Day 83: Comfort Zones

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear”

- Jack Canfield

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

We as people love our comfort zones, we love routine, we love knowing what is going to happen and when it’s going to happen. We can rest knowing that something is certain, we find peace in our contentment. We get so complacent in these comfortable places  that stepping outside of them is frightening. We are so wrapped up in our own comfort that we get stuck there. It’s like we’re closing ourselves off to a world of opportunity. Comfort is sometimes crippling, because we don’t know how to have faith, we don’t know how to trust someone other than ourselves, we lack the ability to take risks. We are at an age where we are stepping out of the comfort zones we have been in our entire lives and taking a risk to live the life we are destined to live. If you’re an artist you probably feel this a bit more. We must learn to take risks, and sacrifice, especially as Christians. We have to be willing to give everything up before we see a replacement, that is where faith comes in. We have to get out of our own circle of stagnation. It is only when we step outside of what we know that we start to learn, it is only when we take away the comfort that we grow. Last week we talked about taking a leap of faith. Well in order to take that leap of faith we have to step outside of our comfort zones. We all have to go through a time when life is uncomfortable, and that may look different to each of us, but as we grow we start to find comfort in the Lord. As we grow in Him we start to live fearlessly and courageously. It says it right there in the scripture be courageous, have no fear, don’t be dismayed. God is with us every step of the way. He commanding us to be courageous and strong.

2 Timothy 1:7

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

What keeps us from stepping outside of those comfort zones many times is fear.... Most of the time it’s fear... All of the time it’s fear. We are afraid of what will happen, where we will go next. But we must know that God is on the other side of fear. As long as we have faith in Him, as long as we have a relationship with God there is nothing to fear.

I can tell you from experience that God has done more for me outside of my comfort zones than I could ever imagine. I just had to stop fearing and step out on faith, and He was there and has been there guiding my steps every since. God has taken me places I never thought I’d go. Done things that I could never imagine. All because I decided to step out of my comfort zone. I stopped looking at what seemed certain. I let go of the plan that would allow me to live a comfortable and trouble free life. Being in an uncomfortable position pushed me to not only trust Him, but dive deeper into my relationship with Him. It allowed me to see and understand God in a completely different and new way. It allowed me to see my need for Him. It allowed me to understand that God is in control, He has always been in control and will always be in control.

-Dyamond

Comfort zones are detrimental to our spiritual health, and growth.

Reflection

1. Are you afraid to step outside of your comfort zones?
2. What are you afraid of?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Talk to God about your fears and then give them over to Him. Find comfort in knowing that He did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind.

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Make sure you share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 84!

Day 74: Where Do We Go From Here

We have all been in a place where we feel stuck, our twenties is when we feel this the most. We have started this life on our own and we don’t know where to go. We have a head full of dreams, plans, and goals, but where do we start. How do we get there from where we are? How do we move when we’re stuck?

Well first, we have to take a leap of faith. In the words of Steve Harvey, we have to jump, and know that God will not let us fall. We cannot doubt His direction or we will fall.

Matthew 14:28-31

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind,[e] he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Matthew 7:7

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

There’s a couple of things to point out from the above scriptures that will help us answer the proposed questions. Ask God for whatever it is you want and it will be given to you. Here’s the thing, we have to be ready to receive and have faith to walk out into the unknown trusting the plan and hand of God because we know that He is faithful. Peter asked Jesus to walk on the water, and after a few steps He started to fear and that’s when He started to sink. He was afraid even with Jesus standing right there before Him. We have to have faith even though we cannot see Him physically we know He is right there with us. We must have faith when we ask God for something, and faith when He tells us to step out of the boat. We cannot be afraid or we will start to sink. It’s scary but God is bigger than our fear, He will not call us into the water to watch us sink.

James 2:17-18

17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

We must exercise our faith. It isn’t enough to just say, “I have faith.” no we have to act on it. We cannot expect something to happen just by sitting there and saying we have faith in God. We can have all the faith in the world that everything we need and want is behind the door, but if we don’t knock or walk through the threshold, how will we ever get to it. Faith is not just believing that God will come through for us, it is acting as such. Faith is taking the leap even though we don’t know where our feet will land, we know that God is going to catch us. It’s taking a chance and trusting that God will pull us through.

Sometimes when we feel stuck it means that we have to take a leap of faith to get to where God wants us to go. When we reach the end of a chapter in our lives and don’t know where to go that is where we look to  God for direction, and if He tells us to jump, we have to. If we don’t we will stay in a place where we will be stuck forever. The only way out is to leap, we can’t step we have to jump. Everything we’re looking for, everything we need will be on the other side, leap and watch God allow you to soar. You can do it, put that fear aside, get a running start and JUMP!

Philippians 4:13

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Reflection

1. Are you currently in a place where you feel stuck?
2. What is stopping you from taking that leap?
3. If you had nothing to lose, how easy would it be to take that leap of faith?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above question guide your prayer today. Ask God for direction, and ask Him to strengthen your faith so that you will move when He says move. Talk to God about what is on your heart today.

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Share this with someone, take a leap of faith today, Make sure you come back tomorrow, for the second part of this series, Day 75!