I’m going to ask you to think about this question
and I would like you to pray about your answer and see what God will speak to
you about? The question is what is limiting and/or restricting your life
reaching its full God ordained and significant potential?
Seriously what is holding
you back?, is it circumstances, disappointment, previous or existing rejection,
the fear of rejection, fear of failure, or are you just scared etc., etc., this
list could be almost endless but hey I can’t ask you what is holding your back
only you can ask yourself that question?, I would like to clarify that God’s
morals and ethics aren’t what is holding you because they aren’t negotiable
In some ways it’s the easiest thing to do, sitting
either reminiscing about what has happened in the past or even day dreaming of
what could happen in the future, but in both cases we’re letting life was all its
fulfilment pass us by because we’re too busy reminiscing about the past or day
dreaming about the future, yesterday isn’t today and today isn’t
tomorrow!
Earlier
today, I had an email but unlike every email I’ve had today, this was
prophetic, yet it wasn’t from a prophet or any other church leader, it was a
job advert, to look at the email initially it looked boring and I didn’t pay it
much attention, however when I took another look at, and thought’s it’s only an
advert from the Royal Navy but the title caught my attention, “ Live a Life
without Limits”, this title caught my attention and lead to chain of thought
and I asked myself this question if serving in the Royal Navy is Living a
Life without Limits, how much more then should the Christian Life be Living a
Life without Limits ?
In some ways we’ve contained ourselves by our
present circumstances and situations we hold onto things than aren’t relevant
or helpful or indeed beneficial for us to do any longer, whatever that
may be, instead of life in glorious hd we’ve settled for a monochrome
lifestyle, a life devolved of power, passion, praise and purpose because of
what happened in our past we try to find fulfilment in our yesterday when we
need to find that fulfilment in today and we hope and pray for our better
tomorrow however that tomorrow is actually today. We become seemingly
paralysed by the fear of failure and indecision, too afraid to make a move in
case we make a mistake! If this sounds familiar stop for moment, pray and ask
the Lord to show you what you do? however I’m going to give you a clue in
involves movement on your part !
Life was never meant to be dull and dusty,
predictable and pain free, however we like the safety net of predictably,
comfort and familiarity! It’s time to live our Lives without our self-imposed
Limitations.
It says in Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV
20 Now to him who
is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according
to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory
in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and
ever. Amen.
I’ve been thinking a lot recently
about what does it mean to be a Christian Believer or Disciple in 2013, and for
an example is it any different from being a Believer in 1913?, The world and
society have changed a great deal in the last 100 years, the World has seen two
World Wars, we have seen the rise and fall of political, economic & social
systems, we've seen an increase of the advance of technology and we’re
reaping in many ways both the benefits and disadvantages of that technology!
We face both challenges and
opportunities, persecution and praises, but then did the Church of the 1st Century
AD, the Christian Life was never meant to be boring, predictable and
dull. Our Lord Jesus says in John 10:10b “I came that they may have
life and have it abundantly”
I give my life to Jesus in 1981,
and have been a Jesus Follower or Disciple since then, my background is Welsh
Pentecostal, and I was part of a great Christian Fellowship called The
Apostolic Church (Apostolic not as in Oneness Gospel, They’re Trinitarian) for
the early part of my Christian Walk, and in many ways Welsh Pentecostalism is
closely related to the Welsh Chapel or Non-Conformist Culture, although in some
ways has strong Evangelical roots. I’m not criticising or condemning that
Culture, I grew up in it and it’s my history. However for most of the last 20
years I've been part of Restoration/New Church/House Church stream or movement
which is very much my present and indeed my future, these are the people God
has called me to share my life with and be part of.
In many ways, History can be
positive, negative or neutral. All of us have a History that includes a
combination of various factors including good, bad and neither good or bad, we’ve
all made mistakes and errors, but there have been times when we’ve done things
well and are proud of what we’ve done and there times we regret, or are ashamed
or embarrassed/disappointed about, we’ve all disappointed and hurt others and
we’ve all been disappointed and hurt by others, sometimes unintentionally and
if we’re honest intentionally too! It’s time to forgive ourselves and forgive
others, for many of us unforgiveness is holding us back!
Matthew 6:14-15
14 For if you forgive others
their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do
not forgive others their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses.
Colossians 3:12-17
12 Put on then, as God's chosen
ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and
patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against
another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you
also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds
everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in
your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one
another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with
thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do
everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through him.
1 John 1:5-10
5 This is the message we have
heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no
darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in
darkness, we lie and do not practise the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light,
as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a
liar, and his word is not in us.
Many of us need to break free of
our History, or the version of our History we believe or the version of our
History that others have told us, our history has little bearing or
relevance to our present or a future, our present and future isn't a
or no longer a case of history repeating itself and its time to
realise that for ourselves both on an individual or collective basis, our
history isn’t our present or indeed our future, for too long we’ve lived in the
present and looked to our future and they for various reasons have become
a continuation of our history, today it’s time to stop and break that
cycle.
We can no longer live in our
history, wishing tomorrow, tomorrow I love you tomorrow, which is our present
and future, then continue to live today as if was yesterday or indeed expect
tomorrow to be like our yesterday, we can't travel back in time to change our
yesterday, we can only live for today and pray, plan and prepare for tomorrow!
Can you imagine that you
live in a rickety old house that is falling down all around you, and there
cobwebs and dust everywhere, there are no modern conveniences like running
water or electricity, but you like it because it’s familiar and in way it feels
safe and comfortable, suddenly there is knock on your front door and Jesus is
standing there, and he asks you why are you living in your old house that doesn’t
suit you when he has a better house for you, and just behind Jesus, you see a
fantastic house, your heart says wow, but your head says no, and you say
thank you, Lord but I like my house and you close the door on Jesus, you
go and sit on your broken chair, and think I like my house it’s familiar then
there is another knock on your door, and Jesus is standing there again, and
again he shows the new house, and you think to yourself, I will visit this new
house, and you walk inside and it just blows you away, it’s your dream
house, but you keep looking back at your old house, and say you to
yourself, this new house is fantastic but my old house is familiar and go
thank you Lord for showing me this new house but I still rather live in my old
house, and close the door of the new house behind you, thinking this new house
is too good for me and I don’t deserve it, you go back to your old house and
you sit there and the rain comes and wind blows, and you think to yourself I
can patch up this old house it wouldn’t be as nice as the new house, but it
would be better than before, then there is another knock on your door and your
answer it and it’s Jesus again, and you tell him your plans for your old house
and he smiles and says to you, why continue to live in this old house when I’ve
given this new house which is better for you and you do deserve it because I’ve
forgiven you and because you’re in me and I’m in you. Then you
suddenly find yourself walking towards the new house, you start to
get excited and start running towards it, and you say to yourself, it’s
mine. You sit in your new house on a comfortable sofa and Jesus is there
with you, and you get up and to say thank you, you make Jesus a cup of tea, and
through the kitchen window you see your old house and think to yourself why did
I live there so long! When I could have lived here instead.
The old house is your history, and
when Jesus shows us our new house which is our present and future, but because
of we’re familiar with our history and because of our history we feel we don’t
deserve our possible present and future, so we decide to patch up our history,
but Jesus has better plans for us than to patch up our past he has a far better
present and future that we think we deserve because of our history!
It says in Isaiah 43:18-19
“Remember not the former things,
nor consider
the things of old.
19 Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs
forth, do you not perceive it?
It also says in Jeremiah 29:11-14a
11 For I know the plans I have for
you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[b] and not for evil, to give you a
future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I
will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your
heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord
Yours because of His Grace and
Mercy
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