Go for the Gusto for God!

"When you're uncomfortable, that's when you learn something new about yourself." – Arca, Venezuelan musician

When I launched Risk Takers for Christ in 2011, our original mission statement was simple: “To challenge Christians to step outside of their spiritual comfort zones and to be bolder in their faith.” We’ve undergone a few revisions over the past 12 years to include our outreach to prisoners and at-risk youth, but our core mission remains the same. Simply put, I have a burning passion to encourage my fellow believers to stop living their lives so “close to the vest” and to begin taking what I call “sanctified risks.”

I coined that phrase because I don’t think God wants us to act irrationally or to take unnecessary risks without first praying about them and then committing them to Him. Acting impulsively or recklessly isn’t a step of faith. On the contrary, it is an act of foolishness that displays spiritual immaturity.

That being said, God doesn’t want us to live our lives “under the radar” either. Far too many Christians are risk-aversive because they simply want to avoid as many of life’s bumps and bruises as possible. Now, I am not saying that we should seek out trouble for trouble’s sake. However, I don’t think Christians should run from it either. After all, Paul reminded young Timothy that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

My friend, we only pass through this world once, so why not “go for the gusto for God?”

“Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President