Your Comfort Zone Is Destroying You!

What exactly is a comfort zone? Well, for the sake of this teaching, a comfort zone is a mental state of ease and contentment, where one ignores all warnings and signs of danger and becomes totally relaxed or lackadaisical in that particular state of mental comfort. Even though they’re acutely aware that it’s costing them physically, spiritually, financially, mentally, and most importantly, emotionally.

I am always challenged when I see folks that can do so much better, settling for people, places, conditions, and environments that are apparently depleting them of their purposes, dreams, and aspiration. However, in studying this topic, it was a necessity for me to ask myself, how does one achieve this mental state?  Better yet, how does one persuade or influence themselves that even though it’s causing them discomfort, they’re still willing and able to co-operate with its conditions?

In my search for the answers to this perplexing question, I came across a passage of scripture that basically opened my understanding to a greater reality.

King Solomon, in his book of proverbs, made a resounding observation concerning this matter, and here is what he said:

“I went to the field of the slothful and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw and considered it well: I looked upon it and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth and thy want as armed man” Proverbs 24:30-34?

In King Solomon’s opening sentence, he isolates two contributing factors that start this comfort zone process. These factors are: being slothful and being void of understanding. The word slothful is defined as being reluctant to make an effort, sluggish or inactive. On the other hand, being void of understanding suggests that one lacks the ability to grasp the importance or significance of anything.

I found to be so profound about Solomon’s observation that the category of people frequently affected by this destructive comfort zone are people of means, meaning they have the ability and recourses to do better. As evidence of this, he said, he went by the FIELD of the slothful and VINYARD of the man void of understanding, which indicates that these folks have at least above average.

Solomon further suggests that this mindset or the narrow way of thinking eventually produces an adverse side effect in every area of these person’s lives, through loss, depression, frustration, fatigue, and ultimately a complete deterioration of all things concerning them. 

Due to their slothfulness and being void of understanding, Solomon said, their resources have been neglected (such as their education monies and basic common sense.). However, more importantly, their walls have been broken down. Walls broken down speaks of these folks letting down their defenses and ability to fight for themselves. Therefore, their lives become a platform for others to traffic in and out and to take advantage of them with their full co-operation and absolutely no resistance on their end.

One must be provoked to wonder, why would a woman remain with a man that hits her? Why would that husband allow his wife to speak so disrespectfully to him privately or publicly? Why would someone with such an education settle for a below-standard job? Why, for the love of God, are you settling in that relationship (romantic, business, platonic, etc.) that is going absolutely nowhere?

Well, the answer is quite simple, you’ve found a comfort zone in your mind. In fact, a stronghold that even though it’s destroying you somehow, you’ve convinced yourself that it’s ok to be this way, and by being this way, it requires little to no effort on your end to resist anything or anyone, thus providing your destructive comfort zone. Wow, how sad!

Psychologists and psychiatrists have unanimously agreed that denial is the first sign of any problem. Denying any problem does not make the problem go away or repair itself. Solomon also agreed with this when he said, “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth and thy want as an armed man?”

Meaning a little sleeping, slumbering, and folding the hands to sleep (ignoring the problem) will eventually leave you in a position of lack or poverty. Poverty is defined as the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support and being without adequate resources.

So, as you have read, this destructive comfort zone did not happen overnight. In fact, it took time, patience, tolerance, and the assistance of oneself and probably others to produce this well-crafted evil that is working towards your demise.

Solomon made it clear; he saw and considered it well and received instructions from his observation. He’s hinting here that you can use his analysis as a reference point to how not to become a victim of this vicious behavior.

Please! For those of you that this read is relevant to, awake out of your sleep, shake yourself from that slumber and ask God to break indefinitely that destructive comfort zone that has held you hostage for so many years. Let me just for a few seconds remind you of what God has said to you, God said, “ for he has made you a little lower than the angels, and that he’s crowned you with glory and honor. He has made you have dominion over the works of his hands and has placed all things under your feet” (Psalms 8:5-6).

Yes! He’s speaking to you. You are not a failure, you are not a loser, you are not dumb, neither are you stupid. On the contrary, you have been blessed by God to multiply, be fruitful, and replenish, subdue and dominate (Genesis 1:28). The lack of this knowledge of yourself has entangled you in a web of lies by Satan and his human agents to keep you ignorant of who you really are.

MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED FOR THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE BECAUSE YOU HAVE REJECTED KNOWLEDGE. I WILL ALSO REJECT YOU. (Hosea 4:6).

Heavenly Father, it is my prayer that your word becomes an ax to the root of every destructive comfort zone of your people. I pray, Father, that as your word hew away at this destructive mindset, you would replace it with the knowledge of who they are and what you’ve called them to be. I come in complete agreement with all that desires a release from this spiritual cage, and I speak the life of God, which is the word of God, to every area of their lives that has been affected by this destructive comfort zone in the mighty, glorious, and matchless name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Written by: Kevin L A Ewing

kevinewing@coralwave.com
kevinlaewing.blogspot.com