Outside Your Comfort Zone

Comfort zones -- those places where you are most comfortable, those people with whom you are most comfortable, those things with which you are most comfortable.  How did you respond the last time you were called upon or felt led to do something differently?  Stepping outside your comfort zone meant that you’d have to make a change.  How often do you find yourself resisting change?  Resisting doing something differently?  Resisting a move outside your comfort zone?

Consider Esther, the little Jewish girl whose identity was unknown as she married the king of Persia.  As queen, her cousin Mordecai called upon her to go before the king and save her people from destruction.  Facing this life or death challenge, she stepped outside of her comfort zone to go before the king without being called for.  If the king had not held out the golden scepter, she would have been killed instantly.  God moved on her behalf, and the rest is world history.

Consider Nehemiah, a Jewish exile in Persia, whose job was cupbearer to the king.  God purposed in his heart to go to Judah to rebuild the burned walls and broken down gates around Jerusalem.  Endowed with divine favor, Nehemiah stepped outside his comfort zone, received permission from the king to take a long leave of absence, was given considerable resources for the project, and faced great opposition and many trials.   Even so, the rebuilding project was completed in 52 days.  God moved on his behalf, and did more than Nehemiah could ever have asked or imagined.

Choose this day to step outside your comfort zone. Do what God has purposed and planned for you. Understand that if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.

Strengthen My Hands

Is there something going on with you that has caused you to feel weak?  Has your boss at work or your pastor at church asked you to do something that has presented considerable challenge to you?  Do you feel that you are literally stuck between a rock and a hard place?  Are you feeling that a particular situation is like six in one hand, a half dozen in the other?  Has God given you what seems like the impossible dream?  Does the mountain in your life seem too high to climb? Is there a giant standing in your way?  If you answered YES to one or more of these questions, God has a Word for you.  Open your eyes, look to see what the Lord is saying to you. Now, read on.  

 Nehemiah's story is told in the book that bears his name.  He described himself as the cupbearer to the king of Persia who resided in Susa.  The Lord placed on Nehemiah's heart a burning desire to join the returning exiles in Judah and Jerusalem, and to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem.  He was passionate and determined to restore the gates that had been burned 70 years earlier when Judah was taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  Nehemiah was granted favor by the king who not only granted him a leave of absence to go to Judah, but gave him considerable timber, building supplies, and other resources.  Upon his arrival in Jerusalem, he found a people with a mind and heart to do this work.  And he also found enemies who did everything in their power to keep the walls from being rebuilt and the gates from being restored.  Some of the enemies that came against the people were outsiders.  But, guess what?  Some of the enemies were insiders, their friends and neighbors.

 So, no matter where you are, irregardless of what's going on, pray continually as Nehemiah did.  I describe one of his prayers as short and sweet, quick and to the point.  Nehemiah simply prayed "O God, strengthen my hands."  Let that become your prayer, "O God, strengthen my hands" (see Nehemiah 6:9).  Then watch God move “exceedingly abundantly above all you could ask or imagine according to the power at work in you” (see Ephesians 3:20-21).

 

How Big Is Your God? part 7

My pastor, Bishop Jim Lowe at The Guiding Light Church, has been encouraging us to step outside of ourselves, and to pull on God. He's asking us to know that we know that we know that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ever ask or imagine (see Ephesians 3:20). These messages are reminders to me to consider how big God is to me. Is God really able to do immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine? Can I really believe this? Can I truly expect more from God? Can I create new norms for me?

Consider Moses who God had climb Mt. Nebo when he was 120 years old. The amazing thing is that Moses climbed the mountain. Can you believe that? Do you know a 65 ... or 70 ... or 80 ... or 90 year old person? Would you ask, could you expect them to climb not even a mountain but a hill? However, Moses climbed the mountain, God showed him the promised land. Because his eyes were neither weak nor dim, he was able to see clearly the land that God had promised. He would not cross over into it, but he was able to see it.

What to me seems so unfair of God is that Moses climbed the mountain, saw the promised land, and then died. Why did he, at age 120, have to climb the mountain only to die? Wasn't that a bit much of God to require such a strenuous effort? Why couldn't Moses have just fallen asleep at the foot of the mountain? In Deuteronomy 34:7, we are also told that Moses' strength was not gone.

Moses' strength equaled his days. If God is no respecter of persons, can he do for you and me what he did for Moses? Can we not expect that our strength will = our days? Is your God big enough that you can expect and declare that your strength = your days? Is your God big enough that you will prophesy to others -- may your strength = your days? Is your God big enough that this becomes your new norm? May your strength = your days.

 

How Big Is Your God? part 6

So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:

‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

Zechariah 4:6

At first glance, prophetic writings from the Old Testament with next to impossible names to pronounce may not get our attention or may be difficult to understand.  Take a second glance and realize that the prophet Zechariah has been instructed by God to give a message to Zerubbabel, the governor of Jerusalem.  Zerubbabel had been among the first of the Jews to return to their homeland from having been in captivity, first in Babylon and then in Persia.  When he first returned to Jerusalem, he led a team in rebuilding the temple which had been destroyed by fire.  The foundation was laid, then the work stopped.  This message was given to Zerubbabel some 16 years later.  Yes, you've read correctly, work on the temple was left unfinished for 16 years.

Have you left a job or a task uncompleted for a long period of time? For 16 years?  For more than 16 years?  For less than 16 years?  What project ... task ... assignment ... relationship ... job ... work did you leave undone?  Have you purposed in your heart to do something, and then didn't do it?  Did you start something and then didn't finish it?

Could it be that the same message from God, given through the prophet Zechariah to Zerubbabel, is your message for today?  As you are challenged to return to the task left undone, you are reminded that the work can be accomplished not by your might, nor by your power, but by the Spirit of God. Remember that God is ready to help you, willing to help you, and is able to do immeasurably more for you than you could ever ask or imagine (see Ephesians 3:20).  Finally, remember that in all things, you are more than a conqueror (see Romans 8:37).