Romans 12:3 “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
As a child, I used to travel with my mother from Blountstown, Florida to Perry, Florida on the weekends. Sometimes, it seemed as though the trip took forever when in real time, it took us only two hours. For mom, Perry was home, and we found ourselves frequently visiting the city. I wondered how she could drive back and forth so often without falling asleep because I was bored out of my mind! During one of our road trips, I forgot how my question came up, but I do remember her answer: “The drive isn’t that bad if you drive point to point.”
As my mother drove, she showed me how reaching each point, whether it was a city or a township, was like accomplishing a goal. First, we were closer to the next city or township (goal), and second, we were also closer to our end (destination). As we went point to point, before I knew it, we were either in Perry or back home.
Today, I want to share with you about growing in your faith. We sometimes get distracted or discouraged because we have not grown at the rate we want to. We aren’t walking on water yet, and we feel that we are failing God in our mission. We aren’t laying hands on the sick and seeing the miracles “YET” and are wondering what are we doing wrong when all the while, we should realize that nothing is going wrong. We just aren’t there yet!
Our text tells us that every man should not think more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly. In other words, let’s be real here. You aren’t at the water walking level, “YET!” It’s attainable, it’s reachable, but you might not be there yet. What do you do? Give up!? NO! Instead, you continue to practice your faith because, as our text also says, “God hath dealt every man the measure of faith.” The same way that doctors practice medicine and pro ball players practice playing their sport, the Christian must practice his/her profession.
The bible tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Therefore, our faith increases by our exercising God’s word in our lives and the lives of those around us. We speak faith and get the evidence of the faith we have spoken. If we want to see bigger manifestations, then we need to get to that level. How do we get there? Point to point or, in biblical terms, “faith to faith.” If you aren’t where you want to be yet, then just remember, you’re on a journey. Don’t get discouraged on how far you are from destiny; instead, refocus on getting to the next mile marker.
For some of us, the next mile marker might be witnessing to a person we don’t know. For some, it might be laying hands on the sick to see them recover. For others, it might be giving a prophetic word to someone in danger. And for some, it could very well be applying for a job you feel you have no chance in getting. Whatever, the next mile marker of faith is for you, I encourage you to simply keep traveling until you get there. God has given you a measure of faith – – – use it!—because as you go from point to point (faith to faith), you get closer to the destiny that God has ordained and orchestrated for you.
