Last week, we started talking about how our unbelief or faithlessness can limit what God can do in our lives or with those in our lives. The Lord is never content to leave us where we are spiritually. He took His inexperienced disciples and continued to teach them until they became bold miracle-working apostles. He’ll also work in us until we’re prepared for Him to do greater and greater works through us. We Christians are meant to keep growing in our understanding of God and in trusting His power in our lives. We should be continually growing in our experience of God’s power – unless we accept limitations on what we think God can do through us.

At the end of last week’s message we started a list of some of the signs that indicate we’re limiting our access to God’s power. There a few more that I wanted to cover this week.

Fear or anxiety is another clue that we’re limiting God’s power in our lives.

The Bible teaches that worry is clear evidence that we do not trust God to care for us in a particular situation.

Each of us has fears that we suspect even God cannot overcome. For many people, public speaking falls in to this category. They would rather climb a mountain or ride a unicycle through rush hour traffic than stand before their church and share what happened on a recent mission trip. For some people, the fear of having to confront someone who’s sinning is paralyzing.

Bashfulness, or shyness is a sign of being fearful. Individuals become overly concerned about what people think of them. What if something they say makes them look foolish? What if people laugh at them?

When a person’s focus is on himself, he can remain oblivious to how God wants him to meet the needs of others.

Much of God’s Kingdom work around the world has been left undone because the Christians whom God wanted to use for His purposes were too intimidated to speak up. When you fail to stand up for your Lord, you’re saying that even God’s power and wisdom cannot help you make a difference in someone’s life.

God can do anything He chooses to do in us and through us.

The problem is that we tend to think small like the people of Nazareth in
Matthew 13:58.

Our pride is another way that we limit God’s work and power in our lives.

Our pride will tell us that we have to look a certain way, have certain talents or resources for God’s work to get done. For example, we may say our church is small and in a small town, we therefore, don’t have what we need to reach people for the Lord or attract people to come to our church. We have decided what we think people are looking for. Yet the truth is…we have just as much of God to offer people as in the largest church in a big city. People can have their lives dramatically transformed through God working in our small church as in a mega church. The power of God could take the most humble church and do anything He purposed.

There are no limits with God.

God’s presence and power in our lives is sufficient to accomplish whatever He intends.

This week’s principle is:
The limit to our experience of God’s power rests not with God, but with us.

His power is limitless, it’s our faith that is growing.

Let’s look at this principle in 2 Kings 4:1 - 7.

In verse 3 he emphasized to the woman, “do not gather just a few.”

If God gave you that message, how many containers would you collect?________________________________________________________
When would you decide you gathered enough?________________________________________________________

The flow of oil ceased, because the woman had no capacity to receive anything more from God.

It wasn’t that God couldn’t keep the oil coming; the woman simply was incapable of receiving more. Had she collected containers more aggressively, she would have received more oil and earned more money. As it was, God responded to the level of her faith. Did the woman sin in not gathering more pots? No. She received according to her faith.

Likewise, God invites each of us to prepare for what He intends to do in our lives.

Some people expect God to do great and mighty things, so they organize themselves accordingly. Others have smaller expectations, and as a result they aren’t disappointed. What God wants to do in each of our lives is to expand our trust in Him so we gather an enormous number of pots – because we believe God will do a fantastic work.

Matthew 14: 25 – 32 relates a vivid account of someone who reached the limit of what he believed God can do. Let’s read that account.

We see Peter experiencing a level of God’s power he’d never known before. But then he took his eyes off his Master. He began to notice the waves, and doubts assailed him. God’s power had enabled him to take a few steps on water, but he began to wonder if it could sustain him there.

He’d surpassed the limit of his fellow disciple’s faith – but he eventually reached the boundary of his own belief.

Everyone has a limit

We serve a God so powerful. He created an entire universe out of nothing. He took a lump of clay and created a living human being. This same God seeks to walk with us through each day. He intends to use our lives for His diving purposes. The possibilities are infinite. There’s nothing that God cannot do.

Yet, sadly, despite the fathomless potential for Christians to experience God’s power, many continue to live in defeat and discouragement. The problem is never with God. The limiting factor is always us. We may affirm that He accomplishes powerful works in people’s lives today.

But do we believe God will perform miracles in our lives?

The way we are living clearly reveals what we believe.

Where is the boundary of your belief?_________________________________________________________
What is it you are struggling to trust Him for?_________________________________________________________
What situation in your life seems hopeless or out of reach?__________________________________________________________

As I encouraged you last week, like the father of the demon-possessed boy, cry out to God and ask Him to help your unbelief. Then listen to God’s instructions and gather as many pots as you possibly can and watch Him fill those pots with his unlimited resources that He will use to display His power in your life. Get out of that boat and walk on water in His power. Don’t take your eyes off of your Master. Don’t look down at the waves and let your doubts, fears, worries and pride limit what God can do through you.