LIMITING GOD IN OUR LIFE
“How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, And grieved Him in the desert!
Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel.” Psalms 78:40-41 (NKJV)
Can man limit Almighty God? Psalm 78:41 says "Yes!" Using the Bible as our only reference source, let us take a serious look at the ways man can limit God.
I. OUR LACK OF FAITH LIMITS GOD:
The Bible provides numerous examples where lack of faith on the part of some negatively impacted many. Some of these Bible examples are:
1. Ten of the Twelve Israelites Sent to Spy Out the Land of Canaan.
The faith that these ten had in the power of God to give Israel victory over the inhabitants of Canaan was virtually non-existent. We read in Numbers 13:30-33 (NKJV)
“Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, ‘Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."
"But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.’ And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, ‘The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."
The lack of faith on the part of the ten unbelieving spies brought frightening consequences to the Israelites. Consider:
’But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. ’And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. ’According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection."
"I the LORD have spoken this; I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die."
"Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD."
"But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.” Numbers 14:32-38 (NKJV)
2. Lack of Faith Limited the Miracle-Working Power of Jesus in Nazareth.
Mark 6:5-6 tells us: "Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief." (NKJV)
The account in Matthew 13:58 tells us "Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief." (NKJV)
Both gospel accounts witness to the fact that the unbelief that prevailed in the hearts of the people of Nazareth hindered the miracle working power of our Lord Jesus Christ. Both texts leave the impression that because of their unbelief many returned to their homes sick, lame, blind and demon-possessed. How tragic!
When we limit God in our lives, we are not the only ones who suffer loss. Those who would have been blessed had we manifested great faith will be deprived of the subsequent blessings they would have otherwise received.
3. Lack of Faith Limits the Extent of God’s Work through Us. Consider:
“And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ’Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:18-20 (NKJV)
4. When Lack of Faith is Overcome, the Power of God is Manifested: Consider:
“Then one of the crowd answered and said, ‘Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."
"He answered him and said, ‘O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me."
"Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, ’How long has this been happening to him?’ And he said, ‘From childhood’. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."
"Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
"When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!’ Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, ‘He is dead."
"But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ So He said to them, ‘This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” Mark 9:17-29 (NKJV)
II. OUR SINS LIMIT GOD:
“But your iniquities have separated between you and God and your sins have hidden His face from you that He will not hear." Isaiah 59:2
“Your sins have withheld good things from you." Jeremiah 5:25
Few would doubt this fact! God will fill and empower with His Holy Spirit a small vessel, a large vessel, a twisted vessel, a young vessel, an old vessel, an educated vessel, an uneducated vessel…but never a dirty vessel!
To be used by God we must forsake the sin in our life, ask His forgiveness, and pray to be empowered for great service. We need to remember that even a broken vessel will stay full if it is kept under the fountain!
III. OUR INEFFECTUAL PRAYERS LIMIT GOD:
The Bible emphasizes the great value of prayer. No stronger case for prayer can be made than that set forth by James 5:13-18 (NKJV).
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."
"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
"Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”
But our prayers will be powerless if it they uttered for less than righteous motives. Although there are a number of things that can render our prayers powerless, three clearly stand out.
1. Selfish prayers:
“Ye ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you might consume it upon your lusts. " James 4:3
2. Prayers that magnify man:
Parable of the Pharisee and the publican is one example:
"Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ’God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. ’I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’
"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ’God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ ’’I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14 (NKJV)
3. Insincere prayers:
’And they remembered that God was their Rock, and the high God their Redeemer...nevertheless they did flatter Him with their mouth and they lied unto Him with their tongues.” Psalm 78:36
IV. THE SIN OF LIMITING GOD:
The hindrances to the outpouring of the power of God is our lives are grievous sins. What makes them grievous is that they thwart God’s will for our lives and deny Him the glory that is rightly His. Let us see how and in what way.
1. We bring the Creator down to the standard of the created when we exhibit lack of faith in His power, love and ability to meet our every need.
2. We doubt His holy word simply because we lack that high level of trusting faith. Consider: “Now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. " Ephesians 3:20.
3. Lack of faith ungratefully reflects on His past mercies. How grievous to ignore His past blessings as though they had never happened.
4. Both the lack of faith and an ineffectual prayer life closes the hand of God. Consider:
“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he who wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord " James 1: 6-7.
