The Comfort Zone

What is your comfort zone? The couch? Your job? Your family? Your income? Your car? What? Question. Is this comfort worth your life?

One of the things that never ceases to amaze me is that people would rather be comfortable than see the dangers all around them. The word 'comfortable' also means cozy, snug, sheltered, and homelike. Very impressive. When you get into that 'comfort zone', don't mess with you, right? There is just something about that one place, one time that means so much. Don't rock the boat. Too comfortable. Don't make me think! It's all about comfort. This is the legacy we have inherited from our fathers, grandfathers, mothers and grandmothers. Nothing wrong with inheritance.

However (you KNEW there was a 'however', didn't you?), when a person gets that comfortable, they start ignoring things that would have, at one time, been a danger signal. Years ago, men knew what 'honor' and 'integrity' meant. Now we live in an honorless generation. Danger! No one cares if you lie, steal, kill IF you are able to defend the actions. Or perhaps they don't like it but 'what can we do about it'? Danger! Where are the protests? Where are the ones who cry out for an accounting? Are they now in their own comfort zones?

Believe me, it's not comfortable to tell people things they don't want to hear. They won't see these things so those articles go unread. They choose not to find things out for themselves believing that someone else has already done the work, so why bother. Because of this attitude by many of the people, the truly important things are ignored or missed. And so begins the growing of a cold heart, a conscience seared so that it's no longer a warning flag if sin is committed. The prophets told the people over and over again about their behavior and what would happen if they didn't change. John the Baptist was crying in the wilderness, warning that generation to repent. He got beheaded. The apostles said these things. They were murdered. The message hasn't changed.

Technology has changed so many things. Once it was necessary to go out and kill or gather supper. Now we drive to the store where almost anything you can think of is waiting to be bought, brought home and cooked by stove or microwave. Television is so far reaching that we can now see the world in an instant. And we are comfortable. This sounds familiar. Wait, the Lord Jesus mentioned something about this.

Revelation 3:14-20, "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."

These people are certainly in the comfort zone. They seemingly have everything. They were a church that was born Christian but somehow got offtrack, went astray of the original path Did you notice that Jesus will have no part of them? Did you notice that His reaction to them is to spew them out? He said to repent. Turn aside from what is an abomination to Him.

But what is it that has put us into this place, this comfort zone? You could blame it on almost anything but yourself. The fact is that people have turned away from Jesus. They are, by their actions, denying the Lord who has chosen to save them by dying FOR them. It's time to take the responsibility for your own actions. These days, that statement alone can get you thrown out of certain churches. Why is that? Because they do NOT want to have someone to shake up their comfort zone. When people get into that place, they do not want to change anything. Status quo is just fine, thank you very much. I'm happy now. If it isn't broke, don't fix it. How do you know if it's broke or not, if you pay no attention to detail? Am I shaking your comfort zone yet?

What IS this? It's about a wicked and perverse generation who have turned away from the Lord Jesus, who think that everything is alright now and as long as I'm not looking, will be fine....as long as I don't actually SEE the problem, it does not exist. Now what does that sound like? Oh yes, it very much like an ostrich with it's head firmly planted in the sand. She feels that if her head is buried you can no longer see her. Problem! Her tail is wide open to get burned! You know what? There is actually a description of this creature in the bible.

Job 39:13-17, "Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear; Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding."

This bird puts eggs into the earth and forgets them. She forsakes her young. Her labor is in vain because she has no wisdom nor understanding! SHE IS HARDENED AGAINST HER YOUNG! Danger! Wait a minute. Just suppose, for instance, instead of burying her head in the sand, she were to look around herself, see what is going on. Suppose that she didn't shut her eyes to things just because she didn't like what she saw. And just suppose that she decided to fight for her young, to defend her property. She would no longer have the need to bury her head, would she?

Again, WHAT is this? I am saddened and disappointed that people in general, and the church in particular, choses to be such an animal. We have buried our heads too long. Church, look around you. The world is crumbling while you sit in your comfort zone. It deteriorates day by day while you work and play, mostly oblivious to the fact that your freedom, your God given rights are violated day after day. And all that most people can say is, 'what can I do? I'm just one person'. Well, the first thing you need to do is go to the Lord and REPENT. Get your life straightened out. Stop that stealing, stop that adultery, stop making excuses for yourself that you didn't know this and you didn't see that. Your head is buried! Make NO mistake. If you shut your eyes now and do not act, your life is in danger. Your spirit, which is eternal no matter where you spend that time, can be lost. You WILL be held accountable for your actions.

Repent NOW! for the kingdom is at hand. Do you doubt? Check your news anchor, your paper, your radio. Get out of that comfort zone that is even now killing you and do what God has called you to do, Christian. Do not be like the church of Laodicea. Jesus WILL spew those out. If you do not know Jesus, pray NOW for forgiveness and ask Him into your heart. If you are not living like you should, you are born again but are not doing what God intends you to do, repent. Go to the Lord Jesus NOW! The scriptures say that every tear will be wiped from every eye in heaven. What that tells me that is that there are tears there now. Who could possibly be shedding them? The tears are in my Lord's Eyes because it hurts Him so much that His own are turning away from Him, living in a comfort zone.

Hosea 4:6, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee"

The Comfort Zone

by Lura Langenback