Are you stepping out in faith? or are you being foolish and testing God?

Listen: there is nothing pious about doing something dumb because you trust God to clean up the mess afterwards.

If I find in myself an unquenchable desire to go to some country and share the gospel with people who have never heard it before; and seeking counsel from those members in my congregation whose walk and conduct and wisdom have shown these people to be godly, and if they agree that I am gifted for such a thing, and my spouse is as desirous as I am, and I find that the trappings of this world do not bind me as they do others so that selling my house, and leaving my job are all trivial matters to me, for I trust in the word of God that such things will be provided if I look to the Kingdom of God first - and in the strength of that conviction I quit my job, sell my house, and go to some far away land with my family - that is called "stepping out in faith".

Buying a house that is more than I can afford and trusting God to make up the difference by getting me more money - that isn't stepping out in faith, it's ridiculous.

Sending my "Christian" kids to a Muslim school because I trust God to protect their faith is not stepping out in faith - it's called tempting/testing God, and it's as far from piety as smart is from stupid.

That's not to say that we can never take a risk, or do something daring, or simply trust God for certain things that are outside the standard pale. But it is to say that dumb decisions that are buttressed foolishly by the misguided notion that one is stepping out in faith ought to be avoided by sober Christians.

There is a kind of mysticism that masquerades as faith, and we ought to be on guard against it. There are few things as blinding as ignorance pretending to be piety, for just as knowledge puffeth up, so willful ignorance puffeth up also, and it comes in all kinds of flavors... -Daniel at Doulogos

For the rest, go here: Art Thou Not Puffethed Up?