GO FOR IT

This morning in this country it is Anzac day which is a day where we recognise our war veterans and those who have sacrificed on the battlefields for the protection of our country, freedom and the way we live.

It strikes me that these soldiers were and are willing to sacrifice all they had for this cause.  They didn’t take the option of sitting back and saying its ok I will stay where I am at and someone else will sort this out.

Over the last few weeks I have been getting the message of making sure we are out of the comfort zone and not resting there.  There is nothing wrong with being in a comfort zone as sometimes the Lord wants us to be in this place.  The phrase I get however is being comfortable in being comfortable is the sin.

Being comfortable is different from being in His peace as we can be in peace in the Lord no matter what the circumstances and when you can do that you are in a mature Christian place.

But when we sit back in a comfort and look to live in that place without moving forward then we have an issue.

The Lord has been giving me different scripture over the last couple of weeks to show this.

 

Mathew 24:43-46

43 “But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.

44 “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?

46 “Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.

47 “Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.

We need to have our house ready.  We need to be prepared and about using what He has given us.  If he comes and asks us to step up into the next level for Him, to take the next lot of ground, and finds us resting on our laurels and in comfort just for the sake of enjoying that place then I believe he will not make you ruler of His goods.  You will get to go home at the end of your live and I wonder if you will be able to say I used the talent you gave me well.

He wants us ready to go at any moment.

 

Matthew 25:1

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

2 “Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3 “Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,

4 “but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5 “But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming, go out to meet him!’

7 “Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.

8 “And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’

9 “But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’

10 “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’

12 “But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

The same message comes through this scripture.  Are you ready? Are you doing all that you can do with what He has given you?

OR are you quite comfortable thank you just leave me where I am?

Assuredly I say to you, I do not know you. Gnashing and wailing.

Did any of the twelve apostles after they had been visited by Jesus just rest or did they push on in their lives no matter the cost.  They may have had their moments of comfort but it wasn’t a lifestyle or mind set for them.

How great was their reward in heaven when they went home.  Well done good and faithful servant.

We have all been visited by Jesus as we have all been saved so we are all accountable.

 

Matthew 25 parable of talents

20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’

21 “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

22 “He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’

23 “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

25 ‘And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.

27 ‘So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.

28 ‘Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

We all know this parable.  We will be accountable for what we have.  Now this isn’t just money as we have been given callings, gifts and the Holy Spirit.

I am feeling like the Lord is telling me there are too many comfortable Christians around at the moment.  That scares me and forces me to look at myself and say and I going for it for Him.  He gave me all am I giving Him all.  I want to complete what is written in the books about me as this is what I will be measured against when I am judged.  I can’t sit in the state of mind of being in comfort and achieve this.

I could be a multi-millionaire and have nice things around me and still be doing all for our Father.  I could have very little and be sitting in a comfortable position and be doing very little for our Father.  What is our state of mind?  There can be nothing wrong with either of these physical positions in the Kingdom as long as we are sold out for Him and about his business. We truly have the mind of Christ.

 

Luke 10:2

Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.

He wants more of His children ready and pushing in.  Stepping out and either getting prepared or preparing others is what we are about.

I have had the Lord say to me “not enough of my children are prepared”.

He is about his business and he wants to use us.  Get about being ready for what he wants to do.

 

2 Peter 3:10

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up

What will be burnt up in us if He came now?  What will count? Are we getting on with it?

Not everyone is chosen and used but only those who are ready.

We know John and Peter gave up fishing their comfort zone and stepped out.  They went for it.

 

Hebrews 10:38

Now the just shall live by faith;

But if anyone draws back,

My soul has no pleasure in him.”

 

Luke 9:62

But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

 

We also have lots wife looking back.

It is not about looking back into the past, maybe into the comfort. Through His word He makes it very clear His expectation of us.

I fear my god and I want to be about what he has made clear to me it is I am to do.  It is not drawing back, it is not looking back it is going for it.

Going for it in your stage of your walk will mean something different for each of us but there will be something we can be doing.  We can be like the widow with one mite.  It is not the size it is the heart and position we are in.  Don’t let it be a comfortable position in our heart.  Let it be from a position of joy and peace.

In my business experience I have always used the saying you are either moving forward or backwards.  There is no middle ground because if you are sitting still you will be going backwards as everything else will be moving on.

 

Luke 11:8

“I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Keep asking praying don’t stop, keep moving forward.  He expects endurance and persistence from us and he will give what is needed.  Keep standing.

Remember as you push forward into what you are meant to be doing for Him there will be resistance as you are taking territory.  These are verses I use to hold the ground and keep moving

 

Deuteronomy 7:17

“If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?’–

Genesis 18:14

“Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you …

 

Don’t doubt Him. He is with us, He is a great God and he loves it when we are going for it and being about his business.