Elijah Hid And I Tried To Do The Same

1 Kings 19:1-18. 

This haunted me for two weeks, but let me give why the reason why. A few months ago my youth elder asked me and a few of our youths to help with the our church's kid ministry and teach them. Now just at the mention of speaking in front of people makes me shake, so when she told me I literally ran away (this is true I went to the other side of the church) and her being the way she is, she pushed me to do it, in the best way possible. I stopped thinking about it until two weeks ago when she handed me a brown envelope and goes "Here's your class" I nearly had a heart attack. There were many text messages sent to her about being panicked (you can ask her shes still laughing). One of the reasons why I started blogging with Michelle was because I knew some of these words and thoughts were going to help us for later, maybe they didn't apply to our life right now when we were writing them but they will some day. My someday came and two posts stood out, both by Michelle, Fear....A Trust Issue? and Breaking Up With Your Comfort Zone for these post I am forever grateful.

But what really made me chuckle was what I had to talk about and that was 1 Kings 19:1-18 "Elijah flees to Horeb to hide from Jezebel". Oh the irony! There I am trying to hide and run away from something that scares the life out of me and there's Elijah hiding from someone who scares the life out of him, we might as well be besties. Those two weeks for me were panic weeks, I would sit and stare at those bible pages and imagine talking to kids and I would shake. Yes kids are scary to me, I think it is far more important to preach to them than to older people (only by a little though), they have the future literally in their hands and here I am having a part in this child's development, I get to shape their history and I want to do the best job possible and at the same time I want to hide.

He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your alters, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too" 1 Kings 19:10

The word zealous means to do something with passion. Elijah had served God so zealously to the point that someone wanted to kill him. I laughed because he had a reason to hide and I'm here hiding from kids. It was God's way of showing me that if he can do it, of course I can do it too. Elijah tried to hide and die and I was trying to do the same (expect the dying part). I was trying to find my cave and just sleep in it. Just like God woke up Elijah, he also woke me up with "What are you doing here"(1 Kings 19:9) and I couldn't answer him the way Elijah did because I wasn't serving him zealously but what I could say was, "I will learn to serve you zealously like Elijah, it is my turn now." And so I stopped panicking and started writing my class for Sunday morning. The outcome was great. I sat down with the kids around a table, we discussed about Elijah and God and how he will always provide for you when you are scared and trying to hide. We talked, we laughed and we drew. It was lovely and I am so glad I came out of that cave to serve Him zealously, I have the honour to be part of their development, what more can I ask for? God is too good. Now I leave you now with the verse the kids have to memorize for homework:

"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of deliverance"- Psalms 32:7

He surrounds you with songs of deliverance!

With Love & Grace- Diana C

Breaking Up With Your Comfort Zone

Comfort. Who doesn't like being comfortable. It's easy, it's something were used to. You don't have to face change, and the things that come with it. It's simple. And I'm not talking about the kind of comfort like relaxing after a long day, or how comfortable your shoes are. I mean the big stuff. Those things in life that you're afraid of doing. Whether it be public speaking (like me) or something bigger.

When we're trapped in our comfort zone, it's a place of security because there are no imposing threats to it. For me, public speaking is something that has been, and is hard for me to do. But I'm working on getting out of that comfort that I've placed myself in. God calls us to be bold and courageous because after all, He IS with us at all times. God says He will never forsake us; that means when your trembling with fear because youre trying something new. Even when we ask God "Send someone else, anyone but me" He kindly looks at us and reminds us of His power and might. One of my favorite bible passages is that of Moses in Egypt. Moses was terrified!

"But Moses pleaded with the Lord , “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord ? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” Exodus 4: 10-12 NLT

How many times have we passed up an opportunity because we were afraid, or we thought we weren't equipped for it. It's funny because God wants you out of your comfort zone, so He will tug at a specific area of your life. If you keep reading the rest of the passage you see that Moses really wasn't having it and he pleaded to have someone else be the speaker. So God chose Aaron. I don't know about you, but I don't want fear to stop me from living out the plan that God has for me. So it's time to be uncomfortable;  to run away from the all too familiar and to run into the unknown. Something new. All it really is is an opportunity for growth. Reach for it!

It's time we realize that we can really do all things through Christ. That means it won't be with your strength but His. Its time to breakup with our comfort zone because it really gets you nowhere. You are not free when you're in that zone because something will always hold you back. You say you want to go deeper in a relationship with God, but you're stuck in your little bubble, when He wants you to go deeper. If you have to be a little uncomfortable in the process,  so be it, because in the end you will have gained so much more than you could have ever imagined. Just remember, even though it may be scary, you are NOT alone.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."  John 15:1-5

Dear Comfort Zone,

....It's over.

♥ Lots of Love, Michelle ♥