5 Bold Steps to Move Forward in Life

Over the past decade I have helped lead encounter retreats for both men and women. Hundreds of people attended these weekend retreats each year that focus on walking in freedom. Each year we end the retreat by asking those attending to write down the bold steps they will take once they leave the retreat. Many of them publicly announce their bold step before walking through the “victors lane,” where supporters high-five them and shout words of encouragement. I remind each participant that each of us has “a cycle to break, a bold step to take, and a legacy to make.” The best bold steps have several things in common.

• They are always difficult to take and usually involve facing a major fear. Let’s be honest. If it were easy you would have taken this step a long time ago.
• They are written down and shared with others. Accountability assures that we will follow through.
• They are concrete. The best bold steps are the ones you know you have taken or have not taken. There is no ambiguity.
• They have an expiration date. If our steps have no deadlines, we will be tempted to procrastinate. We can deceive ourselves into thinking we will eventually follow through while we put things off indefinitely. Remember, delayed obedience is ultimately disobedience.
• They are the first step in a longer journey.

“You have the opportunity to make your next season the best season of your life.”

The journey out of the basement is different for everyone but here are some of the steps that I have heard:

I am going to gather my three children and apologize for not being the father God has called me to be.

I am going to propose to the woman I should have married several years ago.

I am going to call my father and release him from the bitterness I have held against him for fifteen years.

I am going to join a twelve-step group and finally deal with my addiction.

I am going to break up with my boyfriend who is not a believer and is not God’s best for my life.

I am going home to wash my wife’s feet and ask her to forgive me for not being a servant leader.

I am cutting up my credit cards and declaring a war on debt.

I am taking the step of baptism and boldly stepping into my new life in Christ.

The challenge is not simply to emerge from the basement, but to step out as a changed person. Every new season requires a fresh sense of purpose accompanied by renewed vision for the future. What bold step do you need to take?

At a Crossroads

The time comes when a person needs to say goodbye to the safety of the familiar and launch out into the risky world of the next season. You have a divine assignment. You may not fully understand it or be able to explain it yet, but you can discover it. And you must!

Reading about how to move forward is the easy part. Putting into practice the five steps to moving forward is much more challenging. Let me encourage you to carve out some time for a personal “Moving Forward” mini-retreat. Give yourself time to think, pray, and work through these five steps by yourself. If you can get away, that’s even better. Get a notepad and write at the top: My Next Season. Then list each of the five steps with room under each step to write. As you think and pray, ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight to prepare for your next season. Then take time to work through each step, writing down specifically what you need to do about each step.

Five Steps to Moving Forward

1. Quiet Your Soul to Listen
2. Re-envision Your Life Story
3. Adjust Your Thinking
4. Invite Others to Your Journey
5. Take the First Bold Step

You may be looking with apprehension and uncertainty at what your next season means, but you are beginning to see glimmers of visions and dreams. The possibility of a new season is opening before you. You have the opportunity to make your next season the best season of your life. You have a choice. You can stay in the comfort and relative security of your past, or you can choose to risk again. If you want to live, laugh, love, dream, and pursue your God-given call, then you have but one choice.

It’s time.

Take a deep breath. Step out.