Is God Worth the Risk?

By Connie Garrett

As Christians, were faced with challenges from multiple fronts. We love the idea of Gods free gift of salvation, but many of us dont give a lot of thought to the risks we are expected to take to deserve that gift. We go through life making excuses for our shortcomings and failing to reflect the true image of God because we dont want to sacrifice too much or upset anyone.

Does God expect more from you? Are there times when youve been unwilling to risk your money, children, friendships, enemies, freedom, family, pride, reputation, or marriage for God? Are there risks you should be taking that would leave no doubt that youre serious about this Christianity stuff? And if youre not willing to take those risks, what is the alternative? Are you really serious about your Christian walk, or are you just going through the motions, believing God will work it all out? Is that all thats expected of you?

Reading this book will help you examine your life and compare it to characters in the Bible who were willing to take the risk and some who chose not to. God expects more from you than lip service, and he is worth the risk.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512780055

Connie Garrett

Connie Garrett resides in Skiatook, Oklahoma with her husband. Connie believes God delivered her from a life of sin, a life that could or should have resulted in her death. God had a reason for saving her and she is passionately living for that reason, whatever the reason may be.

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Copyright © 2016, 2017 Connie Garrett.

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THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8007-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8006-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8005-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017903898

WestBow Press rev. date: 3/27/2017

Contents

Introduction Is God Worth the Risk?

Chapter 1 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Money?

Chapter 2 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Children?

Chapter 3 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Friendships?

Chapter 4 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Enemies?

Chapter 5 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Freedom?

Chapter 6 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Country?

Chapter 7 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Family?

Chapter 8 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Entertainment?

Chapter 9 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Holidays?

Chapter 10 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Pride?

Chapter 11 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Reputation?

Chapter 12 Is God Worth the Risk in Your Workplace?

Chapter 13 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Time?

Chapter 14 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Marriage?

Chapter 15 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Words?

Chapter 16 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Prayers?

Chapter 17 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Church?

Chapter 18 Is God Worth the Risk with Your Faith?

Chapter 19 Is God Worth the Risk with Eternity?

Conclusion

Group Study Guide

To my beautiful grandchildren

Future generations will still need the truth. Take the risk and carry on.

This book is very structured, which makes it easy to stay on track. Ms. Garrett has taken the time to prove her points with scripture, helping the reader connect the dots and ponder the answers to some very timely questions.

—Daniel Wimberley, Author of The Wandering Tree

Acknowledgments

Thank you to friend and author Daniel Wimberley for encouraging me to stick with and move forward with this book. His advice has been invaluable.

Thank you also to other friends who read the manuscript and gave me tips on how to improve the book.

My thanks would not be complete without thanking my husband, Sheyrl Garrett, for his encouragement and support. I couldn’t have done it without him.

Introduction

Is God Worth the Risk?

To save all we must risk all.

—Friedrich Schiller

In John 2:1-11, we read about Jesus turning water to wine at a wedding. Just imagine the frantic servants when they realized they had run out of wine. Jesus’s mother told them to do whatever Jesus told them to do. When Jesus told them to draw water out of the water jars and take it to their master, were they wondering what consequences they might suffer if they gave plain water to Him? The water may have been splashing out of the flask as their hands shook while they carried it to the master and waited as he tasted it. How happy they must have been when he told the bridegroom that this was the best wine that had been served for the last three days. They took the risk and followed Jesus’s commands.

On another occasion in Matthew 26:69-74, we find Peter denying that he even knows Christ—not just once but three times. At that time, Peter was not willing to risk admitting that he knew Jesus. He was afraid.

In Acts 7:54-60 we read about Stephen being stoned because he stood firmly planted in the truth and was not afraid to tell the people things they didn’t want to hear. He knew the things he was telling them were dangerous. Those things made them angry enough to kill him.

Saul was a young man much respected by the Pharisees. He was zealous in his persecution of the early church. But after his experience on the road to Damascus, he changed completely. He gave up everything he had going for him in the community and began to preach the gospel. He knew that the Pharisees might kill him. He was there to witness the stoning of Stephen. But he was willing to take the risk.

We’ve all been faced with challenges where our spirituality is concerned. We’ve all been tempted to trust in our own judgment over God’s. All too often we succumb to this temptation and miss out on the blessings we would receive if we fully trusted in God. We need to stop and examine our lives and ask, How much better would our lives be if we had always trusted in God’s way? History is a powerful tool. Look back to times when you took matters into your own hands versus times when you totally trusted God. If you’ve never trusted God, think of someone in your life who you’re convinced places his or her trust in God and lets God totally guide his or her life. Is there a difference in that person’s life and yours? Admittedly, it may be hard to find someone whom you believe to fit into that category. As humans we have such a difficult time with this concept. This book is intended to challenge you to take that step of faith and live a life involving risk. We’ll look at several different areas of our lives and how entrusting those areas of our lives to God can change us and the way we live.

Romans 8:28–39 assures us that we can totally trust in God because He is always with us.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If we believe the Bible, then we know that God is with us and nothing can ever separate us from Him. He is worth the risk because He is always there. We are never taking the risk alone.

Don’t use the excuse that you need to study further before you can make up your mind to totally commit to God. You can’t afford to wait. As humans we’ll never totally understand how God works and the blessings we can receive by trusting Him. We’ll always be tempted to trust in ourselves, but as we practice trusting him, it gets easier because His indescribable love shines on us.

We can’t forget, though, that Satan will always work on us to discourage us and create distrust in us. Ask yourself the following questions:

Is God worth the risk with your money?

Is God worth the risk with your children?

Is God worth the risk with your friendships?

Is God worth the risk with your enemies?

Is God worth the risk with your freedom?

Is God worth the risk with your country?

Is God worth the risk