Comfort or Victory?

Beloved, I know what it is to leave behind comfort for victory. To leave behind the known to step into the unknown. To walk away from what I have done in my own strength, to walk in God’s strength. Today’s blog post is certainly a challenge, however, with a humble heart you will see it as a glorious opportunity and invitation. With that said, I now invite you into my HEART...

Many have been those who have abandoned what they have known to walk in the unknown with Jesus. Whether it be leaving family or careers, homes or communities. State or country. Why? They knew that what Jesus was calling them to was not comfort, but victory.

Many have been those who would not walk away from family, careers, homes, communities, state or country because it would upset the comfort they have meticulously built up for themselves. I have seen and known those who have been given the opportunity to know the heart of God on a level many dream of and yet because it would greatly decrease their wages, or cause them to lose a home, or walk away from family, they declined Jesus’ offer.

The sadness with the latter of these two groups of people, is that they will never know the intimacy that comes along with following Jesus. Jesus embodied the life lived in victory, and gave up all that was His comfort and glory in heaven to walk on earth as a man who was susceptible to everything a human being was susceptible to. From being invulnerable He became vulnerable. Jesus foreknew the troubles that laid ahead of Him, however, He made the choice to continue on, hardships and all, even unto death while having such knowledge of what awaited Him. The victory that awaited Him was the salvation of our souls! Jesus was also keen on letting others know what awaited Him, being sure not to paint a picture that wasn’t the truth, and He also was keen on presenting such an opportunity for others to follow Him into victory. Below we see such transparency from Jesus and a glorious opportunity and invitation:

Jesus speaks here: “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.” 

(Luke 9:22-26 NKJV)

The salvation of our souls’...For this reason, Jesus accomplish the work that was set before Him and was given the name above all names, both in heaven, on earth and under the earth, and now He sits at the right hand of God— a position of honor, authority and royalty that stands forever. Amen.

Jesus calls us not to a place He doesn’t know, but to a place He is the origin of. Jesus is calling all who will answer the call, out of comfort and into VICTORY!

Maybe you have been given the opportunity to go somewhere and be a part of something so grand; truly a desire of your heart and innermost being, yet it requires you to not only uproot yourself from comfort but also to walk away and abandon wages you have grown accustom to. 

If this is you, I encourage you to follow Jesus. Though it won’t be easy and you will experience hardships of many kinds, the victory and untold riches of a purpose fulfilled life that awaits you and the crown of victory, that you will receive from Jesus Himself in heaven, will more than accommodate the life you left behind. GUARANTEED!