Why You Need to Take Imperfect Steps of Faith

Christian devotion is a series of imperfect steps of faith.

Every hero in the history of Christianity has flaws.

There’s not a single figure in church history (aside from Jesus) who did not make mistakes.

Look close enough, and you can find flaws in the lives of all Christian men and women. But look close enough, and you’ll see flaws in your life too.

Sometimes the flaws make us discouraged. We aren’t good enough or talented enough. We don’t measure up.

But God always uses imperfect people to complete his perfect mission. It’s all he’s got to work with.

That’s the beauty of the Gospel!

We’ve all made mistakes. But God, through our faith in Christ, has made us new. We are still flawed, but we are becoming more like Jesus day by day.

Imperfect Steps of Faith

Most Christians today fail to make a difference. We let our imperfections hold us back.

• It could be that you want to tell my friend about Jesus, but you don’t have all the answers.
• Maybe you dream of being a pastor, but you’re scared of public speaking.
• Or you have a burden to help the needy, but you scrape to pay your own bills.

So instead of getting in the game, we sit on the sidelines and wait for the “professionals” to do the work.

We see celebrity Christians and think, “I could never be like that, so why bother?”

That’s why it’s so critical to realize that we are all flawed.

The thing that separates the heroes of Christian history from the average believer is that they didn’t sit on the sidelines. They got in the game, risked failure, and took imperfect steps of faith.

They didn’t always get it right or have all the right answers. But they knew God wanted them to do something. Anything.

So they took the first step they knew how, failed, learned, and kept trying.

God never asked us to be the experts who have all the answers. He tells us to walk by faith, not sight (2 Cor 5:7).

Think Progress, Not Perfection

When I first started ProPreacher.com in 2012, I didn’t know what I was doing.

I had never built a website or published an article. I wasn’t the world’s greatest preacher. But I was passionate about preaching, and I wanted to grow and help others learn what I was learning.

So I launched it anyway, made mistakes, learned from my mistakes, and made progress over time.

My first articles weren’t great (you can still read them if you dig far enough back). The first month I had a 356 page views. But I didn’t quit, and now I see thousands of views every month.

When I wrote my first book, I learned a lot from my mistakes. It wasn’t my best work. About a year later, I updated it and made it better, and the reviews have been outstanding.

Then, I wrote my second book, and it was better. But I know that as I continue to follow God’s call on my life to write, I will continue to write better books.

Looking back years later, that imperfect step of faith to start writing changed my life. My words have impacted thousands of people around the world.

To keep from getting discouraged with those first imperfect steps of faith, we have to think progress, not perfection.

Nobody becomes an expert right away. Nobody is born a master in their craft. You won’t get it right in the beginning, but with each step, you are moving forward.

But we get so discouraged when we look at the expert who has worked on their craft for decades, and we forget that at one point they were a scared rookie like us.

Quit comparing your beginnings to someone twenty years ahead of you. You are on step one, and they’re on step one thousand. But they started on step one just like you.

Take the step. Fail gloriously. And see how God uses it more than you could ever imagine.

It’s Your Turn

What step is God calling you to take today?

Do you need to step out and have that conversation? Apply for that position? Start that ministry? Write that book? Volunteer in that organization?

You have to start somewhere.

Every story has a beginning.

Imperfect action is always better than inaction.

Life is too short to sit idle and wait for others to do what you wish you had the courage to.

Take the first step.