from comfort to courage

I sent out a text this morning to some friends that said "reflecting on Genesis 39:20-21 this morning. Joseph was put in prison and vs 21 says the Lord was with him. Whatever your prison is, emotional or financial strain, anxiety, self doubt or uncertainty, stress, etc., We serve a God who is not turned away by our imprisonment, but rather a God who goes into our prisons with us and delivers us from them. Take heart! The Lord is with you and He will see you through!"

No matter what we are faced with or what prisons we find ourselves in this week, God is with us.  We serve a God who goes into our prisons with us and delivers us from them.  One of my friends responded that comfort zones are prisons, too. This surprised me, I had never thought of my beloved comfort zone as a hindrance in my life. But after thinking on it I came to the conclusion that comfort zones are prisons. God did not create us to develop habits that are self-protecting or constricting, but rather to live a life of abundance.

Satan is really slick to make sure none of us leave our adolescents free from scars or pain. We learn reactions, responses, and are trained to think a certain way. We develop habits that are not easily detectable but constricting all the same. There is this zone that develops around us that we continually nurture and tend to throughout our lives. It’s mostly invisible but its attack is deep. It’s our comfort zone.

The comfort zone is a behavioral state within which a person operates in an anxiety-neutral condition, using a limited set of behaviors to deliver a steady level of performance, usually without a sense of risk (White).

The word ‘comfort’ sparks a renewing emotion of safety, but it is actually the opposite. The title of the zone itself is deceitful. Comfort zones are hindrances. They keep us from fully engaging in life. Most of our zones are deeper than the initial thought; they are trained beneath our level of consciousness. They are stumbling blocks into new seasons of restoration. They are expectations that clog our vision when newness is brought about. They are chains that keep us in one place, in one mindset, in one thought process. Comfort zones are habits we develop in an effort to self-protect. If we keep doing the same thing we will keep seeing the same results.

If you stay on the shore of the ocean because you are afraid of what rests within the massive body of water you miss the opportunities for the Lord to show you His perfect strength when a wave knocks you down, you miss the freedom from swimming and letting go of barriers that hold you back, you miss the liberating view of a wave that has knocked you down come to an end. Waves cannot go on forever, they are fleeting and unpredictable, but they are not constraining. We cannot go through life in an effort to avoid mistakes or failures; we miss out on the thrill of recreating. We cannot remain in prisons of fear. We were made for more than that. Get off the shore, jump into the ocean.

So what is your comfort zone? What do you gravitate toward when times are rough? What would you do if you ditched your comfort zone? Take heart! God goes into these prisons with us and allows us to come as we are and leave as He is. Take your comfort zone and turn it into a courage zone.
You are more than a conqueror.