Blessed Day Beloved Friends Monday 25 November 2013 Heres Todays Devotional from *The Special Seed* MOVING OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez,[a] saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.-1 Chronicles 4:9-10 It is easy to reach a place as individuals where we become satisfied with the status quo. We so structure our lives to the point that we can almost predict what will happen from one day to the next. For many, this kind of stability provides a deep sense of security and well-being, and fear of change keeps many below average life. It is more dangerous when this same type of comfortable living invades our spiritual life. When you become complacent about your prayer life and satisfied with your spiritual progress, you need to move out of the comfort zone spiritually. We should never reach a place as a child of God where we are totally satisfied with our walk and our witness to a lost and dying world. If any Christian had ever reached a place where he could be satisfied with his spiritual progress, it was the Apostle Paul. Yet, he remained unsatisfied and always reached for more – Phil. 3:12-14. Now, how do we move out of the Comfort Zone? I think the answer can be found in the verses above. In this prayer of Jabez, we can see some facts that can help us to move out of our Comfort Zones, both as individuals and as a church. Let’s notice these facts as we think about, Moving Out Of Your Comfort Zone. Three noteworthy things are said of this man in this verse. They reveal a lot about his character and about his desire to rise above the ordinary in his walk with God. His Place In Life - When we come to Jabez, we are confronted with a man whose life is like an oasis in a dry, barren desert. Most of the others simply state that they begat sons and daughters and that they died, it appears that Jabez wasn’t content to be like everyone else. It turns out that Jabez was a giant among pigmies. Like cream, the life of Jabez rose to the top. He was a real somebody in a sea of nobodies! There are very few among us humans who rise above the crowd. There are very few who leave an indelible mark on the world. Most of us are content to live like everyone else around us. But, isn’t it sad to think that your life and mine might be condensed to a few “begats and then he died”? Wouldn’t it be a tragedy for your life to come down to no more than a few lines on a tombstone? We should never be satisfied to be like everyone else! God has called each of us and had gifted each of us in wonderful ways, 1 Cor. 12:7-26. He has given us the means whereby we can stand out from the crowd and be different for His glory. Some people are different just for the sake of being different, that is not what I am talking about. Some friends thrive on being weird! What I am saying is that we need to be different because the Lord has done a work in our hearts and lives. The question is this, 10 years after you die, will people remember your life and the contribution it made to the Kingdom of God? That can happen, but only if we determine that we will be different from the rest of the crowd.) His Problem In Life - His mother named him Jabez. This name literally means, “The Son Of My Sorrow; Pain; Affliction; He Will Cause Pain.” Many people would take a name like that and figure they were doomed from the start. It doesn’t have to be that way! We have the power, through the Holy Spirit, to break free of the chains of our past. Just because everyone thinks we will fail, doesn’t mean that we have to. Just because we were taught some bad thing growing up doesn’t mean we have to live that way now. Just because our family was a certain way; we were raised a certain way; or we have a certain reputation; does not mean we have to remain that way forever! All I am saying is that we have the ability to rise above ourselves through the power of God, 1 Cor. 15:10.. God is able to take like He finds us and transform into what He wants us to be! Jacob – His name means “Supplanter; trickster; Heel grabber”. God transformed him and changed his name to “Israel”, which means “A Prince With God.”) . His Performance In Life - The Bible says that Jabez was “more honorable that his brethren”. This simply means that “he was worthy of more honor than the rest of his family”. He just looked at how they were living and decided that he could do better! Jabez was not remembered as a great leader, prophet or preacher. He did not make his mark on the battlefields of life as a great leader of men. His name is remembered because He was a man of prayer. His name is remembered because he was a man of God in a godless day! When will we learn that we do not have to do like everyone else? When will we understand that the Lord has made us an individual and we do not have to fit into the crowd nor do we have to please anyone but Him? (1 Cor. 10:31). This information regarding Jabez merely demonstrates that he refused to be forced into anyone’s mold. He was determined to live for the Lord, in spite of what everyone else did. This should be the heart’s desire of every child of God! ( Rom. 12:1-2) As believers, we must never be satisfied with the status quo. God wants us to get out of our comfort zone and reach out to a lost world. As long as we are satisfied where we are, we are going to be limited in our outreach, but when we allow the Lord to move us out of the comfort zones of life, He can extend our borders and give us a greater influence into the world.) Now, I am not Jabez and neither are you, but if we are willing to move out of our comfort zone then the Lord can and will hear our prayers and will give us the things we seek in life. Action Plan: Today move out of your comfort zone –you have kissed mediocre far too long –remember some shifts will attract short pain but long term happiness. One hour of reading everyday will take you to the top in less than 3 years time. When you stop learning you are dead. Brought to you by The Special Seed “Sustaining your walk in the Spirit” info@thespecialseed----Follow us on our Facebook page—The Special Seed https://facebook/TheSpecialSeed
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 05:56:35 +0000
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