My Inbox of Daily Inspirations: Daily Heartlight -- January 16, 2008

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January 16, 2008

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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================

Stepping Out, by Tim Archer

It's called rappelling. It's the means by which you walk down a
near-vertical surface with the aid of a rope around your body. I was
fifteen when I did it. I don't think I'll do it again.

Let me state up front that I have some fear of heights. Not like the
lady I knew in Argentina that couldn't stand up when she was on the
ninth floor of an apartment building. But if I'm in a situation where I
can picture myself falling, I definitely experience heightened anxiety.

My rappelling episode started off with me having to walk off the top of
a cliff. Backwards. Slowly but surely I made my way down the rock face,
with an ever-growing appreciation of the power of prayer. About halfway
down, I saw one of the staff members from the camp that I was
participating in; he was perched on a nearby ledge. "You need to go to
your left," he told me. "That's easy for you to say," I thought to
myself. I was near a protrusion; going to my left meant stepping out in
space for a moment or two. Going to my right kept my feet on the solid
face of the mountain. You guessed it: I went to my right. Later, when I
was about fifteen feet from the bottom, I ran out of rope. By not
following the staff member's instructions, I had gotten the rope
snagged on a rock and could no longer reach my destination.

We have to go beyond what we can see and touch.

The ending to the story is less than dramatic; within five minutes or
so, the rope was freed and I was able to get down. But I often think
back to that moment of decision, when I had to choose between the
uncertainty of stepping out in space and the safety of what I could see
and feel. It helps me to sympathize with people who face that same
decision in their spiritual lives. How much easier it would be if we
could take God to the laboratory, place Him under a microscope and
prove His existence once and for all. How comforting it would be to
have an undeniable certificate of authenticity from God showing that
the Bible is true in every way. How convenient it would be if faith
were not required, if we could operate only on what we can see and
feel. But it's not that way; to find God we have to step out in faith.

Let me, like that camp staffer years ago, encourage you to step out in
space. Go beyond what our senses perceive and step out in faith. I and
many others can tell you that God is there, that He is real and He is
waiting for you. Take a chance, reach out and find Him; don't wait
until you reach the end of your rope!

As always, I welcome your questions and comments at tim@hopeforlife.org
or on our blog at www.hopeforlife.org/blog.

(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing,
retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article.
Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)

Are you presently experiencing a new life? God's word says, "if anyone
is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come!"

This new life is a free gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ. If
you want to know more about this life that only Jesus can give you,
sign up for one of our Bible courses. Wherever you are in life,
whatever you've done, you can begin again.

You may also contact us at info@hopeforlife.org if you have questions
about becoming a new creation.

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(c) 2008 Herald of Truth

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Daily Heartlight -- January 16, 2008