Take The Limits Off Of You And God

How many of you desire to live life with no limits? I have a better question, how many of you desire to let God take the limits that you've placed on your life? If you answered yes to both questions, then I ask you how bad do you want this? Now there's a strong chance that your flesh is screaming no, but your spirit is screaming YES! Turn off the no that's screaming at you. Your life depends on it. Before this starts, grab some tissue as you will experience some moments of sorrow as well as tears of joy. If you happen to cry as you read this, let the tears flow, and yes, I shed some tears as I was writing the outline for this as this post was given to me via His Spirit. Don't worry as to who sees you crying as you read this, your freedom is too important to worry about what others think about you. Once they see your freedom, they'll want a piece of it. Believe me on this. With that, let's get started.

You know, there are many people walking around with a skewed view of God and how He is a loving Father. How do I know? You're looking at someone who has struggled with it. Many of you know my story. But let me share a piece of it from a different perspective. I was sexually abused, but at the same time, I lived in fear as to how my parents treated me. It was either do what I say on my timetable, or fear the wrath of the belt, which I felt on numerous occasions. The truth is that parents are really supposed to paint a picture of who God really is. And if a child is scarred through a trauma, they will rightfully question when older, can I trust Him, because I surely can't trust my parents after all the abuse I suffered, their abandonment and their neglect. Eventually what happens is that we treat God based on how our parents treated us especially if trauma is involved. How do I know? There were areas I struggled with God over. Example, if I messed up with my parents, it was like I had to make so many amends for them to forgive me. Even though God forgives me when I confess our sin, I still wrestle with the concept of "I have to make amends." What hastens is that I just limited myself and what God can do.

What happens is that we end up creating boxes and walls within our lives as a form of protection. And let something traumatic happen when we think to let the wall down, the heart will become callous for some. What's even worse is that we put a wall up to protect ourselves from God. And He is much more compassionate than our biological parents. Of course, it's hard to fathom when we surely didn't see a good example. And the reason why we didn't see an example is because the devil is after us. He knows the gift that's ok each of us, and he's after that. With that wall comes the feeling of we have to carry our own burdens, when we are to cast it over to Him for He cares for us. The truth is, He knows what we're holding on to and He wants it so we can have this 150 pounds lifted off of us. Excess weight costs us our life in many cases. The same holds true when it comes to burdens and limits. It will weigh us down to the point we end up with psychosomatic illnesses and in some cases, eating disorders. Galatians 5:1 says for freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

You see, we can put up a facade with people and in some cases with our family, but you can't put one up with God. He sees all and knows all. No matter how hard you try to box God in, we can't. I don't know about you, but I love surprises and His surprises always give me more of a reason to not quit on Him. Take Him at His Word and please don't cast away your confidence. He is up to something, but the key is to not keep your wall up so you block His blessings, but also to not bring Him down to your level. He'll let us go on our own for a little while, but you will physically and possibly spiritually burn out. Yes, there will be people (in and out of the church) who will discredit you and say, "You can't do this!" Believe me, I lived it. He wants to work through you so He can get the credit while you are blessed. 

I do believe that our walls and our limits within ourselves and with Him really is a lack of trust. That doesn't mean we're going to hell, and it is true we may not have had good role models when we were kids. Now, it's time for a thought exchange and ask for a spiritual download from Him so we can dump our past thinking for a mindset like His. It's recorded in James that what is not of faith is sin. I didn't say that to condemn, but it's because of the fallen world we live in).

Earlier, I mentioned about the devil was after our gifts. Let me expound further, he really wants us dead in all areas. How? I'm glad you asked. He brought the trauma through our lives via childhood abuse, domestic abuse, emotionally abusive relationships, con men and con women, unexpected deaths, and the list goes on. All of these things can cause the limits to come. And yes, God understands; however, He wants it so He can free you up for an unexpected blessing.

Of course, I ask, where's the church in all of this? Well, sadly, many of them have the mentality of the AMCC (American Middle Class Church) where it's all about me, my family and my clique and everybody else can go to hell with our help. 

How can we get the limits off of you and your thoughts about God? Great question. I want you to survey your life and ask, "what stinks? What's dead in your life?" If Jesus can raise Lazarus from the dead, He can raise you up. Now, Lazarus was dead for four days, and it turned around. I declare that some of our dead situations will turn around. Can you declare that?

Get those Pharisees that say "you will never amount to anything, you'll never recover, you're the blame for all that happened to you" out of your life. 

Sometimes we don't appreciate our miracles when we're not involved. The scars that you have remind you of how bad it was so you can appreciate how good the miracle is.

At the end of Luke 7, people called the harlot out, probably saying, "look at that whore trying to get to Jesus." And Jesus had to tell them, "leave her alone." Jesus built her up and forgave her. And we in the church want to remember people's wrongs. 

I really want to close this on a positive note. The beauty of God is that He specializes in forgiving our screw-up, He specializes in restoring the years you lost, He specializes in drying the tears you cried because you struggled to put food on the table, you stepped out on faith to leave that mate who abused you, He specializes in giving you double for what you've endured. I know I did some things wrong in my life, but He's not done with me (and He'd not down with you either). Don't be afraid to take the limits off of yourself and off of what God can really do (and who He really is). In fact Psalm 27:10 says for my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. This is so true.

Can I just say this? Sometimes when we put limits on ourselves, we tend to make mistakes like Abram & Hagar. Now, Ishmael was not a mistake, Abram & Sarai wanted to help God out and jump ahead of God's timetable. God promised Abram that he and Sarai we're going to have a child. He doesn't think like we think, so we have to wait on Him. That waiting period requires faith. 

Now many of you know me. I'm an accountant by profession and I'm always talking about working our day jobs like a Hebrew slave. If you think that's all there is to your life, you'll be working above and beyond just to only get 50% of your money. There's a proverb that says your gift will make room for you and bring you before the great. Once you operate in the gift God gave you, expect unexpected blessings that your day job can't even do for you. Another way to take the limits off of you and God.

Take a good look where you are, can you testify of what He's brought you out of? If you can't think of anything, you're still breathing especially when your life was threatened at one point in your life. When we take the limits off of God and His majesty, we need to posture ourselves for the unexpected to happen (and that's meant in a way that will bless your life tremendously). Regardless of what we've been through, our God can do things we haven't even imagined. He's the only one that can restore our broken soul (even though I write to right the broken soul - smile, He does a much better job than I can), and heal us from the inside out. We need to stop trying to figure Him out; He's unlimited.

Come on, I'm trying not to cry. He's not done with you, He's not done with me. He rescued me from many dangers and spared my life on many occasions. He's just getting started. I'm going to say it again, He specializes in restoration!

Blessings,

The Mayne Man

How We Tend To Miss Our Blessings

During my drive home from work this afternoon, I thought about how I am seeking to bless other drivers by letting them in my lane when a lane is ending and they have to merge onto my lane. Some will not consider my desire to be a blessing to them, and then they'll speed by and drive on the side of the road and then squeeze between other drivers. Of course, this creates accidents in some cases or it causes traffic jams. This made me think about this principle. There are some people in life that won't accept a blessing. When you seek to bless others, people will reject it. Now watch this, the same one who will reject you will seek to demand a blessing from others on their own terms. Esau wanted to demand a blessing from Isaac on his own terms, and he cried, "bless me, even me" (I hope that song didn't come from what Esau said). The message: people who are wrapped up in "self" will always want things their way, and then when true blessings come their way, they won't be able to because they either become callous to it, or they are not prepared to receive it.

The children of Israel got mad when they had to wander in the wilderness. As they believed the 10 spies who said they can't inherit the land, they would die. They had their blessing right in front of them, but they forfeited it. Now watch this, they tried to achieve it on their own terms, and they died as a result.

Another way we miss our blessing is because the devil does not want us to have it. So, he will come through obstacles or people. And as I think about it, the devil wants us in a position where we are not paying attention. 

So how can we not miss our blessing? Let me just give one way to you to consider. Get away from people who constantly tear down the very thing you're believing God for in your life. Another way of saying that is this: get away from those who want to glorify your problem causing you to nullify the very thing you're believing God for. Because if you don't they will talk you out of receiving your blessing and you will miss it. Now this isn't a bad thing and it doesn't mean you're cutting them off. The message is that not everyone is going to support your assignment or rejoice when you receive your blessing especially if your heart is close to God's heart. Again, it's not a bad thing, it's just where people are in their life. But seek to get with people who have your solution and will support your assignment and rejoice when you are blessed.

Blessings,

The Mayne Man

In Need Of A Breakthrough?

So many people preach, shout, speak, dance & sing about breakthroughs and that's cool. One day I was thinking about something and I felt the need to write about it (because we sometimes forget one key element - I'll talk about that near the end of this post). 

If I were to ask what type of a breakthrough are you in need of right now, you could tell me at least one thing. If I could ask you what song that deals with breakthrough is your favorite, you could tell me without thinking. And there's nothing wrong with that, because I could answer both questions within one second!

I heard somebody say this years ago and it makes sense: when Bill Gates was developing Microsoft, people said that he spent days at a time in his office because he was serious about getting it off the ground. Now it's obvious to believe that many would have said that he went off the deep end and/or he's depriving his family. Well, he got a breakthrough and now he can get all the family time he wants (and really doesn't have to work another day in his life). 

Now many will say that's the world, but there's a spiritual message. Think about it, to get a breakthrough in some cases is going to require some form of sacrifice. Luke 14:28 says For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Also Proverbs 13:4 says The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. 

The same person also said this: when you get a breakthrough in one area, the sky's the limit! Why is that? Because the principles are the same.   

Now many of us are depending on God for the breakthrough, and that's great. He is The Lord of the breakthrough. Now watch this: God will put somebody in your path that can assist you with your breakthrough. Sadly, in many cases we want to do things without the help of people (the very people that God sends us), and make the journey longer than needed due to our selfishness, pride or ego. Or there are people that are supposed to help you are in disobedience to God and don't want to help you due to selfishness, pride (and this includes throwing titles at people), grudges, ego, etc.

The same person also said this (and I agree wholeheartedly): we need to understand that our breakthrough, increase, open door & closed door is hinged on somebody!

Luke 6:38 says give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall men give into your bosom. Notice it didn't say "shall God."

Here's the key that many people miss when it comes to breakthrough: I know you're believing for a breakthrough, but you can NOT treat everybody like crap! Now many of you know me, you do NOT have to kiss up to people to get your breakthrough. We can't afford to call on people with the wrong motive (i.e., focusing on you; what's in it for me). Believe me, your motive is based on the seeds you've planted. If the seeds you've sown are full of self, then people are going to see that as they discern your spirit and are not going to want to assist you. The last thing you want to do is bad-mouth (and even defraud) someone God sent to you to bless you.

In closing, praying & fasting should be a lifestyle and not just for when we need a breakthrough. But at the same time, breakthroughs should be a lifestyle and not just an event!

Blessings: 

The Mayne Man

Double Portion

One day (within this year or last year), God was dealing with me about these two phrases: "double portion" and "double blessing." These two phrases stem from Deuteronomy 21:17, but more importantly Job 42:10 (with this post focusing on the latter).

I have found that many people rejoice (even to the point of being hysterical) the moment they hear these words (whether it be a song or from behind the pulpit), "your latter will be greater," "the double portion is over your life," or "God is getting ready to take you into the overflow." I'll be honest, I kinda cringe when I hear those phrases because in most cases it's taken out of context. Let me explain.

If you were to read the entire book of Job (but especially chapters 1-2), you'll find that Job was blessed, but Satan wanted to attack Job to determine if Job will curse God. Now, when God blessed Job in chapter 42, it was after Job acknowledged that God is sovereign and after Job went through this intense spiritual warfare. 

Many people today (especially those who are great at lip service) make a serious mistake in thinking because they go through (as a result of their own sin) that God's going to bring the double portion. Now I'm not saying He won't, but we understand there's a process: the double portion should not be the first thing on our minds. If it is, then we are just materialistic (case closed). And many people in the church world are just that. The double portion should be the last thing on our minds. Now if He happens to bless us that way, praise God; and if He doesn't, we should still be praising God. Not because of what He does for us (which was actually an accusation Satan made to God against Job), but because of who He is, His sovereignty and because He called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Blessings.

The Mayne Man

The Power of Relationships

Many people say that people are in our lives for a reason, season, or a lifetime. If we carry this attitude in our relationships with people, we can miss a lot of blessings. It can also breed selfishness. Why do I say this? If we have a spirit of love towards everyone, we don’t have to spend all of our time focused on how long a person is in our life. Most people classify people like that is because they have a motive of their own. This is not to condemn anyone; we should always have a spirit of love and generosity towards people. No matter how long a person stays in your life, treasure the time with them and don’t cut them off unless you really need to regulate or terminate the relationship (especially if they’re taking you down a path that’s contrary to Scripture). Sadly, we terminate relationship because of trivial things (I could write the numerous trivial things, but it’s not relevant to this post) and our own selfishness. Think about it, Jesus didn’t cut Judas out of His life. Judas cut himself off by betraying Him and taking his own life. Jesus really wanted Judas to repent and He still showed compassion towards him.

If the truth be told, the Kingdom of God is centered on relationships. Yes, He is the Lord of the Harvest but we need to understand that our breakthrough, our increase, our open and closed doors are hinged on someone. Many times we miss that blessing because we don’t want to get along with people or we’re judging them because they appear different than you. Some of us are holding on to Bitterness, Unforgiveness, and Grudges (what I call the BUG syndrome), which is a great hindrance to our blessings. What we need to understand is that the one who annoys you totally can be the very one who has your breakthrough. This is why we need to follow God’s lead and not our own! Let’s look at Luke 6:38, it says “Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall MEN give into your bosom.” Notice that it didn’t say shall God. I need to say this: sometimes we miss a blessing because of pride. Someone reading this post needs to swallow their pride and ask for help or prayer, or not look down on people because they don’t have a title. Some of those people you look down on could actually have your blessing. Remember pride goes before destruction. That selfish spirit of “I can do it by myself” or “I’m to have all the answers” needs to go! In summary of this paragraph, there will be people who mistreat you. Don’t think for one minute that it’s not God. They could be, but we need to learn to get along with others and relate to people (now I’m not saying to kiss up to people – many of you know me and how I feel about that). Always remember, the righteous will never be forsaken!

Another problem is that we’re trying to determine our blessings on our own terms. Most blessings come when we are united with other brothers and sisters as we’re helping each other with our God-given assignments. And to think, God gave us all of the resources we need. He didn’t drop anything from the sky. A little side-note: there will some people who will be complacent and not put their hands to the plow when it comes to their assignment, while still praying for a blessing from God. He can do all things, but He won’t do your assignment for you. As I just mentioned, He has given us the resources so we can complete our respective assignment. My assignment affects you, and your assignment affects me and they both make us better and more effective to the world.

In closing: relationships are critical. Always treat people with respect and with God’s love. Philippians 2:3-4 says this: Don’t do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves. And look out for one another’s interests, not just for your own.

This is why we need to be led by His Spirit (walking and living by faith) and not be moved by what we see in front of us!