Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Thursday, January 14, 2021

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."¹

Don't you just love the title of the book by John Ortberg: If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat. It's one of those titles that I wish I had thought of myself.

I suppose most of us like to stay close to the shore in shallow waters, safely within our comfort zone. However, if we are going to invest our life and our God-given talents in a worthy and noble cause, and grow to reach our full potential, at some point we are going to need to launch out into the deep of the unknown—out of our comfort zone—or as John Ortberg put it, get out of the boat and walk on the water. He's talking about exercising faith, of course, and stretching beyond our comfort zone and known limits.

Sure it's scary, but unless we are willing to risk failure, we will never learn how to walk on water.

    New Horizons

    Unless you are willing
    to launch out far from
    sight of the shore
    into the deep beyond
    your present comfort zone,
    you will never know
    what you are capable
    of doing or becoming,
    nor will you ever discover
    the new horizons
    and greater dreams
    your heart
    is yearning for.

             – Dick Innes
               © Copyright 2000

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me the vision to see what my God-given life purpose is, and the faith and courage to launch out into the deep to become all that you have envisioned for me to be, and to do what you plan for me to do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Hebrews 11:8 (NIV).

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