Easter Devotion Two: Cock-a-Doodle-Doo

Photo Courtesy of aljabak

Have you ever been asked by God to step out of your comfort zone and do something for Him?

Maybe He wants you to forgive your arch nemesis and give her a call. Every vein in your body pops to the surface whenever you think of it. So you hold your anger and avoid the phone call.

Maybe He wants you to volunteer at the homeless shelter twice a week, but your favorite shows are on those nights. So you neglect His call and sit in front of your television, enjoying the luxuries of life others cannot afford.

Maybe He wants you to forgo that morning cup of coffee for a year so you can save for a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. Rather than filling the land with paper cups, you'll be filling a church with new converts next year...

Peter can relate. In John 13:27, Peter wants to follow Jesus with all of his heart. "Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake."

Jesus knows Peter too well. "Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly I say to you, the rooster shall not crow til you have denied Me three times." (John 13:28)

Oftentimes, we tell God we want to serve Him. We tell Jesus we desire to follow hard after Him. We cry out, "I'm bored. Give me something meaningful to do with my life."

Yet, the minute God calls us out of our comfort zone, we deny Him. Usually more than once. Our excuses are petty. "I'm too busy." "My family needs me." "I don't have enough money." "I don't have the time." "I don't really want to do that." "Someone else will do it."

A few years ago, I sat in my kitchen, the early morning darkness broken only by the light over the sink, cup of coffee in hand, Word of God open on the table. I'd been praying over the same thing multiple weeks in a row. I couldn't shake the task God had placed on my heart. But, I didn't want to accept I had to do it, either. I wished the cup could pass from me. I wished someone else would say the words He'd called me to say. "Lord, let someone else be this trumpet."

When I couldn't get past the urgency in my heart, I broke down and cried over it. I pleaded with God to give me just the right words. Just the right strategy to broach the subject. Just the right tone to let the recipient know it came from a deep place within me that only the Holy Spirit could go.

I knew God wanted me to be His mouthpiece and tell someone I love dearly that their lifestyle choice went against His design for man, His word and His will. Not an easy or comfortable task, I promise you.

So I wrote. I wrote my heart out on paper. I knew it lined up with God's heart for him. I knew it lined up with God's word, because that's basically what I said. This is God, not me. This is His word, not mine. I love you. I care for you. I want to see you set free in the Truth. Please know you mean the world to me.

I found myself unfriended on Facebook the following day. But I felt it with all my being that God smiled on me for standing on His truth. And I am okay with that.

I still pray for that friend who is like a brother to me. I still pray that God will use that seed I planted in faith to grow into a relationship with Jesus. I still love that friend, BUT I LOVE GOD MORE.

And I have that peace that passes all understanding knowing that I did what God asked me to do. Even though I denied Him more than three times first.

"Then he began to curse and swear, saying, 'I do not know the Man!' Immediately, a rooster crowed.
 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, 'Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.' So he went out and wept bitterly."
 - Matthew 26:74-75

What will you do when God asks you to step out of your comfort zone. Will you deny Him the opportunity to bless you? Or will you step out in faith that He has it all under control?

Lord, help us today to trust You and to have faith that You know what needs to be done for Your kingdom here on earth. Please help us to step out of our comfort zones, denying our selfish will and stepping into Your plan and purpose for our lives. Let us not be like Peter, who wept and cried after denying You. Let us be like Jesus, who proclaimed, "Not My will, but Yours be done."