Passion & PurposeSample

Essential #7: Taking God-Approved Risks 

If you’re going to pursue your God-given potential, you’re going to find yourself in situations and face opportunities that will require decisions and actions. Some of those decisions and actions may appear risky to you.

Your potential is the sum of all possibilities that God has for your life. And the truth is, you’ve absolutely no way to comprehend all of the possibilities that an all-wise, all-knowing, infinite God sees. You cannot know with your finite mind and your limited perspective all that He knows.

A significant amount of risk is involved in trusting God in all things, relationships, choices, and decisions. Risk, after all, is part of the very nature of faith:

• Putting our belief in God whom we can’t see but still experience.
• Putting our faith in His promise to work all things to our benefit, even if we can’t understand what must occur to get us from where we are to where we hope to be.
• Putting our faith in the love of God to transform us in ways we can’t even begin to imagine or expect. 

Let me remind you of one of the greatest risk-takers of all time. After Jesus had multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 people, the day was drawing to a close when He told His disciples to get into a boat and go before Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while He went up on a mountain to pray by Himself. After some time had passed, Jesus was still on the mountain while the boat was being tossed about in the middle of the sea.

“Now in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went to them, walking on the sea,” (Matt. 14:25). But the disciples were troubled and cried out in fear, “It is a ghost!” (Matt. 14:26). But Jesus immediately spoke to them, commanding them to not be afraid. It was Peter who answered Jesus, saying, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water,” (Matt. 14:28). As Jesus bid Peter to come, Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water to go to Jesus. Out of all the disciples in the boat that day, only one risked everything to step out in faith, becoming the only person in the Bible who walked on water. Peter was willing to leave the boat and begin his walk toward Jesus. Would you have been willing to take that risk?

I believe that experience deepened Peter’s faith and made him willing to take great risks later in his life and ministry—long after Jesus ascended into heaven. The same could be true for each of us. What we see as a risk from our perspective could be the very situation God uses to strengthen our faith. What we think holds the potential for loss or damage, God may very well be using to strengthen our characters. What we view as taking a chance, very possibly could be what God will use to carry us one giant step closer to fulfilling our purpose and reaching our full potential.