Stop limiting God

 BY Argie Simonis

"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built?" 1Kings 8:27

How can the finite (limited) man adequately represent an infinite (unlimited) God? This is an issue that prevents most people from even trying.

We all have in the inside of us an image of ourselves, of who we are and what we can do. The devil and tribulations in life try to extinguish our hopes and dreams, and unfortunately many times they do a very good job. God has given each one of us things for our own blessing, but also things intended for others.

If we do not make full use of our potential, then these people will not receive the miracles intended for them.

So this image we have of ourselves works as a roof, as a limit to what we can do. If you see yourself as nothing special, then that's how you will you be in your life. But God did not create us like this:

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, said the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11

The Lord had a plan for our lives from the beginning. We are made for great and wonderful things!

Here, of course, a clarification must be made that the great and wonderful according to the world and according to God are two different things:

"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." 1Cor. 3:13

Here Paul tells us that everyone's works will be tested for its kind and not for its size. We are not all destined to do something that will catch the attention of the whole world, but we are all called to "shake" the waters in our own world, that is, in the environment of our influence. There are many more things in life than making a living, building a family, growing old, and living our lives with Jesus.

We must leave our own "stamp" on our world as we go through it and when the time comes for us to go and be with the Lord, people will miss us because in one way or 

another we influenced them with our lives.

One of the biggest obstacles that prevents God from doing things in our lives is comparing ourselves to the wrong people:

"...but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." 2Cor. 10:12

This does not mean that we can not be inspired by what God does to others. What Paul means here is that we should not judge things according to the flesh. Paul rebuked the Corinthians in the first part of this chapter because they judged him on the basis of outward appearance. Paul did not allow his human weaknesses to diminish what God could do through him and he literally changed the world. Two thousand years later we are still talking about him, and most importantly, we are still building ourselves on the revelations the Lord gave him, who wrote half the books of the New Testament.

You can not see anything in the outside, if you do not first "see" it internally, inside you. You may be praying for the restoration of a relationship, for healing, or for financial prosperity, but you must study and focus on the Word of God, renew your mind, and allow the Word to "paint" the right image within you, so that "see" yourself healed, healthy and prosperous. You may not like it, but your life today is exactly as you see it:

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." Prov. 23:7

We tend to place our responsibilities elsewhere, for example on our origins, on the various shortcomings or traumatic experiences we may have had in our lives, on the mistakes of our parents or spouse, etc. We can find many excuses like that, but none of these factors can control our lives. Decisions are made by us and the way we think in our hearts determines the course we will follow in our lives.

It is difficult to swim against the current and many times we are tempted to follow the easy solution. But we must have a purpose in life, something greater than ourselves.

Fire is nice and always attracts people near it because it offers light and warmth. So if you become a fire for the Lord, be sure that the world will be attracted and will come to see you. Do not be afraid to try something different. If you try to do something, you will eventualy succeed in something. But if you stay idle, then you will definitely not achieve anything. Get out of the boat, otherwise you will drown with the others.

"Why be you not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Eph. 5:17

The Lord wants to reveal His will to you more than you want Him to. Do not limit what you believe God can do through you. Do not judge yourself solely on the basis of your physical abilities. As His born-again child you are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) and you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Phil. 4:13).

One of the best ways God reveals His will to you as you seek Him and focus on Him is through the desires He puts in your heart:

"Delight yourself also in the LORD: and he shall give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

What do you really want to do? If money, age, origin, or location were not an obstacle, what would you really like to do? What do you really have in your heart? If you are close to the Lord and enjoy His presence and your relationship with Him, then this desire you have is from God. It does not mean that you just take a  a step and arrive. It is a marathon and not a sprint. But step by step and with God's help, before you know it you will have already moved from where you are now and you will be much closer to where God wants you to be.

I encourage you to stop limiting what God can do in your life. Give Him something to work with you. He can bless only what you put your hand on:

"The LORD shall command the blessing on you in your storehouses, and in all that you set your hand to; and he shall bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you."  Deut. 28:8

Amen?