DONT ‘Stay Safe’ (Security vs. Safety)

We’ve all said it. I’m fasho guilty. “Stay safe” sounds innocuous, but chase it too hard and safety will hollow you out and take away your edge. Safety is the absence of danger; it’s a place where nothing can reach us, challenge us, or demand anything from us. The absence of danger begets comfort, and comfort begets stagnation and sloth, & stagnation breeds cowardice. Somewhere along that line, a man stops conquering anything, including himself. It teaches men to avoid the very battles that would have made them stronger. 

This is the trade the enemy is always offering: safety now, in exchange for your edge later. He offers safety because safety can become a cage. The enemy would rather have you comfortable than courageous and passive rather than purposeful. GOD, however, does not promise us a life without storms. He offers something else entirely. Something greater: Security.

Think of Lord Jesus and several other prominent figures in the Bible who had to face and endure numerous dangers and disasters yet were still secure due to GOD’s unfailing love at every crossroads. Jesus showed us this on the boat. The storm was real. The waves were real. The fear of the disciples was real. Yet Jesus slept peacefully on a pillow—not because the boat was safe, but because He was secure. He was not ruled nor swayed by what surrounded Him. If even Lord Jesus had to face dangers, what makes you think safety is so desirable??

David put it plainly: "You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. “ Psalms 23:5 NLT. Not after the enemies leave. In front of them. This illustrates that he can take comfort in the protection and security that GOD provides so much so that David can eat and flourish, while the very people who want him dead can do nothing but observe. Likewise, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper” Isaiah 54;17 NKJV,  does not mean weapons will never be formed against you. It means that even when opposition rises, it does not get the final word. How can we know this, you say? It’s because GOD doesn't just protect you from the weapon —He made and governs the hand that forged it. The threat operates entirely within His jurisdiction, whether it knows it or not. 

This idea meshes marvelously with the notion of walking by faith and not by sight.  Sight sees the weapon, the storm, the enemy, the uncertainty, and the chaos. It only ever shows you the absence or presence of danger, thus it can only ever offer you a read on your safety. Faith sees GOD over all of it. This allows us to know that when we are secure in GOD, we can move forward even when the path does not look safe. 

This is a reminder to myself first and foremost: do not expect safety in a chaotic world. Don’t make comfort your calling. Stop telling yourself and others to be or stay safe. Conquering ourselves means overcoming the cowardice that wants to dwell and reside in our comfort zones aka your Safety net. Eliminate the phrase “Be safe” from your lexicon at once. Stay dangerous instead.