We Were Never Supposed To Stay Here | Pastor Marcus St.Julien

Devotional

Day 1: Fill the Earth, Not Your Tower

The crowd gathered on Babylon’s plain, stacking bricks with tar mortar. Their hands moved swiftly, building upward—a tower to cement their legacy and avoid scattering. But God had said, “Fill the earth.” Their bricks became barriers against His command. Stability became rebellion. [07:10]

God designed movement, not monuments. Adam and Eve were told to multiply across creation, not cluster in fear. When we prioritize comfort over calling, we trade divine purpose for human control. Jesus later sent disciples out, never letting them nest in safety.

What tower are you building to avoid God’s “go”? Where have you prioritized predictability over obedience? “Then God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.’”
(Genesis 1:28, NLT)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal where you’ve substituted productivity for obedience.
Challenge: Write down one area you’ve resisted change despite sensing God’s nudge.

Day 2: Bricks Without a Blueprint

The builders shouted, “Let’s make a name for ourselves!” Their bricks hardened by fire, their unity undeniable. But their city had no divine foundation—only fear of being scattered. God descended, not to admire their work, but to dismantle their defiance. [12:40]

Towers built without God’s blueprint crumble. The people’s sin wasn’t ambition but rebellion—choosing self-made security over trust. Jesus warned against storing treasures on earth; He called disciples to loose their nets, not build docks.

What project have you prioritized over God’s mission? “Then they said, ‘Come, let’s build a great city… This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered.’”
(Genesis 11:4, NLT)

Prayer: Confess any endeavor you’ve elevated above God’s “fill the earth” mandate.
Challenge: Evaluate one commitment this week—does it expand God’s kingdom or your comfort?

Day 3: Scattered for Purpose

God confused their language, scattering them like seeds. What felt like punishment was actually grace—forcing them to fulfill Genesis 1:28. Their disruption became deliverance. The very thing they feared (scattering) was their salvation. [22:35]

Jesus scattered the disciples too, sending them to Samaria, Ethiopia, and Rome. Stability stifles; movement multiplies. God disrupts not to destroy, but to deploy. Your upheaval may be His commissioning.

Where is God redirecting you that feels like loss? “In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. That is why the city was called Babel.”
(Genesis 11:8-9, NLT)

Prayer: Thank God for a recent disruption—ask Him to show its purpose.
Challenge: List three areas where instability might signal God’s redirection.

Day 4: Fishers Left Behind

Peter stood knee-deep in the familiar—nets, fish, family business. Then Jesus said, “Follow Me.” The call required leaving stability for uncertainty. Peter’s boat became a metaphor: what he clung to would soon become a memory. [24:56]

Jesus still calls people from comfort to mission. Your “boat” might be a job, relationship, or routine. Clinging to it could mean missing the miracle of walking on water.

What familiar shore is God asking you to abandon? “‘Come, follow Me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed Him.”
(Matthew 4:19-20, NIV)

Prayer: Ask for courage to release what’s familiar for what’s eternal.
Challenge: Identify one “net” (habit, possession, or mindset) to surrender this week.

Day 5: Go Wide, Not High

Jesus’ final command echoed Genesis: “Go… make disciples of all nations.” The disciples had to leave Jerusalem’s upper room, carrying the gospel outward. Comfort would’ve kept them huddled; obedience required scattering. [32:53]

Your calling isn’t to build a personal empire but to expand Christ’s territory. Every disruption that feels like a demotion might be God’s promotion into wider influence.

Where is God stretching you beyond your current borders? “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations… And surely I am with you always.”
(Matthew 28:19-20, NIV)

Prayer: Ask boldness to embrace “go” over “stay” in one relationship or opportunity.
Challenge: Share your faith with someone outside your usual circle today.

Sermon Summary

We live in a culture that trains us to seek predictable comfort, so we build stability and defend it with everything we have. We stack good jobs, safer neighborhoods, and neat routines until we mistake a chapter for a permanent address. We protect that security with walls and rules, then we panic when something finally breaks. We assume every disruption means failure or punishment, but we also see in Scripture that disruption often redirects. We read the original command to Adam and Eve as an outward mandate: be fruitful, fill the earth, govern creation. We understand that the first assignment moved people outward, not inward. We watch the Babel story and notice the people had resources, unity, and vision, yet they repurposed those gifts to stay put. We stopped obeying the call to scatter and instead built monuments to our own safety and fame. We observe that God did not collapse their work out of spite; we see God change their circumstances to fulfill the initial mission to fill the earth. We learn that comfort can look like blessing while it actually becomes a well decorated detour from calling. We recognize that scattering can feel like loss, but scattering can also be the mechanism that places us where our gifts actually matter. We admit that many of our towers do not look like towers at all; they look like jobs, marriages, routines, or church models we refuse to release. We choose to ask a different question: instead of asking why things fall apart, we ask where God might be trying to send us next. We accept that moving rarely happens without disruption, but we also remember that Jesus promised to go with those he sent. We commit to examine our holdings, let go of what cements us in place, and start moving toward the people and places we were originally meant to reach.

Key Takeaways

1. Comfort disguises itself as blessing We often call stability a gift and then clutch it like our identity. When comfort becomes the metric for faithfulness, we reproduce fear, not courage, and we shrink the reach of our calling. Letting the feeling of blessedness be only an occasion for obedience keeps us from spreading what we have been given. [00:18]
2. Disruption can be divine redirection Not every breaking point signals punishment; disruptions can redirect us to the work we were made for. When what we built no longer serves the original mission, a painful push can reorient our gifts toward purpose. We must watch where the disruption points and follow, not just lament what fell. [22:35]
3. Original calling demands outward movement The first instruction after the fall emphasized going outward to fill and govern the earth, not settling into secured comfort. When our energy turns inward to protect a place, we disobey that outward trajectory and waste potential. We should evaluate whether our plans advance the spread of life or simply secure our own. [06:49]
4. Letting go advances God’s mission Releasing a familiar life chapter does not always mean failure; it often opens a corridor for greater influence. When we surrender our permanent-residence mindset, we free ourselves to be scattered into neighborhoods, workplaces, and people who need what we carry. We move best when we trade comfort for obedience, knowing we do not go alone. [32:01]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:18] - Culture Trains Us For Comfort
[01:32] - When Stability Breaks Down
[04:56] - Introducing the Tower of Babel
[06:49] - The First Command: Fill the Earth
[11:51] - Reading Genesis 11 Together
[17:26] - The Lord Came Down to See
[22:35] - Scattering Fulfilled the Plan
[25:29] - Comfort Versus Calling
[31:38] - Invitation to Move and Go

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Genesis 1:28 (ESV): And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
- Genesis 11:1-9 (ESV): [The Tower of Babel story, highlighting the people’s refusal to “fill the earth” and God’s scattering.]
- Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV): “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Observation Questions

In Genesis 11:4, the people said, “Let us build a city… so that we may not be scattered.” How does this contrast with God’s original command in Genesis 1:28?
The sermon mentions that “comfort can look like blessing while it actually becomes a well-decorated detour from calling” [26:13]. What examples of “well-decorated detours” were given in the sermon?
In Matthew 28:19, Jesus says, “Go… make disciples.” How does this connect to the idea of “outward movement” from Genesis 1:28?

Interpretation Questions

Why did God confuse the people’s language in Genesis 11 instead of simply destroying their tower? How does this action align with His original plan for humanity?
The sermon states, “Disruption can be divine redirection” [22:35]. How might this perspective change how we interpret personal or communal setbacks?
Jesus promises, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). How does this promise address the fear of leaving comfort or stability behind?

Application Questions

What “monuments to safety” (e.g., routines, relationships, jobs) are you holding onto that might be keeping you from moving outward? [28:33]
When have you experienced a disruption (e.g., job loss, relocation, relationship shift) that later revealed a new purpose or direction? How did it challenge your view of God’s plan?
The sermon asks, “Where are you building right now to keep yourself from being scattered?” [28:15] What practical step could you take this week to align your life more with “filling the earth” instead of staying put?
How might your daily habits or priorities shift if you saw your current season as a temporary chapter rather than a permanent address?
Jesus’ command to “go” includes neighborhoods, workplaces, and relationships. Who in your immediate circle needs to experience the hope you carry, and how can you intentionally engage them?
The sermon warns against mistaking “stability for faithfulness” [00:18]. What is one area where you’ve prioritized comfort over courage, and what would it look like to step forward in obedience?

Sermon Clips

Comfort is not the same as calling. The people that babble weren't doing anything obviously evil. They weren't worshiping a false god. They weren't erecting this model of a golden calf. They weren't doing anything that would make you believe witchcraft. They were building. They were unified. They were productive, but they were building the wrong thing in the wrong place for the wrong reason, to stay where they were designed to go. Can I help you real quick? Comfort feels like blessing, but comfort in the wrong place is just a well decorated detour. [00:25:29] (44 seconds) #ComfortNotCalling

Jesus never promised his followers a stable home address. He promised presents on the road. Jesus never promised a welcome mat. He promised that wherever you go, I'll be there. Jesus didn't promise that you'd be able to finally move your mail to this location. He said, wherever you go, I'll be the connection point to whatever it is somebody wants to share with you. Why do I say that? Because God will disrupt what you built to get you where he called you. [00:26:19] (31 seconds) #JesusOnTheRoad

The disruption didn't cancel the plan. The disruption was the plan. It was the plan. I want I want you to see this. Jesus did the exact same thing. He called 12 men away from everything stable in their lives. Peter away from his fishing charter. Matthew away from his tax collecting. Luke away from his physician business. Why? Because he didn't come to help people get more comfortable. He came to scatter people into the places they were designed to reach. I want you to get this. Number one, comfort is not the same as calling. [00:24:49] (39 seconds) #DisruptionWasThePlan

God will disrupt what you built to get you where he called you. I want you to understand this. The scattering at Babel was not God's plan b. I I hope you get this. It was not God's plan b. It was always plan a. When God disrupts something you built, it doesn't always mean it was bad. It might mean it served his purpose, and now it's time to move. Everything in your life doesn't have to die with bad circumstances. It could just be the season is over. Yeah. Can we learn how to end the thing without there being strife? Yeah. [00:26:51] (43 seconds) #GodDisruptsForPurpose

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We Were Never Supposed To Stay Here | Pastor Marcus St.Julien | MOTIV8 Church