If you haven’t read the book of Esther, I encourage you do so. Esther was faced with a challenge to go and share with the King that something was going to happen to her people. She told the King “My people are at risk. They are going to be completely taken away from the earth.  There is a death wish on my life.” Her bold and courageous actions put her in a position of risking her own life. There is a part toward the end of the book of Esther where Mordecai, her cousin, who is taking care of her, the one who has told her of the plot to kill the Jews, tells her you can choose to remain silent.

Like Esther it is actually your right as well. But rest assured that God’s purpose will prevail because he has a promised plan for us. And you are able to determine, in this critical moment, how your actions, or the lack there of, will influence the course of your history or simply tuck you away in its shadows.

Esther with faith, courage and conviction replies, “I will rise. I will speak out. I will respectfully push back.” I am so inspired by Esther’s response here. You know why? Because she recognized that she had something to lose, and she was willing to lose that in order to gain a partnership with God and become a liberator.

So often we navigate this world only thinking about gains.  What am I going to accomplish? What am I going to get out of this? What am I going to receive in return? And yet so often we fail to consider what we could lose.  And that is equally, if not more important, than considering our gains. Esther had the very lives of her people in her hands, and she was willing to say that she was not willing to risk that loss.

When you think about your day-to-day life, what are you actually losing? It may not be as significant as what Esther was about to lose, but maybe it is time with your family, or time with the Lord. Or maybe it is the opportunity to do something else.

So, I would encourage you, as you face your decisions, to be bold and courageous, and don’t forget to consider the losses as well.  Maybe, just maybe, there are actually losses you are not willing to incur.

(If you would like the devotional for the entire week, click here.)

One thing that always strikes me when reading through Jesus’ earthly ministry is how frequently and perhaps even how easily he set healthy boundaries despite the pressures of others. I don’t know about you, but I am typically the type of person that when a request is made of me, or I feel called to step into a situation, I am pretty apt to say “yes” right away.

I don’t often place boundaries around my time like I would like to, or say “no” to the people around me in fear of letting them down. Yet, when I look at Jesus’ example, so often his willingness and his abilities to set boundaries was out of necessity for sustenance and a nourishment from the Father first. He stole away to quiet places to pray. The time he spent in the desert and resting and praying makes me feel uncomfortable as I face the pressures of my life. To think about taking days or weeks at a time to spend with the Lord makes me think about “all the things on my to-do list: what am I to do about all those things?” When I don’t set those healthy boundaries around my daily choices, too often I am not functioning out of God’s design for my life. I am trying to take things into my own hands.

So, I want to encourage you, if you are walking in a season of challenges and difficulties, maybe you’re in a season of growth and opportunity, and you’re knowing that you are stepping into this bold and courageous place. How can you set healthy boundaries around your time, your relationships, your time with the Lord, with your family? That takes the ability to stop and ask yourself, “what is most important to me?”

When I have new clients, one of the first activities we usually do is list out everything in their life that is important to them. Nothing is too significant or insignificant. We end up with a list of 25-30 things and then we go back and rank the top ten. Then I ask them to think back over the last week and over the last few days and ask, “How often have you prioritized these things?” And as you can imagine it makes them uncomfortable and it reminds me of how often I don’t prioritize my most important things.

So, I encourage you, set boundaries like Jesus did. Even if you feel like you don’t have the time or space take five minutes, ten minutes, even one minute as a great starting point. Your decisions, your family, the people around you will thank you.

Is there a season or circumstance that may be happening right now where God is calling you to step out, to say something, to be an agent of change, to support the people around you? Whatever that circumstance is for you, I want you to consider the importance of context. Context is something that we often take for granted or forget to consider, especially if our circumstance is immediate and possibly causing us a lot of pressure. We have to get this done now. We need a solution in place. And we fail to consider context. That often can cause damage to our relationships that can actually create a solution that is not long term or more damaging than we had hoped.

Looking at Esther’s story, one of the things that is so important is when her cousin Mordecai first comes to her to let her know that there is someone out there who wants to obliterate their people. And when this message is sent to Esther it comes through the people around her. Mordecai doesn’t come directly to Esther, and Esther needs some clarification.

Sometimes when we are faced with an obstacle or a solution one of our first responses might be to immediately go to someone—the source of the problem or the person in charge—and ask for help, support, or clarity. But what we see Esther do here is so important.

When she first becomes aware of Mordecai’s distress, and he can’t come to her because under the Persian law he is in mourning, she is beside herself. She wants to know what is happening, what is going on and what is troubling Mordecai. So, she actually sends clothes for him to change so that under the law he could come to her. But he objects. When we are in those seasons when we act on a situation, especially in an emergency, and things don’t go as we had planned, we immediately push back. And yet Esther pauses. She chooses to respect Mordecai’s decision. She considers the context of the situation. You know what she does next? She flexes in her approach.

So, as you are facing a difficult season or circumstance and you are being called to step out in boldness and courage, I want you to consider the context of your circumstance and be open to flexibility.

What is radical acceptance? Esther gives us an example of what radical acceptance looks like. Esther was called to stand up and challenge the King to save her people. Esther was in a very dangerous position. Her life was on the line. As God gave her the courage and the boldness, she also had to consider her circumstances.

I think a lot of times we have an idealized version of what our circumstances are going to look like when we are called to step into uncertainty—when we are called to speak up. We want to feel a certain way. We want to feel emboldened, confident; we don’t want to feel anxious. The reality of it is that most of the time those emotions of uncertainty are going to accompany us even if we know we are doing the right thing.

Think about all the emotions Esther must have been feeling. She must have been feeling terrified, uncertain, and yet she showed up with faith, courage and conviction. She said, “I am going to stand up.” “I am going to speak up.” “I am going to respectfully push back.” Esther was by God to be a liberator of her people but as the Queen of Persia she was expected to be obedient to the law. She was expected to be quiet and submissive. But what she did in that moment is she chose to partner with God.

She stepped into that place of uncertainty—of not knowing the outcome, probably feeling quite anxious about the outcome, and overwhelmed. But she knew her circumstances and said “Okay this is where God has placed me. I’m going to partner with God and we are going to bring about radical transformation. We are going to free the people. I am stepping out in faith.”

When you find yourself facing a really difficult situation, I want you to consider how you can embrace and accept those emotions that might be holding you back. And yet still challenge yourself to step forward knowing that God will provide victory and God will carry you through.

One of the things I hear a lot from people, especially women who are in the marketplace, is when they get into a situation that is overwhelming or they start to feel that anxiety level rise, they begin to ask, “How do I navigate this?” I think one of the most important things for us to recognize about being bold and courageous is where we are launching from.

What is the ground you are standing on like? It is really hard to step out in courage when the floor beneath you is shaky. But I think we can ground ourselves more easily than we realize. I think we can be grounded right here, right now. You can be grounded whether your circumstances are overwhelming, or whether the decision you have to make is rather exhilarating but also daunting. Maybe your team or your family or whatever you are navigating is well oiled and going well or maybe it is breaking down. You can be grounded when people are with you and when people are against you. In any and every circumstance, as a Christ-follower you are grounded.

The Apostle Paul tells us “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude” (Colossians 2:6-7).

Did you catch that? You have been firmly rooted. It is a done deal. Everything else from that point is the building up part. The building up part is hard. And that’s where our emotions can come in. But I want you to recognize that you are already there. You have been firmly rooted therefore you are grounded. So, when we hold on to that, we can keep our emotions in check. When I am feeling anxious, I can say “I am standing on solid ground.” I may feel overwhelmed but the ground beneath me is not moving. You may feel this is impossible, but God has got you. You are firmly rooted.

If you’re thinking I've made up this grasshopper sickness, let me remind you of the time when God's people were afflicted with it. You'll find it recorded in Numbers 13. Here are some selected verses from that chapter:

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.'  So at the Lord's command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites (13:1-3).

"When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, 'See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.' (13:17-20).

"So they went up and explored the land...At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land... They gave Moses this account:  'We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey!  Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large... (13:21,25, 27-28).

"Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, 'We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.'  But the men who had gone up with him said, 'We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are.'  And they spread among the Israelites a bad report             about the land they had explored. They said, 'The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.'" (13:30-33).

GRASSHOPPERS! That's how they saw themselves—grasshoppers! And as a result, they wanted to give up. They lost all hope of ever entering the promised land. In the 14th chapter the story continues:

"All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, 'If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?'" (Numbers 14:2-3).

Oh, this grasshopper disease is really serious. Let me point out the symptoms of this sickness so you can check up and see if you've caught it lately:

First, it wipes out your memory.

Think of those children of Israel, poised on the borders of Canaan. How had they gotten there? God had miraculously led them out of Egypt. I mean, it's not every day you see the waters of the Red Sea parted and walk across on dry land. Miracle after miracle after miracle had happened right in front of their eyes. But they didn't even remember.

So, when you catch the grasshopper disease, you remember what you should forget and forget what you should remember.

Does that ever happen to you? How often have you found yourself facing what looked like an impossibility, and all you could talk about, all you could focus on was how difficult it was going to be? If that's where you are today, you may indeed be coming down with this disease.

Second, you grumble and complain.

If you know anything about the children of Israel, you know that griping and complaining was a common problem for them. And sure enough, as soon as they heard the bad report from the ten faithless spies, they complained and grumbled against Moses and Aaron. Notice that their complaining spirit quickly spread to everyone around them. This disease is very contagious!

When was the last time you grumbled or complained? Paul wrote to the Philippians "Do everything without complaining or arguing..." (2:14). Everything! When you complain,

I want to encourage you to step out of the boat at the invitation of Jesus like Peter did, to do the good works he has for you to do. Could it be that you’ve been stuck in your boat and missing the joy of walking on the water with Jesus because of some fear or maybe laziness or just not wanting to rock your boat? If that’s where you are, it’s keeping you from knowing the incredible joy and fulfillment that comes when you simply obey Jesus and by trusting him, you do what God wants us to do.

You see, as a Christ-follower, you were created to do certain good works, as we read in Ephesians 2:10:

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

That is your mission in life, as established by God, and it is only when you are doing those good works that you are living in the completeness of who you are in Christ Jesus. Maybe you haven’t stepped out of the boat because you haven’t truly asked God to show you what good works he has for you to do. That’s a good place to start—just pray for guidance, and if you’re sincere about doing it, God will put a desire in your heart to do a good work.

Maybe you haven’t stepped out of the boat because you simply haven’t made time in your life to do those good works. Could it be that your life is so full of what you want to do, that you just can’t fit God’s calling into your schedule? I think of a person I knew who filled her life with lots of activity—fun things as well as career pursuits—so that there just was no time to put anything else in her life. She had just made her boat so comfortable that she didn’t want to leave it. But she missed the blessing of walking on water with Jesus.

Maybe you stepped out of the boat once and then you started to sink, like Peter did, and so you just jumped back in the boat and now you’re afraid you’ll sink again. But failure is often part of our growing process, and God gives us lots of second chances. I don’t think I could count the number of times God has had to rescue me and give me another opportunity to walk on the water with him. That’s the kind of Lord we serve, and he’s waiting to take your hand and show you the incomparable fulfillment that comes when you walk by faith and not by sight.

I just want to encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus and follow his invitation to step out of the boat. I know it’s scary, but you don’t want to miss the indescribable joy of walking on the water with Jesus, doing what you could never do alone, and hearing him say “Well done.”

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Did you know that there is  no “little” with God? I’m talking this week about stepping out of the boat to do what Jesus is inviting and asking you to do. It takes courageous faith and it can be a little risky, but it is the way to the abundant life that Jesus has for us.

However, I think lots of times we don’t take that step out of the boat because we keep thinking that God measures people and gifts and accomplishments like we do—by size, by quantity, by big versus small. And we decide that what we can do just doesn’t seem that big or important, compared to what others are doing. But God doesn’t use our measurement systems.

You remember the parable of the talents, where three guys were given different quantities—one ten talents, one five and one only one talent. The first two servants got busy and doubled their talents, but the guy with only one talent just sat down and did nothing. No doubt he figured that he couldn’t do much with only one talent anyway, so why bother? What difference would it make? But as Jesus tells that parable, it made a huge difference, and he was severely reprimanded by the Master. He could have done something with his one talent, but he just gave up.

Have you been disparaging the importance of your “one talent,” your gift, your ability, your opportunities? Have you been thinking that God is not involved in your “little” life?

Can I remind you of the boy with the small lunch? Jesus multiplied it more than he could have ever dreamed. What about the widow who gave her last penny? Not small to Jesus. Jesus said she gave more than the others. And those two people have been memorialized in Scripture for centuries.

You see, Jesus just measures differently than we do. If your excuse has been that you don’t have much to offer to the Lord, it simply won’t hold water. Jesus measures what you do with what you’ve been given—where you started and where you ended up—and he never compares you to anyone else.

Mother Teresa used to advise, “Don’t try to do great things for God. Do small things with great love.” There’s a passage in Zechariah 4 that says “Who dares despise the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10a). Maybe you’ve been despising or discounting what you see as a small thing that God wants you to do, and that’s why you haven’t stepped out of the boat. Can I encourage you to do that small thing with great love for Jesus? To step out of your boat and experience the joy of walking on water as Jesus empowers you. You’ll never regret it.

The Bible teaches us that as Christ-followers, we have to walk by faith not by sight. That means sometimes we have to take a risk, step out of the boat like Peter did, in order to walk where Jesus invites us. I’m talking about stepping out of our boats this week, and some things I’ve learned in my years of following Christ. Think about this:

Obedience is more important to God than your comfort.

I believe that God sometimes withholds information from us and takes away our security blankets because he’s teaching us the simple discipline of obeying. If you’re trying to cross all your t’s and dot all your i’s before you step out of the boat, you’ll probably be sitting there a long time! Sure, we need to do our due diligence and not foolishly charge ahead without making adequate plans. But seeing every turn in the road ahead just never happens with God. He shows us enough light for the next step.

The Bible says that the Word of God is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. We don’t walk blindly ahead, but we take it one step at a time, walking through the open doors even when we’re not quite sure what’s on the other side. Control freaks will have difficulty walking by faith, because it requires that you trust God all the way and relinquish the control into his hands. Psalm 91 is good for the faith walker—it says that God will cover us and his faithfulness will be our shield and defense. Quoting verse 9: “If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent” (Psalm 91:9-10). When you step out of the boat, God has your back.

And consider this:

Often God’s will is for us to make some decisions.

Making decisions is one way we grow and learn. So, there will be times when you simply will not have any great emotional confirmation or direction, but you will be faced with a decision that you must make, based on your knowledge of Scripture and the wisdom that God promises to give us.

That means, of course, that you are taking a risk—the risk that you could make the wrong decision. You could absolutely fall on your face. In fact, if you haven’t fallen on your face once or twice, my guess is, you haven’t done much! Asking God to give us clear, unmistakable signs—like Gideon of old—is not an act of faith. It is a sign that we really don’t want to walk by faith; it is evidence that we are controlled by our fears.

So, is God showing you that he wants you to step out of the boat? What’s keeping you from taking the next step?

I wonder if you’ve ever thought about what it must have felt like to Peter when he actually walked on water at Jesus’ invitation? What an incredible experience—something no one had ever done before. But you know, he had to step out of the boat in order to do it.

I’m talking this week about stepping out of our boats, taking the risk that comes when we follow Jesus to do the good works he’s called us to do. This step of faith will often take you outside your natural gifting, and you’ll have to trust God to see you through.

Here’s another thing I’ve learned about stepping out of the boat:

You’ll always feel inadequate, because the truth is, you’ll always be inadequate.

I would remind you of what Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). 

Recognizing your inadequacies doesn’t mean you are not called to do the job; it just means that God has chosen to use you and he will get the glory because in yourself, you can’t do it. It wasn’t long ago that I took on a new project that was totally out of my wheelhouse, as we say. On paper I was not qualified for the job, but I had no doubt that God wanted me to do it, so I just kept going, depending on him to teach me, to put people in my life who could help, etc. Stepping out of the boat usually takes you where you’ve never been before.

God is always preparing us for what is ahead, even when we don’t realize it.

Think of King David. Do you think that while he was tending sheep he ever thought that God had chosen him to be King of Israel? Not once, I’m sure. But that’s where he became an expert with a slingshot; that’s where he wrote music and words and learned to play an instrument. All of which God used mightily in his life then and to bless untold millions in the centuries since then.

I dare say if you look back on your own history, whatever you’ve learned, whatever you’ve experienced, whatever hardships or difficulties you’ve gone through, they have prepared you for something God is doing or is going to do with you. You may have never chosen that kind of education or preparation, but God knows how to turn even what others meant for evil into good for us.

Is God inviting you to step out of the boat? Don’t miss the blessing that is yours when you do.

God has for you to do. Don’t miss the blessing that comes when you step out of the boat with Jesus.