Originally published Thursday, 29 January 2015.
What holds you back?
What hinders you?
What prevents you from going all-in, crazy wild for Jesus?
Is it others?
Your schedule?
Your fears?
Your money?
Your family?
What is it?
When I look at my life, I see a whole lot of blessings, but I also see a whole lot of comfort. Comfort that wraps me warm and snuggly. So warm, that sometimes I don't want to look beyond my TV - or even the walls of my house.
Comfort that second-guesses spending time with others.
Comfort that makes it difficult to give and to let go.
Comfort that doesn't allow me to see all that God has for me.
Comfort that keeps me stuck.
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:36)
Are we gaining the world or are we gaining God?
Because a life stuck in this world is a life stuck in futility.
And a life stuck in futility, is a life without utility.
To live without utility, gives us no ability to glorify God's nobility.
Complacency, comfort and carelessness about our condition become our greatest inhibition.
But, God is calling us. Wooing us. Pleading that we come.
Do you hear Him?
He is waiting.
Ready.
Hopeful.
He has more for us than the good "American Life".
He will blow our socks off.
Knock us down with purpose.
Stagger us with joy.
If we let him.
Or, we can continue living in the status-quo, as we always have - content.
But are we really content?
Satisfied?
Is enough ever enough?
The house?
The family?
The money?
Perhaps God is saying..."Accepting good, is missing amazing."
When we exchange good things for our great God, we miss the immense blessings he has prepared for us.
For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph. 2:10)
It's easy to walk by stagnant faith, rehearsed truths and clichéd lines, but if we want to see crazy exciting acts of God, we have to step out of "safety" and into "risky".
"Risky" that takes time to hear God's call.
"Risky" that prays for equipping.
"Risky" that sacrifices all to accomplish his purposes.
"Risky" that doesn't see the way, but walks by faith.
"Risky" that doesn't stop, that keeps going, that presses on until the work is completed.
"Risky" that avoids demanding approval or affirmation, but instead trusts in eternal rewards.
Why aren't I risky like this? When I take a deep look, I see, what holds me back - is me, myself and I. I am afraid. I am afraid to go to the place where I lose all control. I am afraid to see where he will take me. I am afraid.
Will it really be good?
Will he really be there for me?
Will I be good enough for Him?
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. (Heb. 11:1)
When we can't see, we walk by real faith, life changing faith and powerful faith.
We can walk this way, because he has proven his faithfulness time and time again.
He has helped us and he will help us.
He has guided us and he will guide us.
He has shown up and he will show up.
Remember his faithfulness - in the past - to follow his call - today.
We are called "followers of Jesus", so let's do the following part. Let's cast aside all that holds us back and go "risky" with Jesus. It's so worth it! He will equip us. He will help us. We can do this.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Heb. 12:1)
What holds you back from Jesus?
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