Ryan Williams » Church Church Leadership Evangelism Heart Planning

Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him (Luke 5:10–11).

Have you ever taken a leap of faith?

By “taking a leap of faith” I mean doing something so daring, so “crazy,” that some really questioned the wisdom in making such a drastic move. Have you ever been so sure of the Lord’s direction that you knew if you took this leap, he would catch you wherever you landed?

God’s power changes things

There wasn’t anything inherently wrong or sinful with the path most of the first disciples were on before they met Jesus. Many of them were fishermen, working a trade and doing business to earn a living. Jesus himself worked as a carpenter before beginning his public ministry (Mark 6:3). But God had an important task for these men, and when Jesus called his disciples, he was calling them to take a leap of faith.

We should all be stirred by the example of Jesus’ first disciples. They may have had settled lives before meeting Jesus, but when he called them, the disciples took the leap of faith to trust and follow Jesus. What they found is that God is worth following, no matter what he calls you to do.

When Jesus called his disciples, he was calling them to take a leap of faith

The reality is that for most people, God is calling you to follow Jesus in your vocation. I often find myself advising men in my congregation to get a job, get a house, find a wife, love her, lead her, get equipped, and serve the local church (1 Thess. 4:11). Do not think for a moment that ‘normal’ life is any less holy than that of vocational ministry, or that it requires any less faith. Whether preaching a sermon, disciplining children, or working hard at our job, we all are called to take the leap of faith to trust and follow Jesus in the work he has for us.

The call to leave it all

God calls some to leave everything they know behind and take a leap of faith into the unknown. There is no way the disciples could have known what was ahead, but after experiencing his power firsthand (Luke 5:1–11), following Jesus just made sense, no matter what he called them to.

God is worth following, no matter what he calls you to do

I felt the Lord leading me to take a leap of faith when I was studying ministry in Bible college. I thought I would simply finish my studies and find a nice ministry job working in a small church. But instead, God spoke to me and told me to sell everything I owned and follow him to a country I had never been, a church I had never set foot in, and people I had never met. Jesus had saved me, was changing my life, and was crushing my sin—I knew his power was real. Because I knew the Lord was calling me to this, I knew I could trust him and take the leap of faith. By God’s grace, I now get to lead a local church and can say from experience that following Jesus is worth far more than comfort, security, and reputation.

Take the leap

No matter what your situation is, I’d invite you to ask the Lord if he’s calling you to take a leap of faith. Whether it’s in your job, your community, your local church, or across the world, is God calling you to give up some comfort and do something that shows the supreme value of Jesus above all else?

Is the Lord calling you to take a leap?

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