Did God Really Promise This? | Steven Furtick

When Faith Doesn’t Feel Certain — But Still Moves You Forward

Sometimes we hesitate to take the step God is calling us to take because we’re afraid of the cost. But faith begins long before we “get our act together.” Faith begins the moment we collapse into God’s mercy and say, “Lord, I come just as I am.”

That’s the faith that opens the door into God’s presence. When He prompts you to come closer, He is not asking you to earn righteousness. He is clothing you in the righteousness Jesus already purchased for you. That is why faith matters — because many of us define faith the wrong way.

For some, faith is just optimism. When life doesn’t match the picture in their mind, that kind of faith evaporates. Others use “faith” like a political label or a category. But real faith is not a voting bloc. God is far bigger than our boxes.

And for many believers, faith is something they had when they gave their lives to Jesus — but afterward, they feel abandoned to figure out the rest on their own. Yet the book of Hebrews calls us not only to begin in faith, but to continue in it.

Here is the gospel in a single sentence: Jesus died as if He sinned so you could live as if you never did.
That means you can pray boldly. You can come before God without shame. You can move forward instead of dragging chains He already broke 2,000 years ago.

So when the enemy tries to condemn you, stand on Romans 8:1:
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
You can say, “Devil, yes — I’ve failed. But it’s already paid in full.”

The writer of Hebrews then brings us to Abraham — the father of faith. When God called Abraham, he obeyed immediately, even though he didn’t know where he was going. Faith is moving before you have clarity. Faith is stepping out while the calling is still forming.

But here’s the part we skip:
Abraham obeyed… and then lived in tents.

He reached the land God promised — and still felt like a stranger. No parade. No instant fulfillment. Just a tent and a promise.

It’s possible to stand in the place God called you to and still feel unsure.
It’s possible to arrive in your “answer” and feel completely unsettled.
It’s possible to live inside a promise and still feel like an outsider.

Abraham lived in tents his entire time in the Promised Land. And many of us know that feeling:
You’re where you’re supposed to be… but it doesn’t look like what you imagined.
You stepped out by faith… but you’re still waiting for stability.
You obeyed… but everything still feels temporary.

Just because it feels unstable doesn’t mean it isn’t secure.

Faith means saying, “It’s mine,” not because you earned it but because God gave it.
Faith is holding onto truth even when your surroundings feel fragile — when you’re smiling through depression, encouraging others while your own family is struggling, or standing tall while your heart is shaking. That’s living in a tent.

Faith is living as if God’s power is real in the present and His promises are certain for the future.
As if you are forgiven — even when shame tries to drown you.
As if God has a word for you — even when you feel unnoticed.
As if joy belongs to you — even while sorrow lingers through the night.

Faith picks up the tent and keeps moving.
Faith praises God for who He is when you can’t yet see what He’s doing.
Faith says, “Lord, I need You now,” and trusts that His hand will hold you up.

So what do you need from God today?
Strength? Healing? Peace? Provision?

Claim it by faith.
Lift your hands, lift your voice, and declare:
“God, I don’t deserve it — but I receive it.
By faith.”