Willing to Risk

When Peter looked at the lame man sitting at the gate of the temple and said, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk" (Acts 3:6), Peter was taking a huge step of faith. There was no backup plan. If the man wasn’t healed, it would be really bad.

But faith is not faith if there is no risk. Faith is a living, restless thing, and it cannot be inoperative. Faith has no back door. There is no safety net.

This may be one reason God will use young people so powerfully. They are willing to take risks. As we get older, we become more cautious. Why? We have had experiences in life, and things have not always gone as we hoped they would. As a result, we are a little more careful. But when we are young, we are willing to go for it. We are willing to try. So a lot of the great things God does are often through young people.

When I started our church, I was 19. I had no idea what I was doing, but ignorance was bliss in a way. I just went for it, believing that God could do a work. But as we get older, we become more cautious and have certain fears. What if we fail? We may feel like that pessimist who said, "If at first you don’t succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried." You may fail. And that is where faith comes in.

But let me ask you a question: What if you succeed? Are you willing to take a risk for the kingdom of God? Are you willing to initiate a conversation about Christ? Are you willing to pray for someone? Are you willing to believe that God could work through you?