Good morning and welcome to Starting Right . I am Danny Mac and I'm going to be here every Monday to Friday to help you get a great start to your day . So grab your cup of coffee , sit back and relax for the next five minutes as I help you start your day by starting right . A while ago , I injured my back while doing something very athletic .
Well , at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it . Anyway , my back was hurt and I went to the chiropractor and she gave me some stretching exercises to keep my back loose and limber . In all honesty , I am not a big fan , or was not a big fan , of stretching .
The stretch she gave me required that I move my body in a way that I did not believe that God created it to move . However , I still did them , and as I stretched as I had been instructed , I was amazed at how well it worked .
And what was even more amazing was how much those stretches , which were terribly uncomfortable at first , became easier and helped me ease the pain and make my back stronger . I came across a verse in Scripture that talks about a different kind of stretching . Jesus had been teaching on the mountainside and as the day came to an end .
There were about 5,000 men , plus women and children who were there , who were now very hungry . The disciples came to Jesus saying we've got to feed these people . In John , chapter 6 , verses 5 and 6 of the Message Translation , it says this when Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived , you see , philip was being asked to stretch his faith .
Well , to begin stretching can be uncomfortable physically . It can be equally as uncomfortable when we need to stretch spiritually . There are times when God is going to want us to stretch our faith . The Bible is full of great promises of God , god's love , his care and His assurance . It tells us of God's miraculous power and great works that we see in people .
I know that the same power of God to work in our lives is very real today . He simply asks that we believe what he has said . That is faith . Faith will stretch us . There are times when believing God over our circumstances can take a real stretch . Can you imagine the stretching Peter did when he stepped out of that boat to walk on the water ?
Don't condemn him that he sunk . I mean , the guy walked on water . That takes a big stretch of faith . Stretching of our faith in God's purposes is not always an easy place to be in , because he's moving us in a way that we don't necessarily feel comfortable with .
When I stretch my body , its purpose is to make my body do something that it wasn't comfortable with before . It's very uncomfortable to stretch and every day you push the stretch further than the day before and as you stretch you get movement that you didn't have before .
As you stretch , your body gets stronger and as you stretch there's a healthier you , but it comes because you stretch . One of the things about our bodies is that if we don't stretch the muscles , they will atrophy . They will become useless to us .
We have to stretch them in order to make sure that they are alive and that they are working , and so it is with our walk with God . God wants you and I to stretch . He wants us to stretch our faith . He wants us to be able to use those faith muscles that we've got , those belief muscles that we've got , and put them into the belief in his word .
Those belief muscles will allow us to take steps of faith , even when it's uncomfortable . We will go through things and have times of struggle in our lives . We all do . We all have stuff that comes our way , and it's in those times that we need to be able to take the steps of faith , for the strength of faith , to be able to trust God and his word .
Trust God to give us the comfort that we need , trust God to give us the guidance that we need , and even to trust God to do something miraculous in our lives or in the life of somebody else around us .
So , as you're starting your day today and you're looking ahead at what you're going to face today , if you know there will be problems , if you know there are difficult decisions to make , if you know there are tough situations to overcome , I invite you right now to decide to stretch your faith and put your trust wholly in God to guide you through that situation .
If you believe God for his wisdom and guidance and answers , you will not be let down . You will not let fear overwhelm you , but you will know that you can trust God by stretching and he will honor you in that step of faith . Today , put your faith in God and experience what he has for you today , be blessed .
Thank you for listening today and I invite you to join me Monday to Friday , right here on Starting Right , with Danny Mac .