The Call to Contentment

Today I want to talk about contentment. I believe that one of our greatest challenges as believers is contentment. --- and I think it would be safe to say that most people never experience contentment. People are discontent with their singleness, people are discontent with their spouses, and people are discontent with their current jobs and salary. And I could go on. I don't know about you, but I just have a tough time being content. I always want more! For example, I never realized how pathetic my cell phone was until I saw the new Samsung Galaxy Note. I love something new ----- only to find that after the initial shine wears off, I am just as discontented and empty as I were before I began the quest. Interestingly, there is a certain discontent God does intend for us to have so we learn to rely on God. However, we could all learn from the apostle Paul who wrote about being content. Even the Apostle Paul said he was not easily satisfied in his life. He evens defined the circumstances in which he was content. In Philippians 4, the Apostle Paul himself said:

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11–13 

Twice in this passage, the apostle Paul reveals to us, he “learned” to be content. Look at v.11—“I have learned to be content.”  And then in v.12—“I have learned the secret of being content.”  Here we see the apostle Paul LEARNED to be content.  

Just by way of confession, I personally have spent the vast majority of my life with my heart displaced or discontented for one reason or another. But I am learning that I must learn to be  content. Now, if CONTENTMENT was something PAUL had to learn, that means we must learn the same thing.. How do we do that? Paul gives us the answer.

Look at v.13—  "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

CONCLUSION

All of us, like the apostle Paul, must learn to be content! The Word of God says, "Be content!" Paul found the secret to CONTENTMENT in every circumstance he encountered, in both plenty and hunger, in abundance and need. Paul learned CONTENTMENT by leaning on and trusting in JESUS CHRIST completely. Though it is hard for us to believe ... the new husband or wife, car or job, increase in salary, healing of the body, or whatever it may be will not give us the contentment we seek. It might temporarily, but even as this world is temporal, it will not last. There's always something newer, bigger, or better to buy and someone else who has what you want ,but contentment is not having all that you want. The real key to contentment is focusing on what we do have and not on what we don’t have. You see the problem is not what we have or what we do not have, however strongly it may seem that this is the problem. The problem is us. Someone said: “All the world lives in two tents - content and discontent.” Which tent will you live In? Let me also say this, I have not learned what Paul is talking about here. I am still on my way to learning, by God’s grace. Like Paul, we “can do all things through Christ.”

 "Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content." 1 Timothy 6:6-8 (NKJV) 

Show Hospitality to Strangers

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2 (NIV)

I'm so encouraged by this verse! It clearly teaches us to show hospitality to strangers. But it also talks about the possibility of entertaining angels. Let me tell you, it was Thursday evening, a young woman asked if I had some money to spare for gas and while I don’t usually carry cash, I gave her my last. While the Bible tells us to give with a cheerful heart, it's also true that the good you have done for somebody may come back to you; BUT, I wasn't expecting the good to come back to me today. Today, on my way home from Walmart, I ran out of gas. Wanting to get home as fast as possible, I told myself I’d get gas closer to home, but within a few minutes, my car completely stopped. After minutes of waiting, I was then blessed by a stranger who appeared as an angel to help me out of this situation --- Not only did he push my car out of the road, but he brought me enough gas to drive to the nearest gas station. I felt so blessed, thankful, and lucky that this man was helping me out of the dilemma that I was in and he wouldn’t hear of me paying him anything for the gas. It was a moment of such astonishing grace – such unexpected hospitality.

Are you showing hospitality? Sometimes when we think of hospitality, we think of doing hospitality with the people we know, but in the Bible, God commands us to extend hospitality to our neighbors, friends and even strangers. Hospitality is not an option. This is what the Bible says about hospitality..... "Be hospitable to one another without complaint" (1 Pet. 4:9), "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it" (Heb. 13:2), "Contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality (Rom. 12:13).

As Christians, we must learn to trust God enough to do what He commands. We must be hospitable as possible while we are still here on earth! It is one of the ways we can show God’s love to others! It also helps us grow in service, humility, and putting other first. It helps us to receive God’s blessings as we share what we already have with others.In conclusion, hospitality is risky ... but the stakes are high if we fail as well.

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him,* saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You? ’Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:41-46)

                                          A Person Who Show Hospitality Is . . .

H—Humble

O—Obedient

S—Sincere
P—Prayerful

I—Interested in Integrity
T—Trustworthy

A—Adopted into God's Family

L—Led by the Spirit

I—Instrumental in Producing Righteousness
T—Thankful
Y—Yielded

Impact Ministries

IMPACT Ministries is a ministry that exists to encourage, equip and empower young women. IMPACT is an acronym for Impacting Many People About Christ Today. 

IMPACT is all about women ministering/ mentoring to young women (ages 13-25). The young women in this group are from all backgrounds. Some are church born and bred; some are from single parent households, some have both parents at home, some rarely go to church at all. However, none of that matters, because the issues and challenges they face are the same. The issues young women face is acceptance of others, depression, faith/spirituality, family, the future, media, self-esteem, sex, stress, and substances. That’s why this ministry is designed to reach, teach and help young women...with application of scripture. IMPACT Ministries will be a place where we can come and learn what it truly means to be a Christian woman. It is a place where we can come together, eat, laugh, and build friendships. It is a place where we can share our struggles, our experiences, our testimonies, and our faith. It is a place where you can come and be you!

IMPACT is a place to belong, feel loved, be encouraged, make friends, grow and learn together, laugh, be real, be strengthened, and work together to do GREAT things!
 Through our groups, events, and resources young women are:

• Encouraged by life lessons, testimonies and godly examples of women and strong Christian girls who are striving to live lives that give glory and honor to God
• Equipped to apply biblical truths to everyday situations
• Empowered to put their God-given talents into action and serve as positive role models.

MISSION STATEMENT: IMPACT Ministries exists to encourage, equip and empower young women in the community with God's love, and to develop dedicated followers of Christ.

VISION: To see young women around the world actively and enthusiastically expressing love for God and others - young women equipped, motivated, and passionately engaged in living out their faiths

IMPACT's PURPOSE is what we believe God would have us to do as a ministry. It is the foundation of who we are. Are we perfect at it every time? No way! But we will try, and if we fail, we will try again. It is what God has placed us here to do and we will do our best to fulfill His purpose.

Meeting Dates & Times: 2nd & 4th Thursdays at 5 PM at the Central Park Recreation Center and 1st and 3rd Thursdays at Ensley Recreational Center at 5 PM.

General types of activities:

Movie nights, bowling,M, game nights, monthly study group, etc. 

Foundation Scripture: "Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in their behavior, teaching what is good..." Titus 2:3-5

It’s not how well you start, it’s how well you finish!

Starting out is good, but finishing well is even better, especially for all of us with plans to start a hair journey of going natural. I made the decision to go natural and I am in the process of transitioning by slowly growing out my relaxer. If you, like me, have been transitioning for any length of time, you may didn't know what to expect with your natural hair transition. Just as a reminder, my last relaxer was March 2014 --- But there have been days when I was annoyed with my hair, and relaxing it has been so tempting! The excuse I made to myself was that my hair was too thick and that I don’t have time to style my hair ---but rather than give up on all the progress I have made, I'm keeping the party going! I fully admit, it’s certainly a journey!Every day I come across women that are at their breaking point and are almost ready to give up on natural hair, but I remind them that they can make it.

Why am I writing this? The Christian journey is something like the natural hair journey...many times you start to doubt that you'll make it. You think, "I'll never be able to do this ---But you can!!! But with the natural hair journey, women are getting discouraged in contemplation of giving up my natural journey because they are having to deal with two different textures of hair. This is the common problem, and the thing that discourages women from going natural. And just as there the two conflicting textures in the hair journey (relaxed hair and new natural growth), there are two natures in the Christian: the spirit and the flesh…and they are always in conflict with one another. In Galatians 5:17 we are told, "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."

In a spiritual sense, Jacob and Esau is a perfect illustration of the conflict between flesh and spirit. The story of Jacob and Esau is that of twin brothers, sons of Isaac and Rebekah. Jacob and Esau were not identical twins; actually, they were opposites. From the very beginning, these two brothers were struggling against each other. They represent the conflict of the flesh and the spirit. Esau represents that which is natural, whereas Jacob represents that which is spiritual. The conflict between the natural and the spiritual is present in every believer's heart. It is the conflict of the two natures.

But Romans 8:5-9 clearly describes for us the difference between walking in the flesh and walking in the Spirit. I have learned according to Romans 8:5-9 “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.” You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

Don't give into your fleshly desires!!!!!

If Satan cannot get you to give in, he will try to get you to give up.

It is in my God given nature to encourage you ALL so I will say this, don’t see your natural hair/ Christian journey as merely the passing of time, but rather a journey of faith. When preparing for the journey, it will take faithfulness. In this journey, you will experience failure, frustration, and even hopelessness, but you must remain faithful. Faithfulness means a lot to the Lord. It’s easy to give up because of discouragement, but don’t give up yet…you are almost there!!! This journey takes dedication, faithfulness, obedience, commitment, and sacrifice! We are told in Galatians 6:9,  “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” REMEMBER: Anyone can make a good start, the real test is in finishing well. It’s not how well you start; what matters is how well you finish. In James 1:12, we are told,  “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” The blessing comes after the trial not before. In Luke 8:13, Jesus also spoke of believers who quit, “Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.” It is staying with the Lord that matters, not merely starting out. It is loving the Lord for a lifetime, not just for a time.

Don't settle for second best!!!

It's difficult to find that perfect pair of shoes and I have yet to find a pair of shoes that I absolutely love until I went to Belk and seen the Claudette d'orsay pumps by Jessica Simpson. However, after going to different stores looking for these shoes, every salesperson comes back out only to tell me they don't have my size. But today while I was out window shopping with my girlfriend Brandi, we went to Charming Charlie where I saw the Adele D'orsay pump that was similar to the Claudette d'orsay pumps and it was cheaper. I bought it, of course! I took my new shoes for a walk the next day---only to find out they caused me pain! And if you like me, you know a good pair of shoes should be comfortable from the moment you put them on! But because I was too impatient to wait, I settled for a lesser version of what I truly wanted! I settled for second best! ... After buying these shoes, it caused me to reflect on times I've settling for second best when I could've waited and had more. Is that ever a reality check! Especially in relationships, I have settled for men who was less ambitious, less religious, less intelligent, less physically attractive, less giving. Don't say you haven't done it. All of us are guilty of settling for less at some time in our lives. For you, it could be another aspect of your life, i.e., marriage, job, friends, goals, home, relationship, etc., but in this post, I wanted to go the other extreme…settling in relationships. While it’s something both sexes do, I feel us women settle more. But we all know, God doesn’t want us to settle for less. He wants what is best for His people.

 

Take the biblical story of Isaac and Ishmael. The story of Isaac and Ishmael is found in Genesis 16-21. Here’s a short synopsis of what happened. God made a promise to Abraham. He promised him a son through his wife Sarah as well as a covenant through the promised son. However, Abraham got impatient and Sarah got discouraged...and instead of trusting in God’s promise and His timing, they took matters into their own hands. They decided to speed up the process by getting a slave girl, Hagar, to bear children with Abraham. After Hagar gets pregnant, Abraham’s wife Sarah is now resentful of Hagar and treats her rough. Hagar runs away. God then speaks to Hagar. God tells Hagar to go back and that God is going to bless her son. The scriptures reveal that Ishmael was born because Abraham and Sarah couldn’t wait any longer. For 13 years Abraham sincerely believed that Ishmael was the promised son. BUT, in Chapter 17, which is 13 years later, God then tells Abraham that another son would come through Sarah herself. God then blesses them with their own child, Isaac! Isaac was born according to the promise of God.
 As we read the story, that sounds a little like us. Like Abraham and Sarah, we settle for second best in our lives. We settle because of lack of trust, lack of patience and we are by nature impatient people. We want what we want, and we want it now. But we are told in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

In conclusion, I simply want to encourage you all to not to settle, and give in to second best. Just like God didn't want Abraham and Sarah to settle, He wants the same for us! If you, like me, you may have settled for an Ishmael. But like those pumps from Charming Charlie, Ishmael will cause you more pain than not having your Isaac. The bottom line is that I should have waited for the Claudette d'orsay pumps by Jessica Simpson. One of the most important lessons that I am learning is that what God wants to give us is always far better than what we want Him to give us!!! I am writing this blog for myself and others, DONT SETTLE FOR LESS!!! Wait on the very best God has in store for you! God's promise to us, like that story, is about more: whatever we ask, He has more in store!

 

       

I really wanted the shoes on the right, but settled for the ones on the left!

Giving God Your Time!

If there's one thing we could all use a little bit more of, its time. If you own a dog, it should come as no surprise that no matter what your schedule is like, spending some one-on-one time with your dog is super important, for both your dog and you. Or maybe you don't own a dog, but you're in a relationship and you know that spending one-on-one time with your mate is very important. If you, like me, my life is busy with too much work, too many errands, too many obligations. Too little time. While playing fetch is way for my dog and I to spend some quality time together, I fully admit that there are some times when I don’t want to play with him --- but he wants nothing more than to spend time with me. Why am I writing this? Because God wants us to spend time with Him.

In Luke 10:28-32, Martha learned a very valuable lesson that that we should learn today.
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.

When reading this scripture, I am reminded God wants us to spend time with Him. The story of Martha sitting at the feet of Jesus demonstrates that we need to spend time with God. Reading the Bible is like sitting at Jesus feet. Spending time with God is extremely important; and with that being said, the most important thing that you, and I can do is offer God our sincere love...and time. After all, to love God with everything that's in us, means that we will make deliberate choices about spending time with Him.  Mark 12:30 reads, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."

There are many ways we can spend time with time with God.  While spending time with God looks different for every person, the different ways I spend time with God are through reading the Bible or devotional, praying, listening to Gospel music, listening to a pastor on the radio, and/ or writing my prayers in a journal.  However, reading the Bible is the best way because its essential for knowing God...and its also essential for us to live for God. Reading the Bible is like sitting at Jesus feet. In my life as a believer, reading the Bible has been, at times, very low on my priority list. BUT, there is truth in the saying "You make time for what you want!"

In conclusion, time with God looks different for everyone; but we shouldn't get so caught up in our day to day living that we neglect to spend time with God. We all know that spending time with God every day is important. Just like when I am home, I know how important it is for me to spend quality time with my dog...we should also know how important it is for us to spend quality time with our God! God wants His time! Are you spending time with Him?

..........And now I’m off to take my own advice.

Walking in Purity with God.

It's blessing be obedient to God and walk in 'sexual' purity and to present our bodies as a living sacrifice.Walking the path of purity is not always easy but it is the ONLY way for any Christian who seeks to obey God and receive His blessings and rewards both now and for eternity. I will admit that I like the journey that I'm on right now. I will also be the first to admit that I'm not a virgin. I've had sex before, but I have decided that celibacy has been the best decision for me. However, I'm going to keep it real with you, although I'm a Christian woman, the fleshly desire to have sex doesn't just go away, but God calls us to be pure. In regards to sexual purity, look at what God says about it.

"It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.[b] The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8)

If I can be more honest with you, I have to let you know that while in the course of being celibate, I have fallen short, but even the Bible tells us “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23), but the Bible also advises us to flee sexual immorality. "1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

I fell short was because of sexual temptation. I was putting myself in compromising situations. I will be transparent with you all, it was one night I had sex with my then boyfriend and in the process, I felt guilty and stopped him and just started crying. I was ashamed with myself for compromising. He was someone I loved, but I got tired of hurting the one I loved most. It was then that I became tired; tired of the guilt, shame, spiritual death, and pain that came afterwards. I was crying out under the conviction of sexual sin. Sexual temptations can be dangerous, but the best way to resist temptation is to stay away from it. Its easy to be celibate when there's no temptation, but that's why there's a need for self-control. Self-control is the fruit of the Spirit. But I Corinthians 7:9 tells us "if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For its better to marry than to burn with passions." Generally, we think that if we've already had sex, we can’t make the choice to be celibate, but we can...with self-discipline, prayer, and patience. Since that relationship, being celibate has changed my life for the better! I have freedom. I have freedom from the emotional, mental, and physical pain! I have freedom to focus on God. I have freedom to trust God for my mate and not have to rely on being sexually active in order to get one.

On the subject of being single, celibate and trying to date, you can ask a man to accept and respect your decisions when it comes to abstaining from sex, and he can either respect you and wait, or he can respect you and move on. In my journey with celibacy and dating, I've dated guys who will say they respected my decision...but as time goes by, and they realize I wasn't giving it up, they move on. I guess some men don't expect you to really mean that you're celibate. About four months ago, I dated a guy and after several dates, I told him I was I abstaining from sex, it was deal breaker for him. Then I dated another guy who wanted me to compromise on sex. However, I never compromised and we both agreed to go our separate ways. I would like to also add, while I didn't compromise on the sex, I had already compromised Gods standard by dating a non-believer. This last guy was a Muslim. Note: When you go out with someone who is not right with God, you've already compromised Gods standard. God set his standard for us when he said, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?  (2 Corinthians 6:14) 

As you can see, not many guys want to wait, but we must be reminded me of our significance in God and that we are worth waiting for His best. While we often hear that relationships are about negotiation and compromise, we shouldn't compromise on sex. If our highest commitment is to God, then we won't compromise our convictions in this area. Now, there was a relationship where another guy never tried to have sex with me, and it was during that relationship, he helped me see what I wanted. However, that relationship didn't work out because I wanted more from the relationship (not sex, lol). While others might have viewed him as suspect, I viewed him a saved. Having said all that, the choice to be celibate can be a wonderful thing if you're doing it for the right reasons. I personally decided to abstain from sex for both personal and religious reasons. For a Christian, there's only one celibate commitment and that is from God, and for God. For me, its both a challenge and a deep desire to live as Jesus did. Of course, Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are, but He didn't compromise. Hebrews 4:15 reads, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet without sin".

In conclusion, being celibate isn't an easy lifestyle, but by God's grace I have been able to remain celibate. If you are in a sexual relationship, all you need to do is confess your sin to God and repent of it. Repent means you stop doing it. God will forgive you! God loves you and he's always loved you! He's giving you a chance to start over.Remember, you're called by God to purity, not to sexual immorality ! To all of you out there who is celibate, I encourage you to stay faithful to God and to your decision! You can do it! Be encouraged!  

Are You Tired Yet?

Today I took my dog Lucky out for a walk, and afterwards I took him to play a game of fetch because he loves to chase a ball and return it to me. My dog is constantly bringing me the ball. But then I noticed something as he was turning to run back to me, he went past me and didn't give me the ball. Now, there are some days my dog loves to pick up and carry the ball, and has no interest in sharing it, but this time he was still chasing the ball and bringing it back to me (after resting a while) LOL. While I praised him with each step he took toward catching the ball, I asked the question, are you tired yet? Because I was tired of throwing the ball. While I have become accustomed to having a high energy dog that likes to play a lot, I was tired but he wasn't.
 

Question, do you ever get tired? I don't know about you, but I do, and I know I'm not the only one. We all get tired. Some of you reading this post might feel this way right now. I'm not just talking mentally, physically, or emotionally. But if you are, Matthew 11:28-30 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

 

Being tired goes further than mentally, physically, or emotionally. Perhaps you are tired spiritually. You may get tired of reading your Bible daily, praying, defending your faith, or just trying to live right. But while there are times we experience being tired in our spiritual life, the apostle Paul says tells us in Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." This verse simply encourages us to keep on keeping on! But the only way to regain strength is to rest. Just like Lucky, after he rested, he regained his strength and returned to the game of fetch. FYI, just because we’re tired, doesn’t mean we’re finished. “Those who trust in the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

 

In conclusion, its not a bad thing to be tired, and we all get tired spiritually from time to time, but don't give up! That's what the enemy wants you to do. If there's one thing I know about my dog when playing the game of fetch, he tends to push himself more then he should, even after he's exhausted all his strength. But despite his exhaustion, he regains his strength. I said that to say, despite our exhaustion, the Lord continues to give us strength when we admit we are in need of His strength. We may be tired, but no matter how tired you are, let us not get spiritually tired. Hang in there!  

 

You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Philippians 4:13

Daring to try new things!

So yes, I've just checked my blog and was quite shocked to see that my last blog post was almost a year ago! Goodness me! What have I been doing? In my defense, I have been really busy with various responsibilities, working hard behind the scenes. But I'm back in the blogging game!

Yesterday I went to the salon to get my hair done. Before going, and while I was there, I was thinking about getting my hair cut because I was bored with my current style. However, I was reluctant to try something new, a haircut. While sitting in the chair, at some point, I was going to have to make a decision. Then I heard my hairdresser say how I need to move out of my comfort zone. But she wasn't just talking about me moving out of my comfort zone in my hair style journey. She was talking about the spiritual journey too. As I was at the salon, we were having a conversation, and I was telling her about a scripture I read in Genesis 12:1-2 where God calls Abraham to leave his homeland and go to the land of promise. Genesis 12:1-2: "The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing"

I confess, I'm a comfy girl at heart. I like my comfort zone.... and it's scary when you are told to get outside of your comfort zone, but leaving our comfort zones is a necessary part of life. God calls us to grow! Here's an example. At the age of 27, I finally moved out of my parents' house and got a place on my own. Moving out of my parents' house was a big step, and I must say, leaving out of the comfort zone of home and family wasn't easy, but by leaving, I was finally living the life I was meant to live. Another example was when I left Birmingham for a college away from home, a couple hours away in a different city. This was an opportunity to venture outside my comfort zone and find out who I really was and who I wanted to be. As you can see, there are times when God calls us to take a step of faith. Hebrews 11:1 reads, Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, the  conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

As you can see, Abraham left. Genesis 1:4 reads; “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him.” We see here that Abraham stepped out on faith. And in order to follow God's leading, he had to move outside his comfort zone. He left the familiar and embraced the unfamiliar. He left the comfortable and embraced uncomfortable. When I told my hairdresser about my church, and the desire to start a ministry, and how I was led to Genesis 12, she told me I needed to pray and fast. In regards to my spiritual journey, I have to step out on faith and leave my comfort zone and go out and do what God has for me to do. Here's the thing, God will not keep us in the same place forever. He wants us to move on in our spiritual walk. He wants to educate us in His ways and use us where He leads us. As I stated earlier in this post, God calls us to grow...and with that being said, there comes a time in all our lives when we must grow up in the Lord.

In conclusion, leaving the comfort zone is never easy and if it was easy to leave, then it wasn't a comfort zone to begin with. God leaves us in the comfort zone only for a time so that we can prepare for the next season of growth. Unlike Abraham, you may not be going to a new place geographically, but it may be at a new place personally. Or maybe it could be something simpler than that.

As you can see, I left my comfort zone on the hairstyle journey, lol. But now its time to step out on faith in the spiritual journey.

 

So, what is your comfort zone?