A number of our youths have recently started at new educational centres, and they’ve been making new friends, and I have no doubt that God is using them. Now, it doesn’t sound dramatic, does it? But opening up a new friendship might just help their new friend find their way into faith one day.
Faith always begins with a risk.
I’m Captain Rob Westwood-Payne of the Salvation Army, and this is the Battle Drill Daily Devotional.
Jesus told a story about three servants in Matthew chapter 25, verses 14 to 30. Two of them risked investment. One buried his coin in fear. The master praised the ones who stepped out, not the one who played safe. And Hebrews chapter 11, verse 6 says it plainly: “It is impossible to please God without faith.” Not bravado, not recklessness, but trust in motion. Belief that moves the feet, not just fills the head.
The fearful servant misread his master. He thought him harsh, so he hid. That’s what fear does. It paints God as critical, not generous. When you believe God is for you, then you can take holy risks. You speak when silence feels safer. You pray when the room is awkward. You give when your budget squeaks. You invite when rejection seems certain. You act because Jesus is worth it.
At school, in the office or on the high street, faith always meets fear. Picture the classroom, for example. A student sits alone. You risk the social cost and you pull up a chair. Or the workplace meeting where someone is blamed unfairly. You risk the awkwardness to say, “But that’s not accurate.” These are not headlines, but they are holy moments.
C. S. Lewis once wrote, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” That’s faith in practice. Every act of obedience requires courage to cross the invisible line between safety and surrender.
Think of faith like stepping onto water. Peter didn’t test the waves first. He trusted the word of Jesus. The step came before the proof. That’s risk. It’s not blind, but it’s believing that the one who calls you won’t let you sink.
But let’s be honest, we all have a tendency to bury our faith. The fear of looking foolish, the fear of loss, the fear of failure. Yet James chapter 2, verse 17 reminds us, “Faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”
Faith that never risks anything soon withers into comfort. Courage grows with use. Every yes to God stretches trust a little further until obedience starts to feel natural. Each risk becomes a rehearsal for the next one.
So what could your step look like today? Maybe it’s offering prayer in a public place. Maybe it’s speaking hope into an online argument instead of adding heat. Maybe it’s sharing your testimony over coffee with a friend who’s searching. Or simply asking, “Can I tell you why my faith matters to me?”
Don’t measure success by the response. Measure it by obedience. The results belong to God.
And remember how the parable ends. The master says, “Let’s celebrate together.” That’s what awaits those who dare to act in faith. Heaven’s applause for everyday courage.
Here’s today’s thought-starter question for you. What’s one Spirit-prompted risk that you’ve been avoiding? And what might happen today if you said yes?
Let’s pray together.
Lord, you have never failed me. Forgive my caution. When you whisper, “Go,” help me to move. When fear rises, remind me that you’re near. Make my faith bold, humble and alive.
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Stay strong and stay battle-ready.