Hey friends - Thanks for joining me in this LIFE ON MISSION with JESUS.

I mentioned in our last brief introduction post (linked here), that radical faithfulness is something that’s been on my heart and mind a lot over the past months and even years.

Relative to His own 1st century culture and to our own cultures today, the way Jesus walked, talked, and lived is completely radical and countercultural, yet also full of grace, truth, and love.

I shared that the Lord has answered my prayers and given me a simple framework, or way of practically approaching this life of radical faithfulness that I know our God desires. This is the kind of life I want to live with Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

This post was a labor of love and I am excited to share it! I’m trusting the Lord has beautiful things in store for us. But first…

A Crucial Disclaimer

It is worth noting that no amount of obedience or trust-in-action or faithfulness will be achieved in our flesh or our striving or our own willpower or any other ulterior motive apart from the saving power of God and the work of the Holy Spirit in those who anchor their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Period.

Nothing in our human nature longs to please God with surrender, obedience, trust, and faithfulness over the long run. Absolutely not.

But once faith in Jesus enters the picture, alongside the Spirit of God, then everything begins to change. The beautiful and life-long process of sanctification begins. We may resist it, many times, and it may be painful for our pride, ego, and selfish habits and ways. Nevertheless, in His great love for us and through the Holy Spirit now living within us who believe in Jesus, our faithful God continues to shape us into the likeness of Jesus, more and more, day by day, and even more so as we welcome His edification, correction, and new way for us that leads to abundant life in Christ.

That is very good news. That is amazing news. Our God is far more committed to us than we can possibly fathom.

Again, no amount of obedience or trust-in-action or faithfulness will be achieved in our flesh or our striving or our own willpower or any other ulterior motive apart from the saving power of God. Instead, simple obedience and trust-in-action over time are the fruit of the Holy Spirit powerfully working in those who anchor their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. These are evidence of abiding in Christ and of a real relationship with God.

Hallelujah! All glory to our awesome God who is working in and through us both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13 ).

Now, let’s break down this equation…

If Radical Faithfulness = Simple Obedience + Trust-in-Action, in the little things, sustained over time, with God, then…

What Is Simple Obedience?

Simple obedience is saying “yes” to God, even if the instruction or command seems significant or small.

This is what disciples, or apprentices do. They observe the master, listen, and respond, doing as the master does.

There is nothing complex about it. Children do this all the time. Even more than doing what a parent says, children tend to do what they see their parents doing.

We too, who believe in Christ, have become children of God, helped by the Holy Spirit.

When we look at John 14:15-17, we find that Jesus says this to His disciples:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

In verses 23-27, Jesus continues, saying,

“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

To simply obey Jesus and to keep His words is to express our love for God. It is the way we outwardly express our internal love for our Lord Jesus.

Not only that, this kind of response to God is not the result of our hard work or willpower, it is evidence of the power of the Spirit of God within us, refining our desires and transforming us from the inside out.

Our “yes” to God is enabled and helped by the Helper Himself.

And just as faith is evidence of real hope and conviction (see Hebrews 11:1), simple obedience is evidence of real love for God.

It is responsive, humble, immediate, and childlike.

God doesn’t ask us to fully understand all that He asks, He asks us to simply trust Him enough to obey by faith.

What the Psalmist declares in Psalm 119:10 5 is true,:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

God’s Word illuminates the path in front of our feet—our next step, not the next decade.

If we had all the answers, there would be no need for faith or trust, but our God desires genuine faith and love, so we are given a choice: Love God or love anything or anyone else.

By God’s grace, we are given opportunities galore to either express our love to God by keeping His Word or choose something or someone else in place of God as we go our own way.

Simple obedience is taking that next step in faith, keenly aware that the Lord our God is with us and God’s Spirit, our Helper, is in us, empowering our every step forward down His path of eternal and abundant life.

And, it’s good and worth remembering that our God’s love is steadfast, not based on our performance, and His grace for us is sufficient.

If Radical Faithfulness = Simple Obedience + Trust-in-Action, in the little things, sustained over time, with God, then…

What Is Trust-in-Action?

Trust-in-action is faith expressed through movement, decisions, and habits.

It is belief embodied.

In the New Testament book of James 2:18 , James himself famously wrote,

“Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

Simply put, our choices reveal our true beliefs and internal attitudes.

Our internal trust in God becomes externally visible and proven through our:

* decision-making,

* perseverance,

* obedience amid uncertainty, and

* faithfulness when we don’t know the outcome.

So, what does trust-in-action look like?

Trust-in-action looks like Noah building the ark for decades before it ever rained.

It looks like Abraham leaving the life and world he knew without answers, and walking by faith to a land he didn’t know.

It looks like Mary the mother of Jesus responding to the angel sent by God after he told her that she, a virgin, would give birth to the Son of God, saying “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” - Luke 1:38

It looks like Peter stepping out of the boat to meet Jesus walking on the water.

Trust-in-action is the daily posture of a heart surrendered to God, ready and willing to step forward in faith.

If Radical Faithfulness = Simple Obedience + Trust-in-Action, in the little things, sustained over time, with God, then…

Why do the Little Things Matter?

The Kingdom of God is built on faithfulness in little things.

In Luke 16:10 , Jesus teaches:

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”

It’s in the little, unseen, seemingly insignificant things that our character is forged.

Small choices to obey and trust God shape spiritual muscles.

The quiet, hidden “yes” to God in faith helps to form deep roots that sustain great callings and acts of faith later on.

David’s courage before Goliath began with fighting lions and bears to protect his flock in hidde