The Next Right Step: Find Confidence in Your Faith
“Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you.”
When it comes to your faith walk, there are only two directions you can go: forward or backward. There’s truly no in-between. You are either moving forward in your faith or becoming complacent and drifting further away from it.
Which Direction Are You Going?
I grew up attending church with my grandmother and always believed in God, but after high school, I struggled to find direction. When I went off to college, I found myself further from my faith than ever before. I desired to attend church, but didn’t have the confidence to go. Talking or asking about Jesus wasn’t exactly popular, so I stayed quiet about my faith and the questions stirring in my heart.
It’s hard to admit now, but there were moments I wondered, what if God isn’t real?
Fast forward to 2013, and I was back home, married, and working as a lender for a local bank. Deep down, I still longed to grow in my faith, but I didn’t know where to start. Then one day, an invitation arrived in the mail: a young women’s Bible study was forming in town.
I felt flattered to receive an invite—but also insecure. I didn’t even own a Bible.
The woman leading the study had felt God place it on her heart to start the group. Despite being busy with her own family and commitments, she chose obedience. That simple act of faith opened a door for a group of young rural women.
Because she said yes, I bought my first Bible, I made new friends in my community, and I completed my very first Bible study.
Her obedience gave me the courage I needed to take my own next right step in faith—and it became the new foundation for the relationship with God I still lean on today.
Take the Next Right Step
I share this story for two reasons.
First, if you find yourself where I was many years ago—wanting to grow in your faith but not knowing how—just take the next right step. It might not come through a random invitation in the mail, but maybe it starts with buying your first Bible. Maybe it’s meeting a friend for coffee who can speak truth and encouragement into your life. Or perhaps it’s gathering a few friends to complete a Bible study together.
The second reason I tell this story, is maybe you identify with the woman who started the Bible study. God has been nudging you to pray for someone, to make a phone call, or to extend an invitation to someone who needs encouragement. But life is busy, and it hasn’t been a priority.
What would be your next right step?
A New Season
In November, I’ll be speaking at my fourth women’s event this year. Every single one of them has been a first-time event, and each one has shared a common purpose: to bring women together and encourage them. That’s not a coincidence—it’s divine purpose.
I don’t believe in coincidences anymore. I believe in God’s perfect timing.
It’s time for you to move forward. Start a new season. There is nothing more important in this life than your relationship with the Creator. If you’re not growing in that relationship, you’re drifting away. It doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon—just start taking steps in the right direction.
How to Move Forward
Unsure how to confidently move forward? That’s okay — we’ve all been there. If you’re ready to take the next right step but are not sure where to start, here are a few ideas:
Read your Bible daily.
Don’t own one yet? Here’s a helpful guide: Choosing the Right Bible for Your Spiritual Journey – Christianbook.Pray every day.
Find a prayer that speaks to you, write it down, and place it somewhere you’ll see often—next to the coffee maker, on your bathroom mirror, or in your car.Start a new devotional.
Make quiet time with God part of your routine. If you need a place to start, I can help with this one—grab a copy of Grit and Grace: Daily Inspiration for the Hard-Working Woman.Attend church—in person.
Many of us have become accustomed to watching services from home, but I encourage you to be part of a physical church community.Find a Bible study you’re excited about.
Invite a few friends and commit to doing it together. It’s amazing how God works when people are gathered in His name.Encourage someone who needs it.
With all the women’s events I’ve spoken at this year, one thing is clear: we need encouragement. Especially in the trenches of marriage, motherhood, and career, having others to rally around you and lift your spirit is invaluable. As 1 Thessalonians 5:11 states, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”Journal your walk with God.
If you know me, you knew this suggestion was coming…Journaling doesn’t have to happen every day—just write when something meaningful takes place. Reflecting on my own journal entries from the past decade, I can see how consistently God has shown up. If I hadn’t written it down, I would have forgotten. Don’t have a journal? You can find one here: Engraved Faith Journal.
There are only two directions you can go in your walk with God: forward or backward. This is your reminder to take that next right step and move forward in faith. Be confident.
You can be confident that He is waiting for you.
Godspeed, my friend.
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
