........................................................................................................................................................
,
Your faith may seem very small today - but if you
act upon your faith and trust God with the little that you have, your faith is
sure to grow and grow - no matter what your expectations may be, God is able to
do MORE than you ask or think - God wants to do His miracles “through his mighty power at work WITHIN US.” The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead now lives in YOU
so it’s time to raise your expectations
by David Cerullo
Have you ever
heard of Roger Bannister? He was the British runner who gained fame in 1954 as
the first person to break the four-minute mile.
Roger’s story
includes some important lessons about taking the limits off of your faith.
You see, before
Roger’s accomplishment, some people thought it was impossible for humans to run
a mile in under four minutes.
And if you
believe something is impossible for you, you’re going to be proven right!
But Roger
Bannister’s faith wasn’t limited by a four-minute ceiling. He knew he could do
it faster than that and he did.
King Solomon had written long ago, “As he thinks in his
heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).
In other words,
whether you think you CAN or think you CAN’T, you will be correct!
Setting the Bar Higher
Something
rather stunning happened shortly after Roger Bannister succeeded in breaking
the four-minute mile.
Just 46 days
later, his record was broken by his Australian rival, John Landy.
While Roger’s
time had been 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds, Landy’s time was 3 minutes and 58.0
seconds.
Do you see why
this is so significant?
In all of
recorded history, there had never been evidence of a person running a mile in
under four minutes.
But after Roger
did it, others realized it was possible and now many runners have continued to
meet or surpass his achievement.
Notice the
principle illustrated here.
After Roger
took the limits off of his own expectations, his success spurred the faith of
others as well.
His
breakthrough led to breakthroughs for many others in the decades to come.
Like Roger
Bannister, I want to be a pacesetter, don’t you?
I want my life
to be an example to others, reflecting God’s great power to do the impossible.
Raising Your Expectations
It saddens my
heart to see so many believers who are settling for a powerless, unfruitful
life.
Like many of the other runners in Roger Bannister’s day, it’s as
if we’ve said, “This is all we can expect. It’s impossible to go any higher
than we’ve gone before.”
However, the
apostle Paul had something to say about this.
He challenged
the Ephesians to set their sights higher, and I’m sure he would have the same
message for us today:
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at
work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20
NLT).
Friend, I want
you to apply this verse personally.
What are your
dreams and aspirations today?
How are you
expecting the Lord to use your life in the days to come?
Paul is saying
here that no matter what your expectations may be, God is able to do MORE than
you ask or think!
But often we
miss the second principle contained in this verse.
It would be
wonderful enough for Paul just to point out that God can do amazing things –
yet the apostle takes it a step further.
Not only can God do the impossible in some kind of abstract way,
but He wants to do His miracles “through his mighty power at work WITHIN
US.”
Let that sink
in for a moment.
The same Spirit
that raised Christ from the dead now lives in YOU (Romans 8:11), so it’s time
to raise your expectations!
Perhaps you’ve
gone to church all your life, but never have experienced the miracle-working
power of God.
It’s not too
late!
Jesus gave this
astounding promise to anyone who would dare to take the limits off their faith:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works
that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do,
because I go to My Father” (John 14:12).
Isn’t that an
incredible statement?
Starting Small
If so, I have
good news. Jesus realized that faith often starts small.
One example is the man who came to Him and said, “Lord, I
believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).
The Lord could
have just sent the man away, telling him to return when his faith was greater.
But no, Jesus
recognized the man’s honesty and gave him the miracle he sought.
If your faith
seems small today, you should be encouraged by Jesus’ words:
“If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to
this mountain, ‘Move from hereto there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be
impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).
You see,
mustard seeds were among the smallest of all seeds.
Yet Jesus made a promise: “If you sow your tiny mustard seed
into the ground, it will GROW” (Matthew 13:31-32).
In fact, Jesus
said you will end up with mountain-moving faith, and NOTHING will be impossible
for you!
So instead of
being despondent about your small amount of faith today, treat it like a
mustard seed.
Look for ways
to exercise your faith; then watch it grow.
Friend, what is
the step of faith God is calling you to take today?
I can’t wait to
hear about the wonderful things He’ll do in your life when you take the limits
off your faith!
God bless you,
David
Cerullo is
the founder, chairman, and CEO of Inspiration Ministries, located in Indian
Land, South Carolina – a ministry dedicated to impacting people for Christ
worldwide through media. The son of international evangelist Morris Cerullo,
David took a less traditional approach to ministry, graduating from Oral
Roberts University with a degree in business administration and management. He
has authored over 20 books, and operates a global media ministry that
powerfully impacts the world for Christ. More from
David on Inspiration.org.
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