The Idol of Comfort
Is the desire to stay safe and comfortable keeping you from doing what God has asked you to do? In this episode, discover why following Jesus requires stepping out of the safe harbor and how leaving your comfort zone leads to a deeply fruitful life.
Is the desire to stay safe and comfortable keeping you from doing what God has asked you to do? In this episode, discover why following Jesus requires stepping out of the safe harbor and how leaving your comfort zone leads to a deeply fruitful life.
Have you ever sensed God calling you to do something, but backed away simply because it felt too risky, awkward, or inconvenient?
We live in a culture entirely structured around protecting our ease, and if we aren’t careful, we import that same mindset into our faith. We begin evaluating God's will based on what feels safe, and as a result, we avoid the hard conversations, resist the stretching callings, and quietly settle for spiritual mediocrity. We don't actively rebel against God; we just hit the snooze button on obedience because following through would cost us our comfort. We fall prey to the idol of comfort.
In this episode, we explore the inspiring story of Katie Davis, a teenager who had the ultimate comfortable American dream handed to her on a silver platter. She was homecoming queen, class president, and headed to college with a predictable and safe future. Yet, she felt a powerful pull to walk away from it all and move to Uganda to teach kindergarten at an orphanage. Though terrified by the uncertainty, her choice to abandon her comfortable life led to a massive ministry that has reshaped thousands of lives.
Through her story and the challenging words of Luke 9:23, we're reminded that while comfort isn't inherently evil, protecting it above all else makes it an idol. Jesus never promised a comfortable life, but He did promise His sustaining presence when we take up our cross.
BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:
- Why making your personal comfort your ultimate goal quietly chokes out your spiritual growth
- What it actually means when Jesus tells us to "give up our own way" and "take up our cross"
- The courage to take one specific, uncomfortable step of obedience this week
The most fruitful seasons of your life usually begin on the exact other side of a step you're currently afraid to take.
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"A high school senior has her entire life perfectly
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mapped out. She's the homecoming queen and class president in a
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wealthy suburb of Nashville. She drives a sports car, has a
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loving family, and has a stack of college acceptance letters
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waiting on her desk. Katie Davis had the classic picture of
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American success and comfort handed to her on a silver
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platter, or so it seemed. Her life was guaranteed to be safe
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and predictable, and most likely highly comfortable, but God had
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placed a calling on her heart that made absolutely no sense to
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the world around her. Instead of heading off to a comfortable
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college campus, she felt a powerful pull to move Uganda to
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teach kindergarten at an orphanage, walking away from a
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guaranteed comfortable future terrified her. Why would a
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teenager who has everything, anyone could ever want,
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willingly abandon the of the American Dream, for a life of
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complete uncertainty and extreme discomfort?
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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger. I
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have an unusual question: Do you worship idols? And you probably
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would tell me "Well of course not!" But there is a subtle idol
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that quietly creeps into so many of our spiritual lives. Today.
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I'm talking about what happens when avoiding discomfort becomes
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an obstacle to obedience. Listen to the demanding expectation
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Jesus lays out in Luke 9: 23. Then he said to the crowd: "If
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any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your
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own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me." Those
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words fly directly in the face of our modern culture. We live
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in a society obsessed with comfort. We buy mattresses for
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perfect sleep, adjust our thermostats from our phones so
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we never have to get too hot or too cold without ever having to
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get out of our recliner. We order groceries to our door so
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we don't have to walk the aisles. Okay, I'll admit, we do that one.
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That comfort in isn't a sin. But the danger comes when we take
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that same expectation of ease and apply it to our walk with
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God. If we aren't careful, avoiding discomfort becomes our
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ultimate goal. We start evaluating God's will through
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the lens of what feels safe. We think "God wouldn't ask me to do
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that. It's too risky" or "It's too awkward. It requires too
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much sacrifice."
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We don't speak up about our faith because it might make
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things weird at the office.
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We refuse to serve in an area that stretches our abilities
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because we're afraid of failing. But look at what Jesus said:
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"Give up your own way. Take up your cross daily." A cross is
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not a symbol of convenience. It's the ultimate picture of
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discomfort and and surrender. When comfort becomes your idol,
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obedience becomes optional. You end up settling for spiritual
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mediocrity not out of active rebellion, but out of a simple
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desire to just stay safe. I'm here to tell you, following
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Jesus will cost you your comfort. But what you gain in exchange is
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His presence and the deeply fulfilling adventure of a life
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fully surrendered. This brings me back to Katie. She decided
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that following Jesus was more important than staying
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comfortable. What was supposed to be a short-term trip turned
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into a lifetime commitment. She completely let go of her
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predictable life and adopted 13 young girls who had been
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orphaned or abandoned. And she ultimately founded a ministry
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that now feeds and educates thousands of children. Katie
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admits she was terrified to step away from safety. But she
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realized that true discipleship often requires leaving the safe
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harbor. Comfort's not inherently wrong, but when avoiding
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discomfort becomes your ultimate goal, it turns into an idol.
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Jesus never promised us a stable life. As a matter of fact, He
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warned that there will be difficulties if we follow Him.
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But Jesus did promise His presence and the most fruitful
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seasons of our lives usually begin on the other side of a
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step we were afraid to take. What is God asking you to do
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right now that you've been resisting simply because it
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makes you uncomfortable? To identify one specific area where
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the idol of comfort is holding you back. Maybe it's apologizing
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to a family member. Maybe it's getting up 30 minutes earlier to
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spend time in scripture. Maybe it's taking a bold step to serve
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somewhere new. Make a deliberate choice today to step out of your
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comfort zone. Choose obedience over ease and trust God's
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presence will go with you. Lord, forgive us for making an idol
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out of our own comfort. We confess that we often choose the
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path of least resistance instead of the path of the cross. Give
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us the courage to give up our own way and help us to face the
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discomfort of obedience, knowing that you are with us every step
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of the way. In Jesus name, amen. If this episode challenged you
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today, would you share it with a friend who might also be
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wrestling with stepping out of their comfort zone? Just copy
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the link from the show notes and send it their way. Thanks for
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joining me on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, Jesus
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didn't promise us a comfortable life, but he did promise his
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presence when we step out in faith. Come back next time for
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more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's truth.
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Until then, God bless, and have a great day!
