Audacious Faith

 “ And without faith, it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6

Have you ever witnessed someone accomplish a daring feat and wondered to yourself, “Could I ever do that?” or “ Wow, I wish my life looked like that!”. When was the last time you did something so risky that made your heart race and your palms were sweaty?

I remember my dad took me shrimp boating when I was eight years old.  We were a part of a larger group of fathers and sons.  The boating experience happened on a cold night.  We were at a dock and I noticed the boat was located about 7 feet away. Something inside of me focused on the boat and I imagined what it would be like to make the long jump. My dad took a good look at me and said: “Boy, don’t even think about making that jump.” His words only made my desire greater. I took off running and soared for a glorious moment, and then sadly the soaring stopped. I fell short into the freezing water and spent the rest of the evening naked in a shrimp boat.  It was not my finest moment, but I’ll never forget the rush I felt in taking that big risk.  Ironically, I felt the same rush the first time I ever shared the gospel with someone.  I had a surge of adrenaline that came over me as I dared to share the love of Jesus with a stranger.

Jesus called us to live an audacious life.  Audacious means “Intrepidly daring or recklessly bold.” A large number of people in our society tend to play it safe to ensure a low-risk life. A risk is an action that exposes us to possible loss or injury.  When we experience failure or disappointment our tendency is to say “ I will never do that again!”  Yet, there are many people who master their skills and mindset in a way that help them accomplish great things even after a major set back or disappointment.

Jesus never called us to low-risk life, nor to be ruled by fears or failures.  Jesus called us to take big risks based on obedience. It requires a new way of thinking and believing filtered by God’s truth. He demonstrated that great faith comes from a place of great surrender. Faith is not pretending something is true that isn’t; it is seeing something in your spirit and knowing it is true. Faith propels us to take the right action. Faith gives us the confidence to step out boldly and experience a life beyond our wildest dreams.