Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

Everyone likes to feel comfortable. To be comfortable implies a person is content with a situation. One may feel comfortable sitting on a nice soft chair or lying on a cozy bed after a hard day’s work. One may also feel comfortable in a certain setting, whether at church, work or school. You are content working and socializing with a particular group of people so you are comfortable in this setting. It feels good to be comfortable. One may also be financially comfortable so that they don’t need to worry about how to pay the bills every month. Being comfortable can entail a stress free and worry free life. It can be a pleasant feeling to not have any worries. We all have a zone in which we feel the most comfortable. We live and work in a particular place and if we are in our comfort zone, we don’t want to move. If we are not in our comfort zone, we are either miserably existing or we are constantly seeking to reach that comfort zone. Once we’ve found our comfort zone, we want to remain as long as is possible.

Sometimes we temporarily break out of our comfort zone and do something that is uncomfortable, such as finding a new job and going to the interview, or moving to a new city and trying to find our way around. But after awhile, when we get accustomed to the change, we become comfortable again.

I’m sure life in Heaven is very comfortable. There is no stress, no worries about bills, crime, or death. Lucifer very much wanted to remain in the comfort zone of heaven, however he forfeited his rights to remain when he rebelled against the Giver of all that is good. Jesus knows what kind of comfort exists in Heaven and He wants all of us to be there. In comparison this earth is not very comfortable at all, but even then, many people feel comfortable here. They would feel out of their comfort zone in Heaven
Are you comfortable here on this earth? If so, you have a problem. Jesus wants to you to break out of your comfort zone.

The nominal Christian churches teach that you can have all this world and heaven too. You can remain in the comfort zone that this world offers and obtain the comforts of heaven also. Nothing could be further from the truth. Once a person truly falls in love with Jesus, they will no longer be comfortable on this earth. They will be seeking and striving to enter Heaven, where they will be in their real comfort zone – God’s comfort zone.

We need to ask ourselves if our comfort zone is where God wants us to be. He may ask us to break out of our physical comfort zone to enter His spiritual comfort zone. There will be times of conflict when we will have to give up our physical comforts to strive to enter His zone. This takes much courage and determination. “Remember that in whatever position you may serve you are revealing motive, developing character. Whatever your work, do it with exactness, with diligence; overcome the inclination to seek an easy task.” MH 499. It is human nature to want to always do the easiest task available – to do the least amount of work required. This will never work spiritually.

“Those who study how to give as little as possible of their physical, mental, and moral power are not the workers upon whom He can pour out abundant blessings. Their example is contagious. Self-interest is the ruling motive. Those who need to be watched and who work only as every duty is specified to them are not the ones who will be pronounced good and faithful. Workers are needed who manifest energy, integrity, diligence, those who are willing to do anything that needs to be done.” MH 499

“Many become inefficient by evading responsibilities for fear of failure. Thus they fail of gaining that education, which results from experience, and which reading and study and all the advantages otherwise gained cannot give them.” MH 500

“The desire for an easy religion that requires no striving, no self-denial, no divorce from the follies of the world, has made the doctrine of faith, and faith only, a popular doctrine; but what saith the word of God? Says the apostle James: ‘What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?…Wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?…Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.’James 2:14-24.” GC 472

BIBLICAL EXAMPLES

In the Bible we read of many faithful souls who God called to leave their physical comfort zone to enter His spiritual comfort zone. Often God’s people did not understand the direction He was leading them and why they had to leave their physical comforts.

Abraham lived a comfortable life surrounded by his family and friends in the city of Ur. However, God had other plans for his life.

I’m sure Abraham’s family thought he was out of his mind when God called him to go to a new country. He had no idea what the destination would be or what kind of land was there. “Abraham… might have reasoned and questioned the purposes of God in this. But he showed that he had perfect confidence that God was leading him; he did not question whether it was a fertile, pleasant country or whether or not he should have ease. He went at God’s bidding. This is a lesson to every one of us.” HP 112

Abraham was not in his physical comfort zone while living on this earth. “For he looked for a city which hath foundations,whose builder and maker is God.” Hebrews11:10

Paul was living a comfortable life as a member of the Sanhedrin. The Jewish leaders enriched themselves at the expense of the poor worshippers that came to the temple. He gave up his physical comfort zone when Jesus called him to service.
Since he was connected with Jesus in Jesus’ comfort zone, the physical suffering mattered little to him. “Of the Jews five
times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.” 2 Cor. 11:24-30 “ Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:11-13.

Moses
Moses had a very comfortable life living in Pharaoh’s palace while the other Israelites suffered as slaves, but he was not
in his spiritual comfort zone. He decided to give up his physical comfort zone in order to fit into God’s spiritual comfort zone.

“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” Hebrews 11:24-27

“The faith of Moses led him to look at the things which are unseen, which are eternal. He left the splendid attractions of court life because sin was there. He gave up present and seeming good that flattered only to ruin and destroy. The real attractions, the eternal, were of value to him. The sacrifices made by Moses were really no sacrifices. With him it was letting go a present,apparent, flattering good for a sure, high, immortal good.” 4T 345

To the true Christian there is a great desire to be in their spiritual comfort zone and the physical comfort zone may have to be compromised. But that does not matter. It is only secondary. Jesus is preparing mansions for us and when He comes He will provide us with a very comfortable life in Heaven. What are a few years of physical discomfort here on this earth in comparison? Rather than comfortably sitting in your living room after a day of work, or on your day off, get out of your comfort zone and do something for the Lord, whether a Bible study or missionary visit. Jesus IS coming soon.

Many Other faithful followers also stepped out of their comfort zone and put their lives in peril to preach the gospel.
“And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned,they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and [in] mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” Heb. 11:36-40
“As the truth of God fills our hearts,absorbs our affections, and controls our lives, we also will count it joy to suffer for the truth’s sake. No prison walls, no martyr’s stake, can then daunt or hinder us in the great work.” 3T 406

“Step by step they followed as God’s opening providence led the way. They did not study their own convenience or shrink at hardships. This earth is not the resting place of Christians.” 1T 370

Some are forced out of their comfort zone through no action or desire of their own, like Joseph, Daniel and Job. But they developed their spiritual comfort zone and they didn’t complain of their circumstances. They learned to be content in whatever situation they found themselves.

“In all ages God’s appointed witnesses have exposed themselves to reproach and persecution for the truth’s sake. Joseph was maligned and persecuted because he preserved his virtue and integrity. David, the chosen messenger of God, was hunted like a beast of prey by his enemies. Daniel was cast into a den of lions because he was true to his allegiance to heaven. Job was deprived of his worldly possessions, and so afflicted in body that he was abhorred by his relatives, and friends; yet he maintained his integrity. Jeremiah could not be deterred from speaking the words that God had given him to speak; and his testimony so enraged the king and princes that he was cast into a loathsome pit. Stephen was stoned because he preached Christ and Him crucified. Paul was imprisoned, beaten with rods, stoned, and finally put to death because he was a faithful messenger for God to the Gentiles. And John was banished to the Isle of Patmos ‘for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.’ ” AA 575

What happened in the few years priorto 1844? What kind of sacrifices did the believers make who earnestly believed Jesus was coming in 1844?

William Miller stepped out of his comfort zone when God asked him to preach the messages he had been studying for years. “As Elisha was called from following his oxen in the field, to receive the mantle of consecration to the prophetic office, so was William Miller called to leave his plow and open to the people the mysteries of the kingdom of God. With trembling he entered upon his work, leading his hearers down, step by step, through the prophetic periods to the second appearing of Christ. With every effort he gained strength and courage as he saw the widespread interest excited by his words.” GC 331

“In 1833 Miller received a license to preach from the Baptist Church, of which he was a member. A large number of the ministers of his denomination also approved his work, and it was with their formal sanction that he continued his labors. He traveled and preached unceasingly, though his personal labors were confined principally to the New England and Middle States.” GC332

William Miller was a farmer. He had a wife and a family and found it necessary to leave them for long periods in order to preach the messages as the Lord sent him. The Lord provided for the needs of his family. I’m sure it was not easy for him to leave his family, yet the Lord asked of him to step out of his physical comfort zone.

Joseph Wolfe stepped out of his comfort zone when he was convinced that Jesus was coming soon. “In 1821, three years after Miller had arrived at his exposition of the prophecies pointing to the time of the judgment, Dr. Joseph Wolff, “the missionary to the world,” began to proclaim the Lord’s soon coming.

“During the twenty-four years from 1821 to 1845, Wolff traveled extensively: in Africa, visiting Egypt and Abyssinia; in Asia, traversing Palestine, Syria, Persia, Bokhara, and India. He also visited the United States, on the journey thither preaching on the island of Saint Helena. He arrived in New York in August, 1837; and, after speaking in that city, he preached in Philadelphia and Baltimore, and finally proceeded to Washington. Here, he says, ‘on a motion brought forward by the ex-President, John Quincy Adams, in one of the houses of Congress, the House unanimously granted to me the use of the Congress Hall for a lecture, which I delivered on a Saturday, honored with the presence of all the members of Congress, and also of the bishop of Virginia, and of the clergy and citizens of Washington. The same honor was granted to me by the members of the government of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, in whose presence I delivered lectures on my researches in Asia, and also on the personal reign of Jesus Christ.’ ” GC 360

“Dr. Wolff traveled in the most barbarous countries without the protection of any European authority, enduring manyhardships and surrounded with countless perils. He was bastinadoed and starved, sold as a slave, and three times condemned to death. He was beset by robbers, and sometimes nearly perished from thirst. Once he was stripped of all that he possessed and left to travel hundreds of miles on foot through the mountains, the snow beating in his face and his naked feet benumbed by contact with the frozen ground.” GC 361

“Thus he persevered in his labors until the message of the judgment had been carried to a large part of the habitable globe. Among Jews, Turks, Parsees, Hindus, and many other nationalities and races he distributed the word of God in these various tongues and everywhere heralded the approaching reign of the Messiah.” GC 361

These people left their physical comfort zone in order to spread the gospel. Who is willing to step out of their physical comfort zone today? We earnestly believe that Jesus is coming soon.

Sister White broke out of her comfort zone do the work that the Lord instructed her to do. She travelled extensively and suffered ?many trials as well as poverty. She also had to give up that which was dearest to her heart – her children. “When I returned home, I found that my children had been neglected by those who had assured me that they should be cared for. I felt grieved. My greatest anxiety had been for my children, to bring them up free from evil habits. Our work had been to travel, and then write and publish. Henry had been from us five years, and Edson had received but little of our care.” 2 SG 211

“Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.” Judges 5:23.

“Many of our missionary enterprises are crippled because there are so many who refuse to enter the doors of usefulness that are opened before them. Let all who believe the truth begin to work. Do the work that lies nearest you; do anything, however humble, rather than be, like the men of Meroz, do-nothings.” 8T 246

“And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.” Zephaniah 1:12

“The Lord has no place in His work for those who have a greater desire to win the crown than to bear the cross. He wants men who are more intent upon doing their duty than upon receiving their reward–men who are more solicitous for principle than for promotion.” MH 476

Jesus was very comfortable in His heavenlyhome and He left His comfort zone in Heaven to come to a world full of peoplewho did not appreciate or understand Hiswork. In His greatest hour of need Hewas looking for comfort but all those whoclaimed to love Him deserted Him. He was not forsaken and He received comfort from the angels. Was Jesus in His comfort zonewhile on this earth? He was in His spiritualcomfort zone as long as He was doingHis Father’s will. He may not have beenin a physical comfort zone, but that wassecondary to His Father’s work. “And Jesussaid unto him, Foxes have holes, and birdsof the air have nests; but the Son of manhath not where to lay his head.” Luke 9:58

Where would we be if Jesus didn’t want to leave His physical comfort zone in heaven?“How often is Christ disappointed in thosewho profess to be His children! He hasgiven them unmistakable evidences of Hislove. He became poor, that through Hispoverty we might be made rich. He diedfor us, that we might not perish, but haveeternal life. What if Christ had refused to bear our iniquity because many rejectedhim and because so few appreciated Hislove and the infinite blessings He cameto bring them? We need to encourage patient, painstaking efforts. Courage is now wanted, not lazy despondency andfretful murmuring. We are in this world todo work for the Master and not to studyour inclination and pleasure, to serve andglorify ourselves.” 3T 525

What is Jesus asking of you? Is Jesusasking you to break out of your physicalcomfort zone, as He did, and go to newplaces where people may not appreciateyour work? The call is going out, “Whomshall I send?” Can we say, “Here am I, sendme?” Isaiah 6:8. There is a world to warn. Jesus is coming soon. It is not easy to breakout of the comfort zone and go and work forthe Master.

DRIFTING

To drift is a very comfortable and relaxed feeling. You may be on a boat that is drifting calmly down a river. It requires very little effort to drift. We are given a warning that we must not let our spiritual life drift. “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip” Hebrews 2:1. If you drift too long, you may drift too far away from Jesus and it would take a tremendous effort to swim back from where we have slipped Jesus is coming soon. How serious are you about it? But what about the rest of the world? How will you feel if your good friends, workmates or fellow students came to you in the judgement and asked you why you didn’t tell them the truth because you knew? You know the prophecies, you can see the signs of the times fulfilling – what are you doing about it?

“The perils of the last days will test the genuineness of our faith… The mighty surges of temptation will beat upon all, and unless they are riveted to the eternal Rock they will be borne away. Do not think that ?you can safely drift with the current. If you do, you will surely become the helpless prey of Satan’s devices. By diligent searching of the Scriptures and earnest prayer for divine help prepares the soul to resist temptation. The Lord will hear the sincere prayer of the contrite soul and will lift up a standard for you against the enemy. But you will be tried; your faith, your love, your patience, your constancy will be tested.” HP 184

“We can never be saved in indolence and inactivity. There is no such thing as a truly converted person living a helpless, useless life. It is not possible for us to drift into heaven. No sluggard can enter there. If we do not strive to gain an entrance into the kingdom, if we do not seek earnestly to learn what constitutes its laws, we are not fitted for a part in it. Those who refuse to co-operate with God on earth would not co-operate with Him in heaven. It would not be safe to take them to heaven.” COL 280

“Jesus does not present to His followers the hope of attaining earthly glory and riches, of living a life free from trial. Instead He calls upon them to follow Him in the path of self-denial and reproach. He who came to redeem the world was opposed by the united forces of evil. In an unpitying confederacy, evil men and evil angels arrayed themselves against the Prince of Peace. His every word and act revealed divine compassion, and His unlikeness to the world provoked the bitterest hostility.” AA 576

“So it will be with all who will live godly in Christ Jesus. Persecution and reproach await all who are imbued with the Spirit of Christ. The character of the persecution changes with the times, but the principle–the spirit that underlies it–is the same that has slain the chosen of the Lord ever since the days of Abel.” AA 576. We are not promised a comfortable life on this earth that is free from trials and difficulties.

Who has the courage to take up the challenge? Who has the courage to break out of their physical comfort zone to go and do God’s will? It is my wish and prayer that some of the young people would give up the physical comforts of this world and fit into God’s spiritual comfort zone and to spread the good news that Jesus is coming soon, so that we can go home to heaven soon.
Amen

Wendy Eaton, Australia