Out of Our Comfort Zones!

             Have you ever had a moment when you felt the call of the Spirit, prompting you to do something that was totally out of your comfort zone?  Have you ever had a moment in your life when the decision that you made (or didn’t make) changed everything forever? 

            We’ve all had those moments whether we recognized them or not.  Perhaps one of the most far-reaching moments like that happened to Abraham (or Abram as he was called then) in Genesis 12.  God told Abraham to “Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go to the land that I will show you” (Gen. 12: 1 NIV84 – emphasis added).  Abraham was called to leave his home, his family, and everything familiar to him and go where?  To a land that God would show him! 

            Abraham was no spring chicken when God gave him this directive.  He was 75 years old with a wife and a nephew that he was responsible for.  He had acquired wealth and possessions and was probably leading a relatively comfortable life for the times.  Yet, the Scripture does not indicate that he hesitated.  God said go, and he went!

            Granted, there were promises attached to God’s command.  Promises that God would make him into a great nation, that God would bless him and make his name great, and that ultimately all the peoples of the earth would be blessed through him (Gen. 12: 2, 3).  Still, is that enough to leave everything you hold dear and step out into the great unknown?  For Abraham, it was apparently more than enough.  He willingly took that step of faith, trusting God to bless, protect and guide him on the journey.  Hebrews 11: 8 affirms the faith that Abraham had in going, and the Scripture tells us that because he believed God “it was credited to him as righteousness” (Romans 4: 3).

            Most of us will probably never have moments like Abraham’s where all human history will be changed by our decision, but we will have moments when faith and obedience will take us out of our comfort zones.  Those are the moments when we are called to stand firm on the truth of the Scripture, knowing that it may bring us ridicule, loss of respect, loss of income, and maybe even loss of life.  Those are the moments when we are called to interrupt our plans to step into the messiness of someone else’s life.  There may even be those moments when we are called to step into an unknown future all because we feel the tug of the Holy Spirit.

            I had one of those moments back in 2000.  I had desired for years to close my law practice and change careers, but all my efforts, without consulting God, had failed.  Finally, after much counseling from a Christian friend and much time in prayer, I stepped out in faith, believing that God was now leading this decision.  I advertised the law practice for sale, not knowing where I would go, what I would do, or how I would make a living.  Within days, the ad was answered and my faith journey into the unknown began. 

            I won’t mislead you by saying that the road was easy.  It wasn’t!  There were a lot of problems and setbacks along the way, some of which were my own doing because I failed to trust as much as I should.  Ultimately, though, the office was closed, and God led me to a position that I loved and enjoyed for over 20 years. 

            If you haven’t already faced a moment that requires faith, if you are a follower of Jesus, you will.  Those moments won’t be easy, but God doesn’t always call us to what’s easy.  He calls us to faith!  Jesus said that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains (Matt. 17: 20).  There’s no way of knowing what kind of mountains may be in your path but have faith!  With God’s help, you can move every one of them!

Genesis 12: 1 – 3

Romans 4: 3

Matthew 17: 20