Author: Pastor Andrew Farland
Are you naturally a risk-taker, or are you usually very cautious? Do you weigh every option before making a decision? or, jump in and deal with the consequences later?
I’ll admit, I don’t like to take risks. I prefer to choose whatever the safest, most reasonable option might be. The more I think about it! I realize my risk is caused, by a fear of failure. I would rather be confident that I’ll succeed than try something new that might not work.
God wants me to live differently than that. He wants you to live differently, too.
Operating in faith means that failure is to overcome by love. God sees mistakes as growth opportunities. He sees failure as an event that strengthens us. God wants you and me to take big, risky steps of faith that force us to rely on Him instead of our confidence. If we try and fail? His love is greater than our failures and, He welcomes us to get back up and try again.
God wants you to take risks.
He’s inevitably going to stir something inside of you. It may be a vision to build God’s kingdom in your community or another country. He may require you to uproot your family and move to a place where you can be more effective for Him.
In the Old Testament, God asked a man named Abram to pick up his entire family and livestock and move them to an undisclosed location. God told him, “I need you to move. I’m not going to tell you where you’ll end up, but I want you to move to a place where I can use you to accomplish my purposes in the world.”
Amazingly, Abram agreed to go and became one of the utmost examples of faith the world has ever seen. Abram didn’t know where he would end up before he moved. And that’s the way God likes it.
God will always bless commitment. If you’re willing to step out on faith and take a big risk for Him, He will bless you, stretch you, and grow you into the person that God created you to be.
Still scared? Imagine you’re a trapeze artist swinging from side to side. If you fall, you won’t hit the ground because there is a net underneath you. God is the net. When you take risks, He will be there to catch you. When you fall, He’ll be there to help you get up.
So, what are you waiting for? Start moving and watch what God does with your commitment to Him!
“Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
Be encouraged today because God is with you.
