Its within your reach, reach out and grab it!
So many times when were faced with a challenge in our lives,
Whether it’s a everyday challenge, or one that feels like it might be the biggest fight of our lives.
Even if we try not to, almost always it will try to overwhelm us, if we let it.
The first thing we usually think about is, who do I call to fix it, or what do I buy to combat it with, or isn’t there some piece of machinery I can rent to make it easier on me.
Sometimes the easiest thing to see, is what you don’t see, what you don’t think you already have in your possession, or at your disposal
1 Cor. 1:27 NKJ
27. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
Its easy to see what you don’t have, why not look around and see what you really do have.
TBS. that it pleases God to use what the world considers weak,
Do you know why?
Because if we could do everything on our own, it really wouldn’t require much faith would it.
And when God can use what the world thinks is weak to get the job done, it gives Him alone, all the glory! Amen?
Instead of looking around at what we don’t have, lets look at what God has already given us.
There is a story I heard of a man, who was called to do something great, something that would help free millions of people in the world,
The task would be daunting!
The odds were insurmountable, to do what he was called to do,
No other man had ever done what he was called to do,
He felt like he wasn’t capable of doing such a great task and said Lord, I don’t think I can do it,
“What is that in your hand?” God asked.
“A rod He said, and with that rod, Moses performed miracles and confounded the might of Pharaoh and all of Egypt.
A stick, a stick mind you, talk about using the foolish things to confound the wise.
God can use what ever you have, to accomplish what He has called you to do in your life.
But the story of the stick didn’t end there, there were many other instances he used it to confound the wise.
Ex. 17:8-13 MSG.
8-9. Amalek came and fought Israel at Rephidim. Moses ordered Joshua: "Select some men for us and go out and fight Amalek. Tomorrow I will take my stand on top of the hill holding God's staff."
Notice, he wasn’t calling it just a rod, or just a stick anymore, now it was Gods stick, Gods staff!
10-13. Joshua did what Moses ordered in order to fight Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. It turned out that whenever Moses raised his hands, Israel was winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, Amalek was winning. But Moses' hands got tired.
So they got a stone and set it under him. He sat on it and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. So his hands remained steady until the sun went down. Joshua defeated Amalek and its army in battle.
"It turned out that whenever Moses raised his hands, Israel was winning,
but whenever he lowered his hands, Amalek was winning."
I’m sure, Amalek was about as confused as it gets, wondering what in the world is going on here?
One minute victory, the next minute defeat,
I can just hear him intently yelling, “Charge Now!” Moses hands are down,
And just as quickly yelling, “Retreat, Retreat” run for your lives, his hands are back up in the air!
And finally realizing, seeing that his arms were being held up in the air, by someone else, his defeat was evident,
Gods anointing, with what you have available to you is enough,
its always more than enough to take and propel you to victory every time!
Gods anointing can turn your ability from the ordinary to extraordinary, if you will let Him work in your life!
There were many other instances in the Bible were the Lord said look around you,
I can use whatever you have at your disposal, just trust me and have some faith,
Can you imagine what the disciples must have thought, when Jesus told them to feed the masses,
Philip answered, "Two hundred silver pieces wouldn't be enough to buy bread for each person to get a piece
I’m sure at the same time, they were all scampering around, frantically searching, thinking to themselves,
This is hopeless, we will never find enough food, to feed all these people around here,
And then, one of the disciples, it was Andrew who found the little boy, who had the five barley loaves and two fish,
And though I‘m sure he was elated to the fact, that at least he found something when everyone else came up empty handed,
He must have thought to himself, this is just a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this.
I want you to take note though, “when everyone standing round, saw nothing but an inopportunity,”
Jesus saw nothing but an opportunity, to show the awesome capabilities of His Fathers miracle working power!
Even though He already knew, Jesus said what do you have in your hand
and Andrew said, here’s what we have, but its not enough,
Jesus knew better, He knew it was more than enough,
Gods anointing, Gods favor on what you have, is always more than enough to do the task at hand! Praise God!
John 6:10-13 NKJ
10. Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
12. So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”
13. Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
No matter how many times I hear that story, it never grows old, imagine the sheer magnitude of it
It never grows old because it is inspiring, it gives hope that nothing is impossible and all things are probable, when Jesus is involved in the details!
And He’s not about just barely getting by, never has been,
because when you give what you have to Him,
*whether it’s a stick,
*your lunch,
*your life,
*your tithe,
*your everything,
the results are always amazing!
Luke 6:38 NKJ
38. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
The accuser will always try to make you think or feel like what you have is never enough to accomplish what you’ve been called to do.
Nothing could be farther from the truth, you have been well equipped.
God himself gave you everything you would ever need to be successful in life.
You are lacking for nothing, God made you, your personality, your height, your talent and your abilities,
And like the saying we used to hear when we were kids, “I know I’m somebody, cause God don’t make no junk!”
With God involved in your life, its absolutely true!
Psalms 139:13-16 MSG.
13-16. “Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day.
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made,”
Don’t just have faith in God, Have faith also, that what He has given you and the way He made you,
is more than adequate, to be an over comer in this world and to live the abundant life, He has prepared for you.
“I thank you, High God—, you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!”
David the author of these words, knew everything he had, was given to him, by God.
Was David the strongest on the battlefield the day Goliath fell?
No, but he was willing to give God what he had in his possession, a sling and five stones!
And God took his willingness and what he had and made it more than enough to get the job done.
Here’s something to think about, TBS. he had five stones,
that means after Goliath fell, he still had enough to take down 4 more giants that day!
To the natural eye, he looked under equipped!
But both he and God knew, he had more than enough resources to complete the task at hand.
1 Cor. 1:27 NKJ
27. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
What God is looking for today, is men and women, who will answer the call,
to take what He has given to them, step out in faith like David did and like Moses did,
into the extraordinary life that He has waiting for them.
Were their others who had the talent and the strength to do what they did?
Yes, there were probably others to numerous to mention, who could have done what they did,
If they only would have been willing to believe it!
Oral Roberts and Joseph Prince, both had speech impediments, that could have been good enough excuses, for even the harshest of critics, to not do what they have done.
But when they stepped out in faith, those physical impairments were no match, for the Glory of God, that would be heard by millions, around the world!
Smith Wigglesworth, was a plumber
Peter was a fisherman
Jesse Duplantis was a rock and roll musician
Tim Tebo is a football player
Kenneth Copeland was a struggling recording artist on the imperial records label amongst many other things
Thomas was remembered for his doubting
All of them willingly stepped out in faith, into the extraordinary life God called them to,
and have touched millions upon millions of lives for the Lord!
What has God called you to do for the Kingdom, what has God put in your heart today?
Whatever it is, know that you are well equipped and prepared to complete it!
Hebrews 10:35 NKJ.
35. Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.
Be willing to use what God has given to you and know with His anointing on your life,
You will go farther and accomplish more than you ever thought possible.
Lets pray
