Comfort Kills Opportunity

Written by Alex Fortson

Comfort kills opportunity. Think of a time you missed out on something because you chose to be in a place of comfort. In some cases this can be good but in others it can be detrimental to the things that God may be calling you to step out and do. You see, Jesus may meet us in our comfortable place, but his desire is to lead us into new and maybe uncomfortable places. There are many times in my life that I missed out on something God was trying to do in my life because it would cause me to move from my comfort zone and step out in faith and trust in God. 

A time in particular was actually how I became the youth pastor here at the Revival Center. After pastor Cody Griggs stepped down in the summer of 2018, I was actually offered the full time position. I was the associate youth pastor at the time and it was just a natural move that everyone seemed to see but myself. I had the calling upon my life, but I just was not comfortable saying yes. I look back now and see that I was more scared of leaving a place that I felt comfortable in than I thought. I started a lawn care business in high school and this business was growing rapidly and I did not want to give this up at the end of the day. Stepping into full time ministry would cause me to have to give this business up. So I stepped in as the interim for a season until we found another youth pastor; God was still working, because by January of 2019 I was faced with the crossroads of being the full time youth pastor again. This time I did not miss it. I stepped out in faith and obedience and took a hold of this opportunity that obviously the Lord wanted me to be in. In this case I am thankful I did not miss out, because in some cases you don’t get the opportunity again. I am thankful that in this case my comfort level did not end up with me missing out on the opportunity that was ahead of me. 

I think of the story of Peter, after he denied Jesus. What did he go and do? He went to his place of comfort. He went fishing. We even see that Peter extended the invitation of comfort to the other disciples and we see that they all went fishing. Why in the world were they fishing? They had encountered the resurrected Jesus! They knew He was alive and walking around, so why were they not pursuing Him? Peter was the same disciple that walked on water with Jesus. He had the faith to step out of the boat. Where was this disciple now? Well, I believe that the disciples’ place of comfort seemed more pleasing than pursuing Jesus. They no longer felt worthy enough, good enough, or strong enough to walk in the calling that Jesus had already laid on their lives. Aren't you thankful that our shortcomings and failures do not determine if we can be used by God or not? I don’t know about you, but I am thankful. 

Peter received another opportunity. He was restored on the beach by Jesus and then he received the opportunity that would force him from his comfort place: “Follow Me.” The invitation of sacrifice. Peter was faced once again with this invitation. A very familiar place. He stood again on the beach hearing the words, “Follow Me,” just as he had before when Jesus first called him, having to give up his fishing business, his family, the money in fish that he just caught, and follow Jesus. He could have let his comfort kill this opportunity or he could have walked in obedience and faith into a place of unknown. We know that Peter choses the unknown and we also see Peter was used by God to preach to thousands of people so that three thousand of them got saved. 

You see, I would much rather be in the unknown with Jesus, than to be in the known without Jesus. What choice will you make today? Will you let your comfort kill the opportunities that Jesus has for you, or will you step out of your comfort zone and be led by Jesus into the unknown?