 I'm excited, you know, this morning I've been praying and I've been hearing the Lord just speak to my heart about discomfort. And I wanna talk to all the live viewers today about how God can use you in uncomfortable situations. How God can use your discomfort to bring about a miracle. How somebody can encounter God through you being uncomfortable. I know this is crazy, but, you know, comfort's on Christianity, it's more about us than it is about Jesus. And I wanna touch on this subject this morning. You know, I've learned in my walk with God that becoming more like Jesus always requires discomfort. And I'm always telling people, especially young people, that we never grow when we're comfortable. We grow when we're uncomfortable. Are you with me? I heard a man of God say we are called to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. You know, God calls us to comfort others, but this is the problem. We would rather comfort ourselves. Anybody hear me this morning? You know, friend, comfort isn't necessarily bad, but our ultimate comfort should not be dependent upon things or circumstances, but rather upon God. He isn't concerned with our comfort as much as he is our obedience. And you know, it's crazy, we even have comfort foods. And God today, I believe 2021, He's stretching us out of the place of comfort into the place of discomfort so that He can use us. And when we feel uncomfortable, that's how God can get the glory because we know we didn't do it on our own. Amen, anybody with me? And you know, while being active in ministry, I've been traveling for the past five, six years and I've come to realize that discomfort actually has a potential to help us grow closer to God and to depend on Him. And it allows Himself to honestly show Himself strong on our behalf. You know, we all go through different things in life. We all go through uncomfortable situations. But when we look to Jesus in the midst of those uncomfortable situations, He can get the glory out of that. That's when we can lean on Him. That's why Proverbs chapter three verse five through six says, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean now on your own understanding in all of your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path. Anybody want their path to be directed, especially this year. So God's, He's stretching us. And I believe today, this is a word for even myself. He's stretching us out of the place of comfort so that other people can come to know Him through us. See, when people meet you, they should meet Him. When you interact with people, they should see Jesus reflected in your eyes. When you're out on the streets, when you're out in the grocery stores, when you're going on, you know, about your day at work, at the gas station, people should confuse you and I with Jesus. Your life on this earth is a demonstration of God and we've got to let Him manifest through us, amen. You know, God has a way in the back, I was worshiping, I just felt God speak to me that He's trying to reveal to us that He's, even this year, I mean, 2020 was a wild year full of chaos. I mean, 2021 is already starting off with a bunch of chaos as well, but He's stretching us in uncomfortable ways and we need to look to Him. I don't know about you, but 2020 really showed us who really has a strong relationship with the Lord, who's really in their word. You know, these churches are closed down all over the world really and now we cannot depend upon man any longer, but we've got to get into the word ourselves. We've got to get into prayer ourselves so we can actually get to know God and getting closer to Him always requires discomfort. Somebody say discomfort. So He has a way of testing us, stretching us and shaping us in uncomfortable ways, ways we would never choose for ourselves. And if we look at the word of God, Jesus often led His disciples out of their comfort zone and into uncomfortable, even dangerous situations. For example, I want to look at Matthew chapter 14. You know, one night Jesus sent Peter and the other disciples ahead of Him in a small boat knowing that a raging storm was on its way. And friend, during that frightening storm, Jesus came to them like a ghost, walking on the dark water in the middle of the sea. He was unmoved by the wind and the waves and to prove He was Jesus, He instructed Peter to get out of the boat and to walk toward Him. Now this was an ultimate out of the comfort zone moment because Peter's obedience and his quick faith allowed him to walk on water, but fear is what almost drowned him when he took his focus off of Jesus. Anybody want to be used beyond their comfort zone, but you know, fear is what holds you back. You know, being too timid, feeling unqualified, feeling uneducated, all these things is what holds you back. Well, I've came to let you know this morning that God wants you to not be afraid of what can go wrong. He wants you to get excited about what can go right. Come on, somebody. He wants you just to move in faith that when you take a step forward, as you move, God moves with you. Come on, He's before you, He'll never leave you. Come on, He lives on the inside of you and He's as close as the mention of His name. So when you open up your mouth and you move beyond your boundaries, God will meet you right there. And as I was reading Matthew chapter 14, I realized that Jesus literally used discomfort to show His miraculous power that night. As we know in that passage of scripture, Jesus and Peter walked in the water and that Jesus rescued Peter and the other disciples by calming the storm and then the word of God says He accepted their worship. Friend, when we obey God's voice, take steps of faith outside of our comfort zone and we focus on Jesus. We keep our gaze upon Him. Miracles can happen. Anybody wanna see a miracle in their life. When we recognize Jesus as God, we can trust Him in any situation. He is our comforter. That's why it's all right to be uncomfortable because we got the Holy Ghost. Praise God. He comforts us when we're uncomfortable. And you know what I've also discovered in my walk with God, being in ministry, is that when God calls us out of our comfort zone, He's not calling us to be comfortable in a situation. He's calling us to be comfortable in Him in spite of the situation. Anybody hearing me today? He is the one who saved us. He is the one who's delivered us and He deserves our trust in our worship regardless of our circumstances. He's the way maker. He's the mountain mover. Come on. He's the one that sits high yet looks low. And if you're feeling uncomfortable, let me tell you something. God can reveal His power in that place. I'm telling you when you feel like you're not good enough, God can get the glory out of that because it's only Him that can use you. The one that feels like they're not good enough. That was me growing up in the church all my life. I'm a PK, I'm a pastor's kid. I told my parents, you'll never see me preach. But let me tell you something. When the Holy Ghost came upon me, I received this holy passion, this holy boldness, this holy courage to do what I said I couldn't do. And why was I able to do what I said I couldn't do? It's because when the Holy Spirit came upon me, He enabled me to do what I couldn't do on my own. And He enabled me to minister for the Lord beyond my natural capabilities. Come on, anybody in here online wanna minister for the Lord beyond their natural capabilities? You may feel uncomfortable, but when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you're able to move in discomfort and God can get the glory out of that. Are you with me? You know, throughout scripture, God calls ordinary people to do big things, things outside of their comfort zone. And what makes them extraordinary, what makes them our Bible heroes is simply that they obediently stepped out of their comfort zone in faith. They weren't great men and women, they simply did great things for God in obedience. For example, Moses was called to leave his job of shepherding sheep to confront Pharaoh and lead an entire nation of people to freedom. Joshua was commanded to lead the fearful Israelites into battle and into freedom so that they could take hold of the promised land. Nehemiah, for example, was called to leave his comfortable job in a palace and become the leader who would help rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. We could look at the life of Didion. He was called to leave his job, a thrushing wheat and lead a small group of warriors to defeat the very people they'd been hiding from. We could look at the life of Esther. She was challenged to approach the king, though it was against the law to do so without being invited. It really in the hope that it would save her people from annihilation. Are you with me? Mary was called to become a teenage mother before she even became a wife and not just any mother, the mother of the long-awaited savior. We could look at the life of Jesus. He was called to die in excruciating death on a cross so that you and I could be saved. You and I could be transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of lie. The uneducated disciples, they were called to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations despite harsh persecution. And let me tell you something, all of these people in the Bible, including our savior, the Messiah was used in uncomfortable ways and God got the glory out of it. You might be watching today or in this place saying, Matt, I feel like I cannot be used by God. I feel like I just been too broken. I've been in a place where God doesn't love me. Friend, there could be a thousand steps between you and God. And his love is so great for you that he would take 999 of those steps and leave the last one for you. And that last step is called repentance. Know today that God can use you in discomfort. Are you hearing me? No, Paul was called to preach to the very people he had been persecuting as well as to those who had been doing the persecuting along with him. And what I find encouraging is that some of the people in the Bible made excuses to, they felt inadequate. They felt timid, too young or too unqualified. But this is the truth, friend. They were obedient anyway. Anybody wanna be obedient in the midst of their struggles. And see, this is the thing about Jesus. He loves you so much that he sees your sin. He sees your struggle more clearly than anyone. Yet he loves you more than anyone. That revelation right there ought to get you to rise up, put your shoulders back and say, I'm gonna move without hesitation because God's love is so great, so big. He could look at a million people yet I'm the only one he sees. Yet you're the only one he sees. Come on, somebody, this is a right now word for you. You might be feeling like you're past because if you're past, you're unqualified. And God is saying today that I recruit from the pit and not the pedestal. I use the people who are broken. The people who say they're not good enough. The people who say I can't do it. I'm too uncomfortable, too timid. He says that's exactly who I wanna use. And if that's you today, I've got good news for you. God's got plans to prosper you and not to harm you. He's got plans to give you a hope and a future. And if you would just say yes to him, if you would just surrender, I'm telling you God can do great things with your life. Hallelujah. Now Moses who fell unqualified to speak to Pharaoh because of his speech will be the one to confidently lead God's people and to tell Josh what to be strong and courageous for you must go with this people into the land. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. That's what God is saying to us today. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged, son, daughter. I can use you in the midst of discomfort. Mary, again who was a little unsure about the logistics of getting pregnant before being married and timid about all the responsibility that would come with raising the Messiah. She still said these words. I am the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled. Come on somebody. The night before Jesus' death and great sorrow he told God, Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done. Anybody feel uncomfortable in this season, but you're gonna look to God and say, God, let your will be done. I know I feel like I'm not good enough, but let your will be done in my life. And the night before his death, I'm telling you he said those words and maybe this is the day before you really are at the end of the rope. And God just saying, if you were to open your mouth, I will feel you. In your weakness, I am strong. When you feel like you're not good enough, that's when I step in and I display my power. I display my love. I display my grace like never before. I feel a yes to my spirit this morning. I feel a fire in me to let somebody know you've made it this far and God did not bring you this far just to leave you. He's not done with your life yet. He's got plans. I'm telling you that no ear has heard, no eye has seen, no mind has imagined, hasn't even entered the heart of man. What God has prepared for those who love Him. The Word of God says this scripture just came in my spirit right now. All things work together for the good of them who love God to those called according to his purpose. Paul who experienced unimaginable hardships while preaching to and planning churches said these words, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God. Friend, it is really up to us. We've got to make a decision to put our faith into action. The Bible says that faith without works is dead. So what does that mean? You can either choose to be courageous or you can choose to be comfortable. You can choose to be obedient or continue to live in fear. Anybody hear me right now? See, there is always an action component to the call of God. What are you saying, Matt? See, rarely can we stay where we are, do what we've always been doing and fulfill the call of God upon our lives. We've got to go. Two thirds of the gospel is go. Jesus said that the great commission, it's not a great suggestion, it's a command. He expects us to rise up. See, so many people in the church today that come in, they think, oh, I'm just gonna come in to get entertained when really they came in here to get equipped. We don't go to church as here, acute sermon. We go to church to get equipped so we can go out there and see God manifest himself through us. Hallelujah. He's raising up some warriors this year. I believe it, some sons and daughters who are full of the Holy Ghost in power, full of grace, full of his love, they're gonna walk and be moved with compassion and say, God, no matter what I'm feeling, no matter what I'm going through, I'm gonna move beyond my boundaries because my comfort can kill somebody else's encounter. Matt, I just want to act courageously. I just, I want courage. Well, I'm here to let you know that if you act courageously, you'll get more courage. God is with you, but he'll only strengthen you when you take steps forward. You are a leader and friend. I came here to let you know this morning that leadership is strengthened by acts of obedience. It's a verb, not a position, which means you cannot stay in the same place. People say, well, Matt, I want God to guide my footsteps. Well, this is your problem. You're not willing to move your feet. How can I get there one foot in front of the other? Just keep moving and as you move, God will move with you. I came here to let you know today that he cannot steer a parked car. The wind will only blow when you put up the sail. See, people want to have certainty before they act, but listen, friend, I've learned that it is the action itself that creates the certainty. What are you saying? It is the courage to move and to change one's thinking and one's circumstances that creates the certainty. What are you saying? This is the confirmation. People don't want to have doubt before they act, but it is the action itself that relieves you from the doubt. The moment that you move forward, you'll start to receive breakthrough and you'll start to see how God can use you even in discomfort. It's time to become doers of the word, not just hears. Somebody shout, I'm more than a hear. 2021, I'm gonna be more than a hear. I'm gonna be a doer of the word. We need to allow the Holy Spirit of God to move upon us and within us and give us strength and energy and desire to be ambassadors and witnesses for Christ. You know, I'm just, I'm so tired of just allowing God, you know, in my life growing up in the church, all I did was allow God to sit through my compromise, sit through my complacency, sit through my apathy and how many know, again, you cannot grow inside of your comfort zone. God wants to move you out of that place because it's out of that place where you can actually do all he's called you to do. It's out of that place where you can receive words of knowledge about somebody. It's out of that comfort zone where you can actually see the power of God, the fire of God manifest through you. And friend, let me tell you something. When you move without hesitation, somebody else's life is blessed by that. Come on, I came here to provoke somebody to action today. He's calling us out of the place of apathy, out of the place of compromise and into a place in a life of surrender. If you want a ministry of power, you have to live a life of surrender. We've got to be obedient to the Lord. You know, Simon Peter illustrates what can happen when we say yes to God. In Luke chapter five, one day a large crowd pressed around Jesus while he preached and the Lord wanted to use Peter's bow as a floating platform so he could address the multitude. So what he did was he asked the future apostle to push the bow out a little from the shore. And Peter's obedience to Jesus' request, it paved a way for a life-changing blessing. The noisy crowd received the first blessing of Peter's obedience. The people could now clearly hear Jesus' words. And the Lord said that Peter put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch. And Peter had a second opportunity to say yes or no. And today you might be having an opportunity in front of you and God's waiting for you just to say yes so he could use you and other people can be blessed by your obedience. Peter was a seasoned fisherman. This passage of scripture says that he worked the entire night for a catch but he had returned empty-handed. And now this young teacher comes, a carpenter by the way, not a fisherman, was asking him to go fishing again. And here's how he responded. Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets. Maybe you're watching this or in here today and you're feeling like I've tried and tried and tried. But God's saying if you would just obey me, if you'll just do what I'm asking you to do, you'll see a life-changing blessing. You'll see a miracle. Anybody hearing me today, I wanna end with this passage of scripture here and what happened with the obedience of Peter. Notice what happened as a result of his obedience. Jesus demonstrated his power and his sovereignty. Peter and his friends ended the day in complete amazement because they pulled in not one but the Bible says two boatloads overflowing with fish. And I've learned in my walk with God that saying yes to Jesus, saying yes to the Lord's request results in a miracle that can transform your life. When Peter said yes to the Lord's request, it literally transformed not only one fisherman's life, but the lives of the entire group. What do you say, Matt? Our obedience is critical to an effective Christian life. When you're obedient, you then move outside of your comfort zone and obeying God in small matters is truly an essential step for receiving God's greatest blessings. Anybody hearing me today? See, if Peter had said anything other than yes, he would have missed the greatest fishing experience of his life. The greatest fishing experience of his life, but because of his obedience, the Lord arranged a miracle that he would never forget. If you're watching today, I wanna tell you that God's greatest blessings come as a result of our willingness to do something that appears very insignificant. And I've discovered in my walk with God that our obedience always benefits others. I wanna end with a short testimony. I remember in the end of 2019, my cousin, he was helping me create this merch site so we can have all our apparel on there and where people can get it that can't come into the services that we preach, that we host. So he was setting up this site and I remember taking out my wallet and I was gonna give him a few hundred dollars. And I heard the Lord tell me to give him 500. And come on, that's a stretch for somebody. And as I was taking him home in the car, I pulled up to the ATM and I had this joy just fill my heart. And I heard the Lord speak these words to me. He said, son, do you not trust me? I took out that $500 out of the ATM, $500 crispy bills, folded it, put it in his hand. He was half asleep. And I didn't realize what I gave him to the next day. I get a call when he woke up that next day and he says, Matt, he was almost crying. He said, this is the exact amount I needed to pay a bill. And I didn't know how I was gonna pay it. See, my obedience benefited somebody else. And because I was obedient a few days later, this couple from my church invites me over as a New Year's. It was like two days before New Year's Eve. They invite me over to their house, I'm sorry. And I came, I fellowship with them. They fed me, we were laughing, we were talking. And they looked at me before I left. They said, Matt, the Lord spoke to us to sow into two ministries this year. And you're one of them. They took out their checkbook, wrote me out a check for $1,000. Two days after I just had sowed $500, friend, our obedience benefits others. And because of our obedience, God can arrange a miracle that can bless our life. Are you hearing me? Anybody wanna truly be obedient? Think of how many people were blessed by Peter's obedience. Not only could the crowd see the Lord and hear his lesson, but Jesus himself also benefited. Preaching from the boat, enable them to sit down in comfort while he spoke. Peter's boat literally became the Savior's platform. It became the Savior's stage. And God is asking you to do something today that might seem insignificant. But if you would just respond with a yes, I promise you, you'll see a miracle. Amen. Hallelujah. We're gonna pray with you in just a few moments, but I just, I wanna encourage somebody today, no matter what you're going through. Look to God. Look to God. Keep your gaze upon the Father. And as you keep your eyes on him, I'm telling you, oh, I'm telling you, you're gonna receive peace like never before. I remember about a year and a half ago, I was preaching to Yakima, I had to stop in Seattle and my flight got canceled. So I had to spend the night in downtown Seattle and super late and I just got off this fast. I was so tired and I ordered an Uber to go take me to the hotel and the man driving me was a Hindu man. And I remember just looking at him and sharing the love of God and talking about how Jesus is the only one who could satisfy our soul. And I'm just sharing this message of the kingdom and he looks back to where I was sitting in the back, and he says, how can I know this man, Jesus? And I said, man, let me tell you, and he pulled over and I began to minister the heart of God to him. And he looked at me and he took out his hands and he gave his whole life over to God in that moment. I was tired, I was hungry, I ordered an Uber, I could have took a nap in the car, woke up when we pulled up to the hotel. But instead I moved beyond my boundaries and because of my obedience, this Hindu man benefited from it and a soul was saved. Anybody hearing me right now? He understood that there's many paths you could take but only one leads to eternal life. See friend, Jesus is not one of many ways to approach God nor is he the best of several ways. He is the only way. Are you hearing me right now? Salvation is found in no one else where there was no other name. Acts 412 says, under heaven, given among man by which we must be saved. Friend, I'm telling you today, a lot of men wanted to become God but only one God became man. Jesus is the only one who could use you in uncomfortable situations, I'm through. So God's call to obedience always demands a response and my question to you today is how much of you does a Holy Spirit possess and control? Are you willing? Are you ready to go beyond that place of comfort and do a lifestyle of displaying your relationship with God? He rewards others as a result of our obedience and I'm telling you, people are waiting on what God's called you to do. See, when a father obeys the Lord, his entire family reaps the reward of God's blessing. Likewise, a child's obedience will bless his or her parents. See, when we obey God, we will never be disappointed and I'm sure that Peter assumed that Jesus' fishing instructions would just be a waste of time but when he complied with the Lord's request, a simple request, Jesus brought about a miracle that gripped the disciples with amazement and I'm telling you, friend, God wants to grip you with amazement when you just say yes to him. Come on, raise your hand in this placer. On Zoom, on YouTube, on live, on Facebook, wherever you're watching from, just lift up your hands right now and say, God, I say yes to you. God, I say yes to you. I wanna be obedient, Lord. I'm done. I'm done just being complacent and being apathetic. God, I wanna move beyond the place of comfort and to the place of surrender because I know what you've placed in me. People are waiting on. Amen. Your obedience prepares you for tomorrow. And tomorrow's obedience prepares you for the next day and for the years to come and I wanna ask you this. What are you doing right today? That's right for tomorrow. What are you doing right now today that is right for tomorrow? Ask yourself that question. The fish weren't available the night before but the next day in the heat of the morning, they were right where God wanted them to be. Say yes to him today. Amen, somebody give God praise right where you're watching from right now. Give him praise. Give him praise right now. Come on, lift up those hands. Say, Lord, I surrender. It's simple. I surrender. Break the chains of timidity off my life. Break the chains of inadequacy off my life. I wanna pray with you right now. Come on, I feel some of you in the spirit right now just yearning and longing for God to use you but you've been held back by just guilt and condemnation and God saying, son, daughter, know that it's the Holy Spirit that produces Christ's likeness in you and if you would just lean on him and look to him, he'll give you peace. He'll give you joy. He'll break those chains off your life. Come on, Father, I just thank you right now for every live you are watching live and on the replay. Father, I pray that you would just release a hunger in their hearts, God, to go beyond their boundaries. I pray now in the name of Jesus that you would ignite a holy fire in their heart for souls, God. I thank you, Holy Spirit, that what we love about the ministry of you is that you arrange the meeting between a sinner and a soul winner. God, I pray that you would give the soul winner just courage and boldness and passion. God infuse within them confidence to go beyond their boundaries. In the name of Jesus, we thank you, Lord.