Forget the How, Not the What

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)

When God first told me to start writing, I laughed. It wasn’t a hearty laugh of joy, it was what I call the “Sarah chuckle,” that mix of disbelief and nervous laughter that comes when what God asks sounds impossible. Sarah laughed when she heard she would bear a child at ninety. Her problem was age. Mine felt much simpler: I couldn’t write a coherent sentence to save my life.

I had no plan. No direction. No vision for what might come from it.

Two weeks later, Christine came to me and said, “God told me we’re going to start writing together.” We had never discussed it before. That was my confirmation. God often speaks once and then confirms through another, and when He does, you realize it’s not about your ability; it’s about His assignment.

So, out of obedience, I sat down and wrote.

I had no idea what would come from it. I didn’t know Christine would become my publisher, tirelessly editing and proofreading everything. I didn’t know those early words would end up printed weekly on the back of the church bulletin. And I certainly didn’t know those small steps of faith would one day stir the vision for a book, Chasing the Dark Away.

But here’s what I learned: once I started, God started moving. Obedience opened the door. Faith kept me walking through it.

No one can show you ahead of time what the success of your calling will look like. I can’t prove how far this book will reach. I haven’t held the finished copy in my hands yet. But I keep writing anyway. Why?

Because that’s what faith is—the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith isn’t blind optimism or wishful thinking. Faith is confident action in response to God’s Word, even when nothing visible seems to support it yet. Evidence, by definition, supports truth. In God’s kingdom, faith becomes the evidence that His promises are already true in His timeline, even if I haven’t seen them in mine.

If I had stopped writing when it didn’t make sense, where would my substance be now? What would I be standing on? Today it is a fact that a book will be published, not because I’ve seen it yet, but because faith made it real long before it arrives.

So let me ask you this: are you stuck in the how, or are you walking in the what?

At a Promise Keepers event, I once heard a speaker say something that stuck with me: “We get so caught up in the how, we forget the what.” That’s it, isn’t it? We obsess over how God will accomplish something and overlook what He has already asked us to do.

Our fixation on the mechanics robs us of the miracle already in motion.

The prophet Habakkuk recorded God’s instruction:

"Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay." Habakkuk 2:2–3

God’s Word reminds us that visions are tied to appointed times. They may linger. They may stretch us. But they are certain. The what is clear: write it down, make it plain, keep it before you. Speak it. Pray it. Believe it. Even when the timeline stretches, the promise does not expire.

Not every calling unfolds on our schedule. Some assignments require seasons of preparation that don’t fit our calendar. But when God speaks, our role isn’t to solve logistics. Our role is obedience. He handles the timing, the reach, and the results.

So forget the how. Focus on the what. Step boldly into what God has called you to do and trust Him to handle the details in ways you could never orchestrate yourself.

Faith isn’t wishing. It’s standing on truth and stepping into obedience.