Coming to the end of Hebrews 11 was a little like coming to the end of a good book for me. It was satisfying to see all the lessons of faith come together and secure themselves in Christ, but it was also a little sad to see this incredible journey through the stories of faith in redemptive history come to an end. I know for me, personally, I have felt a renewed desire to live a life of trust in the promises of God. However, I have not been called to leave my home and journey to a foreign land. There are no showdowns with Pharoah on my calendar. God has not promised to topple kingdoms before me, and I’m thankful nobody is currently trying to saw me in half either.

So what does faith need to look like in my life right now?

I had this conversation with my wife this week. Our desire, along with all God’s children, is that our lives would be characterized by a pattern of obedience and decision-making that demonstrates our confidence in God’s promises. While looking at our family and the opportunities we have to apply these truths right here in Spokane Valley, two areas dominated as particularly fertile fields to live out the obedience of faith. Those areas are relationships and leadership.

As my wife pointed out, relationships are a particular opportunity for women to grow in faith. It is almost impossible to not evaluate relationships, at least at some level, as more risky vs. less risky, comfortable vs. uncomfortable, blessing vs. burden. Do we trust God enough to engage in relationships that would honor Him, or do we allow fear, self-protection, or even just selfishness to cause us to turn down the opportunities God gives us? Are we willing to be discipled even if that means dealing with areas of immaturity we would rather not have to deal with? Are we actively seeking out those kinds of relationships? Are we willing to reach out and disciple others, even if that means a large investment of time and energy that may not be reciprocated? Are we actively seeking out those kinds of relationships too? In every relationship, are we willing to speak the truth in love even if that may jeopardize a friendship? In other words, if God has decreed the role that godly relationships are to play in our sanctification, do we trust God enough to make our relational decisions based on His design? Or, do we pick and choose how and when we engage so that we can maximize our personal happiness?

An area in men are often uniquely challenged in faith is leadership. Sometimes the problem in leadership is not knowing a course of action that would be pleasing to God. Much more often, however, the problem is not being willing to act when the need is painfully obvious. We run the risk/reward scenarios. If I do this, say this, sacrifice this – how will my boss respond, my wife, my kids, my neighbors? Will this just make a lot more work for me or cause me to have to face uncomfortable realities? We men can also be very protective of our leisure. If I pursue this area of discipline or faithfully lead in that responsibility, how much of my beloved leisure time and activities will have to be sacrificed? Too often, as a result, we as men do not lead at all – we wait until there is a crisis and then react in anger and annoyance. We need to stop shrugging our shoulders, shaking our heads, dodging certain topics or conversations, and have faith that God can and will bring about better things if we will be faithful to lead with love, humility, and courage. The call to self-mastery, to being a father to the community, to husbanding in a loving, Christlike, sacrificial way, is a call to make risky or costly decisions every day based on righteousness, and not results.

The Holy Spirit is faithful to guide us in these things, according to His Word, if we are willing to walk in the Spirit. By faith we will not just know the right things to do, but actually do them (James 4:17). By faith we will not take any step we are not convinced is according to God’s will (Romans 14:23). This applies to every area of life, not just relationships and leadership. But for my family, at least, relationships and leadership are not a bad place to get started.