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Lessons From Abraham – Faith That Is Tested

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So far, we’ve seen Abraham obey God’s call and trust Him through years of waiting. Today, we step into a moment where faith is stretched to its limits.

When God asked Abraham to offer Isaac, the very son of promise, it was more than a test of obedience. It was a test of trust. Faith is often proven not when things are easy, but when God asks us to step into the unknown or surrender what we hold most dear.

As we look at Abraham’s response, we’ll discover how trials can deepen our faith and teach us to rely fully on God’s character.

Faith sounds beautiful when it is spoken about, but it becomes costly when it is tested.
In Genesis 22, Abraham faces one of the most difficult moments of his journey. God asks him to offer Isaac, the very son he waited years to receive:

“Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” (Genesis 22:2, KJV)

This request was not about cruelty. It was about trust. God was asking Abraham a piercing question: Do you trust Me more than the promise I gave you? Abraham’s response reveals a mature faith. We get some insight into his thoughts in the book of Hebrews:

“Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.” (Hebrews 11:19, KJV)

True faith trusts God’s character even when His instructions are hard to understand. God tests faith not to take something away, but to expose what we rely on most. Tests reveal whether our confidence is in God Himself or in what He provides.

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” (James 1:3, KJV)

If your faith feels stretched right now, don’t panic. Stretching is part of strengthening. God already knows the outcome. You are learning to trust Him more deeply. Often, the very thing we fear losing becomes the place where our faith matures.

Is there something God may be asking you to surrender or trust Him with more fully? Take time to pray honestly today.

Mervin Fitzgerald Matthew | Steps of Purpose

Lessons from Abraham – Trusting God Through the Waiting

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Yesterday, we saw Abraham take the first step into the unknown, trusting God’s call even without full clarity. Today, we focus on what happens when faith meets time, waiting on God’s promises.

Abraham waited many years for the fulfillment of God’s word, and in that waiting, his faith was tested, refined, and strengthened. Waiting is rarely easy, but Scripture reminds us that God’s timing is perfect, and His promises are sure. As we explore Abraham’s journey today, let’s discover how to trust God even when the answer seems delayed.

God did not only call Abraham to move. He promised to make him into a great nation. At one point, God took Abraham outside and said:

“And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.” (Genesis 15:5, KJV)

There was just one problem. Abraham and Sarah had no children. As the years passed, the promise seemed increasingly impossible.

Waiting has a way of testing what we truly believe. It exposes our impatience, our doubts, and our desire to control outcomes. Abraham waited not months, but decades for the fulfillment of what God spoke. Along the way, he wrestled internally, questioned silently, and even attempted to “help” God fulfill the promise. Yet Scripture records something powerful:

“And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6, KJV)

Abraham was not declared righteous because he waited perfectly but because he kept trusting God in the waiting.
Many believers misunderstand delay. We assume that if God has not acted yet, He must have forgotten, but waiting is not God’s absence;it is often God’s preparation. Isaiah reminds us:

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31, KJV)

Waiting seasons refine faith. They teach us dependence. They strip away self-reliance and force us to lean on God’s character rather than visible results. Faith grows when we choose to believe God’s word over our timeline.

What promise are you waiting on right now? Write it down and place it before God again in prayer.

Mervin Fitzgerald Matthew | Steps of Purpose

Lessons From Abraham – Called to Leave the Familiar

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This week on Steps of Purpose, we’ll walk alongside Abraham, a man whose faith teaches us about calling, waiting, and trusting God through life’s uncertainties.

His journey wasn’t perfect, but it shows us that faith grows when we take steps even without full clarity, trust God through delays, and rely on His grace when we stumble.

Over the next five days, we’ll explore practical lessons from Abraham’s life; lessons to inspire and guide you as you follow God faithfully in your everyday journey.

There is a defining moment in every faith journey when God asks us to move. Its not always geographically, but spiritually, emotionally, or mentally. It’s the moment when comfort is challenged and the familiar is interrupted. Most believers will encounter this moment more than once, because growth in God often requires repeated surrender.
Abraham’s story opens with one of the most demanding calls in Scripture:

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.” (Genesis 12:1, KJV)

What stands out is not only what God says, but what He does not say. God gives no destination, no explanation, no safety net. He offers direction without detail and promise without a timeline. This may be deeply unsettling for anyone who values certainty.Yet Abraham responds with obedience.

His defining decision is reflected in the book of Hebrews:

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” (Hebrews 11:8, KJV)

Abraham teaches us that obedience is not about understanding everything. It is about trusting God enough to move. Familiar places feel safe, even when they keep us stagnant. Familiar routines, relationships, and mindsets can become comfortable cages when God is calling us into growth.

Many believers struggle here. We want assurance before obedience. We want confirmation before commitment. Faith however does not work on guarantees; it works on trust.

Leaving the familiar may look like releasing a habit God has been convicting you about, stepping into a new responsibility, forgiving someone who hurt you, or saying yes to a calling that feels bigger than you. The fear is real, but so is God’s faithfulness.

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5, KJV)

Purpose often begins with release. When Abraham let go of what was known, he made room for what was promised. God reveals direction progressively, each obedient step opens the way for the next.
The question is not whether the journey feels safe. The question is whether God is in it.

My question to you today is what familiar thing might God be asking you to release in this season? Take time today to pray, listen, and respond in obedience.

Mervin Fitzgerald Matthew | Steps of Purpose

Ships Were Not Built To Remain In The Harbor

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Photo by Adem Percem

I read a very interesting quote from William Shedd last week – “A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships were made for.”
There’s something deeply comforting about the harbor.It’s familiar, predictable and calm. The waters are still, the risks are low, and everything feels under control but while the harbor offers safety, it was never meant to be a permanent place.

A ship tied to the dock may look impressive, but it will never fulfill its purpose there. Over time, it begins to rust, not because it’s broken, but because it’s unused. And in many ways, the same is true for us.

The Comfort Trap
Believers sometimes often confuse safety with faithfulness.We settle into routines, avoid risks and postpone obedience until conditions feel “right.”
We say things like:
“When I’m more prepared…”
“When I’m less afraid…”
“When life is more stable…”

Scripture reminds us that God rarely calls His people to stay where it’s comfortable. Abraham had to leave his homeland and Moses had to step forward with the sea in front of him.
God’s call has always involved movement.

Purpose Is Found Beyond the Harbor
The harbor feels safe, but growth happens in deeper waters. Faith is not strengthened in stillness alone; it is forged in obedience. Courage is not born in comfort; it is developed in trust.
God did not design you merely to survive. He designed you to step forward, serve, and sail where He leads.

Remaining in the harbor may protect you from storms, but it will also prevent you from discovering what God can do through you.

Fear Is Real But It’s Not the Final Authority
Stepping out doesn’t mean the fear disappears. It means you move despite the fear. The presence of fear doesn’t mean God isn’t calling you. Often, it’s confirmation that you’re standing at the edge of something meaningful.

The question isn’t: “Is it safe?”
The real question is:
“Is God leading me?”
If He is, the waves may rise, but His presence will not leave you.

A Gentle Challenge
Take a moment and reflect:
Where have you been playing it safe instead of trusting God?
What step of obedience have you been delaying?
What “harbor” has become too comfortable?
You don’t have to sail all at once.
Sometimes faith begins with loosening the rope.

Final Thought
The harbor is not a failure; it’s a starting point, but if you were created for purpose, growth, and impact, you cannot stay there forever. God is still calling people out of comfort and into purpose.
So when He whispers, “It’s time to move,” don’t ignore it.

Mervin Fitzgerald Matthew | Steps of Purpose

Discovering Your God-Given Purpose

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You Were Never Created by Accident

Before you ever took your first breath, God had a purpose in mind for you. Let that settle for a moment. Your life is not random, your struggles are not meaningless and your story is not wasted – even the parts you don’t understand yet.

Many people search for purpose by looking outward. I am referring to careers, titles, achievements, or validation from others. The reality is purpose doesn’t begin with what you do. It begins with who God says you are.
When identity is unclear, direction will always feel confusing. But when identity is rooted in God, purpose begins to take shape.

Purpose Starts With Identity

We live in a world that constantly tries to define us by success, failure, or comparison. But God defines us differently. He sees us as created, chosen, and called. Before you ever accomplished anything, God already declared your worth. Your value was never meant to be earned – it was given.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” –  Ephesians 2:10 (KJV)

Notice the order:
You are God’s workmanship first. The good works come after. Purpose flows from identity, not performance.

Faith Comes Before Clarity

It’s natural to want answers. We want to know where we’re going, how long it will take, and what the outcome will be. When we anchor ourselves in Christ – His Word, His promises,or His character, direction begins to follow. Not all at once, but step by step.

Faith doesn’t remove questions. It teaches us where to take them.
If you’ve been feeling uncertain, or restless, it may not be because you’re lost. It may be because God is inviting you to come closer before He shows you what’s next.

You Were Designed on Purpose

God does nothing by accident.
Your personality, experiences and even the things you’ve had to overcome can be woven into purpose when surrendered to Him. What feels ordinary to you may be exactly what God plans to use to impact others.

Purpose doesn’t always arrive as a loud calling. Often, it begins quietly with faith, trust, and a willing heart.

Until next time, keep seeking, keep growing, and keep walking your God-given path.

Mervin Fitzgerald Matthew | Steps of Purpose

Obedience: Taking the First Step

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Clarity Comes After Obedience, Not Before

Many people delay purpose while waiting for perfect clarity. We want the full plan,the full picture and the guarantee that everything will work out.
But God often works differently.

More times than not, He reveals the next step after we move, not before. Purpose unfolds through obedience, not explanation.

Obedience is rarely comfortable. It often stretches us beyond what feels safe or logical but it is always rewarding, because obedience places us directly in the flow of God’s direction.

Faith is not about seeing the whole staircase. It’s about trusting God enough to take the next step, even when that step feels uncertain.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” –  Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)

Notice what comes first – Trust. Direction follows.

Obedience Precedes Understanding
We often assume that obedience should come after understanding. But in God’s kingdom, it usually works the other way around.

Noah built before the rain came.
Abraham left before he knew where he was going.
Peter stepped out of the boat before the water felt firm.
If they had waited for clarity, they would have missed their moment.

Delayed obedience often disguises itself as wisdom, but it quietly keeps us stuck. God does not require us to know everything. He only asks us to trust Him enough to move when He speaks.

Small Steps Matter
Sometimes we overlook obedience because the step seems too small to matter.
A phone call.
A conversation.
A decision to let go.
A decision to begin again.

The reality is that small steps, taken in faith, lead to great transformation. God is not testing how big your step is. He is looking at how willing your heart is.

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.” – Luke 16:10 (KJV)

Purpose doesn’t always begin with bold moves. Often, it begins with quiet obedience.

Obedience Builds Confidence
Every step of obedience strengthens your faith and every act of trust builds spiritual momentum.
When you obey God in small things, you learn that He is faithful, and that confidence prepares you for greater responsibility. If God has already spoken, don’t delay.

👣 Call to Action

Ask yourself today:
What is one small step of obedience God is calling me to take?
What have I been postponing because I want more clarity?
What would it look like to trust God with this next step?

Take that step even if it feels uncomfortable. God will meet you there.

Mervin Fitzgerald Matthew | Steps of Purpose

Purpose Requires Growth Before Promotion

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We often want purpose to move quickly.
We pray for open doors, new seasons, and bigger opportunities but God is far more concerned with who we are becoming than how fast we are moving.

Purpose is not rushed. It is formed.
Before God elevates you, He develops you. Growth stretches us. It matures us.
It humbles us. If we’re honest, growth seasons are rarely comfortable. There are times when it feels like nothing is happening, when progress is slow, recognition is absent, and the work feels unseen. Those are often the seasons where God is doing His deepest work in us.

“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” – James 1:4 (KJV)

God uses patience to shape character, and character to sustain purpose.

Growth Happens Before Promotion

Scripture is filled with people who experienced long seasons of preparation before stepping into their calling. David was anointed king, but returned to the fields. Joseph had a dream but walked through betrayal and prison. Moses was called but spent years in the wilderness.
None of those seasons were wasted.
What felt like delay was actually development.

God knows that promotion without preparation can destroy what He intends to bless. So He grows us quietly, steadily, and intentionally often in places no one applauds.

Don’t Despise Where You Are

It’s easy to compare your journey to someone else’s and feel behind. But growth cannot be rushed, and purpose cannot be borrowed. Where you are right now matters.

The discipline you’re learning, the patience being formed and humility being strengthened – These are not obstacles to purpose. They are requirements for it.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” –  1 Peter 5:6 (KJV)

Exaltation comes but always in God’s time.

Growth Is Proof That God Is Working

If you feel stretched, challenged, or uncomfortable, take heart. Growth often feels that way.
God is not ignoring you.
He is investing in you.
What He is developing now will support what He is preparing to release later. Trust the process, the pruning and the timing.

Purpose does not arrive fully formed. It grows with you.

🌱 Call to Action:

Take a quiet moment today and ask the Lord to help you grow where He has planted you, shape your character, strengthen your faith, and prepare you for the purpose He has ahead for you.

Stay faithful in this season. God is not finished with you yet.

Mervin Fitzgerald Matthew |Steps of Purpose

Living a Life That Serves Others

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Photo by Alex Green

Your Purpose Was Never Meant to End With You

Purpose reaches its fullest expression when it moves beyond us. God never designed purpose to be self-contained. What He places inside you is meant to overflow into homes, workplaces, churches, and quiet moments where someone else desperately needs hope.
If your calling only benefits you, it is incomplete.

“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
– 1 Peter 4:10 (KJV)

Purpose finds its power in service.

Purpose Always Has People in Mind.
From the beginning, God’s plans have always included others. Abraham was blessed so nations could be blessed,  David was anointed so Israel could be led and Jesus came not to be served, but to serve.

In the same way, your gifts, your testimony, your experiences, and even your pain were never meant to stop with you. Someone is waiting on the other side of your obedience:
Someone who needs your encouragement, someone who needs your honesty, or someone who needs to see what faith looks like in real life.

You may never know how deeply your obedience touches another life but God does.

Your Story Is a Ministry

Many people disqualify themselves from purpose because they feel “unqualified.”
But often, the very thing you think disqualifies you is what qualifies you.
Your struggles make your voice credible.
Your healing makes your testimony powerful.
Your faith, lived out imperfectly, makes God approachable.
Do not underestimate what God can do through a willing heart.

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.”- Revelation 12:11 (KJV)

Your story has the power to open doors that sermons cannot.

Purpose Looks Like Everyday Faithfulness

Impact is not always loud. It does not always come with recognition or applause. Sometimes purpose looks like:
Listening when someone needs to talk, showing patience when it would be easier to walk away, praying for someone who may never thank you or living with integrity when no one is watching.
These quiet acts of obedience matter deeply to God.

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” –  Galatians 6:9 (KJV)

He sees every seed you plant.

Living a Purpose-Filled Life
When you walk in purpose God is glorified, others are encouraged and you experience fulfillment that success alone cannot provide

Purpose does not eliminate hardship, but it gives hardship meaning.
A life surrendered to God becomes a light, whether you realize it or not.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
– Matthew 5:16 (KJV)

A Final Reflection

Purpose is not something you arrive at.
It is something you live out one faithful step at a time.

Ask yourself today:
Who can I serve with what God has placed in me?
How can my life point someone closer to Christ?
What does obedience look like in this season?

Take Your Next Step

This week, ask God how He wants to use your life beyond yourself.
Then take one intentional step – serve, encourage, pray, or reach out.
Purpose grows when faith is put into action.

Walk With Purpose

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Mervin Fitzgerald Matthew | Steps of Purpose

The First Step Is Trust

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Every journey with God begins with trust.

As we step into a new year, many of us are waiting for answers before we move forward. We want certainty and confirmation. We want to know how things will unfold before we commit our hearts to the next step. Scripture however gently reminds us that faith does not work that way.

Proverbs 3:5 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”(KJV)

Notice that trust comes before understanding. God does not always explain the path ahead; instead, He invites us to walk with Him.

The first step is rarely the easiest one. It often comes with questions, hesitation, and even fear. Yet it is in that first step that faith becomes more than a belief; it becomes an action.

There will be times when God calls us forward without giving us the full picture. He may not show us how everything will work out, how long the season will last, or where the road will eventually lead. What He does offer is His presence.

Trusting God does not mean ignoring reality. It means choosing to believe that God sees beyond what we can see and knows what we cannot know. It means placing confidence not in our ability to figure things out, but in His faithfulness to guide us.

Often, we want God to remove uncertainty before we obey. Faith however, teaches us that obedience often comes first and clarity follows later.

God rarely asks us to leap into the unknown. More often, He asks us to take one small, faithful step. One prayer, one decision, one act of obedience or one moment of surrender. The step may feel insignificant, but in God’s hands, no step is ever wasted. Every step taken in faith becomes part of the path He is ordering for us.

You may not feel ready. You may still be carrying doubts from last year. You may even be afraid of getting it wrong. But trust does not require confidence in yourself. It requires confidence in God.

Trusting God can be hardest when prayers seem unanswered, when plans fell apart or when the road behind us feels heavy.

Yet even then, God remains faithful.
He does not rush us or condemn our questions. He simply invites us to walk with Him again one step at a time.

This year, you don’t have to have everything figured out or a perfect plan or flawless faith. You only need a willing heart that says, “Lord, I trust You enough to take the next step.”

A Moment of Reflection

Pause and ask yourself: What is one step God may be inviting me to take?
It may be a step toward prayer.
A step toward healing.
A step toward obedience.
A step toward letting go.
Whatever it is, trust that God will meet you there.
The journey begins not with knowing the way, but with trusting the One who leads it.

May each step you take draw you closer to God’s plan for your life.
Mervin Fitzgerald Matthew | STEPS OF PURPOSE

Ordered Steps: Walking With God in Every Season

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Photo by Stephen Leonardi

A new year is here. What does that mean? Well, new dates on the calendar, new expectations, and new hopes quietly forming within us.


But before we rush into plans, goals, and resolutions, there is a more important question we need to ask:
Who is ordering our steps?


Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”


As we begin this year here at Steps of Purpose, this verse sets the tone for everything ahead.


This is not about moving faster or having every detail mapped out. It’s about learning to walk where God leads whether the season is clear or confusing, joyful or heavy, certain or uncertain.


So often we believe purpose is something waiting for us at the finish line. But Scripture shows us something different: purpose is revealed as we walk with God, one step at a time.


Sometimes He leads us forward quickly or He asks us to wait. Sometimes He redirects us altogether. Each step matters, not because it is impressive, but because it is ordered by Him.


This year will bring a mixture of seasons. There will be moments of growth and moments of stretching. There will be times when God’s direction feels clear, and times when faith is required simply to take the next step. But no season is wasted when God is the One leading.


If you find yourself entering this year tired, uncertain, or still carrying the weight of last year, take comfort in this truth: God does not demand strength before He offers direction. He walks with us as we go.


As this year begins, pause before you proceed.
Acknowledge God in your plans, not as an afterthought, but as your guide.

Surrender your timeline, trusting that His pace is perfect.

Commit to faithful steps, even when you cannot see the full path ahead.

Take a moment today to pray: “Lord, order my steps this year. Lead me in every season, and help me walk with You one step at a time.”


Here at Steps of Purpose, we’ll be walking this journey together – learning, growing, and trusting God with every step He orders.
This is the year we don’t just move forward.
This is the year we walk with purpose.

Happy New Year and may the Lord richly bless you.

Mervin Fitzgerald Matthew | Steps of Purpose