Taking Godly Risk
“David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.” – I Samuel 17:45 (NIV)
In my experience, following God has typically been risky.
In fact, not much time goes by that He's not calling me to risk in some way. Ephesians says that good works were prepared in advance for you to do. There are things God has written into your story, gifted you, and prepared you to accomplish. And these things will change the kingdom of God.
A lot of millennials are playing very small, and that would be okay if there wasn't much on the line.
Even if Jesus doesn't return for generations, there's always a lot on the line. And so, I want you to envision something that you have felt God prompts you to do but feels kind of audacious or maybe just scary.
There are good works that God prepared you to do, and I believe that we can miss them.
I believe it is possible to waste your life.
Think of the risks you need to take as a game of roulette. When you play roulette, the odds are never in your favor because there are way too many numbers to bet on.
Every one of us is placing a bet in this life.
You may not realize that because it’s not always a conscious decision, but you're placing a bet. Some people are placing a red-and-black bet. A lot of people aren't even thinking about this. You've casually tossed a chip in with God or with the world. You barely even think about what you're doing or why you're doing it.
The corner bet is a little more strategic. You put your chips on a few things. You want absolutely everything, but you don’t assess the risks involved. The things you want may not all be aligned. If you completely follow one path, you may not be in a position to follow another.
The more divided your bet is, the lower the payout. We spread our risks out in hopes that something works out for us. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you. And yet, we are trying to get all these things and adding God to that.
Small risks lead to big risks.
God sent David a bear and a lion because He knew there would be a Goliath.
It rarely is that God is going to ask you to do one huge thing without preparing you first. He will ask you to serve in the small spaces first. He will put something in your spirit that says you’re supposed to sign up to lead Sunday school, for example.
Once you take a small risk and win, you look to take a bigger risk because you realize that you’re okay after taking that small step. Not only are we okay, but it’s fun and it’s what we were built for. That's how God works. This isn't some scary thing that He's calling you into. He is calling you into the abundant life that you're missing if you don't live this way.
Obedient risk fast tracks growth.
Some of you have struggled with the same sin for a decade, and you don't know how to change. You may have been looking for a purpose in your life since childhood and you still don't know what it is.
Risk causes you to want God because you need God when you’re scared.
When you feel empty and don’t know how to do this, you pray for God’s help. All it takes is two words – “God, help.” When you are saying these two words, you are fixing your eyes on Jesus. You are running the race that was set before you.
Because you're so busy running, you don't have time to think about yourself. This is how the Christian life is meant to be. We are fixing our eyes on Jesus, running the race He has set before us. We’re throwing off the sin and the burden.
Sign up to do something that will change your life and make you less selfish.
All of a sudden, you won't have time to sin because you're thinking about the people looking up to you. There's something in the spirit that happens through us and to us when we do something that's not comfortable for us.
“Everything I know to be true of God is not because I was blessed enough to attend seminary or because I know my Bible. It’s because I have stepped out on the water where feet may fail, and He has held. And that is the life is He has called you to.”
There are times when the things you want are not what God wants for you. And that can make us mad at Him. But the Christian life is not about finding your perfect career and calling but finding ways to die to yourself every single day and follow Him no matter where He says go. That is the story of how you know Jesus.
God leads me, and I know what to do - not because I’m smart - but because He’s good. He'll walk right beside you, and He will be a lamp unto your feet. When I’m faced with difficult choices, there's a sense of surrender in me. And when I completely surrendered, I've known what to do.
Surrender is always necessary to hear from God.
You will never know what to do in your life as long as you are placing bets on multiple numbers. Until you place everything into one square, you will always feel like you don't hear from God. And so, you will be stuck in your sin forever. This is the simplest, truest thing I could ever say.
Surrender everything to Jesus. Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these other things will be added to you. When God calls you to do something for him, it doesn’t always make sense. It has never felt like I have what I need or know what to do. So, it has always felt scary. When we're running our race and accomplishing what God has for us, God gets the glory. And that's the story that He's writing. That's a story He wants to be a part of. Stories like David’s are the stories that God wants to build through us.
Take the risk today and do one small thing that scares you for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Do the little acts of obedience that scare you to death. God moves on Earth. If you are following Him, and it feels comfortable, I promise you there is more. And here's the great news: God-honoring, risky obedience isn't actually risky because we know how this will end.
When winning is guaranteed, you bet everything.
Spend your life doing obedient things that God calls you to. Sometimes it will be big, but mostly it will be small. But the result will be eternal.
The big things that God has done were built with a million little relationships, conversations, scary moments, and acts of obedience. God has often led me through ideas that I'd typically be too selfish to even think of. And I've learned to listen to those ideas and thoughts and to act on them. Ridiculous things have happened when I've done that.
God set the nation of Israel free. So, who are we to decide what we should do for God? He has a plan and a story for us. It's written before time and prepared in advance for us to walk in. It feels crazy to go all in with God. You may never get married because you're too strong of a girl. You may never have the perfect life you're trying to build, but it’s all worth it.
Deep down, we all hope there's more to live for than just a perfect life that’s all figured out.
We're not crazy. We are not fools. It's not a myth; Heaven is coming.
It's real and it's happening. Everything we do in the name of our God and in light of that story will be worth it.
