Ling Zhang
- Feb 13, 2023
- 5 min read

Faith Is Taking Risk and Being Discerning

Updated: Feb 18, 2023

Break Through External Obstacles (4-3)

And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in the bud became more painful than the risk it took to blossom - Anaïs Nin

Faith is taking risk and being discerning

It was a mild sunny day, Jacob felt a kind of peace that he never had before while he was on his way to office. After a couple of weeks consideration, He decided to take the risk to quit his COO role to pursue something more fulfilling. He knew the uncertainty ahead but it’s more important to free him from a toxic working environment.

Are you facing a challenging situation or considering take risk to make a purposeful change?

You are on the journey to Grow to Your Fullest, Step 3, the series of Breaking through External Obstacles. In the last post, we talked the second of the Six Elements of Faith, Faith Is Confronting Brutal Facts so you do not confuse your faith with optimism. Today, let’s discuss the third element - faith is taking risk and being discerning so you maximize your success odds.

>> Refer Faith Is Holding on the Vision, Six Steps to Build Your Self-Confidence, The Power of Confidence

On the way to our big vision, there is a definite need to take adventures as the nature of our unique vision and unique talents require a unique path that no one else has ever traveled. You are the pioneer and pioneers are risk takers.

You have the vision, you are excited about it. This gives you a tremendous boost in stern faith for your vision. Now it’s time to take a leap of faith and start your journey. “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20).

The size of your vision measures the size of your faith, determines the degree of your risks to take. Usually the bigger the vision, the stronger the faith, the higher the risk to take and the higher the reward you will gain. No one has ever taken the risk that Jesus has taken, to take the cross and died on the cross for saving each of us; no one has the faith He had that believed in the Father to raise him from dead after three days, no one has the biggest vision He has, I have come so that you may have life and have it to the full (John 10:10). HE came so that we have the eternal life in believing in Him.

When Haman plotted to kill all the Jews in revenging against Mordecai because he did not show respect to him, Esther was requested to save the Jews by her uncle Mordecai. Esther understood well it’s a life-taking risk for her. Though she was the queen, it’s well known that any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned, the king will put the person to death unless the king extends his gold scepter to them and spares their lives. However when Mordecai brought words to Esther, “who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this”, she realized her big mission is to save the Jews and she responded, “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16)

Esther took the risk and put her life on the front line, if I perish, I perish. Because of the risk she took, the history had been rewritten, instead Haman annihilated all Jews, and his whole family was put to death.

Back to Steve’s story, after he quit job, he started his own company. Looking back, he said gratefully, “That’s the best risk I took. Since then I never suffered from a bad boss. Not only did I experience success and happiness but also help others grow and succeed in life.”

He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap (Ecclesiastes 11:4)

Take the risk and do not worry about the unexpected clouds, reach your mission and dreams.

As we discussed in last post, faith is not blind optimistic. True faith requires discernment and wisdom. You must be discerning about what risk you take and measure its consequence. You need to weigh it against the potential benefits. You have to examine the environment and analyze the situation around so that the risk you take can maximize the odd of success. Esther did the same thing and she understood well the possible results but she still took the risk as she believe that saving all Jews is worthy of her life. Dr. Benjamin Carson, the distinguished neurosurgeon, who took many risks in performing world-challenging surgeries, has suggested to calculate the risk in advance by asking four questions: What’s the best thing that happens if I do this, what’s the best thing that happens if I don’t, what’s the worst thing that happens if I do it, what’s the worst thing that happens if I don’t.

The four questions are from his life experience in taking risk and he shared all his risk taking intelligence in his book, Take the Risk.

To minimize the failure, I suggest always aligning your vision with any risk you take and perform analysis and measure it. In this way, even if you fail, you do not lose anything but learn a way not working because your risk taken action is vision driven and your action is goal oriented.

Remember you may lose nothing when you take a dream driven risk, but you will take the biggest risk when you risk nothing. Anaïs Nin said, “The day came when the risk it took to remain tight in bud became more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Take the right risk by faith, for we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)

In the next post, I will introduce the fourth element of faith – Faith is Determination and Perseverance so you learn the law of probability for success and the power of grit.

If you want to have a group of people to support so you can share your roadmap, goals, celebrate your wins together; please join Grow to Your Fullest Circle.

*** Please DOWLOAD the FREE document, Find your signature vision questionnaires so you use it to help you find your life vision and mission.