They were even watching the gates day and night to murder him, 25 but his disciples took him one night and let him down through the city wall by lowering him in a basket. – Acts 9:24

How do we know if a risk is wise or unwise, and which risks God is actually calling us to take?

The church should be playing a role in the choices we make regarding risks. Seek leaders in the church with gifts of wisdom and experience for advice on jobs, relationships, life patterns and ministry. 

At every level, the Body of Christ can help us avoid stupid mistakes in our lives that would create unwarranted and unnecessary risks. None of us should live in a bubble where we are making all these decisions by ourselves. God has surrounded us with people who can help us.

A foolish risk is one that is taken for something small. It is foolish for being unwilling to take a risk for something big. You could cal it the principle is proportionality. The bigger the expected outcome for the glory of God, the wiser it is to take a great risk. Likewise, the more insignificant and selfish the outcome, the more unwise it would be to take a big risk, because the return is so meager.

Here is a example I’ve heard. Someone will tell a foreign missionary, “You need to get out, because the situation is becoming very dangerous.” That’s a difficult choice. Some missionaries will agree and leave. Others will say, “No, we have identified with this people for many years. We die with them. We are staying.”

I think both of those choices can be right. Sometimes Paul stood and was stoned and sometimes he got in a basket and escaped. Only the Holy Spirit can make plain when we should do one or the other.