Having played racquetball 3-4 mornings a week for several years, I learned a lot from playing this fast-paced competitive game. If you play the front, you will get hit with the ball. Getting hit hurts and it will leave a mark! If you don’t take a risk and “play up,” you’ll play from the backcourt all the time. If you always play the same game you’ve ever played, your game will always be the same. That means you have to be willing to risk taking a hit and play a different game. You have to be ready to be stretched, to be willing to put some skin in the game. You need to get out the Christian comfort zone.

Philippians 1:20-21 — “as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

How To Be Stretched | The Christian Comfort Zone

Being stretched requires a willingness to take a risk; it means being willing to step out of your comfort zone. That is where we pull back; we like our comfort zone because it’s comfortable.

Our walk with Christ is so much like that; we find our place, and we find our zone. We land there, we get comfortable, and we settle in. From time to time, we may even find ourselves wondering why our walk with Jesus is stale. Do we dare say boring? We wonder why others have a story that is exciting, alive, and full of challenges which have been overcome. When we look at our story, all we have is history. Always looking back at history can be boring. (I never liked history much).

Once in a while, the Holy Spirit comes along and speaks to us in that small voice. We know He is prompting us to “step up” our game, BUT we are comfortable. We are satisfied with the feeling of safety, walking the walk we have always walked. We call it “being in the zone.” The unfortunate thing is “the zone” is our box that limits our effectiveness and keeps us playing the same game we have always played.

Somewhere down deep in each of us, there is this God-given desire to be a man who makes a difference. We can find ourselves wanting to pray a prayer like that of John Piper, “Lord let me make a difference for you disproportionate to who I am,” yet we know that is a risky prayer.

Going All-in For God | The Christian Comfort Zone

God is looking for men, husbands, and dads, who are willing to “step it up,” to move to the front of the court and play an aggressive game. It will not be without the risk of getting hit; it will be a stretch, but it is worth it when you go all out.

Mark Batterson wrote, “Jesus didn’t die to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous. Faithfulness is not holding the fort. It’s storming the gates of hell. The will of God is not an insurance plan. It’s a daring plan. The complete surrender of your life to the cause of Christ isn’t radical. It’s normal. It’s time to quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. It’s time to go all in and all out for the All in All!”

For more reading materials on the Christian comfort zone and escaping it, see below:

• The Mistake of Dividing Faith and Life
• Sharing Your Testimony
• Accepting the Challenge for Biblical Manhood