Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable

Being comfortable and experiencing growth are two mutually exclusive things. It feels good to be comfortable, but we easily stagnate there - spiritual growth often comes through uncomfortable circumstances. As we read scripture, we see that many of the heroes of faith were pushed out of their comfort zones and grew to be the examples we look to. Ultimately, getting comfortable with being uncomfortable will lead towards our growth into children of God.

Transcript

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You know, brethren, you and I live in an age of comforts. We live in a nation of comforts, and actually that becomes very clear to me when I travel outside of the United States. I think it's actually helpful to see how really the majority of the rest of the world lives outside of the country we live in, but we very much live in a time and a place of comforts. You and I appreciate the ease, and we appreciate comfort, and honestly it's a focus of our society. We spend so much time, so much effort pursuing after comfort, gaining things that will provide comfort in our lives, and understandably so, as human beings, we don't like to be uncomfortable.

Right? We like our comforts, don't we? You know, there's times when maybe we'll push through an uncomfortable moment. Maybe you're going to the gym and you're working out and you're pumping iron and you're producing sweat and it hurts, but it's a good pain. It's a good discomfort, right? It's building to something. It's building to growth, but in our general lives, comfort's not something we would necessarily sign up for voluntarily. In fact, we have come up with inventions to try to alleviate discomfort. We don't like it too hot or too cold, so we have climate control in our home. We have it in our vehicles. You know, Darla and I, for years and years on family road trips, might be driving along and suddenly I'm thinking, it is so hot! When I look over and that thermometer dials turned all the way over to the hot and, you know, not trying to rock the boat, I just very quietly take one hand off the steering wheel and kind of subtly reach over and dial that back a little bit. A few minutes later, Darla's going, is there a cold draft in here? And she looks down and right back up again. But, you know, technology comes up with answers for that as well. So we've moved into the modern age. We have climate control on both sides of our vehicle, driver and passenger side. So now she can have hers all the way on hot and I can have mine all the way on cold. And, you know, I think until we have that plexiglass window that comes right up in the middle, it'll never be true comfort. But you do what you can. But we seek to alleviate discomfort. We sleep on pillow top mattresses. We sit in reclining over stuff, couches with our feet propped out. I'm describing my home, by the way, so I'm not picking on anybody specifically, right? I like comfort just as much as anybody else. None of us wants to experience discomfort with our physical bodies. We have aches, we have pains, we get a massage, we take medication, we do whatever it is that we can to relieve the discomfort. And physically speaking, that is understandable. And we all live there in one way or another. As Americans, I would say especially, we have become comfortable with being comfortable. That's a blessing in many ways. I'd say it's a blessing of our prosperous land, but it can be a double-edged sword as well. Maybe it's not always a blessing. But what about our spiritual lives? What about our spiritual lives? Is it possible for us to become too comfortable with being comfort? Being comfortable. Could we defend comfort? Could we sit there and say, hey, don't rock the boat. I'm good just where I'm at. Not just physically. Okay, we understand that. But spiritually, could defending a sense of comfort actually be spiritually dangerous? Today, I want to talk about the concept of being uncomfortable as the people of God. You might say, well, that's a really encouraging message you brought today. I was actually thinking, how do I want to introduce this today? This is the Uncomfortable Sermon. The title of the day is Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. And I want to start with a short story today that I hope will illustrate a point for us.

This is an individual's account of her own life, an important lesson that she learned as actually a very young girl. It's a lesson she's repeated a number of times over the years because she goes around and gives inspirational speeches to various companies, helps to speak to business leaders on the principle of personal and professional growth. And I think the principle that she promotes is actually helpful for us to consider in our spiritual lives today.

So I want to share with you a part of her story. It's on Forbes.com. That's where I pulled the article from. Forbes.com. I'm not sure if it made it into the hard print publication or not, but Forbes.com, the title is Don't Get Too Comfortable.

Growth and Comfort Can't Ride the Same Horse. Don't Get Too Comfortable. Growth and Comfort Can't Ride the Same Horse. It's by Dr. Margie Warrell. It's posted on July 6, 2019. Again, Forbes.com. Dr. Warrell says, growing up in a small farm in rural Australia meant that entertainment options were largely outdoors. For several years, we couldn't afford to fix our television, which only had three channels anyway. And so it was very much a create-your-own-fun childhood. My wife actually tells me stories about her childhood and things she and her brother used to do.

I mean, we used to catch the fuzzy caterpillars and you know, you give them an obstacle course to crawl through. And kids used to go do, you know, things that were like that in many ways. You kind of had to create your own fun. And I know some still do, but, you know, we're an electronic age and sometimes maybe we get disconnected from these things. But she says, you know, we grew up rather poor and so you created your own fun as a child.

She says, as I approached my 10th birthday, I pleaded with my dad for a pony. Years of drought meant that money was tight, but dad sold a few pigs to scramble together enough money to get his rather head-strong daughter off his back, purchasing a 22-year-old horse that was going to go to the nacker. You know, we might say cannery today, you know, this this horse was going to be converted for another use, but it was saved. She says, when my quote-unquote gift horse arrived on the day of my 10th birthday, I recall looking at him, 14 hands high and feeling rather intimidated by his size.

How was I ever going to get all the way up there and learn to ride such a big horse? She says, but I was determined to figure out. And so every morning before riding my bike to our one-room schoolhouse, I'd head out to the back paddock and saddled him up. In the beginning, it was terrifying, yet over time I began to become more confident and eventually became proficient, proficient enough to be the local barrel racing queen. She said learning to ride my first horse and then later my second horse, which we won on a raffle. And I'll just say, I actually posted a video clip of her story on my Facebook page.

In that account, she talks about the fact that the first horse had one speed and that was a very slow walk. So she, once she could get over the fear of climbing on this big horse, she got kind of comfortable with the fact that slow walk and then she begged her dad, can we please just get a faster horse? And so he entered this raffle, they won this horse in a raffle, apparently this horse had one speed as well, and that was zero to a hundred in two seconds. And it was a completely different experience that pushed her out of her comfort zone and she had to grab hold of the fact now there's a learning curve, but this is going to be a growth opportunity.

So again, she says learning to ride my first horse and then later my second, which we went at the raffle, taught me a valuable life lesson. Growth and comfort can't ride the same horse. Interesting concept, isn't it? Growth and comfort can't ride the same horse. Again, end quote, this is from Dr. Margie Warrell. And to me, this phrase is stuck in my mind this week since I read it. And the takeaway for me from this article is, if you're going to grow, you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

You know, push your boundaries if you're going to expand beyond where you currently sit and grow as an individual, whether physically, spiritually, you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

And sometimes that's a challenge to our life, but indeed that is the lesson. It's the important principle for us to apply spiritually as well because you see, if we ever get comfortable with being comfortable, like, I'm okay right here, thank you very much, we'll defend that position.

We'll hold tight to it with all we're worth. We'll say, you know, I'm fine here. I'm comfortable. Don't rock the boat. Don't push me. We'll hold on tight. And in that condition, brethren, we won't actually push ourselves to venture out into the areas of spiritual growth that God has called us to achieve. If we're focused simply on maintaining our own personal level of company. And the lesson is, don't get comfortable with being comfortable. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Because again, this is about growth. You and I actually have to be willing to push ourselves outside of our own comfort zones to be personally challenged in order to accomplish something that is greater than where we currently stand. This is our calling. Our calling to grow continually, not just when it's forced upon us. We must choose to grow. God gives us opportunities around every bend to find ways that we can expand our horizons, to expand who and what we are in His service, to grab hold of maybe the main of that tall force that goes zero to a hundred, but to be bold and courageous anyway, and to choose to grow.

This is nothing new. Actually, this is the pattern that we agreed to at our baptism.

The concept that we would grow and we would embrace the uncomfortable, no matter what form that came in. Let's go to Matthew chapter 16 today to begin. Matthew chapter 16. I want to pick up Jesus' words here in verse 24 because, again, this is what we agreed to at the beginning of this race. Matthew chapter 16 and verse 24.

The words of Jesus Christ, He said to His disciples, if anyone desires to come after Me, He said, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Again, we all likely reviewed this passage as we went through baptism counseling. I know it's in my first set of notes. Meeting number one. Baptism counseling. This is like Scripture number one, of meeting number one. If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For honest with these two verses, they'll say, you know, there's some uncomfortable things here. Right from the start. Uncomfortable concepts. How about the word deny? Deny yourself. Again, from our American perspective, that's not something we're necessarily so comfortable or happy with on a daily basis, but Jesus says, if you're going to follow Me, you're going to deny yourself. And again, that doesn't sound so comfortable because we yearn and we seek after certain things in this life. There's things that are comforting, right, in one way or another. And frankly, denying self isn't naturally one of them.

To deny means to forsake. It means to refuse. It means to reject. So Jesus says, actually, if you want to follow Me, you have to reject self and who you were actually before this journey began. And so our calling to follow Him began with us giving up us. Right? Our carnal ways, our desires, actually the things we thought that were most important to our pursuits in life. It doesn't mean we gave up everything that we were, but understand we're going to follow His lead. That's going to take us places that are quite different than we were heading prior to this process. And it's going to require we make some rather difficult decisions. You'll recall it required a step of faith that it took leaving behind what we had previously been comfortable with. Again, in order to step out where Jesus Christ was leading. Another uncomfortable phrase here in this passage of Scripture is the word cross. Cross, or we could say stake, whichever you prefer. What was it? Well, that's the Roman instrument of torture and death. Jesus Christ said, you know, if you're going to follow me, pick it up. Pick it up and carry it day by day, by day. Well, that doesn't sound so comfortable either. But it means we have to bear our burdens. And there will be burdens that we bear in this Christian life. Things that push us out of our comfort zone. It means there will be consequences to following the lead of Jesus Christ in this world. Because you see this world is going completely the opposite direction. And if you are truly a disciple of His, you're swimming upstream against the current. You're going to stand out. You're going to be subject to ridicule. And frankly, it's going to put you in some very challenging and, if we're honest with it, uncomfortable places. Consider each of the twelve in His day. You know, the consequences that they received by following Him. It wasn't just a life of ease and comfort. And frankly, that's what it means to live a life that is crucified with Christ. Because that's what we're talking about. He says, deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me. As the Apostle Paul said, I am crucified with Christ. And it's not, you know, this isn't Me. This is Him in Me. Again, this is what we've been called to each and every day. But no carnally minded person would ever choose such a thing for themselves because it's not comfortable.

It's not easy. And it's not always, shall we say, the feel-good religion that we would hear preach. But it is necessary. We've been called to move from the comfortable into the uncomfortable for the purpose of our spiritual growth. Because again, if you're going to grab hold of the main and pull yourself up on a fast horse and learn to expand in that skill and in growth, it means you have to do it. It means you have to exercise courage and boldness. Be willing not to just maintain the status quo. Remember again, Dr. Worrell's quote, growth and comfort can't ride the same horse. The third point of maybe uncomfortable concept here, and we've touched on it. Jesus said, follow me. And he said, if anybody desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Well, what could be so uncomfortable about following Jesus Christ? I think most would say, I want to follow Jesus Christ. Most in nominal Christianity in the world around us would say, yeah, we want to follow Christ. And that's what we have committed ourselves to. But as the Church of God, if we truly follow Christ, what could be uncomfortable about that? You recall Matthew chapter 8 in verse 19, there was somebody said, I want to follow you. It was a scribe. And he heard Jesus preaching, and he saw the miracles. And frankly, he could understand to a degree, I suppose, the truth of his words. And he said, teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. I'm in. But what was Jesus' response? Remember Matthew chapter 8 verse 20? Let's flip over here quickly. Matthew chapter 8 verse 20, I mean, at some point we all said, I'm in. And what is Jesus' response to his followers? Matthew chapter 8 verse 20, Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. In other words, Jesus says, this is a pilgrimage life. And I'm not putting down roots here. I'm just passing through. And if you're going to follow me, this is going to be your life as well. You're going to deny yourself. You're not going to put yourself roots deep into the comforts of this world. Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but I'm just passing through, Jesus said. And this is going to be your focus as well, if truly you're going to follow.

So that's not such a comfortable concept, really. In fact, just the opposite. I've slept in so many hotels. I guess I've lost count in the bed, and every one of them feels different. Some of them sag this way. Some of them sag this way. When I spent the 10 nights in the hospital with my mother-in-law, night one and two were on one floor, and the cot was all right. And then they bumped us up to the next level, the next floor, and it was, you know, again, you woke up in the morning, feel like you were bent in half, half the night, and they called it a cot. But I don't know. But again, you're going, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, and they're settled in. You're following Jesus Christ again. It's like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob traveling pilgrimage, intense, looking for truly the city whose builder-maker is God. And in this world, and according to the ways of this life, that will be an uncomfortable, oftentimes, experience. And it will push us outside our comfort zone. Doesn't mean that every action that a Christian takes or that living this life is just so uncomfortable. It has, you know, the peace of God is with us. The blessing of living God's way, and it saves us from so much harm in this life. But again, if we're going to grow, we have to be willing to push out of our comfort zones and grab hold of those things that will expand our horizons. Indeed, the Bible is full of many individuals who stepped out of their comfort zone to follow God's lead. And you could go through the whole Old Testament person after person after person. You know, we have Abraham responded to God's call. God said, get out, right? You're comfortable here. This is where your family is. This is where generations are. This is where perhaps it seems, at least from the historical thread, Sarah, his wife, was of nobility, and things were good. And God said, get out. Leave your country, leave your family, your father's house in order to go to a land. I will show you. Do you think maybe he was a little uncomfortable? Do you think maybe just to pull up and go? God said in Hebrews, or says in Hebrews 11, verse 8, he says, he went out not knowing where he was going. You'll see it when we get there.

Okay, just leave that behind. You'll see it when we get there. He had to push his comfort zone in order to follow the lead of God. And because he did, he is called the father of the faithful.

What about Moses? You know Moses' story after he fled Egypt. Moses was perfectly comfortable tending sheep out there in Midian, stuttering to himself for 40 years. You know, it was maybe a comfortable life. And God said, Moses, Moses, here I am. That is, I'm going to send you to Egypt. I want you to confront Pharaoh, and I want you to lead my people out of there. And Moses said, isn't there somebody else? Somebody that can speak well? Somebody else? God, surely there is. And God said, no, Moses, it's you. But I'll be with you. I'll give you what you need. And that's actually where we see, where the sufficiency comes from. It's not of us, it is of God. You know, Moses said, who am I? And the answer is, Moses, you frankly were no one to do that, really. But it is God with you. And it's the same for all of us. Who am I to do what I do? Who are you to do what you're able to do, and you're calling from God? The sufficiency is not of us only. Paul said, we have this treasure and earthen vessels that, you know, the glory and the power isn't of us. We're just these clay pots that break and go back to dust. But what gets done is by the glory of God. And He is sufficient for us. But it does require our involvement to push, to push our comfort zone in order to grow. Esther showed great courage, approaching the king of Persia uninvited. You know, her people were going to face annihilation, the Jews, and you didn't just waltz up into the presence of the king uninvited. Of course, there was prayer, there was diligent fasting. But don't imagine there wasn't a bit of discomfort. But it was what she must do with boldness and courage. And God gave the blessing. David was a youth. David was a shepherd boy when he went up against Philistine, that champion Goliath. Again, in God's service. And that's where the strength and the power and the boldness comes from. But again, I imagine that maybe somewhere there's a little discomfort. Because we're pushing the envelope of what it is that we're comfortable. I mean, he'd gone up against lion and bear, but I would say, you know, maybe adrenaline is driving you in the moment. But to grab the bear and the lion and to slay it, that takes boldness and courage. I can only speak for me, that would push me out of my comfort zone. But, you know, growth opportunity, I suppose so. He now went up against the giant. So, so God works these things in our life, but we have to be participants in the process. So, to be called to follow Jesus Christ is not feel-good religion, such as much of this world teaches. We should feel good about this way of life. We should encourage us. But it's not just good, pleasant, smooth things that we're called to do. We're actually called to do the hard things, the uncomfortable things. Again, in a world that's going completely the opposite direction, and the price of following Jesus Christ is high. And it is uncomfortable. And it will become so more and more as we come up to the end of the age. Jesus warned his disciples in John chapter 15 and verse 18. He says, if the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. That's the cost of following him. That's the cost of bearing his name. It's the reproach of the world. You know, hate's a strong word. I don't know about you, but I would get just a little uncomfortable walking into, you know, a room of people that hated me, much less a world. Excuse me. Maybe that's where the short in our system came from, Randy.

The world hated me. They will hate you, Jesus said. But we must go forward boldly anyway, but it pushes our comfort zone. That's what we signed up for at baptism. That's what we said we evaluated when we count the cost. Yes, I will see this through to the end, a lifetime dedicated to doing the uncomfortable things in order to grow and to move forward towards the kingdom of God. And so the admonishment today, again, for us is get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

It's required for our growth. Indeed, if we'll embrace it, God will see us through. And the benefit will be awesome. Acts chapter 14.

Acts chapter 14. You know, the apostles understood this concept. They understood it clearly.

And we see that reality through their writings. It's the acknowledgement that the calling of God is not just simply, all right, we've made this deal, right? We've sealed this covenant in baptism, and now it's smooth running all the way into the kingdom of God. Just take your leisure. No, they recognize we're going to have to embrace growth opportunities along the way. And frankly, things that won't exactly put us at our leisure. Acts chapter 14 and verse 21. Here we're following along with Paul and Barnabas. Acts 14 verse 21. And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, we must, through many tribulations, enter the kingdom of God. Well, that doesn't push our comfort zone, brethren. I don't know what will. He could have said, well, they preached the gospel. They went back, encouraged everybody, and said, enjoy the comfort of your rocking chair till the kingdom you've got it made. That's not what he said. He says, we actually must. It's not optional. We must. Sounds like a difficulty. It sounds like a challenge. But the reality is there's spiritual growth opportunities all throughout our life that, frankly, don't come in any other way except having to face the trial or walk through the trial. I've said it before, we don't learn patience in any other way than having to be put in positions where we must be patient. Yeah, fine. I don't have time for that, God. You know, I get it. No, no.

You're gonna wait in line anyway. This must be developed. Our human knee-jerk reaction tends to be one of running away from discomfort, but understand there's times when God intends that discomfort actually to be a spiritual blessing. So be courageous. That's the example, right? What was his words of strengthening and encouraging? There's going to be trials between here and there. And, indeed, again, as you look at the New Testament church, as you looked at the apostles, that was the case. That was the case. For all who have been sealed for his kingdom, we must, in many tribulations, enter the kingdom of God. Don't, brethren, get too comfortable with being comfortable. God has called us to grow. Romans chapter 5 verse 1. Romans chapter 5 and verse 1, again the apostle Paul, therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into his grace, in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Well, that sounds good, doesn't it? We like that level of our calling. And that is the foundation of our calling. Just stop there. Stop.

Well, there's more words on the page, and not only that, okay? Not only that, in conjunction, but we also glory in tribulations. Why? Knowing that tribulation produces something.

It produces perseverance, a perseverance character, and character hope. It says, now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which was given to us. And so again, the apostles understood that spiritual growth came through challenging circumstances. Because you see, it's actually in those times. Dale was talking about, you know, when times are good, right? You forget God. That's the human tendency. God warned Israel not to do that when they came into the Promised Land. And that could certainly be a tendency of people, even in the Millennium, if life is comfortable to think, well, this is good, by my own hand. And to forget God. We must not, because you see, it is in times of actually struggle that we reach out to God because of the distress. God helped me. I was in a circumstance recently where I was on my knees, literally pleading to God for help, for strength. I don't know what the answer is, but the answer must come. God helped me. And we cry out to Him when we are in those positions. We cry out to Him for help. We cry out to Him for strength. We draw near to Him in a way that we might not otherwise have things were comfortable and smooth and good. Because, again, growth and comfort can't ride the same horse. That's an incredible concept. I grabbed hold of it this week, and it's going to stick with me. Thank you. Dr. Worrell, let's give credit where credit's due. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 3.

It says, Bless be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. We like these words. These are good words, and these words flow in conjunction with the other words as well. But, you know, inheritance, living hope, mercy of God.

That is the blessing that has brought us to this point. Verse 5, Who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Verse 6, In this you greatly rejoice. Yeah, we rejoice, right? Well, in this also, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials.

Why? That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, the testing of the genuineness of your faith. Again, sometimes it is trial by fire, by which God sees indeed what we are made of, and what is our level of commitment to Him.

Abraham had to go through that, and God said, okay, now I know. Now I know. You would withhold nothing from me, even this Son, that you, this is the most, this is what you wanted. This is what I promised. And you were willing even to give that to me. God said, no, now I know. And frankly, He has to come to a point, brethren, when He knows about each and every one of us, and the genuineness of our faith, honestly, will be tested in different ways, because we're different people.

We're heading to the same destination, but our experiences are different, and what God needs to see in our character may be different for each and every one of us. It's not, it's not hooray for the trial, but it's, it's, the blessing is the growth that can occur, again, when you ride that horse. God has not called us to take our leisure. He has not called us to become slack or to turn back. Instead, He has called us to push forward in a manner that creates spiritual growth opportunities in our life, and that will push our comfort zone, because salvation, isn't that what Peter just said? Salvation, or eternal salvation, is ultimately, that is where we're heading, and it is, in many ways, refinement by fire.

To go from the carnal man to the stature of the fullness of Jesus Christ is an uncomfortable process. We're honest with it. It's an uncomfortable process, because confronting, honestly, what is wrong with us is painful. And to put sin out of our lives is often gut-wrenching. To come before God on our knees and say, actually, God, this is my issue. I did it again. Please forgive me. I'm a weak, I'm a fallible human being. That's humbling. That's not comfortable. I think that's why sometimes we might tend to run away from God. If we've sinned, if we stumbled, if we know in our heart, we almost tend to run from God. I can't bring that again. But those are the times we need to draw close. Accept the discomfort. It's a growth opportunity. Count it all joy when we fall into various trials, James says, knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience. Again, that is counterintuitive to our nature to go down that road. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. It's required for our spiritual growth. What about fasting?

Fasting in order to draw close to God, in order to seek God's will. I don't know about you, but for me, fasting is quite uncomfortable. The blood sugar drops, the headache sets in, the knees get wobbly and weak, and you know, it's just an overall uncomfortable experience. It's easy to resist. Why? We really don't like it. Really uncomfortable. I'd rather do something else like a nice meal. That's more comfortable. Brethren, get comfortable with being uncomfortable. It is required for our spiritual growth. Giving an answer for the hope that lies within us, to our neighbors, to our co-workers. That can be intimidating. Where were you the last eight days? Oh, I took a vacation. Oh, really? Where'd you go? Spokane Valley? You took a vacation in the Spokane Valley? Well, you know, the weather was beautiful, the autumn leaves were changing, harvest festival was going on. Why not?

Is that the answer we want to stand up for? Well, somebody might laugh. Somebody might think we're weird. Feast of Tabernacles. Give an answer for the hope that is within you with meekness and fear. That pushes us, at times, out of our comfort zone. Brethren, get comfortable with being uncomfortable. It is required for our spiritual growth. Loving our enemies. Probably one of the most uncomfortable things we can do. Love our enemies. Well, there's a reason they're my enemy.

It's because I don't love them. Sorry. Love your enemies. Pray for them who spitefully use you. What's the answer? Get comfortable with being uncomfortable, because it's required for our spiritual growth. Indeed, brethren, the Bible is filled with so many instructions and ab initions for God's people, which, if we actually will embrace them and do what God's Word says, will push us out of our comfort zones into areas of true discomfort. But it is a growth opportunity. It's okay.

God actually designed it to be that way, because it's all of those nudges which cause us to enter into the arena of life where true spiritual growth can take place. Don't get comfortable with being comfortable. Maybe there's times of comfort we can catch our breath, but it's like, move forward. Push on. You want to know what makes me uncomfortable, personally?

Let's be honest with you. Public speaking makes me very uncomfortable.

Well, buddy, you're in the wrong profession, you might say. What can I say? All my life, I've just ran away from it. I've tried to hide from it. I really didn't want to step into that, but you know what? The day came, I had to pull myself up on that fast horse. It's a growth opportunity, and I thank God it hasn't bucked me off yet. But to be honest, you know, I'm a little out of my element when I'm speaking every time. I just pray for God's mercy and pray again that sufficiency is not of us, it is of God. Indeed, that's where we all must be with our discomforts. In fact, I will say that serving in the ministry of Jesus Christ has pushed me out of my comfort zone more than I've ever been pushed in my life. Locally, in Africa, Africa has provided all kinds of opportunities for me to be uncomfortable. Yet, I love it. I love it. But again, we're pushed into oftentimes circumstances and God's watching. Are you going to use this for a growth opportunity, or will you shrink back? Because I have a work I can do in you, God says, if indeed we will grab the mane and pull ourselves on that fast course. Africa has presented some uncomfortable opportunities for me from time to time, like on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, an approved lease roadblock being patted down by a guy with a semi-automatic weapon, having all your luggage opened up on the side of the street and gone through and going, you know, we are in the middle of nowhere. Nobody would even know where we're at. Thankfully, he's the good guy, mostly, you know, running the roadblock of the criminals because they're out there, too. Quite uncomfortable, a little thrilling, it must have been after the fact, but in the moment, quite uncomfortable because people are throwing logs and trees across the road trying to stop traffic to extort whoever it is. They can extort along the way. You really don't want to stop unless you have to.

Again, pushed out of our comfort zone, standing in front of a congregation of individuals who have invited you to tell them about the United Church of God. They're all looking at you.

Honestly, there's a little uncomfortable feeling behind that, but you do what you must do. We all have areas in our life where this calling becomes uncomfortable, and it takes different forms for each and every one of us, and the question is, how will we respond? Again, will we embrace these things as growth opportunities, or will we pull back and, in a sense, limit God and what it is He can do in us? Because we must be willing participants. We must seek to push out of our comfort zone, to venture out. Otherwise, we will miss out on the potential to expand our horizons and to grow into the people God has called us to be.

I believe a great danger to us in our nation, and frankly, a great danger to us in the Church of God, is the desire not to be discomforted, not to be uncomfortable. Just let me stay here. Don't rock the boat. Don't push me out of my comfort zone. I believe that is a huge danger that we could face, frankly, as the Church of God. I'm okay. You're okay. It's okay right here.

The moment we get comfortable with being comfortable is the moment we're not willing to take an honest look at our lives and do the things that must be done in order to follow the lead of Jesus Christ. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Follow where He leads. Growth and comfort, brethren, cannot ride the same horse. You and I live in an age the greatest peace and comfort the Church of God has ever known, and I believe that truly.

Look in your Bible. Go back to the early New Testament Church. What was it to be in the Church of God at that time? Kick out of the synagogue, meeting here and there and wherever, running for your life, persecution. That was the Church of God. That's what was the age of the apostles. Okay, what was the Church of God in the middle of ages? It was oppression of the true church, the dark ages. It was not true enlightenment, as God would have the world to have, and truth was oppressed. And the Church of God essentially had to live underground in a way that, again, is different than what you and I have ever experienced. Look at the Bible. Look at the prophecies. Look at the end of the age we are rapidly approaching. God's people, again, will be chaste. They will be persecuted. They will... Christ said, if they hated you and they hate you, don't be surprised. They hated me first. Some will be martyred for His name's sake.

Over the last hundred years, the Church of God has seen an age of peace and comfort unparalleled in its history, and that condition can bring blessings, and that condition can bring great risk to us as the people of God as well. The modern age of the Church of God runs the risk of being coming too comfortable with being comfortable, because you see the risk of Laodicea is real, and the risk of saying, I am rich, have need of nothing, I'm comfortable as I am, thank you very much, is a real risk to the people of God at the end of the age. And the calling is for you and I to wake up, be aware, to be willing to push our comfort zone, not just be comfortable with being comfortable. It is high time for us to awake out of sleep, for our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. You know, Paul wrote that in his day, and it's true in our day as well. You and I can sit back in the comfort of our own homes, turn on our big screen, flat screen television, so we can watch the news. You watch the news this week? You've seen what's going on in the world?

Have you seen that the Middle East is a powder keg, getting ready to blow, getting ready to set into action, of course, a chain reaction of events that lead to the end of the age? Israel was under assault, and she is defending herself, and the surrounding nations are in flame. And it may not happen tomorrow, it may not happen next week or next month or next year, but it will happen in accordance to God's timing. And I truly believe as we look at the world today, the world stage is set, and the dominoes are set. That's sort of how I process it in my mind. Have you ever seen a warehouse, a big open warehouse, and they set up millions of dominoes, right? And it's intricate patterns and designs, and they're all stacked one by another. They're set, they're ready, and it just takes for the designer to come up and say, okay, it's time. Clink, and then it all rolls out from there.

We're waiting for the timing of God, and He will be perfect in that. But again, we're sitting in a world that's sitting on a powder keg that is ready to go in its appointed time, and you and I can never get comfortable with being comfortable, brethren. We must be willing to push out of our comfort zone, because the night is far spent, Paul said, and the day is at hand with a capital D.

The day is at hand. Therefore, he said, let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Brethren, don't get too comfortable with being comfortable. In fact, get uncomfortable with being comfortable. God has called us to be ready. He's called us to be perfected as the bride of Christ for that day. It's time for us to be pushed out of our comfort zone. It's time for us to stand up as the people of God and be refined, being willing to have our faith tested. Stepping out of our comfort zone allows us to grow spiritually, allows us to grow emotionally, and allows us to grow mentally as well. Stepping out of our comfort zone presents opportunities for personal development. It strengthens our faith, because you know what? God, you're going to have to help me with this. I can't do this on my own. It requires our faith, and it helps us to discover our true potential, again with God by our side. So, brethren, it is true. It is true what Dr. Whorl says. Comfort and growth, and you can flip that around as well. Growth and comfort, however you would like to put it, cannot ride the same horse. And so what does that mean for you? What does that mean for me? What does that mean for the church as the people of God? Well, it means it is high time for you and I to saddle up and start riding.

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Paul serves as Pastor for the United Church of God congregations in Spokane, Kennewick and Kettle Falls, Washington, and Lewiston, Idaho.    

Paul grew up in the Church of God from a young age. He attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas from 1991-93. He and his wife, Darla, were married in 1994 and have two children, all residing in Spokane. 

After college, Paul started a landscape maintenance business, which he and Darla ran for 22 years. He served as the Assistant Pastor of his current congregations for six years before becoming the Pastor in January of 2018. 

Paul’s hobbies include backpacking, camping and social events with his family and friends. He assists Darla in her business of raising and training Icelandic horses at their ranch. Mowing the field on his tractor is a favorite pastime.   

Paul also serves as Senior Pastor for the English-speaking congregations in West Africa, making 3-4 trips a year to visit brethren in Nigeria and Ghana.