How Big is Your God? by Sara Pevlor
At the afternoon fellowship in November, we
were discussing God and how good He is and how some people have a distorted view of Him.
They see God as someone who is just waiting to thump them on the head when they do
something wrong, or who would afflict them with a terrible disease
(like cancer) to "teach them a lesson". During this
conversation, I stated my beliefs on those topics and was rather bold in what I had to
say. Now, boldness is not necessarily one of my greatest attributes and as I considered
what I had said, I came to the realization that a lot of people don’t really give God
credit for who He is and the power He has or the great love He has for us.
Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the
plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm
you, plans to give you hope and a future." God has only good things planned for
us, He is not going to harm us. God is a good God and the devil is a bad devil who only
has plans to destroy you.
We all experience difficult times in our lives,
but we have the choice of how we are going to deal with them. We can become so involved
with our own lives and our own problems, that we forget to look to God, to magnify Him. As
a result of our wrong focus, our problems become magnified and we begin to lose our
"spiritual" perspective. Or we can keep our eyes focused on Him and the promises
He has made to us in His Word. God’s Word is ultimate reality.
Isaiah 40:8 says "The grass withers and
the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." It doesn’t matter
what our circumstances are or what our natural senses are telling us, when we find a
promise in the Word of God and believe by faith to receive that promise, nothing can keep
God from being faithful to His Word. God is a BIG GOD and if we can learn to magnify Him,
our problems will become smaller in comparison to the greatness and the power that God
provides for us by faith.
Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me" I know that verse, have memorized that
verse, taught it to my kids (just ask Paul what his verse is and he’ll
quote it for you). We don’t allow the word "can’t" to rule
their (the kids’) lives. But until a few months ago, that verse
had never really had a great impact on my life.
At the time, I was fighting against some very
big problems. We all deal with problems, but these were problems that I had not been able
to take control of. I had prayed, asked God to give me the strength I needed to overcome
these problems, asked Him to take them away, asked Him to do just about everything you can
imagine to make these things go away, without having to do anything myself. Nothing
worked! I reached a point were I had to deal with them and I was either going to emerge
victorious, or they were; and I was not about to give up! So, as I was quiet before God, I
remembered the verse, "I can do all things". "Right," I thought,
"I can’t do it God, I can’t do all things." Then came the rest of the
verse, "through Christ who strengthens me."
I was right, I can’t do all things, not in
my own strength, or because of my own determination, but because of Christ and the
strength He has supplied for me and ONLY because of that strength can I do "All
things". What I did next, I would recommend to everyone. I substituted my problem for
"all things". For example: "I can forgive Jane Doe through Christ who
strengthens me." Or "I can write an article for the newsletter through Christ
who strengthens me." Etc. The entire situation turned around when I began to focus on
Christ and His strength and took the focus off of the problem.
I repeated that verse, with my own substitution
in it, for at least 10 minutes, maybe 15 before I really believed that what I was saying
was true. It’s more than just saying it & hoping that it works, it took time, not
a lot that time, but you have to know that God is on your side! You aren’t out in the
world fighting these battles alone. God is fighting with you. Actually, God has already
fought the fight, He’s won the fight, and we only need to know how to use His victory
and claim it for ourselves.
So the real question is "How big is your
God?" Is He big enough to overcome any situation that may arise in your life?
Is He big enough to heal you, even if the Dr. says there is no hope? Is He big enough to
prosper you even when you’re just barely getting by?
Is your God big enough to heal you? The Bible
says in 1 Peter 2:24 "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we
might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." Now,
you have the choice of whether or not you are going to believe God’s Word that gives
you the right to claim your healing because of the finished work of Christ. My question
for you would be "Are you believing God on a regular basis for healing and to walk in
divine health?" Do you take even the "small" things to God (i.e.
headaches, colds, etc.) and believe to be healed or do you just handle those things
on your own? If you aren’t believing for even the small things to be healed and
seeing success that will increase your faith, what will you do if you are faced with a bad
report like cancer? There is no problem too small or too big for God. He desires for us to
walk in divine health, after all Jesus bore the stripes on His back for one reason, that
we would be healed! And for that we praise God!
Is your God big enough to prosper you? First
you need to determine whether or not God wants you to prosper. "But remember the
Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms
his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today." Deut. 8:18.
That verse alone should convince you that it is God’s desire that you prosper, after
all, He is the One who has given you the ability to produce wealth! If that’s not
enough to convince you, how about 2 Corinthians 9:11 "You will be made rich in
every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity
will result in thanksgiving to God."
There is a purpose behind God prospering you
and that purpose is so that you can be a blessing to others. Have you ever wanted to give
in an offering and not had the ability to do so because of a lack of finances? That is not
what God desires for you! He wants you to have an abundance so that you can give into
every good work. God is a good father who desires to bless His children in every way,
including their finances.
The answers to these questions depend on your
perspective. The only one who can put limits on God is you! If you can find a scripture to
stand on, a promise to hold on to, God will never fail you. The only variable is with you.
Are you going to search out the scriptures? Are you going to find God’s promises for
you? Are you going believe God no matter what the circumstances may say? Or are you going
to be ruled by every wind and wave that passes your way. Are you going to let the
circumstances of life dictate your future? I refuse to do that, I serve the great I AM, El
Shaddai, Jehovah Jirah. There is absolutely no reason on earth for me to have to be ruled
by life’s circumstances. I choose to see God in all of His power and glory, and by
doing that, my problems, no matter how small or great, are nothing in comparison to Him.
© 1998 Victorious Faith Ministries
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Victorious Faith
Ministries
219 State Street, Algoma, WI 54201
Phone: 920-487-5775