FINDING THE COURAGE TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP (5 KEYS)

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Is God asking you to do something outside your comfort zone? Do you need to find the courage to take the first step? If yes, then I have a beautiful yet encouraging word for you. Stepping out of your comfort zone is never easy. Especially if you are not one who likes change. But there comes a time when God requires you and me to step out of the boat and embrace something new.

5 keys that will help you find the courage to take the first step.
Scriptures that will help you find the courage to take the first step.
Conclusion

You see, God already had your life planned before you were born. That is why sometimes He will redirect you. To you, it might seem like redirection, but in actuality, this is God realigning you to the path He has for you. In order to find the courage to take the first step, it is important that you get out of your own head and think with your heart instead.

When God called Abraham and asked him to leave his comfort zone, Abraham had a choice to make. He could allow all the things that could go wrong to hinder him from taking the plunge or he could believe that God had a plan and would lead him where he needs to be. Fortunately, Abraham believed in his heart and had faith that God would do what needs to be done as long as he took that first step. This case applies to you, too.

Read also: The benefit of taking baby steps

You see the only way God will move on your behalf is when you decide to take that first step and do what He is asking of you. And if you don’t know what God is asking you to do, then check out my blog posts on whether the dream is from God and how to hear from God. These two posts will help you understand if you are on the right path. It might look like what God is asking you to do seems off because you lack the expertise. But the truth is that it is not off, rather, it is God redirecting you.

Anyway, let’s get back to the topic of today.

5 keys that will help you find the courage to take the first step.

Understanding God’s voice will help you find the courage to take the first step.

The only way you will take the first step is by first understanding and being able to recognize God’s voice. After all, you can only take a step when you trust the voice and the person asking you to. When you don’t know how to discern God’s voice, you will find it difficult to take the first step. And some ways you can learn to decipher God’s voice are by.

Having a relationship with God

The number one key to discerning God’s voice is having a relationship with Him. That’s why Jesus told His disciples that His sheep know His voice and they obey Him. For you to be God’s sheep, you need to have a relationship with Him. And it starts by MAKING Jesus your Lord and Savior. The Bible tells us that when we believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord and confess with our mouths the same, then we will be saved. Have you received the gift of salvation? If not, you need to do so.

This is absolutely the best decision you will ever make in your life. Of course, I am not implying that life will be easy. All I am saying is that with Jesus as your rock, you will have a firm foundation. And also you will be anchored when things around you get shaken, which will happen. Anyway, again, salvation is the key to HEARING God’s voice. You cannot discern the voice of a stranger because you don’t have a relationship with them. The same applies to God. You cannot recognize His voice when you lack a relationship with Him because He is a stranger to you.

Reading God’s word

The next thing is to read the word of God. God’s words are found in the Bible. And it is when you spend time in His word that you will learn to recognize His voice. The truth is that God’s voice will go hand in hand with His word. He will never contradict His word. That is why He says that He has placed His word above His Name. So, as you read His word, you get to learn who He is and His attributes, which make it easy to recognize His voice when He speaks. He is unchanging, so anything He tells you will be in line with His character.

Fellowship with the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit’s task is to reveal Jesus to us and also reveal to us our sonship in God. This is great because as you commune with the Holy Spirit, He will reveal to you who the Father is and in turn what He is saying to you. He will also bring to your remembrance things you need to remember concerning God and what He is telling you. (Romans 8)

Silencing the inner critic

There is always a voice inside our head that tries to diminish us and make us live in fear. And that is why it is important to silence the inner critic. When the inner critic is louder than the Holy Spirit you will not find the courage to take the first step. And some ways you can silence the inner critic include.

Spending time in the word of God.

Meditating ON God’s word will help silence the inner critic because you will experience mind renewal through restructuring the brain. In Romans, Paul reminds us we will experience transformation through the renewal of the mind and this comes from reading the word of God. You have heard it said that you empower what you focus on, so if you want to empower positive thinking and the voice of the Holy Spirit, you need to fuel your spirit by reading God’s word.

Making positive decrees.

Again, you cannot speak negatively and expect to silence the inner critic. It starts with telling yourself positive things. Instead of agreeing with the inner critic when it tells you how unqualified you are, remind it you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. When it tells you that you will never succeed, remind it you are victorious in Christ. One caveat is that you need to have these decrees beforehand to speak back to that voice. This again reiterates the first point of spending time in the word.

Be mindful of your tribe.

Remember, if you surround yourself with people who always look down on you, the inner critic will always rule over you. Your default setting is always what you’ve been exposed to the longest. That is why you need to evaluate your friends and those who are closest to you. Ask yourself this: are they fueling the inner critic? If yes, it might be time for you to limit the time you spend with them. Remember, you want an environment that will fuel your faith since you desire to find the courage to take the first step.

Don’t overthink

Jesus reminds us not to worry about tomorrow as tomorrow will take care of itself. In the same way, I want you not to overthink. You might wonder if you will succeed in this new venture or whether you have what it takes. Remember this: you will not know until you start. And it does not matter how many mistakes you make on your journey. As long as you keep learning, you will get to the other side. So don’t overthink and don’t allow your mind to give you all the reasons not to. Just start.

Do you know something? When you start, you will be better off than someone who never did whether or not you succeed. You cannot anticipate everything. And again, you will not perfect your craft until you try. So don’t allow perfection to hinder you from taking the first step. After all, a master was once a student. And it takes you going through the learning process before you can achieve excellence.

Don’t compare yourself with others if you want to find the courage to take the first step.

You are uniquely you. And the solution you can offer is unique to you. When God created you, He had a solution in mind that He wanted you to be in this world. And you comparing yourself with someone else will only ignite fear and fuel the inner critic. It’s true you don’t have what the other person has. But that’s great because you have a different perspective that will cater to the tribe that God has lined up for you. You should also not try to do it the way someone else did it.

After all, if their way was effective, God would not have placed the desire to start that venture. You see, we no longer need another sacrifice because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. And that’s why the old covenant was not effective. Also, it is important to overcome imposter syndrome. The reality is that we are all on the journey to becoming our best selves. Remember, you are not perfect and never will be. And again, we are all a work in progress so you don’t need to attain perfection to begin.

Just start

Abraham took the first step when God told him to. And today I want you to take the first step as well. You are not alone. We all have something God is asking us to do and we are all figuring it out as we go. Remember, it was when Peter stepped out of the boat that He walked on water. You will never really know what you are capable of if you don’t take the first step. God will not abandon you. He will lead you every step of the way if you let Him.

Scriptures that will help you find the courage to take the first step.

Psalm 56:3-4

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”

Ephesians 6:10

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”

Deuteronomy 31:6

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Psalm 31:24

“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”

Isaiah 41:10

“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.”

2 Timothy 1:7

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Proverbs 18:10

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower the righteous run to it and are safe.

Romans 8:31-32

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Conclusion

Finding the courage to take the first step is never easy. But nothing worthwhile comes easy. So take the first step today. Don’t try to figure it all out at once. Just do what you can do and trust that God will help you as you take the step. Rome was not built in a day and a journey of a thousand steps starts with one. As you take one step you get closer to where God is leading you. And it is in your moving forward that fear gets expelled. Don’t worry, God’s got you.