Taking Risks And Living A Life Of Adventure

Cultivating a Spirit of adventure.

Anyone here tonight who wants to live a boring life?

How about a meaningless life?

Jn.10:10 – “I have come that they might have life and have it to the full.”

Fear paralyzes us and prevents us from experiencing the abundant life.

Fear impacts every area of our life.

Fear of failure

Fear of death

Fear of rejection

Anxiety

1 Jn.4:18 – “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…”

Comfort zones imprison us and prevent us from experiencing the abundant life.

Our feelings will stop us from the uncomfortable.

Living room vs. outdoors.

Video games vs. real adventure.

Virtual life vs. real life.

Climate controlled life.

No risk, no rocking the boat, no danger, no life.

“I don’t watch movies, my life is a movie.” – Pastor Shaller (GGWO)

Walking by faith frees us from fear, comfort zones and meaninglessness.

Walking by faith is scary.

Each step sets you up for a bigger future step.

Walking by faith requires taking risks!

“Step out on a limb.”

Paul’s example:

Acts 19:29-30 – “Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia and rushed as one man into the theater. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd but the disciples would not let him.”

Our call: 2 Cor.5:7 – “We live by faith, not by sight.”

Faith is doing your part expecting God to do His part!

No risk  No anything!

Business example.

Marriage example.

House example.

College example.

Wise risk vs. foolish risk

Wise risk in context of God’s Word and will.

Stepping out in areas God has called us to. Ex. Outreach.

Foolish risk: Doing things without using wisdom.

Areas of risk:

Physical body and health

Reputation: God’s will vs. peer pressure.

Possessions: Tithing, giving, spending wisely.

Relationships: Meeting people, Being vulnerable, honest and real.

Grades and GPA: Following Christ may hurt your GPA.

Future: Your ideas might go out the window, You’ll experience far more however.

Etc, Etc, Etc.

d. Good stress vs. bad stress.

Taking wise calculated risks will strengthen you.

You’re in a fight.

Satan – His purpose is to steal, kill and destroy you (Jn.10:10a).

World – The world constantly drags you down.

Flesh – Your flesh is fighting you and God in you (Rom. 7).

If you choose not to fight, you loose.

Put your armor on

Eph.6:10-11a – Finally be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand.

The armor:

Belt of truth: Getting in the Word.

Breastplate of righteousness: God’s righteousness is given to us.

Feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace: Sharing your faith protects you!

Shield of faith - Faith protects you from lies: From Satan, From the World, From yourself.

Helmet of salvation.

Develop a lifestyle of taking risk.

Learn a new sport.

Do something spontaneous.

Practice sharing your faith.

Overcoming challenges.

Encounter your challenges head on, take a risk.

Don’t let the challenges rule you. “Die trying”

Be prepared for action.

1 Peter 1:13 – “…Prepare your minds for action…”

Making decisions.

No decision is often worse than a wrong decision.

Taking initiative.

If God puts is on your heart go for it.

Intrinsic motivation of love.

Jn. 14:15 – “If you love me you will obey what I command.”

Phil.2:21 – “Everyone looks after their own interests and not the interests of Jesus Christ.”

Eternal perspective.

Is what you are doing going to count for eternity?

How will people remember you?

Will they even remember you?

Start taking some risks.

What does it take to get you going?

What does it take to stop you?

Taking risks in Obedience and basic disciplines of Christian life

Schedule a Qt: Daily Word and prayer

Outreach/evangelism (huge risk but so valuable).

Taking risks and overcoming challenges results in freedom!

Gal.5:1 – “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Not constrained by social roles.

Integrity  true to convictions: Doing what we know is right.

You win. Your fears don’t win.Your comfort zones don’t win. Satan doesn’t win. You win.

Modern examples

Modern Martyrs:

School girls in Indonesia (October 2005).

Chinese Christians:

Quoting from The heavenly man (by Brother Yun), “In just one city in China, Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province, 49 pastors were sent to prison labor camps near the Russian border in 1950. Many were given sentences of up to 20 years for their crimes of preaching the gospel. Of those 49 pastors, just one returned home. 48 died in prison. In my home area of Nanyang, believers were crucified on the walls of their churches for not denying Christ. Others were chained to vehicles and horses and dragged to their death. One pastor was bound and attached to a long rope. The authorities, enraged that the man would not deny his faith, used a makeshift crane to lift him high into the air… The pastor was asked one last time by his persecutors if he would recant. He shouted back, “no, I will never deny the Lord who saved me!” The rope was released and the pastor crashed to the ground below. Upon inspection the tormentors discovered the pastor was not fully dead, so they raised him up into the air for a second time, dropping the rope to finish him off for good. In this life the pastor was dead, but he lives on in heaven with the reward of one who was faithful to the end.”