by Brandy Webb

I think all major inventions and successes have been from people who thought outside the box. They ventured to go “where no other man has gone before” (sorry, had to put that in there). But all clichés aside, in order to achieve a goal we will eventually have to step out of our comfort zones.

Look at our biblical examples. Noah built an ark in a time where rain did not even exist yet. Abraham left his homeland to wander in the wilderness because God told him to. Moses had a speech impediment, and he ended up leading 600,000 men out of Egypt.

We cannot let our comfort zones box us in and trap us. We have to listen to what God is doing in our lives, to focus on it, and if it requires us to go out on a limb, then we must trust that the limb will not break and go out there.

Look before you leap

I do feel that it is okay to “look” before you leap. I know that I have never had a Noah, Abraham, or Moses experience where the Father told me exactly what I needed to do.Therefore, we pray and maybe fast before we leap out of our comfort zones. This is to help us discern whether we are listening to His small voice and not our own selfish inner voice. 

It is also smart to probably do some research, but do not over-research. The Messiah does teach us in Luke 14:28-30, “For who of you desiring to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has the things to finish; that having laid a foundation, and not having strength to finish, all those seeing begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and did not have strength to finish” (LITV).

Therefore, we do need to learn the basics of what we are planning to do especially if there are legal matters and hurtles we may have to face. But, there is much research out there, and after a while if we research too much it may stop us from ever leaping.

We must use wisdom when researching, for like Solomon states in Ecclesiastes 12: 12,“And more than these, my son, be warned: The making of many books has no end, and much study is the weariness of the flesh” (LITV).

There is an endless supply of information out there especially with the internet and all the self-proclaimed “experts” in the world. Getting a basic idea of what we are planning to do when we step out of the box is wise, but it is not wise to try to figure it all out before we leap. We must trust, pray, and believe.