Touré Roberts - Audacious Living

I want to talk today about the subject of audacious living. I want to say from the onset that what is assigned to you is always in front of you, and what is assigned to you is always bigger than you think—always! Since it’s always beyond you and always bigger than you, you are going to have to live audaciously to achieve it. By the time I finish with this message, I want to see a room, a computer screen, full of audacious believers.

Now, first let me define audacious. You know this already, but I love the way this dictionary puts it: showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks. I want people to talk about you and say, «She was audacious,» and because she was audacious, she did incredible things. «He was audacious.» What are people saying about you right now? Are they saying you’re laid-back and real cool, just taking what comes your way, or are they calling you audacious?

When I was studying for this, I was led to this woman in the scripture. I don’t even know her name, but I know her spirit. She was audacious. I fell in love with this woman, and we’re going to read about her. You ready? Okay, so let’s go to Matthew chapter 15 really quickly. Oh man, this woman’s amazing! If I weren’t married, my kids would say, «Be careful!»

It says, «Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon, and behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to him, saying, 'Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.'»

Here’s what’s happening: a woman comes from another region, from the land of Canaan. She is not Jewish at all. This movement, even though it was for everybody, started with and through the Jews because Jesus was sent to the Jews and then beyond. This woman comes—first of all, we’re beginning to see the beginnings of her audacity. She, a non-Jewish woman from her region, gets in the presence of Jesus and cries out to him, saying, «Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.»

She puts herself out there. She comes a long way, getting into the presence of people who are not of the same culture she is from because she is desperate for her daughter, and she is audacious. This necessitated great faith; it necessitated great audacity. She goes and catches up to Jesus and says, «Jesus, have mercy on me! Help me; my daughter is in a horrible state!»

In verse 23, it says, «But he answered her not a word.» She puts herself out there, presses in, and Jesus doesn’t even acknowledge her, but he answered her not a word. Now, some people right there, if you had a need from God, and you put yourself out there, came all the way from a far region, and got uncomfortable, awkward, and put yourself in a position where you don’t believe like those around you, where you don’t praise like those around you, come on, somebody! You don’t even look like the people around you. You put yourself out there and muster up all the energy, enthusiasm, everything you had in you—all your faith—saying, «You know this Jesus? You draw all this attention to yourself! Have mercy on me!» And he doesn’t even acknowledge you?

The average person would have shrunk, packed their bags, and gone right back on their donkey or whatever it was they rode into town on, saying, «Well, I gave it a shot; it didn’t work.» But not this woman! I love this woman because I know what it takes to fulfill Destiny. Destiny is not for the un-audacious; it’s for audacious people.

We’re going to see it. His disciples came and urged him, saying, «Send her away, for she cries out after us.» Not only does she not stop, but she begins to now engage everybody connected to Jesus. «Okay, you’re not going to say anything to me? I’m going to talk to everybody around you.» In other words, «I’m going to get my message in your universe because I believe that if I’m audacious enough, then I’m going to get what I’ve been believing for!»

Then it says that God answered and said to her, «I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.» That’s heavy! So she cries out to Jesus, «Have mercy on me! My daughter is in a terrible state!» He doesn’t answer her; she goes and cries out to his disciples and they reject her—basically telling her to get out of there. Then Jesus finally acknowledges her, but when he acknowledges her, he basically eludes to the fact that he is not going to help her.

Now, if she didn’t get on her donkey and ride back earlier, once she has finally gotten a word from the man that suggests he’s not going to help her, the un-audacious would have quit. Verse 25: But not her! Then she came and worshiped him. Oh, okay, wait, wait, wait!