Step out

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)

Good day, my friend…

Today I want to talk to you about comfort zones. We spend our lives building up safe spaces for ourselves – places where we are in control, places where we feel safe, places where there are no surprises. Then along comes God. He loves to shake things up. In the business world and in self-development, they speak of getting comfortable being uncomfortable. That’s what I would like to address today.

In studying the life of Abraham, we see that his father was the original one called to go into the promised land – to leave behind everything comfortable to him, to go to a place God would show him. Yet he got to Haran and settled. He had gone as far as he comfortably could. The call then passed on to Abram. That’s where we pick up the story today.

God called Abram to leave behind the comfortable, the cozy, the safe, and go to a place he would later be shown. I can’t help but think of my mentor in Christ, my brother, Chuck Clark. He was a State Bank Inspector for the State of Indiana. He had a wife, children, pets, and a comfortable, safe, predictible future. He was working towards retirement and his life was good. Then one day while he was driving from yet one bank to another on assignment, God called him to leave it all behind and enter the ministry full-time. After further inquiry (as you would), he was told to pack up his things and his family into their car and start driving west. God assured him He would let him know when it was time to stop. It sounded rather like the Israelites in their desert wanderings to me. But Chuck was faithful and did what God commanded him to do. He resigned his position, told his wife (who I would imagine thought he had been out in the sun too long), they packed up everything they had, and started driving. Across Indiana, across Illinois, almost to the Missouri border. When they reached the little town of Atlas (and I do mean little), God directed Chuck’s gaze to a small, abandoned church alongside the road and told him this was the place. Chuck re-opened the church, renovated it, and built a strong, God-fearing, Holy Ghost filled congregation out of a town with only a few hundred (at most) population. It was there I was ordained into the ministry – along with several other of my brothers and sisters. But it was uncomfortable at first. And unscripted.

In today’s world it seems everything needs to be planned, scripted, and every continency accounted for before we make a move. Even “reality” TV shows are scripted. I tend to be an overthinker. I want to know all the details before I make such a rash move. Yet that’s not God’s plan. He already has a plan. Unfortunately, my plans don’t often line up with what He has in mind. What about you? Could you suddenly pack up and move your family across the country (or the world) if God so commanded?

As Christians, we are to consider ourselves as strangers in this world, as foreigners, as travelers on our way to a distant land. We are to travel light, pack quickly, and be mobile at a moment’s notice if needed. Yet it is “normal” for us to establish roots, to settle in, to establish routines for our comfort. God is calling us today to get used to being uncomfortable. We see, on the news, pictures and videos of those around the world who have been uprooted from their homelands – refugees – who have had to pack and run for their lives instantly or risk their very lives. How about you? What would you pack if, suddenly, you were told you had two or three hours to evacuate your home, your life? How would you react to that news? Speaking as a man, it would be challenging, yet it would be exciting. As a woman, I am told it would be devastating. Your sense of security would be stolen, your peace would obviously be shaken, and your world would be turned upside down. Yet, that is exactly what God often demands of us.

Without having a sense of purpose, of a potential payoff in exchange for this lifestyle, we balk, we refuse, we disobey. Not out of spite, but out of misunderstanding or mistrust.

That is why God requires of us blind faith. To know in advance the outcome isn’t really faith – it is a business deal, a barter, logical. But God doesn’t call us to logic. He calls us to faith. Just as He did Abram in our passage today. Much like He did my friend, Chuck and Connie. And my friends Nevin and Cheryl Gnagey, and Dave and Susan Burgess. I have the utmost respect for these couples because they are modern-day Abram and Sarah’s. I honor them and have the deepest love for them. I must admit, I kind of envy them in a way, because God has used each of them in ways I have never been used. But then again, I have never been obedient on the level they have.

The world today is rocking violently from wars and rumors of wars, of earthquakes, of famines, of widespread natural disasters, of political upheaval. The very ground upon which we stand (literally and metaphorically) is shaking. The earth is in birth-pangs, awaiting the revelation of the sons and daughters of God. Even nature wants to know and understand “why?”.

Today, my friend, God is calling you out. He is calling you to come forth, to reveal Himself in you, to show Himself mighty through you. Nothing rocks someone’s world like a sudden healing of a long-term disease or illness. Nothing shows forth the praises and power of God quite like an unveiling revelation or prophecy. Not like foretelling the end of the world with a date. More like revealing the hidden powers at work in the world or seeing world events in light of scripture and God’s agenda. To be able to look at someone you don’t know and “read their mail”, to speak into them life and health, blessing and honor – that is world-changing one life at a time.

Much like Abram of old, God is calling you to step out into the light right now – to walk in the power of the Spirit, to speak His Word with boldness, to display His power without fear, to take back what the enemy has stolen from you – from us. You are being fingered right now to be God’s man or woman of the hour in these last days. I challenge you to answer that call. Step up and step out. You have and you are what God needs in this present age.

Be blessed.