(Master Isolated Images/Freedigitalphotos.net)Risk is a primary component of faith, and the Bible teaches that without faith it is impossible to please God. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus condemned the unfaithful servant who would not risk his talent, but hid it to be safe. Jesus called him “wicked and lazy” and took the talent he had and gave it to the one who had invested his five talents and doubled them.
Regardless of our spiritual level—whether a young person full of the excitement of just following Christ, or one who has enjoyed a measure of success in following your dreams, or one who has followed God for many years and is tempted to coast—God wants us to move into risky living: faith living.
We should believe Him for new mountains to climb, new visions to pursue. That is how we grow and develop our faith and move from “glory to glory.” As my late mentor Jamie Buckingham put it so well, each of us should “attempt something so big that, without God, it’s bound to fail.”
The book of Acts is exciting! Miracles happen in every chapter. Although I have read through the entire Bible every year for over 25 years, God always opens my eyes to amazing new insights. This year my eyes were opened to notice the various ways (not just one way) God chose to speak to His followers. Have you noticed them before?
God Spoke to His Followers Through Angels
“An angel of the Lord said to Philip” (Acts 8:26).
“An angel of the Lord came to him and said” (Acts 10:2) .
“The angel struck Peter on the side and woke him up. ‘Hurry! Get dressed and put on your sandals.’” (Acts 12:7).
God Spoke to His Followers Through Visions
“The Lord spoke to Ananias in a vision” (Acts 9:10).
"Giving thanks unto the Father .. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son."(Colossians 1:12-13)If, in spite of all the Bible's promises about prosperity...in spite of all the prayers you've prayed...you are still struggling financially, consider this question: Where do you think God is going to get the resources to meet your needs? Many believers limit God without even realizing it by training their eyes on the limited resources of this world rather than the unlimited riches of God's kingdom. Their faith fails when they think of the troubled economy on the earth, of the shortages and scarcity that surrounds them. They wonder, "How is God going to bless me in the middle of all this?"
