Taking a Risk
As a person faces death they often regret certain things in their life. They may regret the hurt they caused a loved one or not spending more time with their family. Yes, moral failures or relationship failure are regretted but not usually the adventure tried and failed. What do I mean?
You don’t usually hear people say, “I regret trying a new business or trying to make a difference in ministry.” No, it’s usually the adventure NEVER tried that is a regret. “Wish a wrote that book.” “I should have gone back to school so my family would have a better life.” “I should have tried that business idea.” “I should have tried to save my marriage.” “I wish I would have done more for God.” Those are some more common ones.
At the end of their life people regret risks not taken. Often it is the fear of losing something that keeps us from taking risks. God wants us to trust Him enough to live like that now. To live like we have nothing to lose. There is story of 4 men in scripture who had nothing to lose, so they took a risk. They found that God’s blessing often lives on the other side of a risk taken.
In 2 Kings chapter 7 is a story of 4 leprous men. They have shunned by society because of their contagious skin disease and because they are considered cursed by God, religiously unclean. (The closest thing we would have in our society today is a homosexual person with full blown AIDS.)
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. “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.”
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! 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. So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, as they fled for their lives. When the lepers arrived at the edge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating and drinking wine; and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and hid it. – 2 Kings 7:3-8
As the 4 lepers took a risk to change their situation God intervened for them! If they had done nothing they would have died where they were wondering why God had never helped them!!
Have you ever wondered why God usually shows up right at the end when we can’t make it? I don’t think it’s because He likes to make us wait. I believe most times it’s because we wait until we’re desperate to take a risk and make a move.
When God blesses it usually more than expected. The lepers were hoping to survive but God gave them more than they could carry. This abundance caused them to think of others. (Usually when you’re hurting it’s hard to think of blessing others.)
Be a risk-taker not an excuse-maker. Risk-takers fail more but they also achieve more. Noone ever gained ground in a battle by watching from the sidelines. You have to get in there, fight, bleed and risk it all!
Finally, they said to each other, “This is not right. This is a day of good news, and we aren’t sharing it with anyone! If we wait until morning, some calamity will certainly fall upon us. Come on, let’s go back and tell the people at the palace.” So they went back to the city and told the gatekeepers what had happened.- 2 Kings 7:9-10
The reward to the risk taker is meant to be shared with others. We are blessed to be a blessing. Don’t wait until your last 30 Days to take that life-changing risk. Risk takers accomplish more for God and also take others around them to new levels in God, thereby gaining bigger blessings themselves in the process. To fulfill your destiny on this planet you can’t play it safe.
Dear Jesus help me to be a risk-taker not an excuse-maker. My desire is to fulfill your destiny for me on this planet and I know I can’t do that by playing it Safe. I give my fear of failure, my insecurity about what others may think of me and yes even the lack of trust I have in you. Point me in the right direction and I will take a leap of faith knowing you’ll be there to catch me if I fall.
- When is the last time risked failure to achieve a life goal?
- When is the last time I took a risk to accomplish something BIG for God.
- Ask God for a vision that is too big for you to accomplish on your own
- Take one step towards your impossible dream today.