Faith is a Four Letter Word

By Pastor Jeffrey Smith 

When was the last time you did something that made you uncomfortable? Not the kind of discomfort that comes with being forced into a situation, but the kind of discomfort you force yourself into. The kind of discomfort that comes as a result of looking at what you can’t see and stepping out in faith. The kind of discomfort that comes when you pray for someone that other people think you have no business praying over, or believing for a miracle that all the odds are against. What if I told you this was the kind of life Jesus calls us to? 

In Mark 16:17 tells us “[Jesus] said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 

All of what Jesus concludes in this passage of Scripture points to living in the middle of audacious faith. We ought to develop an attitude that a low-risk life is no life at all. If you want to be all that God has called us to be, you must be willing to step out into an area you can’t control. Faith is living with such risk that if God doesn’t show up, you will fall flat on your face. All of this requires that you take risks. It requires that you pray for that person, you believe for that miracle, you do recklessly bold things for the kingdom. What’s more uncomfortable: living a life of reckless and bold faith, or living out of line with the potential Jesus said we have? Faith is really just a four letter word spelled R-I-S-K.