What if there were no limits?

It’s #FiveMinuteFriday! Join others who are writing on the word prompt LIMIT here.

Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God not only by unbelief but by fancying that you know what HE can do. ~ Andrew Murray

I used to be a coupon queen. I would be snipping out bargains from the Sunday paper before anyone had time to find out whether Garfield had eaten an entire pan of lasagna or a whole chocolate cake.

But I despised the ones that said Limit 1. What is the point of a coupon if you can only get one? This is back before my Sam’s Club membership where I can now purchase unbelievable quantities that I cannot possibly consume in a household of two. I digress.

Finding coupons with no limits were the bomb. Fifty cents off of anything was (and still is) a big deal, even though I don’t take the time any longer to benefit as much from coupon-ing.

What if we were as excited with a No Limits God as we were a coupon?

Click To Tweet

What if we didn’t decipher everything He wanted to do in our lives with a “If I can fit it in” or “Let me get this done first” or even “I’m not sure God would ever do THAT so let me do THIS.”

What if there were truly no limits?

The 78^th Psalm speaks of the children of Israel limiting their God. The first half of the Psalm recounts all of the wondrous things God did for them in the wilderness. Coming upon verse 32 we find this: ^“For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.”

Even with miraculous things happening around them they continued in sin and unbelief. The Bible goes on to say, “Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.”

Maybe a key to taking the limits off of God would be to remember what He has done for us in the past and realize that He can do it again!

There is nothing too hard for Him, He never changes and is ready and willing to come to our rescue and answer our prayer according to His will.

How are you limiting God today? Do you pray, as I do sometimes, knowing He is more than able but not really sure that He would do it for YOU? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the same God we serve today. He hasn’t changed, He has not used up His power, He isn’t about to run out of miracles, look at what Paul says to the Ephesians:

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” Ephesians 1:18-23 NIV

Did you see that? That power is the same power that raised Christ from the dead.

It is UNLIMITED.

Trust in the Word today, knowing that what He has done for others He can also do for you. Take the limits off of God and believe Him according to His mighty power. “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you.” Job 42:2 NLT.

(You might also like 3 Days to Forgetfulness)

3 Days to Forgetfulness

1 Reply

The greatest joys and hopes are soon turned into the greatest griefs and fears with those that live by sense only, and not by faith. ~ Matthew Henry

“When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers rushed into the sea, the Lord brought the water crashing down on them. But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground! Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced.” Exodus 15:19, 20 NLT.

Victory! The Lord had triumphed over the Egyptians by swallowing them up in the Red Sea. The Israelites had finally been delivered from captivity and they were now FREE. They recuperated a couple of days on the banks of the sea and then Moses began to lead:

“Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”).

Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded.”

Three days. Three days from the time they left the Red Sea until they were complaining. Naturally they were thirsty, they would have likely traveled about 12-15 miles per day and not only did the people need water but so did their livestock.

But hadn’t they just witnessed a supernatural miracle? Had they not just seen the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob part the mighty Red Sea and destroy the enemy when it seemed all hope was lost?

The Bible shares with us a total of 14 different times that the Israelites grumbled and complained. There were likely more than that in 40 years of wilderness wandering but only 14 are recorded.

Check it out!

Moses has caused Pharaoh to make their work more difficult. Exodus 5:1-22
They complain that it was better in Egypt and ask to be left alone. Exodus 14:11-12
They complain about the bitter water at Marah. Exodus 15:22
They complain because they are hungry and are given Manna. Exodus 16:1-4
They are thirsty again! Exodus 17:1-4
They complain that Moses was on Mount Sinai too long and make themselves a golden calf to worship. Exodus 32:28
Griping about the food again. Numbers 11:33
Miriam and Aaron complain that they want to be in charge. Numbers 12:1-12
They complain because it is just too hard. Numbers 14:1-10
They want another leader…again. Numbers 14:10
Korah leads a rebellion to replace Moses. Numbers 16
They accused Moses of causing the death of so many people. Numbers 16:41
No water. (When will they ever learn?) Numbers 20:1-5
They grow impatient with the journey. Numbers 21:4-5

Can we point our finger at the children of Israel when we imitate them so closely?

Click To Tweet

How many times do we doubt and worry, fret and wring our hands wondering when and how the difficulties in our lives will work out?

We pray, yes, we pray but we don’t leave it there, we don’t trust and we don’t fully surrender our problems to the Lord.

Just as the children of Israel, we forget what God has done in the past and live only in the moment. If we don’t see the miracle directly in front of us then doubt creeps in, worry takes over and we find ourselves in Complaint Mode because we are walking by SIGHT, not by FAITH.

What can we do?

Remind yourself of His promises by staying in the Word. Remember that if God delivered you once He can do it again and again. If the very hairs on your head are numbered then nothing is impossible with God!

Begin your day in prayer, surrendering your will, your heart and your tongue to Him. Taking the time to communicate with the Creator of the world means everything when it comes to attitude. If we want to emulate Him then we have to spend time with Him. Did you know Jesus isn’t negative? If we strive to be like Him we can get rid of the negativity in our lives.

Fill your day with positive things. As the old adage says, “Garbage in, garbage out” so what we put into our minds is what will flow back out. Think on these things whether it is the books you read, social media sites you visit, movies you watch, or music you listen to.

Surround yourself with positive people. Negative people bring you down and definitely rub off on you. If your circle of friends is known for their gossip, slander and negativity, then you will be known for that too! “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20 ESV.

So if you find yourself facing a situation that seems impossible, remember that you may not be able to control people or events but you can control how you respond. Knowing that Jesus has made a way through the cross, that His name has been applied to your life, that you are a child of the King increases your faith that He will be there the next time and the next. His mercies are new every morning, great is His faithfulness!

Sharing with A Little R & R, Wedded Wednesday, Wholehearted Wednesday, Women with Intention

So you think you’re too little?

9 Replies

This blog contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.

“And though she be but little, she is fierce.” ~ Shakespeare

Believe it or not, I was born tiny, barely 6.5 pounds and I didn’t grow much until about the fifth grade. I soon got over the tiny part, unfortunately, but I could never conquer being vertically challenged. It has haunted me my entire life.

If you are tall, anything above let’s say five foot four, that’s tall to me, you have no idea what it is like to be a shorty. To have to have someone constantly hand something to you. To have to get a step stool to get a can of diced tomatoes out of the cabinet. Or, you can do like I do, you grab the spaghetti strainer because it has teeth and then you jump, pull, and catch, all in one motion!

If you miss, it’s painful.

There are other disadvantages, like not being able to ride the BIG rides at the amusement parks; even when you are 12. Just kidding, but I was close.

But the most frustrating is not being able to see in a crowd of people, standing or sitting. Church is the worst. I just get myself situated, heads all adjusted, and someone six foot three comes in,with a head as big as Shrek, and plops down in front of me. There is no moving to either side because they keep leaning over, flopping their arm on one side or the other, every time I lean, they lean, etc.

Bless their heart. I resign myself to just listening.

I can imagine that is why Zacchaeus decided to scurry up a tree to get a glimpse of Jesus. He too was small. As a tax collector for the Roman government, anything that they could squeeze out of the people over the amount they owed they could keep for themselves. So Zacchaeus was quite a wealthy man. The Jews despised the tax collectors, for obvious reasons.

“As Jesus came by, He saw Zacchaeus up in the sycamore tree and He called to him to come down. He told him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.”

Of course the people were not thrilled with this encounter at all!

“All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’”

“But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’

Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’” Luke 19-5-9 NIV.

Zacchaeus, a small man turning a small act into his eternal salvation!

Click To Tweet

We may think we have nothing to offer, we are too little in the Kingdom, that we don’t matter or God would never use us. This is a lie from the enemy; everyone is needed in the Body!

No matter what you have done, where you have been, how small or how big your sin, the story of Zacchaeus proves to us that Jesus will reach down and give all of us a chance to change.

Rejoice in His Word today and claim His promises…now go out and share Jesus.

Sharing with Faith Filled Friday, Essential Fridays, Home Matters