{"id":4536,"date":"2026-07-20T17:53:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T00:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/belzglobal.com\/ministry\/?p=4536"},"modified":"2026-07-20T18:01:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T01:01:26","slug":"security-concerns-and-holy-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belzglobal.com\/ministry\/2026\/07\/20\/security-concerns-and-holy-risks\/","title":{"rendered":"Security concerns and holy risks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Nowadays there is a lot of talk about “cybersecurity risk assessment” and how to mitigate vulnerability to reduce risk, minimize threats, and still maintain freedom. I’d like to talk about a different type of security threat and risk. As the summer progresses, I’ve been pouring some time into lining up my fall schedule with travel plans to various parts of the world. It just so happens that the place I will be in September (Nigeria) and in October (Ukraine) both have very real security concerns. Terrorist activities and mass kidnappings in Nigeria, even in the “safe” area where I will be in the southeast, are a real threat. Of course in Ukraine with the war, air raid sirens going off regularly, threats of bombings and other military actions are reality right now. So how should a believer in Christ approach these dangers? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Most of the countries where I train are level 3, and some are level 4. So our mission requires us to follow certain protocols so we are taking wise and not foolish risks. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I would suggest that a balance of wisdom and faith is what is most needed as we chart a course to follow. I remember when I was a young guy my dad tried to teach me that some risks are OK to take, and many others are not. Of course as a young buck, I felt like I could do anything, that nothing would hurt me, and any risk was worth it. Several decades later, and a host of accidents and injuries along the way, have helped me to gain a more balanced perspective. However, God’s Word instructs us that living in fear is not a healthy posture either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Joshua was looking at leading Israel into the Promised Land, which was filled with enemy peoples and even giants, God encouraged him, “Have I not commanded you?\u00a0Be strong and courageous.\u00a0Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the\u00a0Lord\u00a0your God is with you wherever you go.\u201d (Joshua 1:9) Is Psalm 56, David prays, “When I am afraid, I\u00a0put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust;\u00a0I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (Ps. 56:3-4) And Paul clarifies to Timothy in 2 Tim. 1:7, “for God gave us\u00a0a spirit not of fear but\u00a0of power and love and self-control.” All these (and many other) verses emphasize that when we are drawing near to God, focused on Him more than our circumstances, trusting in Him more than our own efforts or external dangers, then we overcome fear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, God does not honor foolish decision-making that disregards common sense. So, for example, before arranging my trip to Nigeria I have had several conversations with trusted local friends on the ground in the area where I will be to get their read on the situation. Are they concerned, or do they sense all is relatively stable? As I’m looking toward Ukraine, our mission requires us to purchase an extra “emergency evacuation” insurance plan in case things go sideways. Michael, my colleague I’ll be with, has been there a few times and we’ve talked through the risks and how to handle security threats. In both these cases, I’m praying, trusting God, moving forward with my eyes open, and holding my plans loosely in case God reveals I need to shift in some way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another factor we must consider in certain situations is not only the potential threat to me and my life, but to those around me. If I am in a restricted country and I am actively proselytizing (sharing my faith evangelistically), that has the potential of impacting those who are associated with me. Oftentimes governments will simply send the ex-pat home, but nationals in the country can be imprisoned, tortured, persecuted, and experience many hardships simply because some westerners were not mindful of how they conducted themselves. I’m not saying we shouldn’t share our faith in challenging settings. Rather, we should do so in wise, fearless, and constructive ways that won’t put others in unnecessary harm. Building relationships with locals toward expressing the Gospel rather than blindly calling out the evils of local religions can be much more effective and God honoring. Christ, our example, was not hampered by fear, and courageously stood up to authority figures when they were in the wrong. But at other times he kept his mouth shut, he left a region, he warned his followers and recipients of his ministry from talking about what he had done. Every step of the way he was in communication with his Father, and may we do so as well. As we pray and ask for God’s wisdom, courage, freedom from fear, and a holy conviction, may we choose well which risks to take for the Gospel and which can be mitigated in favor of a different approach. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nowadays there is a lot of talk about “cybersecurity risk assessment” and how to mitigate vulnerability to reduce risk, minimize threats, and still maintain freedom. I’d like to talk about a different type of security threat and risk. As the summer progresses, I’ve been pouring some time into lining up my fall schedule with travel … Continue reading Security concerns and holy risks<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotional-thoughts","category-mission-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/belzglobal.com\/ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/belzglobal.com\/ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/belzglobal.com\/ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belzglobal.com\/ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belzglobal.com\/ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4536"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/belzglobal.com\/ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4545,"href":"https:\/\/belzglobal.com\/ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4536\/revisions\/4545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/belzglobal.com\/ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belzglobal.com\/ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belzglobal.com\/ministry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}