5 Bible Verses About Adventure To Pursue With Faith
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As a kid, I used to think the Bible was a super important book. Full disclosure, I still believe that. Don’t get me wrong. However, I also used to think it was an incredibly boring book as well. Maybe it was the King James Version that my grandmother’s read, or maybe it was the fact that I never could sit still long enough to get through a chapter. Regardless, I never understood just how much the Bible talked about adventure until I really began to learn how to read the Bible. Adventure is everywhere in the Bible. From the people of Israel seeking the promised land to David, as a young man, slaying Goliath, we see adventure throughout the Old Testament and New Testament. In this post, I want to highlight several Bible verses about adventure that show God’s plans lead to a life filled with adventure and freedom.
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Pioneers
The word pioneer is a word that has stuck out to our family over the past two or years. I love the meaning. A person who is among the first to explore or settle a new country or area. Living whole-hearted is about choosing to be the first to go where no one has gone before. This may be in your family, your work or even your marriage. Becoming a pioneer means stepping off the beaten path and embracing the adventure that lies in front of you.
One of the moments that stuck out for me when I first began pioneering, as I like to call it, is when we decided we longer wanted to do things the way they had always been done. This meant going to a different church from the rest of the entire family, leaving a safe and comfortable job, leaving the country and moving to a new state.
Now, this was quite the adventure. Most adventures aren’t this extreme. However, we decided that our story would not be written sitting on the couch doing what everyone else was doing. God had called us to be pioneers. We continue to do our best to pioneer in our daily lives. It doesn’t always work out for us, but the Bible makes it clear that God will never leave nor forsake us. Here are 5 Bible verses about adventure that make it easy for us to pioneer.
1. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” This verse speaks to the adventure of trusting in God’s guidance even when we don’t fully understand where the path may lead.
Ever been in this situation before? As human beings, we’re often called into places we simply don’t understand why. That may be a job, a new city, a conversation with a friend or a host of other things. Fully submitting and trusting to the Lord in all situations is incredibly difficult. This is why it’s called a journey of faith. We simply have to trust that God understand and knows better than we do. While God’s presence is always with us, we don’t always feel it. The key point in this verse is the word submit. Submit means to lay down all of our wildest dreams, plans and desires at His feet. In doing so, he will make our paths straight.
Now, this does not mean that life will be easy or that we will be overcome with blessings due to the mercy of God. Oh no. Our lives may be filled with sleepless nights, hard conversations and confusing questions. However, God will ensure that His will is being done. Eventually, we will understand why He has called us to certain places or into certain things. However, until that time, we must trust and obey when and where He calls us.
2. Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” This verse encourages us to embark on the journey of life with courage, knowing that God is with us every step of the way.
Ever heard the phrase “testing of your faith”? This verse is the antidote when our faith is tested. When we seek and pursue adventure in our lives, it’s scary. Our family was incredibly nervous about our transition out of the known and knowable to the unknown and unknowable in 2021. However, we relied heavily on the strength of the Lord to provide us with strength, courage and bravery. When we “call upon the name of the Lord Jesus”, according to Romans 10:13, we are saved. This means that we now have access to the God of all grace. In His grace, He provides strength, wisdom, courage, and the fullness of joy despite our circumstances.
This should give us the ammunition we need to take risks, seek adventure and endure momentary troubles. We know that the true path of life is in following the Holy Spirit. By choosing to embrace the courage given to us as heirs of God, we get to experience the fullness of everything He has for us.
3. Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This verse commissions believers to go out into the world, spreading the message of Christ and engaging in the adventure of sharing the gospel.
Ah, the Great Commission. The greatest adventure ever created. What is more adventurous than traveling to all parts of the globe as fishers of men to spread the good news of salvation? That is God’s call for all of us. The disciples and apostles took frequent journeys out of their homeland to spread the gospel of Jesus. In the same way, we are tasked with spreading the gospel so that others across the world may experience eternal glory. Sharing the gospel in the United States is not like sharing the gospel in China, Iran or Russia. Severe persecution, even to the point of death, is possible. Those that choose to devote their lives to the spreading of the gospel understand that they themselves may be called to “offer their bodies as a living sacrifice”, according to Romans 12:1, in the most practical of ways.
4. Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” This verse captures the essence of adventure in the Christian life – stepping out in faith, trusting in God’s promises, and embracing the unknown with confidence.
Embracing the unknown. That is something we have become really good at. The long journey of obedience often means we don’t know what is around the corner. Whether we’re entering a foreign land, like we did in Colorado or Guatemala, or we’re simply exiting our comfort zone, having the confidence to know that having faith is part of the good fight of faith is critical in our longing for adventure. The will of God is not easy to understand. The things God calls us to is not made known with a loud voice over an intercom or on speaker phone. The Spirit rumbles inside of us in a very faint, yet profound manner. It is in this moment that our faith must become our foundation once again.
Starting a new thing, whether it’s a business, a relationship or even a simple conversation can be nerve wracking. After a little while, you become a little more comfortable with the situation. However, we still have no idea what the final result will be most of the time. Things may go really well or things may go poorly. We must allow the full effect of faith to lead us to a place of full faith knowing the mercies of God are ever-present.
5. Matthew 6:33 (NIV):
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” This verse encourages us to prioritize God’s kingdom and righteousness in our lives, trusting that He will provide for our needs as we embark on the adventure of following Him.
This is it. This is the key to freedom and adventure. If you desire the kind of freedom and adventure that we talk about, this is how you get it. Seek first His kingdom. Do you want pure joy? Seek the kingdom of God. Do you desire hard times to end? Seek the kingdom of God. Do you desire a life full of adventure? Seek the kingdom of God.
The key point here is not just that we must seek God. The main point is that we must seek God first and foremost. Now, do not take this as prosperity gospel. If we seek God, are we guaranteed to have our pain, problems, diseases, poverty and broken relationships taken away? Absolutely not. That may happen, but it may not as well. What happens though is that our hearts shift towards repentance and the worship of Christ Jesus. Our problems may exist until we’re sitting at the righteous right hand of the Father. However, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory of Jesus.
Conclusion
We are absolutely going to face trials of many kinds, shapes and sizes throughout our lifetimes. We’re also going to experience abundant joy, do mighty things because of God and fight the good fight of the faith every single day. Adventure is choosing to proactively leave our comfort zone in pursuit of the great unknown, the wilderness and the frontier.
In Becoming A King, by Morgan Snyder, he talks about the idea of frontier. These are the areas that have been uninhabited before. The frontier is that desolate place stretching for miles in front of you that has never been traversed before. However, there’s that twinge in our hearts letting us know there’s something waiting for us on the other. This is adventure in the Holy Spirit. One thing that I’ve discovered in my pursuit of adventure is that it is incredibly hard work. Starting a Rugged Face Fire, Curated Conversations, welcoming a 4th child, attempting to save a company and, not to mention, maintaining a thriving marriage, cherishing moments with my other 3 kids and having some semblance of a hobby from time to time is really hard work. It’s the life I’ve been called into, and it’s the life I’m choosing to live.
What is frontier for you? Maybe it’s work-related. It could be an inter-personal relationship. Maybe frontier is simply creating your next favorite travel moments. That would be nice. Or maybe frontier is simply embracing trials of many kinds and choosing joy in those moments.
About the Author
John Claborn
Hi! I’m John. Author of the post you just read. I like to write about all things adventure. Mostly things to help people live more adventurous lives and care for their families in a more meaningful way. By day, I’m a COO. By night, I’m a rad dad of 4 kids that I don’t deserve and a husband to a woman I can’t understand how I got. My goal is to show freedom to people through adventure and experiences.
