Don’t Stay Stagnant: Step Into God’s Plans

Listen to Podcast at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s1-e11-dont-stay-stagnant-step-into-gods-plans/id1835304108?i=1000725716347

When Still Water Starts to Stink: Getting Unstuck with God

There’s a kind of tired that sleep can’t touch—the kind that shows up when your soul stops moving. You know it’s there when days blur together, when “fine” becomes your default answer, and when the life you’re living feels smaller than the one God promised.

I’ve seen that kind of stillness up close. It doesn’t arrive with sirens. It settles in quietly—routine by routine—until you wake up and realize survival mode has been steering the ship.

The Pond That Looked Peaceful

Think of a pond with no fresh water flowing in. From a distance it’s calm, even pretty. But stay a while and the truth rises: the water turns murky, the smell creeps in, and what looked peaceful is actually dying.

Stagnation in our lives works the same way. From the outside, it can pass for “stable.” Inside, joy dries up. Curiosity fades. Bitterness finds room to grow.

Years ago I watched a woman I cared about slowly shrink her world to the necessities—groceries, a drive-thru, back home again. When I gently nudged her to try something new, she laughed and said she’d lived enough. Over time, depression followed. Illness, too. Her Bible gathered dust. She didn’t see herself as young or capable anymore—she saw “finished.” And it didn’t just wound her; it wounded the people who loved her.

That is not what God intends.

What God Actually Offers

Jesus didn’t say, “I came so you could get by.” He said He came to give life to the full (John 10:10). Scripture doesn’t treat faith as a concept to think about; it treats faith as a verb—something we do. “Without faith it’s impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6), and “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). In other words, faith moves.

If everything in your routine feels safe, predictable, and controllable, it might also be faithless. Not rebellious—just unused. And unused faith atrophies.

The Trap of Comfort

Comfort zones feel like protection, but they can quietly become prisons. The enemy doesn’t have to attack you loudly if he can lull you into doing nothing. While we settle, God keeps working: “See, I am doing a new thing… do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19). New things require new steps. You can’t stand still and join Him at the same time.

Your People Need Your Yes

Stagnation is contagious. When we stop receiving from God, we have little left to give our families, churches, or communities. Your wisdom matters. Your presence matters. Your energy matters. Someone near you is waiting for the strength that returns when you move again with God.

What Stepping Out Can Look Like (It’s Smaller Than You Think)

We tend to picture “stepping out in faith” as a grand gesture. Most days, it’s simpler:

• Joining a Bible study even if you feel unqualified.

• Walking back into church after a long time away.

• Applying for a job that stretches you.

• Sharing your testimony though your voice shakes.

• Choosing kindness when sarcasm would be easier.

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). If fear is calling the shots, it isn’t God’s voice.

You’re Not Done

Maybe you’ve quietly decided your best years are behind you. Maybe a hard season convinced you that “this is it.” Hear me: if you’re breathing, God is still building. “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6). You don’t get to write “The End” on a story God is still authoring.

A Prayer for Those Ready to Move

Father, wake me up where I’ve grown dull.Replace my fear with Your courage, my apathy with Your purpose, and my comfort with Your calling.Order my steps, steady my heart, and let me sense Your nearness as I obey—one small step at a time.Amen.

Friend, you weren’t made to drift. You were made to live—fully, faithfully, and awake to the purpose God planted in you.