Stop limiting God

By: Ysrael De la Cruz

It amazes me how often we limit God in our daily living. You may not realize it, or care to even admit, that you have a limited perspective of God.  God is Sovereign above everything he created.  Nothing is bigger or more powerful than him.  He (Jesus) is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church.  He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. (Col.1:17-18).  In everything, He has the supremacy; but we find ourselves often limiting God in our lives.  And this obviously shows a limited knowledge of him.  Yes, limiting God shows that you don’t truly know him that well.  Here are some examples that show a limited perspective of God.

–When you say: “God can’t use someone like me” or “that person is too sinful to be used by God.”   God can use anyone; we undoubtedly see this in Scripture. How he used flawed people, ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.  Stop limiting God, his grace and purposes as greater than your worst sin.

Sometime people adopt what I call “Moses’ syndrome”
(“I am not eloquent enough.” “I am not the right person for the job”  Stop limiting God, for his power is perfected in your limitations. (2 Cor.12:9) As long as you are willing to say yes to God, he will use you, no matter what weaknesses you have.  HE is greater than your limitations.

–When you think they are too old or too young.  Age is irrelevant to the LORD, who throughout history has used old and young to accomplish his purposes.  If you are still breathing, then God can certainly use you.  He is not done with you yet, so stop limiting him.

-When you stop serving and think the ministry won’t continue without you.  Ministry is service; but to stop serving God just to prove your worth or desire to be missed, reveals that you have a twisted view of ministry.  If you stop, God will raise up others to carry on his work.  Jesus told the Pharisees that God could raise up children for Abraham even from stones. (Matt.3:9).  God doesn’t need any of us and yet, he has called everyone to serve (ministry) in his kingdom. We should always be humble for the opportunity to be his servants.  It is a privilege to be part of God’s kingdom; but his kingdom agenda will continue with or without you.  So, stop limiting God thinking that if you stop doing something God’s kingdom’s advancement would stop.

-When you think the church would die if you stop supporting it financially.  I have seen this sinful attitude among church folks; it is so sad that they think they are the foundation of the church, that they are the ones keeping it going.  The church has only one foundation, Jesus.  And he promises that not even the gates of hell will overcome his church.  If he wants a church close, no one will be able to keep it open; and if he wants it open, no one can close it.  Rev.3:7  He is the one who opens doors no one will shut and shuts doors no one will open.  Stop limiting God thinking that your lack of generosity will stop his kingdom.

–When you think the church would die if you leave or stop attending. The kingdom of God and his church is greater than any of us.  We should count ourselves privileged to be part of his kingdom.  His kingdom-work will continue with us or without us because his plan for his church transcends our egos and self-centered attitudes.  Persecution could not stop Christ’s church; trials and difficulties won’t either.  Therefore, stop limiting God by thinking that your absence from the community would stop his kingdom agenda.

It is my prayer that this could cause “godly grief that produces repentance” (2 Cor.7:10) on some of you; if you have been limiting God in any of these ways.  Furthermore, ask God to forgive you for having such a limited perspective of him.  I pray that we all embrace the desire to get to know God better through the pages of the Bible.  Then we will clearly see His majesty, his limitlessness.  Our God is an awesome God.  Get to know him better.