Movement.  Action.  Forward momentum.

All are required for our walk of Faith – perhaps that is exactly why it is called a “Walk of Faith”.  In Luke 9:23 Jesus tells us:

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

He doesn’t tell us, “Whoever wants to be my disciple, get comfortable, lock your doors, and wait patiently for me.”  Seriously – how pathetic would that be?  There MUST be movement involved.  If you want to follow something that is moving, you yourself must move in that same direction in order to follow it.  Seems like a simple concept, right?

But too many times, we can get comfortable living our lives, that we forget this principle of action and momentum.  I don’t understand the reason for this, but yet we see it all too often.  Perhaps we are concerned that if we move, God won’t be there to catch us if we fall?  I don’t know.  But – what I know is what the Word shows us time and time again – if we want God to show Himself in our lives, it is going to require us to take a step outside of our comfort zone – just like Peter taking that first step out of the boat onto the water, we too must take that step.

Let’s take a look at John 5:

1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.4 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, He asked him, “Do you want to get well?”  7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

There are some interesting things we can take away from these verses.  First, lets note that this person has been in this state for 38 years – struggling with this affliction.  Jesus asks him the question that I think we assume the answer is of course yes – but then why did Jesus ask?  I would challenge you that this man had become “comfortable” in this state – he had succumbed to a place in his life that this was the best he would ever have – he chose to believe a lie.

He then answers Jesus with what I feel is an excuse – “no one was here to help me”.  But Jesus looks right past this excuse, does not entertain even answering it or sympathizing – but rather, commands action and at once the man was healed.

We all have our own excuses.  We all have our reasons why we are staying put – why we are not moving forward. We all have our reasons why we would rather stay walking in place because it is the “comfortable” place – it is what we know.  But – that is not an option if you are following Jesus.  He does not allow that.  He commands us to take up our cross and move – daily!

Question: What do you think are the most common excuses we as Christians use that prevent us from moving forward?