At the mention of names like Abraham, Moses, David, Joshua, Ruth, Nehemiah, Mary, Paul and Peter, we think of them as great men and women used mightily by God for a special purpose. Each of our names can be placed alongside theirs. We should never underestimate God’s special design for us. He desires to use each of us for His divine purpose. What we must always remember is that life is not about us; it is all about God.
We, humans, settle as creatures of habit. Following a predictable routine in familiar surroundings gives us a sense of security and this places us inside our comfort zone. In the Christian life, failure to move forward means stagnation, which is the sure route to spiritual deterioration. Has God been gently urging you to do something that you would not normally do, like share the Gospel with your officemate, lead your own discipleship group, humble yourself to restore a broken relationship, stand firm and not compromise in business practices, or maybe give up a sinful relationship that you know is displeasing to God?
God wants us to move out of our comfort zones for the following reasons:
TO PROTECT US FROM COMPLACENCY AND SIN. God oftentimes unsettles us so we may learn to depend on Him. David was trained under such living conditions. David’s own words attest to this. “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine (Goliath).” – (1 Samuel 17:37). David was forced out of his comfort zone fleeing for his life from King Saul. And so he learned to call on the Lord. But King David fell into complacency. The bible tells us in 2 Samuel 11: 1-2 that while his men were fighting in battle, he stayed at home in the comfort of his palace. Upon waking up from a day long sleep, while walking leisurely on the rooftop courtyard of the palace, he saw the beautiful Bathsheba bathing and he lusted after her and eventually commit adultery. To cover it up, he plotted the murder of her husband Uriah. Being comfortable can lead us to complacency which in turn can make us deaf to God’s voice and our conscience. Before we know it, we are entrenched in sin.
It is in unfamiliar, uncomfortable territory where we become sensitive to the voice of God. This was true of Abraham when he was instructed to leave his home and afterwards to offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. Joseph refused to give in to the seduction of Potiphar’s wife and consequently languished in prison. Mary accepted her divine appointment to bear Jesus in her womb. Paul surrendered to follow Jesus as he fell under the blinding light on the road to Damascus. The apostle Peter, a Jew, was called to bring the Gospel to a Gentile centurion named Cornelius. Comfort zones need not be literal places. A lot of times, we have to be dislocated from our routine schedule or familiar territory in order to listen to God. God may be trying to lead us out of complacency to protect us from sin. We must not let the comfort and security of our present life make us miss God’s plan for us.
The Old Testament (Numbers 13, 14) gives an account of how God brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and how they came to a place called Kadesh Barnea. God was bringing them into His Promised Land flowing with milk and honey, but they had to conquer it in order to possess it. But because they feared the giants and fortified cities, they opted to stay where they were. God had something so much better but they did not want to let go of their comfort zone. Only Joshua and Caleb, who chose to get out of their comfort zone, received the blessing. What about us? Are we refusing to move with God outside our comfort zone – of life in general, of relationships, of old habits and attitudes? Do we want to end up like the Israelites who lived without purpose and died without experiencing the ultimate blessings of God? When we move with God outside our comfort zone, we stop relying on our own ability and begin to listen to, depend on and trust in God. In the process, we open ourselves to God’s blessings.
TO SERVE A SPECIAL PURPOSE. For 40 years, Moses was content with merely tending sheep when God appeared to him in a burning bush and charged him with the task of going to Egypt and setting the Israelites free from slavery (Exodus 3:10). Focusing on himself and his inadequacies, Moses was full of excuses (Exodus 3:11), but in the end he followed God one day at a time. Our sovereign, faithful, powerful God never takes us outside our comfort zone and then abandons us. He will be with us as He was with Moses every step of the way to ensure that we succeed in fulfilling His mission. God calls us to look beyond ourselves to allow Him to work His special purpose in our lives. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “He that is good in making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
TO GROW AND MATURE IN FAITH. God desires for us to grow in faith and character, and quite often, the only way is for Him to shake us out of our comfort zones. It is in our vulnerability, that we turn our attention to God, listen to what He has to say, and see significant, lasting changes in our lives. When we become open to change, then we become open to growth. Growth is, after all, change directed towards maturity. The Bible exhorts us to delight in opportunities for growth. James 1:2-3 says: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Outside our comfort zone, our faith is tested, and our maturity is developed. We see this in the case of Joshua. After Moses’ death, God appointed Joshua to be the new leader of the Israelites. He was ordered to cross the river, to set foot on unknown territory, and to claim the Promised Land (Joshua 1:2-3). We will never grow and experience God’s blessings if we do not venture forth, get our feet wet, and take the unbeaten path. When God thrusts a major crisis our way, it is because He wants to bring us to a higher level of maturity. When we resist, He will keep repeating the lesson until we get it right. If we do not seize the opportunities to grow, we will remain immature and undeveloped. God’s growth tools may not be pleasant; they may even be painful. But no growth takes place without growth pains. C.S. Lewis declares, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” The journey out of our comfort zone is what Paul calls “the good fight” as written in 2 Timothy 4: 7-8: “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
The Christian life is strewn with many challenges, but even problems and trials turn into blessings if we bring them to Christ. As we trust Him by laying away our plans to accommodate His, as we lift up to Him our daily battles, and as we leave our comfort zones to step into the unknown, we discover the grace of God. As children of an awesome God who have only one life to live, we should each embark on a journey beyond our comfort zone, and grow in the knowledge and experience of God and live it to the fullest for His glory and honor!
