Have you ever felt unqualified to do something you knew you were supposed to do? Have your feet turned to concrete blocks at just the thought of moving outside of your comfort zone? But then, when you feel that you are set and content with the life you are living, God shows that He has something else in store for you?
All of us feel that way from time to time, especially when we are about to step out in faith and do something that 1) we never thought we would do or 2) dive head first into something, challenging our faith.
A few weeks ago, as I was preaching that Sunday morning the church voted on me, I remember as I am talking, this thought going through my mind: “I cannot believe I am going to be a Lead Pastor.” Never did I think I would be doing this. In my own mind I did not feel qualified to take such a position. I am only 32 years old, even though we are a young church, can I handle this? I was allowing fear to creep into my life and by doing so, I put the focus on me and how I viewed myself instead of God. I had allowed my weaknesses to gain an upper-hand on God and His power and plans for my life.
What about you? Has God been stirring your heart to do something that just seems so incredibly insane that you dismissed it as soon as the concept entered your mind? The mere notion of doing something audacious causes various feelings to surface: fear, anxiety, challenge, apprehension, and worry, just to name a few.
Do you have the faith to not only step out in faith but to defy common sense and pursue what God has laid on your heart or are you content with living a typical, ordinary life? As we read through the Bible, what people jump out at you? What are some of the names and what did they accomplish by their faith?
Joshua asks God for one of the boldest requests in the Bible- make the sun stand still so that Israel can defeat their enemies. Joshua 10:12-13.
Elijah is in a challenge with 450 prophets of the false god Baal. This is a phenomenal story to read displaying the astonishing faith Elijah exhibited. 1 Kings 18:20-39
David goes from being a shepherd and transforms into a great warrior (1 Samuel 18:7) and later rising to be the greatest king in the history of Israel. Even after committing adultery and having the spouse of that person killed, after repentance and seeking God, the Bible calls him a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22)
Peter goes from being the brashest of all disciples and being someone that Jesus even calls Satan (Matthew 16:23) to showing enough faith to literally get out of the boat and walk on water (Matthew 14:29) and later become the rock on which Jesus would build His church (Matthew 16:18).
Stephen chose not to deny Christ and died for that belief in an incredibly painful way- being stoned to death (Acts 7:59-60).
I cannot say this enough- God has incredible plans for you and for our church! Those plans that He has, they may to move us out of the comfort zone we have designed for ourselves. Are we willing to do it? It’s a simple question. Are we willing to trust our Creator, our Maker, that He knows what is best for us, even though it may appear to be a little scary, will we move out of our box of comfort and trust Him?