Recently we were offered a spot on a powerful radio station at a reasonable cost. However, the last business meeting had revealed that our radio funds were declining, the expenses were exceeding the income.

According to the "stepping out in faith" approach to fulfilling the vision we should have accepted the new opportunity for broadcasting. "After we commit ourselves to the contract God will send in the money," according to the "stepping out in faith" concept of Kingdom work.

Instead, our approach was to take the issue to the Lord and attempt to determine if He was speaking to us through the decline of our funds. Past experience suggested that when we are on the Lord's course the funds are available. It seemed the Lord was recommending that we not pursue this particular opportunity.

There have been occasions when we have moved ahead in blind faith because of a solid, continuing impression that the Lord Jesus was leading us.

It is our point of view that "stepping out in faith" apart from a clear leading of the Lord is not a scriptural concept.

A careful study of the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews shows that the people mentioned there did not "step out in faith." Rather, they were obedient to God. God spoke to them, and then they obeyed. Their faith was obedience to the will of God, never a "stepping out in faith" as we often use the term.

Moses and Gideon were reluctant to obey God, but they are listed as examples of faith.

Abraham was (is) a man of tremendous faith. Yet, "stepping out in faith," spiritual adventurism, was not evident in his life, as was true also of all the other saints mentioned in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. Abraham's faith was the faith of obedience to what God commanded.

The Scriptures are not a record of people "stepping out in faith." They are a record of God revealing Himself to people, and of those people demonstrating their faith by obeying God.

How many Christians do you know of who "step out in faith" and soon are begging for money? There is no scriptural precedent for this. It is a spirit of adventurism, of presumption. Satan suggested to the Lord that He show His faith by stepping off the gable of the temple. This Jesus refused to do, as we also should refuse to participate in the spirit of adventurism, in the spirit of "attempting big things for God."

"Speaking the word of faith" has become fashionable. It is based on Jesus' teaching concerning casting mountains into the sea, cursing the fig tree, and, in general, commanding nature.

We think the majority of those who are advocating the fulfilling of the vision by "speaking the word of faith" are ignorant of the Lord and His ways.

Christ taught many things to us while He was on the earth. We soon learn, however, that we cannot perform His teachings in our own strength and wisdom, or timing. Those who have attempted to imitate Jesus and do what He said in their own strength have tended to attract attention to themselves rather than to the Lord.

To be continued.