Taking Risks

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This podcast features sermons by Rob McFarlane. For more resources or to support this ministry visit www.mcfarlaneministries.com

Episode Transcript

Rob McFarlane (00:29):
Taking risks.
Life involves risks.
And we need to keep on takingrisks.
Some risks work, other risksdon't.
But even if you've taken a riskand it hasn't worked out, I want
to encourage you to keep ontaking risks.
Someone said that faith is speltR-I-S-K.

(00:52):
Faith involves taking risks.
Let's have a look at Joshuachapter one.
And I'm going to read verse onethrough to verse nine, and then
we're going to look atprinciples from this passage
that will help us know how totake risks that'll help us and
avoid risks that will harm us.
Joshua chapter one and verseone.

(01:14):
After the death of Moses, theservant of the Lord, the Lord
said to Joshua, the son of Nun,Moses' aid, Moses, my servant,
is dead.
Now then, you and all thesepeople get ready to cross the
Jordan River into the land I amabout to give them to the
Israelites.
I will give you every placewhere you set your foot, as I

(01:35):
promised Moses.
Your territory will extend fromthe desert to the Lebanon, from
the great river Euphrates, allthe Hittite country to the
Mediterranean Sea in the west.
No one will be able to standagainst you all the days of your
life.
As I was with Moses, so I willbe with you.

(01:55):
I will never leave you orforsake you.
Be strong and courageous,because you will lead these
people to inherit the land Iswore to their ancestors to give
them.
Be strong and very courageous.
Be careful to obey all the lawmy servant Moses gave you.
Do not turn from it to the rightor to the left, that you may be

(02:19):
successful wherever you go.
Keep this book of the law alwayson your lips.
Meditate on it day and night, sothat you may be able to be
careful to do everything writtenin it, for then you will be
prosperous and successful.
Have I not commanded you, bestrong and courageous.

(02:39):
Do not be afraid, do not bediscouraged, for the Lord your
God will be with you whereveryou go.
We see in this passage sevenkeys to taking positive risks.
Joshua took a risk to cross theJordan and take possession of
the promised land.
If we don't take risks, we willnot take possession of our full

(03:02):
inheritance.
Joshua chapter 1, verse 6 tellsus, you will lead these people
into their inheritance.
And God wants us to take a holdof all that He has promised us.
He wants us to take a hold ofHis promises in our lives, but
it involves taking risks.
So seven keys to taking positiverisks.

(03:23):
The first we see in Joshuachapter 1 and verse 1.
The first key is only take riskswhen you have a clear word from
God.
Don't fall into the trap thatmany Christians do by just
adding the words, thus saith theLord, thinking somehow that's

(03:45):
going to make God move on yourbehalf.
In fact, the Bible warns us thatwe shouldn't say God said if God
has actually not said.
Listen to Proverbs chapter 30,verse 5 and 6.
Every word of God is flawless.
He's a shield to those who takerefuge in him.
Do not add to his words, or hewill rebuke you and prove you a

(04:08):
liar.
People try and force God's handby saying God said.
But in actual fact, that's notfaith.
That's foolishness orpresumption.
And we know that God will onlycomplete what he has started.
It says in Hebrews chapter 12,verse 2, Jesus is the author and
finisher of our faith.

(04:30):
He's only obliged to finish whathe's authored.
It says in Philippians chapter 1and verse 6, he who started a
good work in you will bring itto completion.
If he didn't start the work, heis not obliged to complete it.
So let's make sure before wetake the risk, we've clearly
heard from God.
Before you step out, make sureyou know that God has spoken to

(04:54):
you.
The second key we see in Joshuachapter 1 and verse 2.
The Lord says, Moses, myservant, is dead.
And in verse 5, as I was withMoses, so I will be with you.
The second key is we need toleave the past behind to take a
hold of our future.

(05:16):
We need to leave behind pastfailures.
We need to leave behind pastsuccesses.
In Philippians chapter 3, Paulsays this in verse 13, this one
thing I do, forgetting what liesbehind, I press on to the high
call of God in Christ Jesus.
God has promised us his presenceand he has a wonderful future

(05:40):
for us.
He says, As I was with Moses, soI will be with you.
And God has a plan and purposefor us, but in order for us to
take a hold of what God has forus, we need to let go of the
past.
For Paul in Philippians chapter3, it wasn't letting go
necessarily of negative things,even though there were some
negative things he had to let goof.
He let go of some positivethings.

(06:03):
He put his confidence in hiseducation.
He put his confidence in hisheritage.
And sometimes God wants to getus to a place where we let go of
those things and our confidenceis firmly in Christ.
That we know who we are inChrist and as such we go
forward, knowing that I can doall things through Christ who
strengthens me.

(06:23):
The third key we see is in verse3.
In Joshua chapter 1, verse 3, hesays, Now arise.
The third key to taking risksthat will help you and not harm
you is to get the timing right.
And man, I find this onedifficult.
So often we need to recognizethat doing the right thing in

(06:45):
the wrong time becomes the wrongthing.
It's so important for us torecognize God's time.
Joshua had waited 40 years to gointo the promised land.
If we go back and looked in ourBibles in Numbers chapter 13 and
14, when the twelve spies weresent in, he was numbered among
them.
Ten said no, two said go.

(07:07):
Joshua and Caleb said, We can wewell label, we can take the
land.
But uh as a result of the ten,and as a result of the response
from the people, Joshua andCaleb had to wait a whole
generation before they had theopportunity to go into the
promised land.
And you know, God's time is whenwe are ready, when everyone else

(07:28):
involved is ready, and when itfits into God's master plan.
I love the way it says in Psalm31 and verse 15, our times are
in His hands.
And what we need to do is weneed to prepare ourselves so
that when the opportunity comes,we can seize the opportunity, we

(07:49):
can take a hold of thatopportunity and we can move
forward into all that God hascalled us to.
Success is when preparation andopportunity meet together.
We should be preparing ourselvesso that when the opportunity
comes, we can seize thatopportunity.
We can seize the day, carpediem, take a hold of all God has

(08:11):
for us and pursue it.
Get the timing right.
Number four, the fourth key isto do our homework.
Now we didn't actually read it,but in Joshua chapter 2 and
verse 1, Joshua sent two spiesinto the land and told them, Go
and look over the land.
The fourth key to taking risksis to do your homework.

(08:32):
We need to be diligent in thespiritual and in the natural.
Proverbs chapter 21, verse 5says, the plans of the diligent
will prosper.
Diligence is important.
Jesus said we need to count thecost.
It's important for us to countthe cost before we go and start
building something, before wepursue something.

(08:52):
In Luke chapter 14, verse 25 to33, it talks about how we need
to count the cost and we need tokeep monitoring, and if we get
to a place where we realize wedon't have enough to continue
with this, we need to make surethat we as soon as possible
start to make contingency plans.
And I think that walking infaith doesn't mean that we leave

(09:13):
our brains at the door.
It involves us consciouslysaying, I'm hearing God, and by
choice I'm responding to him.
And uh and we know that we'veheard him, but we also need to
do our homework.
We need to be diligent withthese things.
Key number five is to step outwith courage.
I love the fact that four timesin as many verses in Joshua

(09:36):
chapter one, Joshua is told, bestrong and courageous.
Be strong and courageous.
If you have a clear word fromGod, if you know you're in God's
timing, then step out withcourage.
Key number six, make sure thatthe risk you're taking is

(09:57):
consistent with your call.
In Joshua chapter 1, verse 7,the Lord says to Joshua, do not
turn from it to the left or theright, that you may succeed
wherever you go.
We need to make sure that whatwe're doing is consistent with
our call.
Now, the call on Joshua's life,and we could read about this in

(10:18):
Deuteronomy 31, verse 6 to verse8, where Moses speaks to Joshua
and says, God's called you to goand take these people into their
inheritance.
Again, he says it again inJoshua chapter 1.
I've called you to take thesepeople into your inheritance,
verse 6.
This was the call that God hadon Joshua's life, and we need to
make sure when we take a risk,it's consistent with our call.

(10:40):
For example, make sure that whatyou're doing is what God has
called you to do and not whatGod has called somebody else to
do.
For me to launch a singingcareer and to try and have a
worship album would be crazybecause uh I can't sing and I
can't play a musical instrument.
For me to feel like that's whatI should be doing would not
really work because that's notwhat God has called me to do.

(11:04):
God's given me a specific call,and I need to pursue that call.
And make sure when you take arisk, it's consistent with your
call, that you're not steppingout foolishly or presumptuously,
but you're staying focused onwhat God has called you to do.
It's important for us to stayfocused on what God has called
us to do and not be distractedby all the needs, but to make

(11:25):
sure we've heard from God andthat we're responding to Him.
And finally, number seven, theseventh and final key we're
going to look at in this messagetoday, for us to take risks
that'll help us and not harm us,is uh to keep thinking, living,
and speaking God's word.
In Joshua 1 and verse 8, theLord says, This book of the law

(11:47):
shall not depart from yourmouth, but you shall meditate in
it day and night, that you mayobserve to do according to all
that is written in it.
For then you will make your wayprosperous and you will have
good success.
In the Amplified Bible it says,Then you will deal wisely in the
affairs of life.

(12:07):
We need to make sure that thevery thing that got us where we
are is the thing that we keepdoing.
And you know, because of yourreliance upon God, because you
heard from God, because you'vetaken his word, because you're
living according to theprinciples of his word, because
your your life is to pursue hiscall, don't stop doing those

(12:28):
things, the basics, because Godstarts to give you some form of
success.
You'll continue having lastingsuccess.
Success that uh that God wantsyou to have when we keep doing
the right thing, when we keepmeditating on God's word.
We speak keep spending time withHim.
We keep we keep uh day and nightliving in a living, dynamic

(12:52):
relationship with the Lord.
So before you take a risk, Iencourage you, make sure that
you've looked at some of thesethings.
Have you heard from God?
Is it consistent with your call?
Are you in a place where you'vedone your homework?
Are you in a place where you'rein God's time?
If that's where you're at, bestrong and courageous.

(13:13):
God has a wonderful inheritancefor you.
He said, Ask me, and I'll giveyou the nations for your
inheritance, the ends of theearth for your possession.
I encourage you today.
Let's take a hold of all thatChrist Jesus has taken a hold of
for us.
God bless you.
Be strong and courageous.