small steps of obedience

"Not that I have already obtained all this... but I press on." — Philippians 3:12

One of the messages that has become the heartbeat of Kingdom Chaos is simple: progress over perfection. It's amazing to me that our very first episode continues to be the most downloaded because it tells me something about all of us. We're tired. Tired of trying to measure up. Tired of comparing ourselves to everyone else. Tired of feeling like we're constantly falling short. Somewhere along the way, many of us started believing that if we couldn't do everything perfectly, there wasn't much point in trying at all. But that's not the life Jesus calls us to. He doesn't call us to perform for Him. He calls us to follow Him, one faithful step at a time.

When Amy and I started Kingdom Chaos, we never wanted to create a ministry where people felt like they had to pretend everything was okay. We wanted a place where ordinary people with real struggles could come honestly before a God whose grace is greater than all of them. Throughout Scripture, God rarely chooses the people the world would expect. Jesus didn't build His ministry around religious superstars. He chose fishermen, tax collectors, and ordinary men who were willing to say yes. Their lives weren't transformed because they were perfect. They were transformed because they kept taking the next step of obedience.

Now, I want to be clear. Perfection is still the standard because Jesus is our standard. Every believer should desire to become more like Him every day. But there's a difference between a destination and an expectation. The destination is Christlikeness. The expectation is faithful growth. Even the Apostle Paul admitted he hadn't arrived. Instead of becoming discouraged by his imperfections, he simply kept pressing on. That's what discipleship looks like. It's not pretending we've arrived. It's refusing to quit because we haven't.

Too often we allow one failure to define our entire journey. We miss a few days reading our Bible and decide we've failed. We struggle in our marriage and assume nothing will ever change. We fall back into an old habit and convince ourselves we'll never grow. But God doesn't work that way. Philippians 1:6 reminds us that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion. God is the One doing the transforming. Our responsibility isn't to manufacture change. Our responsibility is simply to keep saying yes to the next step He places in front of us.

One question I've been asking myself lately is this: What is my target? Every area of our lives has a destination. Maybe your target is a healthier marriage. Maybe it's financial freedom, spiritual growth, physical health, or becoming the parent God has called you to be. Once you know your target, ask yourself a second question: What am I doing today to move one step closer? Not next week. Not when life slows down. Today. Because that's how God almost always works. Noah had to begin building the ark before the rain came. Abraham had to leave home before he knew where he was going. Peter had to step out of the boat before he walked on water. Throughout Scripture, God meets people in motion. Obedience usually begins before we see the whole picture.

One of our biggest struggles is that we become overwhelmed by the mountain in front of us. We want to see every step before we take the first one. God rarely works that way. He usually gives us just enough light for the next step. We look at someone with a thriving marriage, deep faith, or a successful ministry and assume they simply woke up that way. What we don't see are the thousands of quiet decisions that shaped their life. We celebrate the destination, but God does His greatest work during the journey.

I like to think of it like a television screen. From a distance, you see one beautiful picture. But if you look closely, it's made up of millions of tiny pixels. Each one seems insignificant on its own, but together they create something remarkable. Our lives work the same way. One prayer may not seem life-changing. One chapter of Scripture may not feel dramatic. One act of forgiveness, one difficult conversation, one healthy meal, or one workout may not seem important. But over time, those small acts of obedience become the story God is writing in our lives.

People often ask me how my faith has grown over the years or how I've become healthier physically. Honestly, the answer is the same for both: small, consistent habits. I didn't wake up one morning with stronger faith, and I didn't wake up one morning thirty pounds lighter. Change happened gradually. I kept reading God's Word. I kept praying. I surrounded myself with people who were further along in their walk with Christ than I was. I listened, learned, adjusted, and kept taking the next step. Not perfectly. Consistently.

One lesson that's transformed my life is the importance of learning from people who are already living where I hope to go. If you want a stronger marriage, spend time with couples who have built one on Christ. Ask questions. Listen to their story. If you want to grow spiritually, surround yourself with believers who challenge you to know Jesus more deeply. If you want to become a better leader, learn from leaders whose lives demonstrate humility and integrity. You're not trying to become them. You're simply learning the daily habits that helped shape them into who they are today.

When I look back over my own journey, I don't see one dramatic moment that changed everything. I see hundreds of small steps. I got baptized. I joined a church. I entered a life group. I started serving. I began leading. I left my career to pursue ministry. I took one college class at a time until I eventually earned my degree. Every season prepared me for the next one. None of those steps seemed extraordinary in the moment, but together they completely changed the direction of my life.

The same principle has shaped every area of my life. Spiritually, I've learned to slow down while reading Scripture instead of rushing through chapters just to check a box. I've begun memorizing God's Word so it becomes part of my everyday thinking. I've intentionally learned from faithful Bible teachers and authors who continually stretch my understanding of Scripture. Leadership has become another area of growth as I study people who lead with humility and purpose. Even my health has changed through small adjustments. After receiving concerning blood work, I didn't try to transform everything overnight. I simply began making one healthy decision after another. Those small changes eventually became lasting habits.

I've also discovered that growth isn't always about adding something new. Sometimes it's about pruning. There are seasons when God asks us to let go of something that's perfectly good because it no longer serves His greater purpose. Years ago, I spent hours lifting heavy weights almost every day. There was nothing wrong with that during that season. But as my priorities shifted, I realized my relationship with God needed to come first. My quiet time became the first part of my morning, and my workouts became shorter and more intentional. That wasn't losing discipline. It was learning to prioritize what mattered most.

Proverbs 24:16 says, "Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again." I love that verse because it reminds us that righteous people still fall. The difference is they don't stay there. They keep getting back up. Maybe you've drifted from God. Maybe you've started over more times than you can count. Maybe your marriage isn't where you hoped it would be, or your spiritual life feels stagnant. Don't let one stumble convince you the journey is over. God's grace is greater than your failure, and His power is made perfect in our weakness.

So here's the challenge I want to leave you with this week. Don't try to change your entire life overnight. Choose one thing. Read one chapter of Scripture each day. Spend ten minutes in prayer. Reach out to a mentor. Join a small group. Forgive someone you've been holding bitterness against. Whatever God has placed in front of you, take that one step. Once it becomes a habit, take another.

Before long, you'll look back and realize something incredible.

God wasn't changing your life through one dramatic moment.

He was changing it through thousands of small steps of obedience.

That's how discipleship works.

That's how transformation happens.

And that's why, at Kingdom Chaos, we'll always believe in progress over perfection.

Listen to: Small Steps of Obedience