Start Climbing the Staircase

“Faith and prayer are the cornerstones of radical change.” – Bob Williamson

When God led me to launch Risk Takers for Christ in 2011, I thought long and hard about a theme verse for our new ministry. My desire was to challenge my fellow Christians to leave their spiritual “comfort zones” and to be bolder in their faith.

After all, in my almost 50 years as a believer, I had seen far-too-many professing and even genuine Christians fall into the same trap. They had repented of their sins and placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation, and were even doing all the “right things” such as reading the Bible, attending church, and praying every day. However, there didn’t seem to be much joy or excitement in their daily walk.

Yes, they had their eternal “fire insurance” and yes, they were living relatively moral lives but there was no real vibrancy, the kind that comes from taking chances and living on the edge for Jesus. By not expending much spiritual energy, they weren’t producing much spiritual fruit… or impacting the world around them for God’s kingdom.

And so, I settled on Hebrews 11:6 for our theme verse because it encapsulated virtually everything that I wanted RTC to be about. It reads as follows: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

My friend, if you and I want to truly please God, then we need to step out in faith. Start small, if necessary, like witnessing to a relative or neighbor… or volunteering at a homeless shelter… or mentoring a troubled teenager. For me, it was taking my love for sports and using it as a vehicle for sharing the gospel with prisoners. Eventually, that led to “jumping in the deep end” by raising my own support and entering full-time ministry.

As Dr. King famously said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 (BSB)

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President