The more you know...

Learn something new and interesting about another culture or country and pray fervently for that people group today. Share your new-found knowledge in a comment.

Memoirs of a Pirate

Recently, we challenged our A Risk A Day folks to delete pirated goods (blog entry here). We received a few responses that I wanted to share with the group.

"On pirated music, movies, etc...I can imagine it is very hard to delete these treasures, especially if they were acquired prior to following Christ. But, bottomline is it is stealing; therefore it is sin/disobedience. If you have the holy spirit, you have the needed strength to do the right thing now and you have Christ's gift of forgiveness as well. You can do it! Jesus is cheering you on and you will be blessed for your obedience:) "

"Is is fair to say that I'm working on it? We don't have much in the way of movies (being in Ukraine) and some of those came to me from friends, but they were likely pirated at some point.

Being here makes it hard since even normal DVDs are pirated. No one even understands (let alone adheres to) the concept of intellectual property rights. We were clean when we showed up, but have gotten weak.

Pray for us!"

"I deleted tons of music, videos and software a few years back that I downloaded illegally in college. It was such a freeing feeling to know that I had 'come clean'! As I repented and turned from this sin, I feel there was more room to reconnect with God. Since then, I have found other things to do with my time and found that it was no big deal not to have all of that media and software at my fingertips!"

Check out 1 Corinthians 10:13 for what God says about temptation!

Work, work, work..

Read Proverbs 14:23, 21:5, 12:11 and Ecclesiastes 9:10 and think about the work God has you doing and what purpose it has.

Taking it easy...

Take it easy today - cast your cares on Him and rest! If you feel the Lord calling you to do something relationally (befriend someone, spend time with family, outreach to a couple in your community), do it!

The Word

Read John 1:1, then spend some more time in the Word (Bible) today.

Prayer

Spend intentional time with the Lord in prayer today.

Public Forum

Does anyone have stories from the "pirated music, movies and software deletion" post that they want to comment and share with the ARiskADay community? If so, click the comment link below OR go to www.ariskaday.org. Quality comments will go in an upcoming blog entry / email. Let us inspire each other towards living Godly lives!

Tightening the Belt

In these tough economic times, Christians have a chance to be wise about finances and give generously. Review a recurring monthly payment that you could reduce or remove from your monthly budget. Perhaps you can get one less video at a time on Netflix, or use fewer text messages, or... the choice is yours! Let's encourage each other towards being good stewards of our money!

Be Anxious for Nothing

When you are tempted to worry about the economy, the world or anything else, remember this: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Today's risk could be huge for many of us - permanently delete all pirated music, movies and software from any computer, hard drive or CD that you own. If you find it hard to delete media that you have stockpiled but not paid for, try switching to free music services such as Pandora or Slacker or a movie service such as Hulu or Netflix. When in doubt, do some honest online research to see if your actions are legal and honest. Remember, as Christians we are salt and light to the world - what good purpose does salt have that has lost its flavor?

Ahh, rest...

Try resting from work today to spend quality time with family and seek out what "faith adventures" God might have you go on today!

If We Confess Our Sins...

The Word says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

Ask the Lord what sin you may still be holding onto, then ask Him to help you let it go and break the habit.

Whoops!

The electricity, heat, water and light went out temporarily at Global Action's Ukraine Hope Center, and the daily risk was skipped yesterday. Let us take this opportunity to pray for Matt Gaw, family and workers at the Ukraine Hope Center, as well as for the government and people of Ukraine during these hard times. To find out more about the work God is doing at the Global Action Ukraine Hope Center, check out Matt Gaw's recent blog entry or Global Action's site.

Loving the unlovable

Send an ENCOURAGING letter or email to an elected official.  Let them know you are committed to praying for them - whether you agree with them or not.

For here or to-go...

Take a friend, acquaintance or co-worker to lunch.

Take another walk

Walk around your neighborhood and quickly pray for the residents of each house you pass.

Welcome to my house...

Set up a date to have dinner with a neighbor sometime in the next week or two... preferably a neighbor with whom you don't normally associate.

The power of the tongue (part 2)

Here's another critical risk that is worth revisiting today.

Consciously speak only encouraging words to those with whom you interact today.

It's out of my hands

Exercise your faith by trusting that God will take care of [you name the situation].

Your body is a temple...

Honor the Lord today by showing self-control and respect for your physical body...  just for today, forego desserts.

Go or send

Start a missions trip savings envelope with a $10 gift (or bank sub-account) to be used for your own trip or that of someone else.

Here's your drink...

This morning on your way to work (or just while you are out and about) pick a cup of coffee for a friend or co-worker.

...still not perfect

Ask the Lord to show you an area where you need to improve and focus on one aspect of that struggle today.

Perhaps re-evaluate the area from the first posting of this risk.

Originally posted from January 3rd.