Hebrews 10:35ff says, "So don't throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised ... But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."
I'm a big fan of Tom Petty's music. One of my all-time favorite lyrics is, "I will stand my ground, no I won't back down." It's like he lifted that right out of the book of Hebrews. The Hebrews writer, like Petty, encourages us to stand up, not shrink back.
God is seeking men and women of action. Those that are willing to forcefully advance the cause of Christ, which is the Church. He said, "I will build my church and the gates of hell won't prevail against it." The church is on the offensive. God is building is church and he's using courageous followers of Christ who walk by faith and not by sight.
God says, "If you shrink back and cower in fear and play prevent defense when the game is on the line ... I will not be pleased."
So let's live lives that are full of risk and bold moves of faith. After all, "without faith, it is impossible to please God." I want to live a life that pleases God. That requires faith.
