Embracing Discomfort: The Call to Spiritual Growth
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Comfort, it weakens perseverance, paralyzes purpose and delays destiny. But trials are God's training ground for transformation. And we cannot live a life that avoids discomfort. Sorry, avoids discomfort. We cannot live a life that constantly pursues just things that make us feel good all the time. The reality is that we will have to face trials. We have to face difficult things. And we have to learn to persevere in that. If we run, if we escape, if we hide from everything that is uncomfortable, we will not grow. And this is something for every single one of us because comfort is all around. [01:12:25] (42 seconds)
Only when I want to do this, I will do it. Only when I feel like this, I will be obedient. Only when I, only when I, it's all about us. It's never about us. It's always been about Jesus. See, an encounter with Jesus sets us free. But what, but your habits with Jesus keep you free. When you're born, you look like your parents, but when you die, you look like your habits. [01:16:48] (30 seconds)
But if you would say that you would die for Jesus tomorrow, why won't you die to yourself today? Because Jesus said, Jesus says this, that we must die to ourselves. And that means some of these comforts, we need to crucify them. Some of these comforts that are causing us to escape and not persevere into all that God has called us to, we need to address them. We need to deal with them. We need to look at them for what they really are. [01:18:42] (27 seconds)
And for you today, this door represents a choice. A choice that we often come to many times in our lives. And there will be things that you're facing and you've got a choice. One door, one choice. And so this door could represent one of two things. Today, this door could represent the door of comfort. The door of comfort. And or it could represent the door of calling and all that God has called you to. And your choice is to which door you will open, which door you will step through, which door you will take a step of faith into. And the thing is that every step that we make through a door like this, every decision that we make is based upon some things. [01:19:18] (55 seconds)
But when we choose to step through the door of comfort, that's a choice to stay in the safe place, to stay in a place of safety where it's predictable, where we know what's to come. It's maybe a bit easier. But let me tell you, that door, that door of comfort, it leads to spiritual apathy. It leads to spiritual apathy and a missed destiny. But this door, if we're going to call it the door of calling, on the other side of that door, there's some battles. There's some difficulty. There's some stuff to persevere through. There's some things on the other side of this door that I don't even know. There's an unknown thing on the other side of this door. I don't know all of the things that God's going to take me into. I don't know what some of the battles necessarily will be. I know what I'm facing now, but I don't know what I'm going to face tomorrow. [01:20:19] (54 seconds)
The life Jesus called us to is to relinquish our control, is to actually die to ourselves, is to choose the highway that God has created for us and choose relationship with Him. The door of calling stands before us. What will you choose? You don't always know what's behind it, but see on the other side of that door of calling is actually Jesus. It's fullness of life. And when I open that door and take a step of faith, I move into it. And I go on to the other side and I begin to experience everything that God's got for me. [01:21:45] (41 seconds)
He's in the business of dealing with some of our heart issues so that we can have a greater authority in the world, have a greater impact on the people around us, have a greater impact into this nation. See, what, what would happen if there was just 50, just 50 people in New Zealand that were so sold out and hungry for God that gave up everything that the Holy Spirit was saying to give up and they just went all in. What would happen? I think this nation would start to change. I think there would be some things that would start to shift and that 50 would turn into 100 and that 100 would continue to extrapolate because there is something that occurs when, when God's people choose to surrender their own will and surrender their own preferences and desires and just go all in on the call that he has for them. Something begins to change. Something begins to shift. [01:25:57] (55 seconds)
I'm building something in you. And I'm more interested in what I'm building inside of you than what's happening to you in this given little moment. And I love you. And my heart breaks when you're struggling, but son, daughter, I need you to know that the struggle builds perseverance. The struggle builds something in you. We cannot avoid it. So the lie that we've believed is that if it's hard, it must not be God. Well, that's not true. The real question is, God, what are you asking me to be obedient to? And then we focus in on that. See, we can feed our flesh or we can feed our spirit. One leads to destiny, the other to defeat. [01:27:45] (49 seconds)
With Israel in the wilderness time moving towards the promised land, God called Israel out of Egypt, out of slavery, but it took 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel. It took 40 years to get the slave mentality that they had adopted as a result of generation upon generation being enslaved. It took 40 years for this thing to be dealt with in their minds. And many generations had to pass away before they were able to step into the promised land because God was trying to teach them to be victors, not victims. [01:30:20] (38 seconds)
It's not punishment, it's preparation. God is preparing something inside of you in order to take hold of the promises He has for you. See, there is power through perseverance. Ephesians 3, 20 to 21 says this, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more, you're in the sand with me, you're planning to deal with the promises. What are you doing here? I suggest a few past? I give them to this time. You're immeasurably, unmeasurably more. Perseverance activates transformation. Perseverance activates transformation. [01:32:10] (31 seconds)
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Only when I want to do this, I will do it. Only when I feel like this, I will be obedient. Only when I, only when I, it's all about us. It's never about us. It's always been about Jesus. See, an encounter with Jesus sets us free. But what, but your habits with Jesus keep you free. When you're born, you look like your parents, but when you die, you look like your habits. [01:16:48] (30 seconds)
But if you would say that you would die for Jesus tomorrow, why won't you die to yourself today? Because Jesus said, Jesus says this, that we must die to ourselves. And that means some of these comforts, we need to crucify them. Some of these comforts that are causing us to escape and not persevere into all that God has called us to, we need to address them. We need to deal with them. We need to look at them for what they really are. [01:18:42] (27 seconds)
And for you today, this door represents a choice. A choice that we often come to many times in our lives. And there will be things that you're facing and you've got a choice. One door, one choice. And so this door could represent one of two things. Today, this door could represent the door of comfort. The door of comfort. And or it could represent the door of calling and all that God has called you to. And your choice is to which door you will open, which door you will step through, which door you will take a step of faith into. And the thing is that every step that we make through a door like this, every decision that we make is based upon some things. [01:19:18] (55 seconds)
But when we choose to step through the door of comfort, that's a choice to stay in the safe place, to stay in a place of safety where it's predictable, where we know what's to come. It's maybe a bit easier. But let me tell you, that door, that door of comfort, it leads to spiritual apathy. It leads to spiritual apathy and a missed destiny. But this door, if we're going to call it the door of calling, on the other side of that door, there's some battles. There's some difficulty. There's some stuff to persevere through. There's some things on the other side of this door that I don't even know. There's an unknown thing on the other side of this door. I don't know all of the things that God's going to take me into. I don't know what some of the battles necessarily will be. I know what I'm facing now, but I don't know what I'm going to face tomorrow. [01:20:19] (54 seconds)
The life Jesus called us to is to relinquish our control, is to actually die to ourselves, is to choose the highway that God has created for us and choose relationship with Him. The door of calling stands before us. What will you choose? You don't always know what's behind it, but see on the other side of that door of calling is actually Jesus. It's fullness of life. And when I open that door and take a step of faith, I move into it. And I go on to the other side and I begin to experience everything that God's got for me. [01:21:45] (41 seconds)
He's in the business of dealing with some of our heart issues so that we can have a greater authority in the world, have a greater impact on the people around us, have a greater impact into this nation. See, what, what would happen if there was just 50, just 50 people in New Zealand that were so sold out and hungry for God that gave up everything that the Holy Spirit was saying to give up and they just went all in. What would happen? I think this nation would start to change. I think there would be some things that would start to shift and that 50 would turn into 100 and that 100 would continue to extrapolate because there is something that occurs when, when God's people choose to surrender their own will and surrender their own preferences and desires and just go all in on the call that he has for them. Something begins to change. Something begins to shift. [01:25:57] (55 seconds)
I'm building something in you. And I'm more interested in what I'm building inside of you than what's happening to you in this given little moment. And I love you. And my heart breaks when you're struggling, but son, daughter, I need you to know that the struggle builds perseverance. The struggle builds something in you. We cannot avoid it. So the lie that we've believed is that if it's hard, it must not be God. Well, that's not true. The real question is, God, what are you asking me to be obedient to? And then we focus in on that. See, we can feed our flesh or we can feed our spirit. One leads to destiny, the other to defeat. [01:27:45] (49 seconds)
With Israel in the wilderness time moving towards the promised land, God called Israel out of Egypt, out of slavery, but it took 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel. It took 40 years to get the slave mentality that they had adopted as a result of generation upon generation being enslaved. It took 40 years for this thing to be dealt with in their minds. And many generations had to pass away before they were able to step into the promised land because God was trying to teach them to be victors, not victims. [01:30:20] (38 seconds)
It's not punishment, it's preparation. God is preparing something inside of you in order to take hold of the promises He has for you. See, there is power through perseverance. Ephesians 3, 20 to 21 says this, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more, you're in the sand with me, you're planning to deal with the promises. What are you doing here? I suggest a few past? I give them to this time. You're immeasurably, unmeasurably more. Perseverance activates transformation. Perseverance activates transformation. [01:32:10] (31 seconds)
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