at the same time to give them time to cool before dicing and adding.  Drain the potatoes, and put them in a large bowl.  While the potatoes are still slightly warm mix in the vinegar, pickles, and onions.  Your potatoes will break apart a little as you mix.  That’s okay.  This recipe makes a sort of creamy and chunky consistency.  Next, add in the mayonnaise and mustard and mix.  You can add more if you like yours a little creamier.  Mix in the diced eggs.  Finally, add the celery salt, salt, and pepper.  Taste for texture and flavor, and make adjustments as necessary.  Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Incremental obedience can be like following a recipe

I don’t typically use a recipe for this potato salad.  Similarly, with God, we don’t always get all of the steps and instructions in the beginning.  Sometimes our instructions are vague, and we just kind of have to go with it to the best of our ability.  However, sometimes our instructions are very precise and must be followed exactly (like with baking).  When God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, that was precise instruction to be followed exactly (Jonah 1:1-2).  There was no leeway there.  Even when he disobeyed, God didn’t change his instructions.

Often, like with my potato salad, you just go step by step (aka incremental obedience) and make adjustments.  Too thick?  Add more mayo.  Too bland?  Throw in some more pickles and onions and another dash or two of spices.  Is something not suited to you?  Leave it out (my sister doesn’t like the onions).  Sometimes when we follow incremental obedience with God, we’ll have to make adjustments from time to time.  God might give us a step but may not tell us the exact manner to go about following it.  As a result, we’ll just have to step out and make adjustments as necessary.

Overall, God deals with us as individuals.  Not everyone is the same NOR will everyone have the same steps and instructions EVEN if we’re doing the same task.

He takes into account our individual personalities and gifts.  Jesus even did the same miracles in different ways (examples of him healing the blind in different ways: Matthew 9:27-31, Matthew 20:29-34, Mark 8:22-25, Luke 18:35-42, John 9:1-7).  God may not necessarily give us the exact same directions/steps as He does for others to do our tasks, run our businesses, or lead our families.  He may personalize our instructions just like we can personalize a recipe.

Hey look at that…you got a cool instructional analogy AND a recipe, and I’m not even a food blogger!! BONUS!  But don’t expect any more recipes—go to Pinterest for that. 🙂

Take Some Practical Steps to Incremental Obedience:

• First, quit using the phrase “leap of faith”.

Remember you’re not a frog! 😉

• Next, quit trying to take LEAPS!

Remember that God will guide you in steps not leaps.  If you are having to “leap” into something big…that might be an indicator that it is not God’s will for you at the time. 

• Now, what step(s) has God given you? If you’re not sure, ask God to give you a step to follow.

Turn the above scriptures into a prayer to ask God to direct your steps.  Then obey that step before moving on.  Remember to make adjustments as necessary. (You can also visit this post for more scriptures about direction from God.) 

• Stuck? Go back to the last step God gave you to follow.

God will not God advance your instructions past your last act of disobedience.  Incremental obedience is necessary to get your future step guidance. 

• Have you obeyed your last step but still aren’t getting your next step? Sit tight and stay put.

It might just not be the right time for the next step yet.  Stay on that step until God gives you further direction or until the Holy Spirit is leading you otherwise.  NOTE: I’m not just saying sit and be lazy!  Sometimes we have to wait on God, but we can keep working while we’re waiting.  For example, I may not know the next phase for my blog and “ministry”, so in the meantime, I’ll just keep trucking and improving what I already have.  You can always pray and ask God what He wants you to do in the meantime too.

• Frustrated that you can’t see all of your steps in advance?

Remind yourself that bite-sized pieces are easier to manage.  God sees the big picture when we don’t.  Remember the rolled-up paper analogy in this post?  Sometimes He withholds parts of the info/steps because we might get in our own way.  We may not be fully cooperative if we had all the facts up front OR we may be TOO cooperative and try to do things our way in our time instead of God’s way in His timing.  Sometimes He also withholds parts of the info/steps because of the devil.  If the devil knew all of God’s plans he would try to stop them.

• Then, don’t copy others’ steps–God’s steps for you may be different, even for the same task.

• Finally, go make some potato salad and enjoy your summer! 😉

Do you have any big (or not-so-big) decisions to make?  What steps are you taking to show incremental obedience? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below.

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*Updated: Originally posted 6/28/16