You want me to do WHAT?!

Imagine yourself standing at a big window in your house. As you look out, you see lots of green fields that stretch for miles and miles. There is lots of beauty and life in those fields, every color imaginable. You think to yourself just how beautiful it is and you wonder what it would be like to go outside and walk amongst those fields. It’s a bit of a struggle to act on that desire because it is nice in your house. The temperature is just right and you know where everything is. You don’t have to search for food or water. You just have to live. What do you do? The Lord showed me this very vision this morning and then He said, ‘sometimes your opportunity is on the other side of the glass’. Okay, God!

Isn’t it easy to get comfortable? You have a great routine, regularly scheduled date night, daily workout time, good seat at church. But what if God is calling you to something new, something challenging, something different? What if He is presenting you with green fields but it requires you to leave the safety of your warm house? What do you do when opportunity comes calling?

I thought about Noah. Noah walked with God. He was perfect in an imperfect world. As a matter of fact, the earth was a mess at the time of Noah. God was sorry that He had even made man. The King James Version says that God repented for making man and His heart was grieved. (Gen. 6:6). It doesn’t get any worse than that, does it? Well, you know the story! God tells Noah to build an ark because He is going to destroy earth and everything on it with the exception of Noah’s family and 2 of every creature, a male and a female. Noah is faced with a choice in that moment. He can trust God and build this boat on faith or he can risk death but stay in the comfort of what he knows to be true…what he can see. He chooses to follow God’s commands. Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.” (MSG) How many times have you let what you couldn’t see stop you from believing God?

What about Abraham? I mean, he was the poster boy for walking out on faith, right? God promised him descendants numbering more than the stars if he would leave his native land and follow Him. What would you have done? Maybe a better question would be have you had an Abraham moment? Has God been speaking to you about stepping out from the familiar? Has he called you to a new place that requires you to trust Him like never before? I remember when I left my home church. It was a devastating time for me. I had to leave all that I knew…my family, my friends, my position. To some, it seemed like an easy move for me. But I was crushed, my spirit was crushed and I was lost. I couldn’t understand how the Lord could make my comfortable house uncomfortable. I couldn’t even see the green fields outside of the window but I had to trust Him. It was difficult but in stepping out in faith, I found parts of me that I didn’t know were there. God didn’t promise me easy but He promised me opportunity and life. “By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going.” (Heb 11:8 MSG) How many times have you let the unknown stop you from moving at God’s instruction?

God has a plan and vision for your life that is sure and beneficial. Though He doesn’t always give you the full layout and it isn’t always easy, you can be assured that it will work for your good.  Folks, you have to remember that your idea of timing and opportunity is not always the same as God’s. He may present something to you that seems so foreign but turns out to be exactly what you need. The whole point is to trust Him and not miss what He has for you because you can’t see the ending or you are scared. For some of you, God has been showing you the outside of the window for a long time. “I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.” Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.” (James 2:18 MSG) Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to walk out of the house…

God bless…AMEN