Living a Life without
Limits.
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 2014/2015, and for an example is it any different from being a
Believer a hundred years ago?, 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
and have recently after much prayer and waiting on the Lord , I have returned to my Pentecostal roots
because I’ve seen something in the Pentecostal movement that has re-ignited my
heart for the Church and it’s mission.
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
