Step Out of Your Circle

​Have you ever heard or read a verse, and it just….stick with you? Like, you can’t seem to shake it? That’s what’s recently happened between me & Genesis 12:1-3. Let’s talk about, shall we? Ohhhhh you bet we shall (lol)….

Gen. 12: 1-3 (you’re welcome haha): Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 

There were 2 main things that stuck with me about this verse. First of all (this one will be quick), I’ve heard a lot about verses 2 & 3, but not a lot about verse 1. You tell people that their name will be great, that their very existence will be a blessing, that those who bless them will be blessed, and those that curse them will be cursed, and baaaaaaaby you’ll have a hard time closing service. However, what few people (that I remember) have ever pointed out is what’s required of Abram for all of that to happen: he had to get out. He had to separate himself from essentially everything he knew. Yeah Abram, I’m going to expand to your legacy, but not while you’re still stuck here. Step 1: get out of your circle. Leave your comfort zone. Get away from all that you have grown comfy with. THEN, will I make your name great, etc. That’s what unlocks the elevation: separation (that would be point #2…told you #1 was a quickie lol). 
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that separation is essentially required for elevation. Abram (later known as Abraham) had to leave. Moses had to leave the sheep (and his home) to deliver the children of Israel from Egypt. Peter had to leave the boat in order to walk on water. The man healed at the pool of Bethesda (John 5) had to leave his porch where he was surrounded by people in his former condition. To my knowledge, everybody didn’t get crucified the day with Jesus on the hill. He was separated from them in order to reach the next level of His ministry. You know, now that I think about it, I had to be separated too. Yep. Sure did…and so will you. 

I don’t think I did anything that anybody wanted me to do when I moved back to my hometown after college, especially when it cam to this whole ‘home church’ thing. Some people expected me to go back to the church I grew up in. Others wanted me to stay at the church my mom was at. What did I do? I schlid (yes, schliiid) on to a HUGE church on the other side of town. At first, it was quite the struggle. If I wasn’t sure that God ordered the move, I probably wouldn’t have lasted too long, because I didn’t really feel like many people supported me. I had my faithful few friends, but for a good while, I felt….alone. Everybody keeps asking me ‘why’, and if I’m sure that God said it. I was going against the grain (I’m a COGIC girl through & through…..going to a church without a denomination), and I didn’t feel like a lot of people really understood my shift. After a while, I didn’t even want to talk about church because I got tired of feeling like I had to defend the decision. I didn’t completely realize it then, but in that season, I was being separated so that He could elevate me. See, in that time, I learned to be confident in the fact that I am God’s child, and that I know His voice. I learned to not make decisions based solely on whether I feel supported or if I’m applauded. He even prepared me for all of the questions beforehand, because God told me to move at least a year before I moved back home. So by the time I was flooded with ‘why’s, I had a foundation set on His word. I may have been separated from my family, my friends, etc., but I wasn’t alone: I was set on the foundation of His word. Now, I can so easily see why God moved me. I can see why He set me apart from all that I knew. There were blessings, relationships, and connections that I wouldn’t have made if I had stayed in my circle. There are moments that I wouldn’t have experienced if I’d stayed in my precious circle. I’m not elevated above those that I know, but I have elevated from where I was a year ago, and that’s what I’m most grateful for. 
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I believe that the same is true for you. We all have a circle. Church can be a circle. Race can be a circle. Certain financial habits can form a circle. Social media can create a (terribly small) circle. Our friends and family can create circles. Your circle is whatever you’re comfortable with. Those things that you never want to leave….but don’t force you to reach you potential peak. You can grow in your circle, it’s a great feeling, but eventually…you hit a plateau. Nobody really likes leaving their comfort zones (hints the name). However, in order to get the connections, the relationships, the habits, the mindset, etc. that you want, you’re going to have to leave your circle. You’re going to have to step outside of what you know, and have faith in the faith that while you may be outside of what you know, you’re not outside of His power. You may be the only person in your family going to school, working that type of job, etc., but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it. If God has instructed you to do it, He’s already prepared you for it; He’s just waiting on you to leave your circle.  
Think about all the things that you’ve missed because you insist on staying in your sweet cocoon. The relationships, the money, the experiences, the hearts you haven’t touched, the minds you haven’t reached…..because you’re scared to leave your circle. You’ve let other people hold you back and talk you into staying in your circle. You’ve provided your own excuses that have kept you in your circle. You’re going to have to rise, take your bed, and walk. You’re going to have to step out of your boat to walk on this body of water. You have two choices: stay in your circle and die in mediocrity (I don’t care where you are, to refuse to grow is to be mediocre at best) OR step out of your circle and into your destiny.

I’ve found that a lot of times, our destiny is just outside of our circle. It’s not so far that we have no idea what we’re doing and it’s essentially rocket science, but it’s beyond the level of comfort that allows us to be lazy and arrogant in our own power. Your destiny is right outside of your circle. Your world changing impact? right outside of that circle. Financial transformation? Look outside of your circle. Spiritual transformation? Push past your typical worship practices (aka your circle). New relationships (friendships, etc.)? Riiiiight beyond the circle. You’ve been looking for a shift. You’re thirsty for a change. God has already set up the change that you need….and it’s right outside of your comfortable circle. 
Today I’m calling you out of your circle. Im calling you out of your comfort zone and into your destiny. You will not die in this pit, because God has so much in store for you…right outside of all that you think you know. Come out, come out wherever you are. If you’re scared, do His will scared. If you’re confused, ask for clarity, trust God, and move. We’ve run out of time for you to be paralyzed by fear. If you wait for the applause, you’ll die in mediocrity. You say you want the next level. You get excited when a shift is announced. Well, the blessing you’ve been promised, the next level you’re all excited about, etc…..are all waiting on you to step out of your circle. You can’t change lives in your cocoon. You can’t walk on water if you don’t get out of the boat. Trust God, and do what He told you to do, suga. So starting today…starting right now, we’re claiming verse 2….by putting in the work required by verse 1. Go….

Background Music: Go - Mali Music

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