God is HUGE! All of the universe can’t contain Him (1 Kin. 8:27). He is infinite, while everything He created is finite. “Finite” is defined as “limited” ( American Heritage Dictionary). We are limited. How can finite (limited) man adequately represent an infinite (limitless) God? This question presents a dilemma that has caused most people to not even try.
But I am finding great satisfaction and immense joy in trying to take all the limits off God. The Lord spoke to me on January 31, 2002, and told me I was limiting what He wanted to do through me by my small thinking (Ps. 78:41). I began the process of changing the way I saw myself and what God could do through me, and it has been an awesome ride. Nearly thirteen years later, our television ministry is twenty times larger. Charis Bible College is now reaching sixty times as many people, and we have just completed the first phase of our new Charis campus in Woodland Park, Colorado.
But, as many of you know through my recent letters, the Lord told me again this year that I’m still thinking too small. Although I have seen huge increases in every area, God is bigger still. He is leading me to reach way beyond where I’ve been, to where He wants me to go.
I am on fire with the things the Lord has been showing me. I know the best is yet to come. I’m more excited about the future than I’ve ever been. And I don’t believe this is limited to me. I believe that the Lord has more for all of us than what any of us have experienced. We need to stretch ourselves to obtain all that He has for us – for our sake and the sake of others.
During the month of December, I’m sharing this on my Gospel Truth television programs. I just published a new book, entitled Don’t Limit God, that is being sold in Walmart stores all across the U.S. I’m praying that this sparks a fire of faith and creativity that burns up the attitude of mediocrity and status quo in the body of Christ. This isn’t practice. We are in the game of life. We need to score now!
Each one of us has an image on the inside of us of who we are and what we can do. Sadly, life and the devil have done a pretty good job of beating the hopes and dreams out of us. Not only do we suffer when this happens, but so do others. Each one of us has God-given things in us that are intended for others. If we don’t reach our full potential, then those people won’t receive their miracles.
That image on the inside of us acts like a ceiling, or limit, to what we can accomplish. If we see ourselves as nobody special, then we won’t be anybody special. But God never made a dud. He has plans for each of us that exceed what we are experiencing (Jer. 29:11). We were made for greatness.
However, this needs to be defined. What the world calls greatness and what God calls greatness are two different things.
According to 1 Corinthians 3:13,
Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be
revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
(emphasis mine)
This verse says that every man’s work will be tried for what sort it is, not what size it is. Not everyone is intended to do something that gets the attention of the world. But we are all created by God to shake our worlds; i.e., our areas of influence. There is more to life than earning a living, having a family, growing old, and going to be with Jesus. We are supposed to make a difference in our world as we pass through. We need to live so that someone will miss us and what we gave when we are gone.
One of the greatest limits to what God can do in our lives is comparing ourselves with the wrong people.
The latter part of 2 Corinthians 10:12 says,
But they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
This isn’t saying that we can’t be inspired by seeing what God is doing in others. Rather, this is specifically speaking of not judging things according to the flesh. Paul rebuked the Corinthians in the first part of that chapter for judging him based on outward things like appearance. In stature and speech, Paul was not the greatest, but they were using the wrong standards. In spiritual things, Paul was a giant by whom we should be inspired.
Paul didn’t let his small size and lack of eloquence limit what God could do through him. Paul took the limits off God and literally changed the world. Two thousand years later, we are still talking about him, and more importantly, we are still benefiting from the revelations the Lord gave him. He wrote half of the books of the New Testament.
That’s the way I want my life to be, and I think everyone should want that. Are you making a significant contribution to your family and friends that is making their lives better? Are people going to come up to you in eternity and thank you for the way you touched their lives (Luke 16:9)? If not, you can change that today by taking the limits off God and believing Him for big things.
You cannot see anything happen on the outside that you haven’t seen happen on the inside. That’s a big statement right there. You might be praying for your marriage to be restored, for your body to be healed, or for financial prosperity, but you need to meditate on the Word and let it paint a picture on the inside of you. Then whatever you’re believing for will come to pass. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. Your life today is the way you have been seeing it (Prov. 23:7). You might not like that, but it’s true.
We take great comfort in passing the blame sometimes: “You don’t understand. I don’t have the education. It’s my spouse. It’s the color of my skin. I was abused as a child.” We have a million and one reasons, but none of these external things are controlling our lives; it’s the way we think in our hearts that determines the direction we’re going.
You need to stir yourself up, or you’ll settle to the bottom. I know it takes a lot of effort to keep swimming upstream, hardly stopping to rest and constantly dealing with the possibility of failure. Sometimes it just seems better to take the easy route and hold off on changing things. But that’s why you need to have a purpose. You need to strive toward something bigger than yourself, something that drives you.
I tell you, if you catch on fire for God, the world will come watch you burn. Everybody loves a fire. It captivates people. And people will be drawn to you once you step out in your purpose. Don’t be afraid to try something different. Some people are shooting at nothing and hitting it every time. Do something, lest you do nothing. Get out of the boat, or you’ll just drown with the rest of them. I pray that God is burning these things on the inside of you. He wants you to stop limiting Him.
When we stand before the Lord and He says “Here is what I created you to do, “all of our “achievements” won’t seem like very much if we haven’t done what He told us. The good news is that God wants to reveal to you His plans and purposes for your life more than you want to know them.
Ephesians 5:17 says,
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
The Lord wants to reveal to you His will for you, but in order to receive that understanding, you have to remove your limits. Don’t limit what you think God can do through you. Don’t evaluate yourself on just your carnal or outward qualities. You are a new person in the spirit, and you can do all things through Christ (Phil. 4:13).
One of the great ways God reveals His will to you is through your desires.
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Psalm 37:4
What is it that you really want to do? If there were no limits – if money wasn’t a factor, if age didn’t matter, if God gave you supernatural ability – what is it that would really make you feel like you are making a difference? If you are truly delighting yourself in the Lord, then that desire you have is from the Lord. Go for it. You won’t get there in one step. But take the first step toward that desire, then take the next step and the next. Before you know it, you’ll have moved a long way from where you are now and much closer to where God wants you to be.
I, for one, am going for it. I don’t want any gas left in my tank when it’s my turn to leave this world. I’m reaching as far and as deep with the Gospel of God’s grace as I can, and I encourage you to go with me. Together we can make a bigger impact than we could separately.
I’m encouraging you to stop limiting what God can do in your life. Give Him something to work with. He can only bless what you set your hand to (Deut. 28:8). You can learn more about how to do this in my new book, Don’t Limit God. This has radically changed my life. I know it will change yours too.
