These are my notes from 2004 that I kept from Seizing Your Divine Moment (retitled Chasing Daylight) by Erwin McManus. They had a powerful impact in my life then, and they still do now. I hope these thoughts and questions inspire your journey today…
When we play it safe, we squeeze God out of the formula. If we go only where we know and do what we’re certain will succeed, we remove our need for God. Whenever we take on a God-sized challenge, self-sufficiency is no longer an option.
This is the challenge that is set before us – that we not only take initiative, that we not only move with confidence into the reality of uncertainty, but also that we maximize our sphere of influence as we grow in depth of character.
The Christian cliché “the safest place to be is the center of God’s will” has eliminated the place for risk and insulated us with a comfort-and-security theology. This view runs counter to what is found in the Scriptures. The center of God’s will is not a safe place, but the most dangerous place in the world. God fears nothing and no one. God moves with intentionality and power. To live outside God’s will puts us in danger, but to live in His will makes us dangerous. When we begin to seize our divine moments, we do not begin to live risk-free, but instead become free to risk.
You have already been authorized to move forward, so advance (Phil. 3:12-14). Impact your world by fighting the battles that are on God’s heart. Move with an urgency that creates a movement. Engage in an adventure so compelling that it causes the awakening of the dead in spirit. In this moment, each of us will have to choose. Will you seize your divine moment or let it slip away? Will you choose to go to the left, or will you go to the right?