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| Thinking Big in Small Places by Tony Miller |
| · Genesis 13:14-18 |
| · “If God be your partner, make your plans big!!” |
| · Those were the words of D.L. Moody as he challenged a generation to believe God for great things in their lives. Our God is not a God of small plans, dreams or visions; He is always stretching and expanding us to realize the full potential He has designed for our lives. |
| · Often times, however, God’s vision for our lives, big as it may be, comes to us while were in confined, small places. Because God always speaks to our future, many times we have a hard time reconciling what we see in the present with what He has shown us concerning our future. The challenge for us is to learn how to think big in small places! |
| · Long before the dream or vision for your life ever becomes a reality in your life, it becomes a vision in your spirit. That’s why God challenges us in His Word to get big on the inside. |
| · “The smallness you are feeling is coming from within you. Your lives are not small, you’ve just been living them in a small way.” II Cor. 6:12 (Message) |
| · Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we could ask or imagine, according to the power that works in us. If you and I are going to become all He has called us to be, then we must realize that God fulfills the vision of our lives from the inside out. Phil. 2:13 says it is God who is at work within us both do and to will according to His good pleasure. Let’s look at the life of Abraham for some keys for learning how to think big in small places. |
| · In Genesis 13, we find Abraham after God has promised him that He would make Abraham into a great nation and that he would bless him abundantly. However, Abraham’s present circumstances don’t line up with the vision God had given him in Chapter 12. Verse 14 gives us the first key: God says to Abraham, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, . . .”. |
| · The first thing we must recognize is that we can see the promise of God for our lives from where we are. Many people get caught in the of thinking, “If I could just get this promotion, or meet this person, or marry so and so; if I could just move to this city . . . then God could use me mightily.” That’s not what God told Abraham. He told him to look from the place where you are. Friend, wherever you are in life right now, no matter how confined or restricted you feel, God wants you to see His plan for your life “from the place where you are.” |
| · Secondly, we must understand the importance of becoming people of spiritual vision. God’s command for Abraham was that he “Look . . .”. If you and I are going to move into God’s plan for our lives, we must be people of spiritual vision. Spiritual vision in our lives will enable and empower us to possess new territory as we move into God’s purpose for our lives. We see this clearly demonstrated in the life of Moses. Hebrews 11:24-27 tells us that Moses, “seeing Him who was invisible . . .”(v. 27), was able to: |
| · 1. Make difficult decisions-“refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter” (v. 24) |
| · 2. Be willing to pay the price-“choosing to suffer hardship with the people of God” (v. 25) |
| · 3. Live for the eternal-“for he was looking to the reward” (v. 26) |
| · 4. Overcome fear-“not fearing the wrath of the king” (v. 27) |
| · Like Moses, we must learn to begin thinking big in small places, and that starts by committing ourselves to being people of spiritual vision. This will allow us to: make the necessary difficult decisions in our lives, be willing to pay the price of our destiny, live with the eternal reward in mind, and overcome the fear of man and of the enemy in our lives. I believe you can do it! Remember, no matter how confined or restricted the place you’re in right now, you can see the promise of God for your life FROM WHERE YOU ARE! Just THINK BIG in your small place! |
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| THE FOUR SPIRITUAL LAWS |
| there are spiritual laws which govern your relationship with God |
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| LAW 1 |
| God LOVES you and offers a wonderful PLAN for your life. |
| God's Love "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NIV). |
| God's Plan Jesus Said :"I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful] (John 10:10). |
| Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life?Because... |
| LAW 2 |
| We are all SINFUL and SEPARATED from God. Therefore, we cannot know and experience God's love and plan for our lives. We are all Sinful "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). We were all created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin. |
| We are all Separated "The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23). |
| Heaven and Hell are real destinations and the ultimate choice is ours. "... those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus ... will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord ..." (2 Thessalonians. 1:8,9; NIV) |
| God is holy and we are all sinful. A great gulf separates the two.We are continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through our own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy, or religion - but he inevitably fails. |
| The third law explains the only way to bridge this gulf... |
| LAW 3 |
| Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life. He Died in Our Place "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). |
| He Rose From the Dead "Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). |
| He Is the Only Way to God "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'" (John 14:6). |
| God has bridged the gulf which separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. |
| It is not enough just to know these three laws... |
| LAW 4 |
| We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives. We Must Receive Christ "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12) |
| We Receive Christ Through Faith "By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9). |
| When We Receive Christ Jesus, We Experience the New Birth John 3:1-8 |
| We Receive Christ Jesus by Personal Invitation [Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20). |
| Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will. |
| The following explains how you can receive Christ: |
| You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith Through Prayer God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. , please prayer: |
| "Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be." |
| If you pray that Prayer please fill out details below:Do you have a bible YES/NO |
| Name:__________________________________________ |
| Address_________________________________ |
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| Date received Jesus / /20 |
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