Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
4 10 2026
Step In: The Life Easter Calls You To – It Can’t Be Over!
Let me close this week talking about Easter…Not just feeling it but following it. Easter has a way of stirring something in us. It always does. The story, the sacrifice, the empty tomb—it moves us. But if we are honest, many of us have been moved before… and yet, not much has changed. We felt something, maybe even promised something… but then life returned, routines took over, and that moment slowly faded.
But Easter was never meant to just move you. It was meant to transform you.
There is a difference between standing at the edge of faith and stepping into it. Between appreciating what Jesus did and actually living in response to it. The empty tomb is not just proof of His power—
it is an invitation into a new life. A deeper life. A surrendered life.
Scripture says in Romans 12:1, “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” That means Easter is not just something we remember…it is something we respond to. A life laid down. A life given back to the One who gave everything for us.
And yet, many of us are still living in shallow waters.
Our lives have dammed up the flow of His living water.
We believe—but cautiously. We follow…but at a distance. We pray…but without expectation. And somewhere along the way, we have settled into a version of faith that is comfortable… but not powerful.
But Jesus never called us to comfort. He called us deeper.
In Luke 5:4, Jesus tells Peter, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Peter could have stayed where it was safe, where it was familiar. But the miracle wasn’t there. The abundance wasn’t there. The calling wasn’t there.
It was in the deeper water. He was surely aggravated after fishing, unsuccessfully all night,
BUT he obeyed.
And that’s where Jesus is calling us this Easter. Deeper in faith. Deeper in trust. Deeper in surrender.
But how do we get there?
It starts with a simple, honest prayer: “Lord, increase my faith.” “Lord, increase my faith.” “Lord, increase my faith.” Say it… Shout it…until it becomes heartfelt. That prayer is straight out of Luke 17:5, when the disciples themselves realized they didn’t have enough to live what Jesus was calling them to. And Jesus didn’t rebuke them—He invited them. Are you listening?
You don’t have to have it all figured out. You don’t even have to know what your gifts are yet. But you do have to be willing. Willing to ask. Willing to step. Willing to trust.
Faith grows when it is exercised, not when it is observed.
So begin here…
Start praying daily—not just for things—but for transformation. (Have you ever… Or when was the last time?) Ask God to reveal your gifts, your purpose, and your next step. James 1:5 reminds us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God… and it will be given to you.”
Then step into community. Faith was never meant to be lived alone. Get involved in a small group, a ministry, a place where you are known and where you can know others. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds… not giving up meeting together.”
And here’s the part that stretches us… Serve before you feel ready. Give before you feel qualified. Step in before you feel confident.
Because your gifts are often revealed in the going, not in the waiting.
1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” It doesn’t say “once you fully understand it.” It says use it. Start moving. Start giving. Start showing up.
Pray for someone. Encourage someone. Volunteer. Lead your family spiritually. Speak life into your workplace. Begin to live like someone who carries the name of Christ.
Because that’s what this is really about. Living a life worthy of the name “Christian.”
Not perfectly…but intentionally. Not passively…but boldly.
The men and women who followed Jesus in the early days… they gave everything. They didn’t just believe in Him…they belonged to Him. (Who do you belong to, or what do you belong to?) Their lives were not their own. And because of that, the world was changed.
And here we are today…
Still talking about that same resurrection. Still holding that same power. Still being invited into that same kind of life. So what will we do with it? This Easter, don’t just feel something.
Don’t just attend something.
Enter in.
Step into deeper waters.
Pray for more faith…and expect God to answer.
Give yourself away…even before you fully understand how.
And trust that the same God who raised Jesus from the dead… is able to raise something new in you.
YES… Will you say Yes? Because in the end, the question is not whether Easter was powerful…
It’s whether we are willing to live like it is.
Here are two simple, thought-provoking questions to help you into the deeper waters of reflection and surrender
- Where in my life have I settled for shallow faith—being moved by Jesus, but not truly following Him into deeper waters?
- If I were to give myself more fully to God starting today, what is one step I already know He’s been prompting me to take—but I’ve been holding back on?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH9kYn4L8TI&list=RDtkRwkpYYTzY&index=2
Carrie Underwood, Must be something in the water
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