No compromise.
As we step into our sphere of influence, there will be moments when the enemy tries to lead us to a place of compromise. I know in my walk with God, there have been moments when I have compromised experiencing the fullness of God in order to obtain momentary satisfaction. When we do compromise, our influence is hindered and the task before us can become blurred and confused.
Often the biggest driver of compromise is fear. Esther was given opportunities to compromise on her calling but she remained steadfast. Approaching the king without being summoned was against the law and Esther could have been put to death. Instead of giving into fear, Esther simply replies, “If I perish, I perish” and urges her people to fast on her behalf. She does not compromise and remain silent. When Esther does make the request for her peoples freedom, she has another opportunity to compromise. King Xerxes offers her “up to half the kingdom”, however Esther still risks personal comfort for the sake of her people. She denies this offer and remains true to the purposes of God. In doing so, she exposes the darkness – the evil plans and purposes of Haman.
Esther demonstrates for us someone who knew exactly the influence she was to have and kept her eyes fixed on the task ahead. She was walking in step with the Father’s will. We will often compromise when we lose touch with walking in step with the Spirit. We must, as John 15 calls us to, remain in Him. For apart from Him we can do nothing.
The Holy Spirit often calls us out of our comfort zone and to actively live out our faith proclamations. There have been times in my life where I have sought comfort in the face of fear, particularly when I felt under-qualified for a task. A particularly challenging area for me was being called to leadership roles. Generally, I am quietly spoken and am not drawn to being up the front. Given those tendencies, I completely disqualified myself for leadership. I was limiting myself, ruling myself out by what I considered to be my weaknesses.
As we consider how we influence, we must be open that the Lord may call us to influence in ways that stretch us uncomfortably. I heard someone once say that God often uses our fears for his plans and victories. I believe that God can turn our fears into our greatest means of influence. Are we open to God working in our fear areas? Esther could have used her influence in a way that resulted in greater comfort for herself, but she pursued the greater and much riskier option that God was placing on her heart. The beautiful thing about the way God works is that he loves to use our weaknesses and turn them into ways he can reveal his power.
Are there ways that you could influence that you have previously discounted? Kris Vallotton, says, “you cannot conquer what you refuse to confront”. Choosing comfort stops us conquering our fears, which could in turn become our greatest mechanism of influence. Are there areas in your life where fear is leading to a pursuit of comfort rather than wholehearted obedience in faith?