Belief Grows When You Move, Not When You Wait

Abraham didn’t have proof.
 He had a promise — and the willingness to move when God spoke.

This episode dives into why faith isn’t about trying harder or pretending you’re strong. It’s about calling on the Holy Spirit for the power to believe, obey, and keep going when things feel uncertain.

Salvation doesn’t make you fragile.
 It gives you access to strength beyond yourself.

If you’re in a stretch season, this one’s for you.

Connect with me:
Instagram: @the_unordinary_authority

Email: alishiabaker91@gmail.com

Transcript

Welcome & Giving God Glory

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to another episode of Saved Not Soft, a Holy Not Harmless podcast, and a place for women who are ready to stop avoiding what God is asking, get honest about alignment, and walk in obedient, peaceful action. I'm your host, Alicia Baker, and I am blessed to be here with you on another Sunday morning. And before we get started, I just want to take a moment to give God the glory. Wherever you're at, whatever you're doing, let's just take a moment to just recognize who we serve and just how amazing He is and what he's doing in our lives right now and in this in this community. Um, next week I'm gonna be rolling out something that I'm I'm really excited about. You know, when I did this podcast, it first started as just like a message to get out. But as along the way, you know, this podcast has been helping me in so many ways. You know, it's it's it's a healing for me, honestly, and and a spiritual journey within myself. You know, I'm not someone that is, you know, very educated in this or nothing. Like I'm just a regular girl, right? That had a message that God gave me that I wanted to honor and respect because I know that there's people out there that need it. But as we go deeper, you know, I want to also serve first, you know, and God is telling me, serve first, whatever you're doing. And so I thought, you know, what's the best way that I can serve my community of these women, right? And so next week I'm going to be rolling out a text line just specifically for this podcast and for the women in this community. And it's gonna be um a direct text line if you need a prayer, if you're believing, you know, for something big, if you have a testimony or if you're in a stretch season and you just don't want to carry it alone, you'll be able to text the show directly and everything will be anonymous. Um, we sometimes we may use some of the testimonies or some of the things on the show with your permission. But what I really want is just to provide a space where we can go. I know sometimes it can be lonely. Um, you know, when you're in the business world, when you're in entrepreneur mode or all those things. Sometimes in your journey, you know, not everyone around you understands or not everyone supports you like you thought that they would. But I want to make this a space where we can come together at least through this line and through this podcast and be able to support each other. And I want to be able to support you, right? There's so much power in prayer and so much power in just confessing like what we're actually going through, not holding it in and you know, trying to figure it out all of our all on our own. So I'm really excited. I don't know exactly what that's gonna bring for me, but that's okay. God said we need something like this. So hey, that's what I'm gonna do. And as he continues to ask more for me, that's what I'm going to provide. And so I'm really excited about this episode because it's something that's really it's been on my heart lately, you know. And today we're gonna talk about belief, you know, not just saying like we believe in God, but what it actually takes to live like you do. Because I know a lot of believers they genuinely love God. You know, we trust him in theory, but hesitate when our obedience requires us to actually move or take a risk or when it's uncertain. And we're gonna look at scripture today because it shows us some really important things. And that is that faith usually grows after obedience, not before it. So this episode is about trying again, moving again, trusting again, and understanding that God meets us in motion, okay, not just our intentions. You know, here's what I think many women live. And I'm saying this speaking from my own experience as well, right? We want the clarity before the commitment, right? We want to know the whole picture, especially I feel like as women, we want to know all the details, okay? We want that confidence before we have to show up, right? We want to feel ready. And especially when God is in it, right? You you feel like, well, if God is in it, I should feel, I shouldn't feel fearful, I shouldn't feel uncertain, but that's not true. And a lot of times we want those guarantees, right? We want to know it's, it's, we're willing to take some risk, but not too risky, right? And sometimes we'll call that wisdom, sometimes it is, but sometimes it's fear, right? Fear of making the wrong decision or looking foolish, fear of financial instability, okay, or disappointing people, or mishearing God. And so what happens is we when we say we believe God is faithful, but we still operate like everything depends on us, what are we really saying? Right? We we're we end up overworking, we end up overthinking, and we try to control the outcomes. And that is where we'll we will feel the tension. So today we're gonna talk about Abraham. And, you know, I'll be honest, like I know of Abraham, and I just I read this story more than once, but I never looked at it like through the lens that I have looked at it this last time studying for the episode, because the story of Abraham is like is really profound. Like it's it's really amazing. And you know, the scripture says that believers actually inherit the faith of Abraham. Galatians 3 29 says, if you belong to Christ, you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. So that doesn't mean we inherit his personality, but we inherit his pattern of trusting God. And when you actually look at Abraham, it's really freeing because he wasn't spiritually polished. Okay. In Joshua 24, it actually tells us that his family worship other gods. He didn't grow up with a deep spiritual training. You know, God quite frankly interrupted his cozy, rich life, okay? You know, there was meant, there's there's parts that say, like, you know, his dad was of riches. He came from a nice, comfortable situation, okay? And God came in there in Genesis um chapter 12, and he says, leave. Leave your country, leave your family system, and leave your security and go somewhere that was not really specified at the moment. It wasn't really a detailed plan. There was no timeline. It was just go. And that's really important to take note of because, you know, today we delay obedience, waiting for clarity. God never promised. He never promised that I'm gonna make everything clear before you go. He didn't say that. Another important thing is Abraham, again, he came from stability. You know, his father, Er, was developed. He was structured, he was economically secure. So obedience wasn't escaping hardship in this in this situation. It was actually leaving comfort. And this still happens. Sometimes God calls you away from what feels stable into something that requires deeper trust, you know? And also Abraham was not feeling fearless, you know. He was afraid, he lied about Sarah out of fear. He didn't want to be killed, right? He made mistakes, he rushed timing with Hagar, he made real mistakes, but he didn't cancel, but God did not cancel his promise to him, right? And he was willing to try and try again. He was willing to learn, he was willing to believe. And it takes power to believe, like true power, y'all. It's faith is not something that we just pull out of our back pockets when we need it. And it's not like some, you know, woe was me idea that just let's just have faith. No, it takes power to believe. And God works with responsive hearts, okay, not perfect people. Through him, he is the one that fills our gaps, he is the one where we end, he begins. And I know for me that relieves a lot of pressure because I'm I'm someone that, you know, is a perfectionist. Okay. I don't want to make the wrong decisions. I wanna, I wanna do everything right. I like to be organized, I like to know. Right. And I always thought, you know, I have to have it figured out. And for a long time, I was working on my own accordance, like since I was 17 years old, your girl was hustling, okay? I was kicked out and I was on my own and I didn't stop for like 10 years, just going, going, going, going, going. And that was hard, right? It was hard because you feel like you're in control, but you're not. You're not. And slowly it's something that just starts to like pick away at you. It starts to mess up your nervous system, it starts to mess with your your clarity, your ideas, your creativity. And I'm I'm starting to see a lot of people, you know, wake up in response to hustle culture, you know, ditch hustle culture. And it's it's it's enlightening to see, you know, I like to see it. It's something that's long overdue. And we gotta understand that God doesn't work how we work, you know, his way is different, his way is better, though. And, you know, we we don't we don't need to be afraid of messing up because that is the beauty of God. You know, if we did everything right, when we get to the end, we're gonna think it's because of us, right? So even if you make a wrong mistake, it's okay. God will fill your gaps, God will do the impossible, he will that is so that at the end you will know it wasn't from you, it was from God. And that is why I believe, you know, he takes us through these trials and these tribulations. You know, Abraham's confidence wasn't in himself. And and that's okay if you don't have the confidence always in yourself, but it was in God's power. And that's what that's what I want to talk about in this next part. You know, I want to encourage you when you're studying your Bible, understand that the Bible was written in a different language in Hebrew. Hebrew is an alphanumeric language. To me, that sounds very complicated, okay? But the words that they use are different. And, you know, the NIV version, it's great when you're when you're starting. I would recommend, you know, if you're new to studying the Bible, it's good to read like the first time, right? Because it's it's the easiest to read if you're English speaker. But when you look into the old older um translations, a lot of them keep more of the original script, right? And and the the exact translations. A lot of things can get lost in translation um through the new versions. And, you know, that's fine. I I always say, you know, you should definitely read the Bible more than once. You know, it should be something that we continuously read because as you grow, uh it's gonna become different every time, right? And and and different seasons in your life, different parts are gonna hit you differently, just like any books, right? Any books, you know, my dad, he's the type of guy, he has like a few books that he reads over and over and over and really lets them become him, right? It's not just about reading it one time, it's about like letting it become us and melting into us. And, you know, repetition is the mother of learning. So re read your Bible repeatedly, and also when you're reading it, look into the words, right, and and translate them because the word power is dunamis, right? Dunamis means ability, strength, supernatural enable enablement. Okay, like that's when I looked up that, I was like, oh wow, like that's different when I think of like power. Like I know power is like, you know, a strong word, but in the Bible, like it is like Hercules super, super, super strength, right? Like lifting up supernatural enablement. That's when I when I saw that, I'm like, wow. That means it's like it's it's so much deeper, right? And Acts verse one eight says, we receive power through the Holy Spirit. I know a lot of times, you know, we think that the Holy Spirit is just for like using tongues and casting out demons and you know, doing like these big things. But what I've recently learned is that it's it's it's you can use it for so much more. Like there's actually nine manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and that's something I'm gonna get into on a later episode, but you can call on these manifestations of the spirit. This is how we have a a mind like Christ. It's not that our mind actually becomes like it does, but you have to call on the Holy Spirit. And I've been doing this and even in this podcast and other things, right? Where when I don't feel like qualified or I'm not feeling like, I don't know, when I just when I just give it to God and let him be my vessel and and ask him for his wisdom and his knowledge, y'all, like I am even surprised at sometimes how I speak, what I'm saying. And I just know that it's it's more than me. So I also want to encourage you to call on the Holy Spirit in in some in every moment, right? When you're angry, when you're sad, when you're when you're upset at someone and you want to scold them, right? Or that person that just always is is getting on your nerves, right? Call on the Holy Spirit when you're doubtful, when you're in fear, and ask him to be what you cannot. That is the point of us believing and and and being believers in Christ. Like I feel like we work too hard trying to do too much. When when you let God invite God, he will do so much for you and he will help you. But you have to, you have to step aside and you have to ask for the Holy Spirit. So acts for Axe says, We receive power through the Holy Spirit. When you need power, you need to call on that spirit. And that matters because believing in God, it requires going against visible evidence, right? Going against your circumstances sometimes. It it calls you to go against your emotional comfort, social approval, right? Personal security. Your brain naturally prefers predict predictability. But when you have faith, it often requires stepping without it. So belief isn't just mental agreement, it's spirit-enabled trust that produces action. It's things that we would not do without it, right? Like that is like what a true leader is to me. A true leader is someone that will get you to do something that you wouldn't do if they weren't there, right? And so I feel like the spirit is something that leads us. The Holy Spirit is our true leader. And so you'll you'll be surprised on what it can do if you call on it. And that's why Paul says God gives us a spirit of power, not fear. Not fear. He gives us a spirit of power, of ability, of a strength, of supernatural enablement. And when scripture shows people growing in faith, it usually involves movement, if you noticed, right? Abraham, he went. You know, the lepers walked before healing. Jesus said, walk. Peter stepped out before stability. It's a consistent pattern that God meets people in motion. In Romans verse 418, it says, Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed, and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, so shall your offspring be. Abraham he kept his faith through old age. You know, he knew his body was good as dead, right? He knew that his wife's womb was dead as well. Yet he didn't waver. And through unbelief regarding the promise of God, he was being, it says he was fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he promised. We gotta be fully persuaded, you guys, that God will do what he promised. Your circumstances are gonna lie. People are gonna lie, are gonna hurt you. But it takes power to believe. And that power comes from more than just us. Stop trying to carry this power by your own. You will fall short every time. And if you don't, man, you'll be tired, right? That's not what God wants for us. He wants you to call on him, he wants to help you. He wants to lead you, right? It takes power to believe when you don't have any fruits of your labor yet. It takes power to believe when your circle criticizes you or doesn't support you, or you know, maybe they just don't understand. Maybe they don't hear you when you're speaking, when you're telling them your true, your your purpose, your dreams, what you're trying to do. No one wants to help you. That takes power to believe, anyways. It takes power when you feel lost and unmotivated and tired from motherhood and all of the things, you know, when you're battling the flesh, your doubt, your addiction, your fears, your bad habits, your anger. It takes power when you're depressed and you can't get out of bed. Right? When you don't know who, what, where, or how, it takes power. Remember that word. Because this power of faith is what is going to carry you. You're gonna look back and know that it wasn't you. And as you, a lot of us, what happens is we haven't made any moves, right? We we haven't had the power to believe in which we'll move. And so a lot of times your faith hasn't grown because you haven't been able to see what God will do for you because you're still still. You're you won't move. You're you're letting fear run the show. And when you when you move, you'll be surprised. Like be bold, be bold. The spirit calls us, it doesn't make us timid. Timid Timothy verse first verse one seven says, for the spirit of God gave us, does not make us timid. It doesn't make us timid, it doesn't make us small power or no, it gives us power, love, and self-discipline. Stop doing it on your own. Stop trying to do it on your own. I want to look at one more verse, Matthew 14, 22 to 33, because I think this is a really good example of how strong your faith needs to be and just like how quickly it can, it can make you fall without it, right? And when Jesus walks on the lake, there's a there's a moment when he sends the man out into the water, then he goes onto the mound to pray, right? And then he comes back down and he walks on the water. And at first the men are terrified, you know, they cry out, ghost. But Jesus says, It is I, do not be afraid. Then Peter says, if it is you, tell me to come onto the water. He says, Come. And Peter walks on the water. But once the wind blows, once he realizes, oh my gosh, like I'm walking on water, like he takes his eyes off Jesus for one moment and looks around at the circumstances and everything. You know, this is unbelievable. People don't walk on water. Like this is crazy. And that moment he starts to sink. And Jesus says, Ye have little faith. You know, that is so important because I just think like faith is what people now, I think they're calling, you know, I think the trending word today is delusional. But delusional actually means to believe like in false things, right? I think people are trying to what they're really using delusional for when they say you gotta be delusional to be displayed. No, you gotta be faithful. You gotta have power to believe. You don't need to be delusional, you don't need to believe in false things. And you can take, you can take peace in that, knowing that you don't have to rely on lies. You know, we're relying on God's promises. And understand that those who have faith. Are the children of Abraham. We it is our inheritance, not by DNA, not by what region you're from, but simply from the seed of faith. Right? So we are of Abraham, you know, and you can inherit this promise that God says, right? You can can call on this power. Acts verse one eight says, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. Let the Holy Spirit come on you. Stop trying to do it all yourself. Stop trying to control every outcome. Stop worrying. You know, stop stop worrying about what so-and-so thing. Stop feeling rejected. Okay. Every time something doesn't work out for you, thank the Lord. Get on your knees and thank him because it wasn't for you. And have the power to believe that he wants even better for you. Have the power to believe that God's plans are better than our plans. They're better than your plans could ever be. Right? So if it doesn't, if your plans don't work out, guess what? God has a better plan for you. Have the power to believe in that. So, how do we use this? What do we do with this knowledge and this wisdom that we got here today? I want to give you guys something practical to go with. And I want you to ask yourself a few questions. Okay. Ask yourself, where am I hesitating right now? And is it truly misalignment or is it fear? And if it's fear, I want you to remember that you don't need perfect confidence to move. You don't, you just need to be willing. Take one step. And in each step, you will become more and more confident. The Lord will be your confidence and he will keep your foot from getting caught. Right? So we don't need it all. All we need is to have the power to believe and to ask God to fill us, fill our gaps, right? One step, not 10, not perfect, just one. And just pray honestly. Okay. I'm I always told, I mean, I'm not gonna tell myself, but I I used to like not feel really good about prayer. Like I just feel like I'm such a weak prayer. Um, I'm I don't know what to say, you know. My I just, I'm just not one of those like prayer warrior women, right? But when I started inviting the Holy Spirit into me and calling on its power, my prayers just flow out of me now. And you can be honest with God if you're scared, if you're, you know, you don't have to come to Him polished. In fact, it's better. It's better when you can be honest because God will give you exactly what you need, right? In that moment. But you need to, you need to voice it, you need to confess it. You know, give me the power to trust you, God. Fill it the gaps that I can't see. Where I don't feel enough, make me enough. If you can't, my God can. Correct me if I'm off. Lead me while I move. Because if we really believe God is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, then he sees the middle that we can't. So we don't have to control everything. You just need to participate and he will provide. That is the partnership. I want to close in prayer. Father, for anyone who's listening who knows they need to move, give them courage. Remind them that they inherit Abraham's faith, trust before sight, obedience before certainty, and give them your power to believe beyond fear, stabilize their steps, fill the gaps they're worried about, free them from striving and over control, and teach them to trust in you and the process. In Jesus' name, amen. I want to close in this verse that just came to me because when we have the power to inherit this faith, because we are of Abraham's seed, I feel God says the same things to us, right? What he said to Abraham in the very beginning, chapter 12, Genesis. He says, I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. And all the peoples on earth, all the peoples will be blessed through you. That means you and me, sis, all the peoples, okay? He will make your name great. It doesn't matter about your past, it doesn't matter how many times you messed up, it doesn't matter that you don't know everything. It doesn't matter. He will make your name great. Step aside and let him. Thank you so much for tuning in to another episode of Save Not Soft. If this podcast helped you or truly brought value to you, share it with a sister. Share it with someone. And if you with it, if it you have it on your heart to leave me a review, you can go ahead and leave me a review, or you can write me and connect with me directly on social media. I will always leave my handles in the show notes. And next week I will be rolling out the text lines so we can even bring it even closer together. With that, I just want to bless you guys on your way. And I hope you have a great week. Amen.