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Out of Your Comfort Zone: Live the Life God Intends
Jack Graham
Over and over again, we read about men and women in the Bible who did great things for God. Now, notice I didn’t say great men and women ??? but men and women who did great things.
Do you know what these men and women had in common? Each one of them had a big heart for God. Like Nehemiah.
Nehemiah 1
The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." 4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
Nehemiah’s story, which is recorded for us in the Old Testament, is one of the great epochs of Christian history. Not only is Nehemiah’s story a manual on leadership, organization, and how to accomplish goals, it shows us what God can do through a man whose heart is totally and completely His.
I’d encourage you to take some time in the next month or so to read the entire story of Nehemiah. But today there’s one chapter of his life that I’d like to focus you on… when Nehemiah took a step out of his comfort zone and made an eternal difference for God.
Nehemiah was a displaced Jew living a thousand miles from Jerusalem in what’s known today as Persia, or Iran. He had risen to prominence as the cupbearer to the king of Persia, and he lived quite a comfortable life in the king’s palace. He slept on satin sheets and down pillows. He was living the good life!
Yet one fateful day, some Jewish friends of Nehemiah returned from a jaunt to Jerusalem. And he asked them a question that ended up changing his life: “How is it with the people of Jerusalem?” And they said, “Nehemiah, it’s not good. The walls are down, the gates are burned with fire, and the people are living in shame and disgrace.”
When Nehemiah heard this, it was like a shot to the solar plexus. It buckled him. It swept him off his feet and onto his knees! And he began to cry out to God… but not for just a moment. For four months he prayed until God showed him what to do!
Nehemiah refused to ignore what God was doing in his heart…which was to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. He could have continued to live in luxury in Persia, but Nehemiah’s heart was a thousand miles away…in Jerusalem. His heart was the heart of God.
I believe God is doing exactly the same thing in the hearts of His people today. And that includes you! He’s stirring your heart to do something for His glory.
God is calling you to step out of your comfort zone… to do the unusual thing… to do the counter-cultural thing… to make His kingdom great!
Now, please, don’t misunderstand me. You don’t have to be a pastor, a missionary, or a super-spiritual star or hero! All you have to do is have a heart for God… and a willingness to get out of your comfort zone.
It may be something as simple as just walking across the room at a party to talk to someone you normally would have ignored. Or inviting your neighbor over for tea. Or taking a co-worker to lunch to see how they’re doing.
Whatever it is, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone… like Nehemiah did… to do great things for God!
God is looking for men and women who have a heart for Him… who want to take their lives to the next level… who want to step out of the maze of mediocrity and live for something bigger than themselves!
It’s my prayer that this will be the passion of your heart and life!
Jack Graham
Over and over again, we read about men and women in the Bible who did great things for God. Now, notice I didn’t say great men and women ??? but men and women who did great things.
Do you know what these men and women had in common? Each one of them had a big heart for God. Like Nehemiah.
Nehemiah 1
The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." 4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
Nehemiah’s story, which is recorded for us in the Old Testament, is one of the great epochs of Christian history. Not only is Nehemiah’s story a manual on leadership, organization, and how to accomplish goals, it shows us what God can do through a man whose heart is totally and completely His.
I’d encourage you to take some time in the next month or so to read the entire story of Nehemiah. But today there’s one chapter of his life that I’d like to focus you on… when Nehemiah took a step out of his comfort zone and made an eternal difference for God.
Nehemiah was a displaced Jew living a thousand miles from Jerusalem in what’s known today as Persia, or Iran. He had risen to prominence as the cupbearer to the king of Persia, and he lived quite a comfortable life in the king’s palace. He slept on satin sheets and down pillows. He was living the good life!
Yet one fateful day, some Jewish friends of Nehemiah returned from a jaunt to Jerusalem. And he asked them a question that ended up changing his life: “How is it with the people of Jerusalem?” And they said, “Nehemiah, it’s not good. The walls are down, the gates are burned with fire, and the people are living in shame and disgrace.”
When Nehemiah heard this, it was like a shot to the solar plexus. It buckled him. It swept him off his feet and onto his knees! And he began to cry out to God… but not for just a moment. For four months he prayed until God showed him what to do!
Nehemiah refused to ignore what God was doing in his heart…which was to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. He could have continued to live in luxury in Persia, but Nehemiah’s heart was a thousand miles away…in Jerusalem. His heart was the heart of God.
I believe God is doing exactly the same thing in the hearts of His people today. And that includes you! He’s stirring your heart to do something for His glory.
God is calling you to step out of your comfort zone… to do the unusual thing… to do the counter-cultural thing… to make His kingdom great!
Now, please, don’t misunderstand me. You don’t have to be a pastor, a missionary, or a super-spiritual star or hero! All you have to do is have a heart for God… and a willingness to get out of your comfort zone.
It may be something as simple as just walking across the room at a party to talk to someone you normally would have ignored. Or inviting your neighbor over for tea. Or taking a co-worker to lunch to see how they’re doing.
Whatever it is, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone… like Nehemiah did… to do great things for God!
God is looking for men and women who have a heart for Him… who want to take their lives to the next level… who want to step out of the maze of mediocrity and live for something bigger than themselves!
It’s my prayer that this will be the passion of your heart and life!
