Believe Big!

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV)

Lately, my heart has been stirred by the Holy Spirit again. In every season, the Lord will challenge me to stretch my faith. I think about all of the souls I’ve seen come to Jesus, all of the bodies I’ve seen made whole by God’s healing power. While thankful, I am emboldened to ask the Father to do even more.

Dear reader, God wants to widen your reach, stretch your faith, and expand your vision. Believe it! Too often do we sacrifice the miraculous on the altar of practicality. We talk about a big God, yet pray little prayers. But I want to challenge you to believe big.

No more little prayers. We want to be used for the glory of God!

I want to see more souls come into salvation. I want to see more people healed. I want to see more mighty men and women of God raised. I want to see the world changed.

Is this too much to ask?

By no means! We serve a big God.

If this season has discouraged you, drained you, then now is the time to let your faith come alive again. If the enemy has come against you, push back even harder in faith. Lay hold of God’s every promise. Take every Word He has spoken to you and commit your heart to accept it as your only reality.

Nothing is outside of God’s reach. No heart is so hard that it cannot be turned toward Jesus. No sickness is too potent that it cannot be healed. No life is so normal that it cannot be used to touch the world for God’s glory.

Now is the time to believe big. Do you believe it? Do something that won’t work without a miracle!

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Don’t Quit: Your Harvest Is Coming

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. – Galatians 6:9

An impossible situation is the perfect setting for a miracle. Difficult places are the very same where the hand of God will move. If where you were didn’t require faith, it wouldn’t require God. What a privilege that you and I have – that we can share in the adventure of faith, that we can walk the risk-filled path of miraculous potential.

The scripture is perfectly clear. If you don’t quit, you will reap a harvest. The seeds that you have sown will grow. Just don’t faint. Stand firm in faith. It is an irrefutable, immovable law of scripture: persistence in well-doing produces the harvest of blessing. The laws of God’s Word are more certain than the physical laws under which our world operates.

The major difference between those who reap and those who regret is persistence. Of course, we must persist in well doing – this includes our actions and attitudes while we patiently persist. Continuing without the right attitude or perspective does not persist in the Biblical sense – it is mere movement.

Ignore the voices of negativity. Some will say, “I’ve persisted for years, but it hasn’t worked for me!” Those who claim to have persisted without results are fooling themselves, for true persistence and actual faithfulness are judged upon God’s timetable, not ours.

We cannot forget that, at times, we need to reevaluate strategies and approaches. Growth always demands change. However, it is the very act of persisting, the resolute commitment to continue, that becomes the foundation upon which destiny is built.

Persistence always produces. Don’t grow weary. Become excited about the future. Don’t judge your future breakthrough based upon today’s needs. Instead, use all that you possess today to persist, with gratitude and hope, to the best of your ability. The law of persistence will prevail, and you will, when the timing is just right, reap the harvest.

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Persistent Prayer

Before you even present your requests to God, He knows exactly what you need. But there is still something significant about persistence in prayer.

Matthew 7:7-8

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

What exactly is it about persistence that’s equated with faith? It’s not as though God is watching from the Heavens, psychologically torturing the one who prays. He gets no pleasure out of delaying just for the sake of delay.

Additionally, it’s not as if prayer is persuasion. God will not derail His will for the sake of our whims. Prayer is not about strong-arming or guilting God into a response. After all, who among us could force his will upon God? Who has strength to move His divine hand?

So persistence is not demanded of us because God takes pleasure in our misery, nor is persistence a way to manipulate God. Rather, persistence is a spiritual practice that prepares the one who uses it.

Persistent prayer does not make God willing to give; it makes us capable of receiving. God is already willing to give us every promise in His Word. It’s our ability to receive that is matured as we pray persistently.

Persistent prayer weakens the flesh. Persistent prayer turns me into one who can handle the answers to persistent prayer. Persistent prayer produces patience. Persistent prayer causes me to become capable of handling the responsibility of the blessings of God. Persistent prayer cultivates the character of Christ in me.

More than it will change any one or any thing, persistent prayer will change the one who prayers persistently.

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Only Believe

A man approached Jesus’ disciples. The man was distraught, scared. His son, who was possessed by a demonic spirit, was tormented. The father was desperate for his son’s deliverance. He explained to Jesus:

One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.” (Mark 9:17-18, NLT)

Imagine how disappointed the man had become once he realized that the demon wasn’t going to obey the commands of the disciples. I speculate that the disciples were, in his mind, the very last hope of his son ever living a normal life. 

He had likely, up until that point, visited numerous physicians, spiritualists, and so-called experts. However, his son remained bound by chains of darkness. He had been disappointed time and time again. With every failed attempt to make his son well, his faith diminished just a bit more. 

He must have heard the stories about how the disciples were able to work miracles and cast out demons. Yet what little hope he could have mustered was suffocated under the weight of yet another disappointment. The disciples, the man learned, were not able to free his beloved son.

But that’s when Jesus approached him. When you read the narrative in the gospel of Mark, you’ll notice that the man did not approach Jesus - Jesus approached him.

Possibly still glowing with Heavenly glory from his transfiguration, Jesus asked about the boy’s suffering:

“How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” (Mark 9:21-23, NLT)

I love the Master’s straight-forward approach. With an almost indignant tone, Jesus asked, “What do you mean if I can?” I believe the emphasis was on the “if”. Jesus certainly knew His own identity. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

All things are possible; Only believe. 

The man had tried all that he knew to try. He had gone to every expert. He had tried every remedy. He had looked at every potential solution. But, when it came down to it, all he needed to do was believe. And I love his honest response.

The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24, NLT)

After the man’s candid prayer, the Lord delivered his son completely. The boy was freed from the demonic spirit that tormented him.

What do you do when you’ve done all there is to do? What can be attempted when all of your ideas have already failed? What do you do when you need a miracle?

It’s that place of frustration and waiting. Though beneficial to your character, it can be painful. Truly, a miracle is only needed when all other ways have proved to be ineffective. When you’ve come to the end of yourself - talent, intellect, resources, emotion, energy - that’s when the miracle can happen. 

Like that father, perhaps you too face a situation that cannot be overcome with human effort alone. Don’t worry; this is when Jesus steps in. You may have doubt, but He can help your doubt. You may be weary of having your hopes crushed. He won’t disappoint you. You can trust Him. 

Leave it to Him. When you’ve done what you can, rest and trust. Relax. Only believe. He’ll take it from here.

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Persistent Faith

Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.” But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.” But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!” Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.” “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.
Matthew 15:22-28, NLT

The woman who approached the Lord did so in desperation. After insisting upon her request, the woman finally received the miracle she sought.

There is something powerful about persistence. In fact, the portion of scripture you just read makes it perfectly clear that persistence and faith are tied together.
Persistence is consistent faith.

Perhaps there is a stubborn issue in your life that will not move. Or maybe you struggle with something from which you desire to be free. Keep going; don’t quit.

Persistent faith overcomes all. You’re not going to climb the mountain; you’re going to move the mountain. Ask, seek, knock. The door will open.

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The Law of Persistence

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. – Galatians 6:9

An impossible situation is the perfect setting for a miracle. Difficult places are the very same where the hand of God will move. If where you were didn’t require faith, it wouldn’t require God. What a privilege that you and I have – that we can share in the adventure of faith, that we can walk the risk-filled path of miraculous potential.

The scripture is perfectly clear. If you don’t quit, you will reap a harvest. The seeds that you have sown will grow. Just don’t faint. Stand firm in faith. It is an irrefutable, immovable law of scripture: persistence in well doing produces the harvest of blessing. The laws of God’s Word are more certain than the physical laws under which our world operates.

The major difference between those who reap and those who regret is persistence. Of course, we must persist in well doing – this includes our actions and attitudes while we patiently persist. Continuing without the right attitude or perspective is not persisting in the Biblical sense – it is mere movement.

Ignore the voices of negativity. Some will say, “I’ve persisted for years, but it hasn’t worked for me!” Those who claim to have persisted without results are fooling themselves, for true persistence, actual faithfulness, is judged upon God’s timetable, not ours.

We cannot forget that, at times, we need to reevaluate strategies and approach. Growth always demands change. However, it is the very act of persisting, the resolute commitment to continue, that becomes the foundation upon which destiny is built.

Persistence always produces. Don’t grow weary. Become excited about the future. Don’t judge your future breakthrough based upon today’s needs. Instead, use all that you possess today to persist, with gratitude and hope, to the best of your ability. The law of persistence will prevail, and you will, when the timing is just right, reap the harvest.

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The Potential of a Moment

Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.” But Jesus said, “You feed them.” “With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!” “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.” - Mark 6:34-38

In later verses you’ll read about how Jesus miraculously fed the masses of people who were present. The story is quite famous. But what stood out to me upon this time reading was what the disciples said about their own ability to feed the thousands who were gathered.

When told by Jesus to feed the people, the disciples defensively quipped, “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!”

Before you judge them for having “little faith”, it’s important to note that they weren’t exactly wrong for thinking so. In fact, it’s true that the disciples would have to had worked for months to feed the people. In their own effort, within the limitations of their own ability, time needed to pass in order for the disciples to meet the need.

But what Jesus famously did was miraculous! Not only did He multiply the small amount of food that was provided; He also provided that food in supernatural timing. What should have taken man months to earn took Jesus only moments to create.

Yes, the Lord allows for time to pass for the processing of our character. There is no substitute for long periods of waiting. That’s the only way we can be processed. And, no, there are no shortcuts in life or ministry. God will not do a “quick work” by raising a novice minister to places he or she is not ready to occupy. But God will, when His timing is right, supernaturally accelerate certain events and situations.

The takeaway? You’re closer to your miracle, your breakthrough, than you might think. God’s promise is coming sooner than you believe. The destination is closer than it looks.

Jesus can do more in a moment than we can accomplish in a lifetime.

Lock yourself away in His presence. Abandon the selfishness of the flesh, and let God perform His supernaturally efficient work in you.

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Divine Rescue

Perhaps you are now in a situation that seems to be more than you are able to bear. Maybe there is a God-given vision in your mind, an inspired dream within your heart, that doesn’t seem to be possible. Or maybe you are just living under the frustration of a stubborn situation.

You trust the promises of God, but until the promises come to pass, it can be a challenge to press through.

Peter, on several occasions, found himself in impossible situations. With confidence, he could tell you this: an impossible situation is the perfect setting for a miracle. Peter was divinely rescued from a prison cell:

The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him. ~ Acts 12:6-10

I want to focus on certain peculiar words of scripture. The Bible says, “But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening.”

Think about that.

Peter, while experiencing the divine rescue of God, was not aware that He was being rescued.

During the difficult times, it can seem as though the divine rescue of God is just a vision, a hope, or a dream. But God’s divine rescue is happening now! Whether you see it or not, God is getting you out of this situation. God is bringing the vision to pass.

You may not know how the dream is going to come to pass. You may not know from where your breakthrough will come. But God has dispatched Heavenly help – your miracle is coming. Hold on. Have hope. Don’t surrender to doubt.

He makes a way where there seems to be no way. He shows Himself strongest in the times that seem to be the most challenging. And when the miracle has finally come to pass, you’ll know that it was God and God alone Who performed it.

Divine rescue is coming.

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