Audacious Living, With Audacious Faith

Big Audacious Living With Audacious Faith
AUDACIOUS -- showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks; daring, fearless, brave, courageous, valiant, venturesome

Brilliant author and speaker, Erwin McManus, was speaking on TV a few days ago. I was immensely inspired. Less than a year ago, he was dying from cancer, and now he is cancer-free and living AUDACIOUSLY. Erwin had simply gone in for an “insurance exam” for a life insurance policy and cancer was found throughout his body. It was then that he realized he had been taking “living” for granted. He said, “I’m dying, but so are you. We live our lives as though there is no end and so we live it as though it has no value. If we understood our life is time-dated and when we took our first breath, we were moving toward our last breath, then maybe we would live our life AUDACIOUSLY. We get so complacent in our lives – so comfortable. We think ‘Don’t rock the boat. Don’t take me out of my comfort zone.’” Then he spoke about how he now looks at each day as one to take on AUDACIOUSLY. First day of surgery, he forced himself to get up and walk. Painful? He said, “Tremendous pain, but pain meant I was alive to feel it.” Three weeks after his cancer surgery, though still in tremendous pain, he played two hours of basketball with his buddies. He said, “Cancer may determine how I die, but it cannot determine how I live. I will live out my life AUDACIOUSLY!”

AUDACIOUSLY living each day. I held a Life Group at my home in Tulsa. It was called the “The 50s+ No Limits Life Group" and we described it this way: “Are you ready to live a life of audacious, “no limits” faith? Are you tired of the bench, and you're ready to play the game? Then "The 50s+ No Limits” Life Group is for you. We are all about believing God for the impossible and helping others do the same. If you’re not dead, you’re not done! We will dream big, take action with passion, make new friends, have extreme fun and fellowship, and be an encouragement and support to each other on this exciting journey of faith!” And, we did. That little band of women recognized that AUDACIOUS faith produced AUDACIOUS results. We witnessed marriages being restored, physical healings, new jobs being given, babies being born, and oh, so many more answers to prayer.

Those big AUDACIOUS prayers are what Jesus had in mind when He gave us the Lord’s Prayer for our model. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!” God is for us. If we don't believe that, then we'll pray small timid prayers. If we do believe it, then we'll pray big AUDACIOUS prayers. And one way or another, our small timid prayers, or big AUDACIOUS prayers will change our lives. WOW! I've witnessed it. When I’ve prayed with bold, AUDACIOUS, unwavering faith, I've seen God move enormous mountains. Father knew best, but my complete trust in Him, brought the answer to those prayers in ways I couldn't have even conceived.

To me, AUDACIOUS living means living life with passion, being open to possibilities, and reaching for the stars.....well, at least the top of trees! It’s responding to a grandchild with “YES!” when they ask if we’ll go fishing or shopping or play another game with them, when we sure would rather take a nap. It’s having the freedom to live, laugh, and love. It means deliberately choosing to be inspired and motivated enough to live without limits -- or just getting off the couch and doing something! It means letting go of fear, getting gutsy and getting going. AUDACIOUS living is using our talents, enthusiasm and drive to make a difference in our day and our world. Since “Nothing is impossible with our God”, maybe it’s time for us to get up, get moving, and live every day with AUDACIOUS faith and actions!