The Circle

Stepping out side of our comfort zone can be a very nerve racking and even traumatizing experience. However, if we are not pressing against the boundaries of our little circle we call our comfort zone then how will we know how to respond to the calling that God has placed on our lives. The problem is that most of us are not walking in that calling. We have all settled for something less, we have all compromised in some way and have become complacent in our Christian lives. We sit back and allow others to do the work that so desperately needs to be done. The problem with is that you and me are not the only ones with this mentality. God has so much more for us if we would only press up against the boundaries of our own faculties and allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us. I am a very shy and quiet person by nature, my box is a small one, I do not like to come out of it, at least this was true about three years ago. You see God let me do MY own thing for quite some time, but when I was is junior high I made a promise to do the work of the Lord whatever the calling. You know the Bible talks about making promises with God. In Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 it says "When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed. Better not to vow than to vow and not pay." God came to me to collect on the promise I made to Him. Over the last couple of years I have begun to break through some of the things that I was unwilling to do myself. God has called me to study and teach His Word, and I have to tell you that it has been a tremendous blessing and a great joy to finally be inside the will of God and allow Him to work through me. For many of us there are two circles in our lives, the first is our comfort zone where we shrink back and remain complacent in our lives, this is were we don't allow ourselves to get hurt, we do not open up and allow ourselves to be vulnerable. This is the circle that the enemy wants you in, because here he can keep you comfortable and unproductive in the Kingdom of God. The second circle in that of God's will. This is were we open up and allow God to shape us and mold us into the vessel that He desires. Here we are a little uncomfortable, we feel vulnerable, and we are inadequate to perform the task in front of us. This is where we need to be, this is where God can do a mighty work. You see we need to uncomfortable so that we continue to find our comfort in Jesus Christ. We need to be vulnerable so that we don't become hard and unmoldable in the Potters hands. And finally we must come to the place where we realize that it is NOT us that is doing the work but rather God the Holy Spirit that is doing the work in and through us to receive the glory. So I ask you, which circle are you standing in? I was once in my circle nice and comfortable and it was not until I stepped out of my circle and into God's that my life suddenly found meaning and purpose. God gives us the choice, we can live our lives in our circles doing our own thing. Or we can step out into God's circle, the circle that will stretch and enlarge as we continue to press into Jesus and the calling He has put on your life. The Christian life is not an easy one, just look at the apostles and men and women throughout history that have suffered and died for their faith, but they will have great rewards in heaven for their faith. Where are storing your treasures? To quote one of my teachers; "I believe in global warming, one day this world is going to be on fire with God's judgment." So the question is where are your treasures, are they here on earth where moth and rust corrupt, where thieves break in and steal. Are they in a place that will one day be on fire! Or are your treasures in heaven where moth and rust does not corrupt and thieves do not break in and steal. God is calling you into His circle where He can grow you and yes stretch you, where He can look after you and bless you. I ask you to evaluate your life and asses what circle you are in and step into a place where you can store eternal treasures. I have been in that small confined circle, I lived there for many years, but now that God has called me out I could never dream of going back. So step out and experience a life that will have an eternal purpose. Luke 9:23 "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."