Take the leap of faith

34 Comments

1. Thank you Katherine. I cling to the daily reminder of Hen. 13:5- I am never alone. He never leaves or forsakes me. I appreciated reading your post and especially the scriptures you chose.

   1. We are truly blessed to have such an amazing Father–faithful and trustworthy–who is always with us. As you remind us, we aren’t alone. Thank you, Marilyn.

2. Katherine, your post is very encouraging, especially regarding fear. As we mature in faith we increase in fear of God and decrease in fear of everything else.
   We’re surrounded by so many serious concerns these days, especially for young people.
   “So do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
   Believing this passage/promise is gamechanging and takes a leap of faith. I’m grateful to be able to have confidence in God, counting on His presence and undergirding.
   Great message. Thanks.

   1. Connie, I’m so grateful you shared your thoughts and reminded us how much our faithful Father loves us. He is with us on our journey, always just a prayer away. We are blessed!

3. I love the comparison and the message, Katherine. Thank you.

   1. Thank you for your kind encouragement, Diana. Wishing you peace and blessings.

4. I really liked this quote: But faith in their leap is based on their history (learning to jump) and consistency (practice, practice, practice as they grow taller and stronger).

   My faith should be based on God’s history and consistency. Thank you for the reminder, Katherine.

   1. I thought of that, too, Kristy as I wrote this message. We should have that confidence in our Father so we could be like those deer–strong in our confidence in our Father so that we take the leap of faith to submit to Him, ask Him to come into our lives, and walk confidently with Him on our journey. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Wishing you joy and blessings.

5. So appreciated this encouraging and instructional post Ms. Katherine. I thought about my experiences with deer. We see a few that come around for a drink from the pond, etc. and I’m always amazed at the ease in which they can clear my fencing with their mighty leaps. I’m also cognizant of their timidness, almost constantly bounding off at the slightest sound or movement detected. Great lessons here about both living with and in faith and the importance of always being on guard for those things that can threaten our faith and peace.

   1. Like you, I’m amazed at the jumping ability God granted to deer. Another aspect of His amazing creation. Like deer, we should be ever watchful for the enemy who is determined to separate us from our Lord. Thankfully our Savior is always faithful, even when we are not. God is Good! (and merciful, loving, and filled with grace for the unworthy–I’m thankful for our Father’s great love.) Hope you’re having a great week and received some rain. Blessings!

6. I could picture all the deer I’ve seen hop the fences over the years. My parents ranch and grandparents farm both had multiple stock tanks and the deer would be there early morning or around sunset to water. It reminds me of beginning and ending the day in God’s word. You are correct, we need that close relationship (as the deer pants for water) with our God just as much as we need water to sustain our life. A great reminder I needed today. I have seven feral cats that water every morning and evening at the swimming pool. I’ve often thought of the deer at the stock tank, ponds, streams, and lakes and their desire for water with my spiritual need for time with God.

   1. In this HOT weather, I know those cats are grateful for the water you share. Sounds like the topic for a blog message. Thank you for sharing your memories, Jimmie. Perhaps we will really be able to co-exist with deer someday. It’s been hard on the deer, adjusting to the close community connection deer and humans have. Thank you, Jimmie.

7. Reminds me of the book Hinds’ Feet On High Places. Deer has been an incredible reminder of trust for me. My son, as a new driver, had a close encounter with a deer. Letting him drive was a terrifying experience for me, and on his first trips solo, I was frozen in fear.

   God showed that he was with Daniel in that car when he encountered the deer, and I’ve had fewer moments of fear since. Thank you for this reminder.

   1. It’s so scary to let our teenagers spread their wings and fly–uh, I mean drive. I’ve walloped several deer over the years and it would be so traumatic for a young driver. I’m thankful that God answers our prayers for protection. I’m so glad you stopped by, Karisa. Wishing you a blessed week.

8. Learning the leap of faith does require practice, which means time in the Word, as you suggested. Our growth depends upon not giving up even when that fence is in front of us. (Like you I won’t malign the deer for eating my flowers and veggies!)

   1. I feel your pain, Barbara. Those beautiful creatures are merciless when it comes to my yard. There’s only a limited number of flowers, shrubs, and garden plants that deer don’t eat. I work hard to plant beautiful things in my yard, only to discover the next day that deer ate the plants. Grrrr! But I’m grateful for the beauty of God’s creation and His love and mercy in allowing us to live on this beautiful planet.

9. Lovely post. Psalm 42:1 provides a resounding and poetic simile for us – comparing our soul’s panting for God to a deer’s panting for water. I’ve always loved that verse and the hymn based on it.

   Thank you for brightening my afternoon.

   1. Thank you, Candyce. I think you are an outdoor girl, too. There are so many lessons our Father teaches us from nature. We are so blessed. I hope you
      are having a wonderful week.

10. Thank you Katherine. Like the dear we can leap forward in the face of fear. That has been constantly necessary for the past three years of my life. I’m thankful Jesus is always with me when I have no clue what lies ahead.

    1. You make such a good point, Lisa, when you mention “what lies ahead.” We don’t know the future, but we have the present (what a blessing!) The key is to be aware of our environment and always be on the alert for ways we can demonstrate our love for Jesus. We can have confidence in His promise that He’ll always be with us. Peace and blessings.

11. I get to see deer more often visiting my son in his wooded neighborhood. I love the lesson here. Thanks, Katherine, and God bless!

    1. Thank you, Nancy. Deer are such lovely creatures. God sends messages to us in many ways. I’m thankful for His attentiveness in regard to our environmental surroundings. He’s always just a prayer away.

12. You’re so right–Practice is vitally important in our daily walk of faith. It’s there we learn to trust God when bigger things come along! Thank you for the good reminders of why we can trust God as we walk, Katherine!

    1. Yes, Kathy, like everything else in our lives, practice and consistency in our journey of faith make a difference. I think we sometimes forget that in our walk with Jesus. He is always with us, but it is up to us to maintain and grow in our closeness with Him. Thank you for being such a wonderful role model of faithful service.

13. I think you would love where we live. We see deer continually. I love how you brought us to growing in our faith. A leap of faith can be a difficult thing. Thanks for the encouragement!

    1. If you are surrounded by nature, nature, Sylvia–YES–I would love where you live. Many of your blog messages have shown your family in natural settings so I think you are in the midst of our Father’s beautiful creation. We face those leaps of faith on a regular basis, I think. I’m thankful our Lord is always with us.

14. The verse in Habakkuk always encourages and inspires me, Katherine. The Scripture throughout this entire post lifted me up today. Thank you!

    1. Thank you, Annie! I’m grateful you stopped by and shared your kind encouragement. Joy and blessings!

15. Deer are such graceful creatures (even when they eat the flowers). And I love your analogy to our faith. God calls us to take many leaps of Faith throughout our lifetimes and I’ve never been disappointed when I did. Thanks for sharing Katherine

    1. I think you’ve probably braved many leaps of faith, Yvonne. Thank you for being such a good role model for us. You are an inspiration. May God continue to bless you in service to Him.

16. Katherine, I so appreciated the encouragement in this post. Earlier this week, I was thinking about the ability which an impala in leaping, yet they limit themselves. Deer did not come to mind and yet, I have seen them leap over hedges on our boundary many a time. May we stay in Scripture, growing in our faith, and take the leap of faith as God leads with full assurance in His Word.

    1. Thank you, Joanne. sometimes those leaps are terrifying, but we have our Father’s assurance of His faithfulness and trustworthiness. Joy and blessings!

17. Katherine, your post brought me encouragement and refreshment. Thank you!

    1. I’m so glad you stopped by, LuAnn. Thank you for your kind thoughts. Wishing you joy and blessings.

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