The Ultimate Risk-Taker

In December I had a dream that I believe has significance for our life together at Heartland in 2005. As I have pondered the dream the Lord continues to give revelation as to its meaning. Let me know if the Lord has been talking to you about taking risks to advance the Kingdom.

DREAM 12.21.04

In my dream I saw a person on a white horse, going ahead at full speed. There was a person dressed in full silver body armor and he was carrying a white banner. There was a bright white light surrounding both rider and horse. A small distance behind the white horse was a brown horse with a rider dressed in a brown mantle. The space surrounding this horse and rider was dim and fuzzy. I heard the rider on the white horse say “I am the Ultimate Risk-Taker. How close to me do you want to be?”

INTERPRETATION:
I believe the rider on the white horse represents the Lord. He is my redemption (silver). He IS the pure white light. He is full of confidence, moving ahead showing the way, lighting the path.

I believe the rider on the brown horse represents me/ the Body of Christ. (Brown has always represented a servant to me personally.) The servant follows the Master.

APPLICATION:
The Lord asked how close I want to be to him because I’ve been hanging back in taking risks because of fear. The closer I stay to His presence the more I will be involved in taking risks, because HE is the Ultimate Risk-taker! He wants me to succeed, so He wants me to be able to see and hear what He does clearly. I am made in His image, so I will do what He does and say what He says. The only way to be accurate is to stay close to Him. The closer I stay to Him, the clearer I will be able to see and hear. When I hang back my vision and hearing get dim. I get confused and fuzzy-minded. So He asks….just how close to me do you want to be? Do you really want what my Presence will bring?

It is in His presence I receive power that releases purity, provision, perspective and protection. To take the risks a servant of Jesus Christ is called on to make, it takes His presence. He is the one who indwells each one of us as His children.

Read the story of Gideon in Judges 6 and 7 to see some characteristics of a risk-taker and some of the fears we all face as we step out in faith, taking risks. John Wimber always use to tell us the way to spell faith is R-I-S-K. So true. Who among us hasn’t felt the stomach start to churn when we hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit and our response is, “You want me to do wwwwhhhat? Mmmme? But….”

Briefly some characteristics of a risk-taker:

• Confident in God (we know the WHO, not the HOW…but when we know the WHO, we then know the HOW as we need to)
• Have a Purpose (know who God says we are and act on it)
• Know where the Power comes from (it is about Him, not us)
• Have God’s Perspective (our ways and thoughts are not His)

The basic reason we don’t take risks when God asks us to do something is all kinds of fears born out of a lack of trust in God. Gideon experienced these kinds of fears:

Fear of Exposure of who he really was – he didn’t think of himself like God did, Fear of Failure, Fear of Family, Fear of People/Peers, Fear of being hurt, Fear of death, Fear of confrontation, Fear of standing alone.

God asks us to live in faith instead of fear in order to advance His kingdom.

FAITH confronts, Fear cowers. Faith demonstrates confidence, Fear hesitates. Faith moves ahead, Fear holds back. Faith approaches God, Fear relies on self and others. Faith is bold, Fear waits and asks I wonder what would have happened if…”. Faith asks for miracles, Fear wallows in self-pity. Faith inspires others to risk, Fear draws others into fear. Faith attempts the impossible, Fear is overcome by the impossible. Faith triumphs, Fear loses.

GOD HAS A PLAN
SATAN HAS A PLAN
I HAVE A CHOICE
GOD IS THE WHO and THE HOW!!

What makes a risk worth taking?
Lives are saved
Nations are saved
Sick are healed
Blind eyes and ears are opened
The lame walk
The dead are raised to life
Captives are set free
Relationships are healed

We take risks because we believe in someONE and His ability to work in and through us. This is faith in action.

I believe 2005 will be a year of risk-taking for the sake of the Kingdom. Let’s enter into this adventure and change our world of influence!!

For the Lord and for the Body of Christ….YES and AMEN.

Carolyn Ruth Allen
12.21.04