We started out a couple weeks ago talking about how there’s always this thing that’s right at the end of our noses, that struggle, that situation, that nagging thorn that tries to commandeer all of our attention so that we can’t see what God has for us beyond what’s at the end of our nose.

As I thought about it this week, I wanted to make sure you really understood what I meant about defining what that thing is beyond.
Sure it is sometimes a big overworking purpose theme for your life, but sometimes it’s just a next step.

TANGIBLE EXAMPLES OF LOOKING BEYOND. Hopefully that helps.

Defined, beyond means: at or to the further side of something. Beyond is the word for something over there that we want here. Oh Lord, it is last week’s message again!

If you are going to reach something over there, you need to figure out one of two things: How to get it to come here, or how to get you over there.

Last week I spent a lot of time trying to help you understand that God wants to use that thing in you that can help you get what is there over here. BUT often times, God will expect us to not wait on that thing there to come here, but rather, for us to go there so that it becomes here.

Noah, go build an ark.
Abraham, go to a land I will show you.
Moses, go tell Pharaoh to let my people go.
Jonah, go preach to Nineveh.
Esther, go talk to the king.
Everyone who calls Jesus Lord, go therefore and make disciples

God loves telling us to go. He loves it so much it is in his name. But to go means that you have to take action. You gotta do something!

This is a great time to stop and ask ourselves, “What is keeping me from stepping out towards that thing God has for me beyond?” Now remember, that thing isn’t always purpose only. It might be giving your life to Jesus, forgiving someone, getting serious about your relationship with Jesus, leading your family well, etc.

Most times the thing that keeps us from stepping out is simply fear. We are terrified of failure, of missing God, of taking a step and being wrong.

This is one of the biggest fights I had stepping out to plant Freedom. This decision would change the trajectory of my entire family, of our finances, our assets, our relationships, even our sanity.
- It was knowing I would have to explain to my 2nd grade daughter at the time why she had to say goodbye to her best friends at school.
- It was knowing my wife who highly values stability would be forced to live in a season of chaos and instability for an unknown amount of time.
- It was knowing our lives depended on whether or not I really heard God.

I was terrified, and I felt the pressure of what God had for me in beyond.

- I remember in December of 2018 when a person at New Covenant approached Monique and asked her, “Hey, are you guys leaving NCC?”
- I remember hearing what I believed was God say, “2020 is the year” during the first week of 21 Days of Prayer in January.
- I remember the prophetic word from Todd Bolt at a Gateway Network event where he all but singled me out in a room of over 50 pastors.
- I remember week after week over the next 11 months of little moments and meetings and prophetic words from random strangers about this church.
- And I remember our first visit to Dayton where we realized this town didn’t even have a Walmart!

I had plenty of reasons to be afraid, but I only had one reason to obey.
God said go.

This is hard, and I can explain why it is hard. There is a moment we all get to, and this moment happens often, where we have to decide whether or not we step into what God has for us.

Here’s the problem:
We know where we’ve been and we often know where we are going,
it’s just the road that gets us there is unknown. We know what it feels like on this side of that decision. Even if it feels bad, at least we know what to expect. We have an idea of what it is going to feel like once we get where God wants us to be, and we want that. But the fear of the unknown between the two often overpowers everything, even that thing in the beyond we want. So rather than have faith and step, we embrace fear and freeze or run.

We love and hate these moments. They can be opportunities for incredible growth or monumental failure. That is often why we get stuck.

We aren’t waiting for God to speak. He’s waiting on us to go.

That brings me to the first of three very important questions in taking those steps towards what is beyond that I want to ask you today.

1. Are you willing?

Luke 5:1-11
1 While Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, many people pushed to get near Him. They wanted to hear the Word of God. 2 Jesus saw two boats on the shore. The fishermen were not there because they were washing their nets. 3 Jesus got into a boat which belonged to Simon. Jesus asked him to push it out a little way from land. Then He sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Push out into the deep water. Let down your nets for some fish.” 5 Simon said to Him, “Teacher, we have worked all night and we have caught nothing. But because You told me to, I will let the net down.” 6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish, their net started to break. 7 They called to their friends working in the other boat to come and help them. They came and both boats were so full of fish they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he got down at the feet of Jesus. He said, “Go away from me, Lord, because I am a sinful man.” 9 He and all those with him were surprised and wondered about the many fish. 10 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were surprised also. They were working together with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will fish for men.” 11 When they came to land with their boats, they left everything and followed Jesus.

What would you have done?
Peter had a wife, a house, responsibilities, debt. A man he’d never met before performed a miracle and Peter followed. James and John left their dad in the boat and followed.

Rebuttal
“Dude, Jesus performed a legitimate miracle before their eyes. And on top of that, the physical Jesus audibly spoke to them and said to follow.”

What miracle does God have to do to make you willing to follow? This is a dangerous and slippery slope. We have to be super careful when we try to make deals with God.

If your willingness to go is based upon God doing what you ask, then God is no longer God in that scenario. You are.

Imagine you were getting married, but your future spouse wrote out a list of all the things required before they said, “I do.”
- You will have to abandon your hobbies and only do what I like.
- You will need my approval on any and all potential friends.
- You will be required to provide a credit card with unlimited space.
- You will only be allowed to wear attire approved by me.
- You will put a tracking device on your vehicle only I can access.
- You will be required to spend no less than $10k each year on our vacation to a location only I choose.
- You will have to maintain a BMI that is not more than 1% higher than the recommended measurement for your height.

Anyone want to take that deal? We do this to God, though.
- I need you to solve any issue before they get to me.
- I need your assurance nothing bad will happen.
- I need my questions answered to my satisfaction before I say yes.
- I need you to make every second easy.
- I need you to tell 3 people to tell me before I say yes.
- I need you too deposit all funds needed into my account upfront. (That last one is a church planters deal with God.)

Hebrews 11:1
Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the evidence of what we cannot see.
Simplified: Faith is trusting in what you hope for, even when you can't see it. It's being certain of something you believe in, even though there's no physical proof right in front of you.

God is under no obligation to explain in detail what will happen if you say yes. In fact, I have never read, seen, nor heard of a scenario where a person had the entire road explained in microscopic detail before the first step was taken.

If your willingness to say yes to God hinges upon his willingness to do everything on your list, then you will never say yes, because he is not going to do that. Giving you every detail before the first step will remove your need of faith. It might make you feel better about the step, but it will have one devastating result: Your vision will be limited by what only you can see. To make it, you’ll need his vision, not yours.

If you are not willing to have faith in God and his provision, then you will never be able to step into what God has for you beyond.

Too many people have fallen victim to the words, “If only.” “I would do X if only God did Y.”
- God, I’ll forgive if only you give them what they deserve.
- I’ll start that business if only you make sure I have no problems.
- I’ll give if only you give me the extra for it.
- I’ll serve if only I don’t have to do too much.
- I’ll come to church if only I can stay anonymous with no challenges.

If your relationship with God is contingent upon deals with him, you’ll live in the pain of being near him but never getting to know or have a relationship with him.

Truth is, there is a great big thing out there in the beyond that God wants for you. It might mean your purpose, maybe you being able to forgive, maybe you getting in covenant with God, whatever it is, but until you are ready to trust him and have faith in him, you’ll always be stuck second guessing on the precipice rather than being willing to jump off it into what God has for you beyond.

John 6:60-68
60 Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?” 61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? 63 The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) 65 Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.” 66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” 68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.

Whether you know it or not, you are willing to do one of two things:
Go forward or go backwards.
You are either willing to trust God, have faith, and obey, or you are willing to reject God and go backward.

I know I am hard selling you right now. I want you to feel the pressure of your willingness. Maybe you don’t like that. I get it, but fences were not made for sitting.

Look at how Jesus says it:
Revelation 3:15-20
15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 18 So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference. 20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.

Are you willing to open the door and let Jesus in?
Are you willing to stop being fickle and start being willing to obey him?

Are you willing?

2. Are you able?
Able means having the power, skill, means, or opportunity to do something.

Before I get into this point, I want to ease any fear you might have about your ability to do what God called you to do or your being enough. I’ve already talked about fear in stepping out, but if you are hesitant to step because you don’t think you have what it takes to accomplish that to which God has called you, you don’t. You can’t do it alone. He knows that. You need to know that, too.

Even your salvation wasn’t in your own ability.
The Father drew you to himself. John 6:44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him to me.
Jesus died to make salvation possible. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
The Holy Spirit provides everything you need. 2 Peter 1:3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.

So if fear that you aren’t enough is keeping you from stepping out, you aren’t enough. You need God and you need people. That is a relief and reason to step out, not a reason to run.

I said before God told Noah, go build an ark, Abraham, go to a land I will show you, etc.

What is interesting is that God didn’t worry that Noah didn’t know how to build a boat. God wasn’t concerned that Abraham didn’t have Google Maps. God wasn’t influenced by Moses’ protests. God never stresses about the inadequacies of those he’s told to go.

In fact, he promised things like:
I will never leave you nor forsake you.
I will go before you.
I’ll fight your battles.
I’ll be a strong tower and shield to protect you.
I’ll fill you with my Spirit and give you everything you need.

God never says go without a plan for the journey, and because of this, our inadequacies are irrelevant. God isn’t looking for your qualifications. Just your willingness. And while God will use what is in you, his plan isn’t changed by your lack. In fact, whenever you have lack, he fills in the gap!
Philippians 4:19
God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

This is something God showed me in 2018 as I was struggling in my final lesson before planting Freedom, and the result was this booklet I wrote called “Walk Around Grace.” Walk around money is like when you have a $10 bill in your pocket. If you want Coke, you can stop in and get a Coke with that $10 bill. It's walk around money.

Well, God does the same thing with grace. He has his saving grace for when you say yes to him. He has his situational grace for when you were going through a struggle. But this walk around grace is designed to fill in the gap whenever you have lack. And if God has told you to step out and do something, I can promise you this: You are going to have plenty of lack.
There are going to be plenty of gaps in you and your ability and your skill, in your endurance, even in your faith and trust.

Walk Around Grace
“It is grace when we need it, grace to smooth the path, to prepare the way, grace in trials, grace in circumstances. Grace that ‘refines our motion’ so that we can be the most effective in our lives and in the ministry God has placed in us.”

Some of you are willing, but you're hung up on whether or not you're able.
God knows exactly who he's working with in you.
Psalm 103:14
For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
NLT: He knows how weak we are.

But there's a whole other side to this as well:
Are you actually able to step out and do what God asked you to do? If God asked you to start a business business, are you in a financial position where you can do that? If God asked you to start serving in kids ministry because he wants you to use what's inside of you to make a Kingdom impact in the next generation, are you willing and able to serve one service and attend another? If God asked you to cover the cost of 50 students to go to school in Rwanda, is there room in your budget for that?

There are two things that we do most often that keeps us from being able to do something great for God: We doubt, ourselves, and we overextend ourselves.

I don't have time today to go through the doubt side of it, so let me just give you one compound sentence to deal with it: If God asked you to do something, there is no doubt in him that you can do it; so if God doesn't doubt you, you stop doubting you.

What do you mean by overextending ourselves? Defined: to extend or expand beyond a safe or reasonable point.
Financially: No budget, no discipline, spending like Michael Jackson. Forces us to work more, and now time is an issue.
Time-wise: Saying yes to everything, especially with our kids. Living vicariously through them, wanting to give them everything. We are cutting back this semester just for dinner table time.
Socially: we have fear of missing out or feel guilty saying no. This leaves us time AND emotionally spent.
Relationally: No boundaries which can lead to emotional exhaustion. Always solving everyone else’s problems. JUST SAY NO!
Personally: We ignore our own limits causing stress and anxiety buildups. We burn the candles at both ends.

If this is you, no shade here, but how in the world are you going to be able to steward God’s call if you are unable to steward your own life? Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:21
Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities.

So what do I do about this?
One step at a time. If you are struggling in any of these areas or you feel like your life is in chaos to the point where you cannot step into what God has for you, there will be a moment at the end to come forward to pray, but in the meantime, got to www.freedomdl.com/help and click “Help With My Life” and submit the form there. You have to start with just one step.

How do I know what step is most important?
Jesus, Spouse, Family, Everything Else.

If you are nothing with Jesus you can be nothing for your spouse.
If you are nothing with your spouse you can be nothing for your family.
If you are nothing with your family you can be nothing for everyone else.
Your life is found foremost Jesus, and everything else flows from that.

So first step, Jesus, second step, spouse, third step, family, etc. Where is “me” in the order? You and Jesus.

You might not solve everything today, but that isn’t the goal. One step better than yesterday is the goal.

That leads to the last question today as we wrap up:

3. Do you trust him?
It is easy to blurt out “yes,” but do your actions show it?
If we really trusted God, we wouldn’t hesitate to obey.
If we really trusted God with our finances, we wouldn’t hesitate to give.
If we really trusted God with our lives, we wouldn’t be filled with anxiety.
If we really trusted God with what is beyond, we wouldn’t struggle with the unknown.

I know this sounds mean, but we either trust God or we don’t. Trusting God when we know and understand is simple. Trusting God when we don’t is hard, but does it have to be?

This is the confession we want to live by:
“God, my trusting you is not affected by my understanding you." Sometimes I am good that that and other times I am terrible.

I find the moments I struggle the most with trusting God reveal those things inside of me I haven’t fully surrendered to God. Maybe that’s you as well and we both need to let go of some things.

What is interesting is that your being willing and able are completely dependent on whether or not you trust him. How do you trust God? Same way you love. Same way you forgive. You choose to.

So I am asking you today to make a choice.
Do you trust in your own strength, or do you trust in God?

If it is in your own strength, here’s what God says about that: Jeremiah 17:5-6
5 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.”

But if it is in God, here’s what he says about that: Jeremiah 17:7-8
7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Your next step will be the evidence of who you are going to trust. You want God to tell you the next step. He wants you to trust him.

That next step might be to pull that trigger on that business or idea. It might be a spiritual step like choosing to follow Jesus or get baptized. It might mean choosing obedience over your doubt or frustration in tithing or serving or forgiving those from your past. It might mean you start going to him first in prayer before you try to fix the issue alone.

I don’t know what the Holy Spirit wants you to do today in response,
but I do know it will require you choosing to trust God no matter what.

Do you trust him? If so, let’s have a quiet moment here to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what next step he wants us to take to go embrace what’s beyond.

Let’s pray.

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message?

How does he want you to respond?