TOPIC: DON’T PLAY IT SAFE WITH YOUR FAITH; START TAKING RISKS
Faith is a risk taker.
Mark 2:1-9(TLB)Several days later he returned to Capernaum, and the news of his arrival spread quickly through the city. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there wasn’t room for a single person more, not even outside the door. And he preached the Word to them. 3 Four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a stretcher. 4 They couldn’t get to Jesus through the crowd, so they dug through the clay roof above his head and lowered the sick man on his stretcher, right down in front of Jesus. 5 When Jesus saw how strongly they believed that he would help, Jesus said to the sick man, “Son, your sins are forgiven!” 6 But some of the Jewish religious leaders said to themselves as they sat there, 7 “What? This is blasphemy! Does he think he is God? For only God can forgive sins.” 8 Jesus could read their minds and said to them at once, “Why does this bother you? 9-11 I, the Messiah, have the authority on earth to forgive sins. But talk is cheap-anybody could say that. So I’ll prove it to you by healing this man.” Then, turning to the paralyzed man, he commanded, “Pick up your stretcher and go on home, for you are healed!”
The natural man can never understand the operation of the Spirit.
The four friends didn’t care about the cost of removing the roof of a house that didn’t belong to them.
Jesus was moved by the faith, which was backed by risky actions.
The Spirit of God can lead you to do the unthinkable.
Can you give me the example of easy faith in the scriptures? None!
The four lepers were a band of risk takers. This type of faith often requires facing death first before achieving success.
2 Kings 7:3-11(NLT)3 Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. “Why should we sit here waiting to die?” they asked each other. 4 “We will starve if we stay here, but with the famine in the city, we will starve if we go back there. So we might as well go out and surrender to the Aramean army. If they let us live, so much the better. But if they kill us, we would have died anyway.”5 So at twilight they set out for the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there! 6 For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. “The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us!” they cried to one another. 7 So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, as they fled for their lives.(Read on)
It takes risky faith to fulfill prophecy.
2 Kings 7:1-2(NLT)Elisha replied, “Listen to this message from the Lord! This is what the Lord says: By this time tomorrow in the markets of Samaria, five quarts of choice flour will cost only one piece of silver, and ten quarts of barley grain will cost only one piece of silver.”2 The officer assisting the king said to the man of God, “That couldn’t happen even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven!”But Elisha replied, “You will see it happen with your own eyes, but you won’t be able to eat any of it!”
V16-20(NLT)16 Then the people of Samaria rushed out and plundered the Aramean camp. So it was true that five quarts of choice flour were sold that day for one piece of silver, and ten quarts of barley grain were sold for one piece of silver, just as the Lord had promised. 17 The king appointed his officer to control the traffic at the gate, but he was knocked down and trampled to death as the people rushed out. So everything happened exactly as the man of God had predicted when the king came to his house. (read on)
The reason I teach this is because these considerations have brought me to where I am today.
If God is calling you to a higher level of ministry and you fear the difficulties and challenges ahead, why not pray? Isn’t it worth considering God’s call and plunging into it?
You must embrace dangerous risks to succeed .
Est 4:16-17(KJV)16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.
Esther 5:1-3 (KJV) Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.2 And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.3 Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.
It takes risk to receive God’s supernatural provision.
Many people find it difficult to give a release of the little they have, especially in times of great scarcity.
1 Kings 17:10-16(KJV)10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.(read on)
The mystery of faith intertwined with risk is understood by every great person.
Consider the prophecy of Agabus to Paul. – Acts 21:10-14(NLT)10 Several days later a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea. 11 He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.'” 12 When we heard this, we and the local believers all begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.13 But he said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When it was clear that we couldn’t persuade him, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
Despite the warning, Paul accomplished his mission of appearing before Caesar to preach the gospel.
Acts 27:18-26(NLT)18 The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. 19 The following day they even took some of the ship’s gear and threw it overboard. 20 The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone.21 No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. 22 But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. 23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, 24 and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ 25 So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. 26 But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”
People take risks for what they believe in.
Dan 3:8-18(NLT)8 But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! 10 You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. 11 That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”13 Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up?(read on)
Dan 1:3-13(TLB)3-4 Then he ordered Ashpenaz, who was in charge of his palace personnel, to select some of the Jewish youths brought back as captives-young men of the royal family and nobility of Judah-and to teach them the Chaldean language and literature. “Pick strong, healthy, good-looking lads,” he said; “those who have read widely in many fields, are well informed, alert and sensible, and have enough poise to look good around the palace.” 5 The king assigned them the best of food and wine from his own kitchen during their three-year training period, planning to make them his counselors when they graduated. 6 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah. 7 However, their superintendent gave them Babylonian names, as follows:Daniel was called Belteshazzar;Hananiah was called Shadrach;Mishael was called Meshach;Azariah was called Abednego. 8 But Daniel made up his mind not to eat the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the superintendent for permission to eat other things instead. (read on)
A Law was given against Daniel’s faith, and he took the risk of sleeping with hungry lions instead of not praying to his God.
Dan 6:4-16(NLT)4 Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. 5 So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”6 So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius! 7 We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions. 8 And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” 9 So King Darius signed the law.10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. (Read On)
1 Cor 10:13(KJV)13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
A way of escape here was taking a risk.
Jesus’ disciples were often sternly warned not to speak in the Name of Jesusclined to obey such orders.
Acts 5:40-42(NLT)40 “… They called in the apostles and had them flogged. Then they ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go.41 The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus. 42 And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”
Acts 4:18-20(KJV)18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
Don’t follow all kinds of stupid orders in your family, village , or ‘amala’ that go against Jesus.
