What comes to our mind when we hear the combination of words of “Comfort Zone”?  I’m sure a lot of motivational speeches and inspiring quotes flashes across our minds. It’s because we often hear that we must move out from our Comfort Zone to succeed. On the other day I was listening to this Tedex Talk where I heard, “Successful life begins at the end of Comfort Zone”. So what do you think is Comfort Zone? Should we remain within comfort zone or move out of it? Well, personally for me, this is quite debatable. I’ll be trying to elaborate this on both the school of thoughts as listed below:

Step out of your comfort zone; success begins at the end of  your comfort zone

Never come out of the Comfort Zone. Keep     learning, keep expanding your Comfort Zone

Let us take a look at the first point. Does “stepping out of comfort zone” refer to some sort of adventure? We understand that it’s quite traditional to think that we must move out of our comfort zone in order to succeed. It has naturally become such a widely accepted thought. Yes, we must. We must get up and get out of our bed early morning even during the winters. We can’t lazy around like the way I do sometimes. We must get out of our homes to get to our respective work place. We can’t just sit and expect our rice-n-noodles bowl to come to our table on its own. We have to get up and get going. With respect to our professional life, areas where we feel we need to upgrade, we must step out, step up and open ourselves to learn the new methodologies, new technologies, adapt to new processes, pick up new skill sets and upgrade ourselves.  We must open the door of our commitment levels; open and get out; open to learning, to practicing and be more effective. This is applicable to our jobs, business or even our personal lives. When we learn about Peter, we see him stepping out of his comfort zone. Peter seeing Jesus walking on the water, dares to step out of the boat in faith. Below is the excerpt from the passage; Gospel of Mathew 14: 24-29: 24But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 25And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

To step out from the boat on the stormy sea can be seen as a case of someone girded with a robust degree of faith and be perceived as an apparent case of stepping out of comfort zone. It takes courage and a mind that is incredibly faith-conditioned to do something seemingly so bizarre. It isn’t quite an informal affair…Is it?

Now, let us move to the other side of the table, to a school of thought that is poles apart. Let us turn to few references from The Word. Psalm 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 4He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

 Let me tell you something you may already know; “The wisdom of this world is always contrary to the divine Wisdom of God”. However, if you notice I quoted from The Word in support of the first school of thought. And perhaps one could serve even more references to support the same; and this is because The Word of God is a two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12), and we the children of God need to discern by His divine Grace what means to whom, when, in what context and why. God’s Word has repeatedly mentioned about 6 times directly or indirectly that means “the JUST shall live by FAITH” (Hab 2:4, Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11, Heb 10:38, Ezek 18:9,  Ezek 18:22). If that is the case, then why step out from the secret place? Why step out from under His wings? Why shouldn’t we abide under the shadow of the Almighty? Now Bible says in Hebrews 11:1 that “Now faith is the substance of the things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. 

The wisdom of this world that promotes stepping out of our Comfort zone needs to take a back seat at least until the end of this article. I leave it up to you if you would want to bring it back to the front seat. Allow me to take you back to investigate the scenario of Peter deciding to step out of the boat into the raging sea to walk toward Jesus and a little further. Mathew 14:28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

Imagine this whole episode prudently may be with your eyes shut just as it happened. You’ll learn that Peter’s mind wasn’t fully conditioned with the kind of faith that Jesus talks about in Mathew 17:20. Faith of Peter, it was a momentary excitement seeing Jesus walking on water. If Peter had a high degree of faith-conditioned mind, he would have stepped out of the boat just as if he’s stepping inside the boat. Friends, when Jesus is walking on water, when Jesus the creator and the master of this Universe is walking on the water, when Jesus who gave us the authority to be called as the children of God through his name (John 1:12) is walking on the water; then why can’t we too simply step out of the boat and join him on an evening walk talking to him with his loving hands resting upon our shoulders?

 I call this phenomenon as “Expanding the Comfort Zone” which is a greater challenge than stepping out of the comfort zone. For instance, in our professional life too, we need to take up the process of learning and development as a routine and not some sort “stepping out” ceremony. A true child of God, doesn’t need to step out from God’s zone of Grace but needs to keep conditioning his faith to perfection like how an athlete conditions his body for his race (I Tim 4:7 ….exercise thyself rather unto godliness). Let me reiterate, “The wisdom of this world is always contrary to the divine Wisdom of God”. Remember…. while most of us believe in the phrase “Survival of the fittest” that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory, God teaches us something that is altogether conflicting in its entirety. Let us turn to the Gospel of Mark 8: 35 “For whosoever will save his life shall loose it; but whosoever shall loose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it”. This verse is just so brilliant and if you notice, is the precise inverse of Darwin’s theory, which simply means don’t try to safeguard yourselves or your life to survive and sustain; because in doing so, you’ll LOSE your life. And what Jesus further puts forth is also very significant.

 Consider the professional athletes; an athlete has to step out of his comfort zone early morning and be on the training tracks regardless of summers or winters. He keeps conditioning his body every single day for years no matter what comes his way, certainly not to lose the race right? The pursuit of a true athlete is not just limited to winning the race on the track but also many associated reasons; Respect, Honour, Expectations, Anticipations, Pride, Signature identity, Mending broken relationships. It could be any reason; I can tell you these because I was myself a trained athlete for 800mtrs track event in school. However, what do we see in the Gospel of Luke 13:30 “And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last”. I understand this verse doesn’t mean literal but spiritual.  Whatever the case, in God’s word “race” is always referred to as a “Quest” or a “Pursuit” of certain accomplishment. In I Corinthians 9:24-25 this accomplishment is referred to as “an incorruptible crown”. Further in I Tim 4:7-9, it’s advised to “….exercise thyself rather unto godliness” and while this world and its wisdom tells us to focus on physical fitness and endurance, the God’s word sets the tone straight; “…bodily exercise profiteth little”

 Remember Noah whom God commanded to create an ark? Noah took about 120 years to create an ark, a 120 years to create a zone of comfort, a zone of safety, a zone of prayer and fellowship with his family and loved ones. God specifically told Noah to get locked up in an ark, and while he built the arc, he kept preaching too for 120 years.  He built the ark exactly as per the mandate and blueprint that God gave to Noah. Because it was God’s will that Noah remains sealed in His grace.

 Remember the garden of Eden? …where the first man Adam and Eve stepped out of the comfort zone to try some sweet adventure? This wonderful garden was created especially for both to remain within the divine grace and with all the comforts. That little adventure affair of disobedience had to be paid by the cost of having to step out of the garden forever losing the grace in God’s sight.

 Remember Cain who ran away after killing his brother Abel? He was distanced and out of sight, fallen from God’s grace. Jesus says in the Gospel of Mathew 11:28 Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you “rest”. Jesus isn’t calling us for an adventure but rest and comfort. Honestly, stepping out of comfort zone is way easier than staying within the comfort zone and to keep conditioning our faith.

 David, one of my favourite personalities, on many occasions of prayers and supplications mention that God is his hiding place. He never seemingly wants to be separated from God but always wants to be in His hiding place, in His safety and comfort. He keeps talking to God with so much of intimacy that it immaculately reflects in his Psalms. Let us look at few of them:  Psalm 32:7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble... Psalm 119:114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield... Psalm 17:8 …hide me under the shadow of thy wings Psalm 27:5  …in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me... Psalm 31:20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man... Psalm 64:2 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked… Psalm 143:9 …I flee unto thee to hide me. Psalm 61:3 For thou hast been a shelter for me… Talking about Psalms, I recall Solomon the wise’ Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. Yes, the righteous runs into it NOT out of it. Let’s examine if we are indeed righteous because we don’t see anyone running out or “Stepping out” and still remaining safe. Our strong tower is Jesus. I solemnly clinch on to the school of thought that a true child of God doesn’t need stepping out of God’s Zone of grace and run away into the wild, out of sight, distanced and fallen from His grace. Rather it’s so much more challenging to remain within God’s comfort zone. I’m strongly of the conviction that one should never come out of their comfort zone; rather keep learning, keep conditioning the faith, keep surrendering to God’s will and His divine grace, keep expanding your comfort zone (God’s Zone of Grace), invite others under your roof of prayer and worship, into your fellowship, share the gospel, keep advancing in your spiritual journey and intimacy with God”. Moses also kept listening to God. He kept learning and depending on God’s grace. And he did quite well. From Egypt to the Mount Sinai for an appointment to meet God, from a stammerer to a great evangelical and prophetic speaker, He was an “Exceeds All” Performer altogether. Wherever he went, he was confident because he was within the divine comfort zone, obeying and surrendering himself to the divine will of God.

“Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” -John 14:17 

From the Word we understand that the Holy Spirit is our ultimate comforter as mentioned by Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John 14:17. Jesus proclaims rather gives us a promise that the comforter also called as the “Spirit of Truth” will “abide” with us forever and that He shall “dwell” with us, in us. Doesn’t that sound just wonderful that we have the Holy Spirit abiding with us? And however fantastic that might sound, we need to discern if the Holy Spirit would really really dwell within us regardless of what our spiritual qualifications are; though initial criteria are all taken care of; like accepting Christ as our personal saviour, obeying the Water Baptism and Baptism of the Holy Ghost, Going to church and attending all the meetings and so on. As per the Word in the book of Romans 3:23, none of us are perfect but have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

So basic doubt we all have is; how can the Holy Spirit dwell among us in the capacity of our comforter if we have fallen short of God’s glory? The Word keeps reminding us, keeps teaching us and God’s unfailing grace keeps us fortified and shielded. So indeed God in his everlasting mercy and love expects us to have certain qualities for the Holy Spirit to abide with us. And as we keep reading His Word for the divine grace and guidance, it reveals us these mysteries. We come across many characters from the history of Israel recorded in the Word of God, who fulfilled these conditions and had God’s expected qualities for the Holy Spirit to abide with them. While few are from the Old Testament, other few we see from New Testament as well.

 One such incredible character from the Old Testament that I’ll be talking about is David, the youngest son of Jesse, raised as a Shepherd boy who also happened to be a Musician, a Psalmist, A Prophet, A Warrior and ultimately the King of Israel. Though yes, there are many other terms that could be used to introduce him.  

Yes, David was a murderer and a man of war, He was an adulterer, a womanizer but yet, God testifies about him as the “man of His own heart”. What qualities made David so special that God Himself testified about him so special? What are those qualities that we also need to inculcate and possess to assure that the Holy Spirit in the New Testament may come and dwell with us, in us? Let us look at those qualities as listed below and examine ourselves:

 “5 Unfailing Godly Qualities of David”

1st Quality : A Pricking heart

>> I Samuel 24:5 And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. David's heart smote him because he had cut off Saul's skirt when he was sleeping. David had all the opportunity to finish him because Saul was after his life. And since he was after David’s life, David had all the reasons and justifications to kill him. However, he only cut off Saul’s skirt as a warning to Saul. Even this little act towards his adversary caused his heart to get pricked.

>> Ps. 51:10,11 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. This is David's prayer to God where we see David in the experience of a broken and contrite heart. He pleads to God to restore a right spirit within him and never to take away the Holy Spirit from him. Do we as Christians have a pricking heart and a conscious? Let’s examine ourselves.

2nd Quality : Acceptance of committing sin

>> II Samuel 12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

We see in this context that Nathan the prophet of God comes to David and reveals him about the abominable sins he has committed in the presence of God. But when David was told that he himself was the sinner being talked about, he did not give away to excuses or reasons but he accepted them and took up the responsibility. David did not point to another person or try to serve any justifications or reasoning but readily accepted that he did wrong indeed. When we take a look deeper into the Old Testament as in the case of Adam the first man, we see how he pointed to Eve for the sin he committed.

As a Christian, let’s examine our life if we are accepting our mistakes, our sins in the presence of God, and please for forgiveness in the presence of God.

   3rd Quality : Seeking consultations from God

>> II Sam 2:1 And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron. David always kept talking to God and sought consultations and advises from God, from time to time across all the stages of his life until the day he breathed last.

We are not indeed in David’s time. In this 21st century, we may be into our jobs or into our business, we may be preachers or writers or bloggers or musicians. No matter what we are, who we are; do we have a close fellowship and a personal relationship with Jesus? Do we talk to him more often for advice for the kind of decisions we take in life, to discern God’s will. Do we really care about or consider God’s will when we take our decisions in our personal life individually or collectively as a family/ friends? Let us ponder. 

  4th Quality : Compassion for the enemy

>> II Sam 1:11, 12 >> 11 Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him: 12 And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.

David’s charisma as warrior, as a mighty man of war was never in correlation or competent with the kind of weaker person we see in this part of The Word. He mourned and wept NOT for his own but for his enemies. He rent his own clothes because his enemies had fallen by sword. What a magnanimous heart David had. How compassionate indeed. >>Mathews 5:44 

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Here is the scenario in the New Testament too while we have our comforter (the Holy Spirit) abiding with us. From the excerpts of Jesus’ “sermon on the mount”, we learn that we should, no matter what, love our enemies and pray for them. This verse also happens to be one of the Christ’s doctrines that Mr.Gandhi picked up from what he experienced from the lifestyle and teachings of Christ.

Many times in our life, adverse situations and our adversaries rise against us. People around us, our own create unfavourable circumstances and play cruel games with us. And ultimately when they are down, when they are wiped out, what do we do? Do we celebrate? Oh Yes we do isn’t it? However we must understand that that’s not God’s heart. May God give each one of the grace to have mercy and compassion even upon our adversaries. 

  5th Quality : A Merciful Heart

>> II Sam 9:5 1 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake? 3…… Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. 4 And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar. 5 Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.6 Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! 7 And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.

David was flawlessly mercy towards his very enemy’s son. The above passage from the Book of II Samuel shows David’s unfailing kindness towards Mephibosheth. David is truly an impeccable character from The Word which reflects how each one of us should be seen in the presence of God. Let us pray and commit ourselves into the hands of God for His divine will. May all of us, I pray, possess these unfailing qualities so the Holy Spirit may dwell with us, in us..always. Let us not grieve the Holy Spirit.