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Faith Removes Limitations Faith Removes Obstacles I try to always use my car as a “university.” I have to drive about 25 minutes to work each day so why not use the time to improve myself. I have a number of audio books that I enjoy. I’m not talking about Stephen King novels or anything like that. I’m talking about audio books that will improve my value in some way. As I listened to “Think and Grow Rich”, I heard the narrator say something that absolutely jolted me; Faith removes limitations.
In Biblical terms…with God all things are possible (Matthew
Or, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians
And finally, the popular mantra, believe it and achieve it.
It seems so simple. Matthew 21:21-22 (New International Version) 21Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Of course the mountain is just a metaphor of whatever is limiting you in your life. I think the mistake that most of us make in our lives is confusing faith with a wish. You must absolutely believe in whatever it is that you pray for. You may say, “Why would God answer my prayer?” Why wouldn’t God answer your prayer?”
Do I wait on God or do I take action on my prayer? The answer to that question can be clear as mud sometimes. Do you remember the movie The Wizard of Oz? Dorothy asks the scarecrow which way to go and he says, “that way” as he is pointing in both directions. Let’s see if we can reason our way through this dilemma with an example. If you aren’t working and you are in need of a job, it wouldn’t be reasonable to pray to God for a job without taking action. Although it would make a wonderful testimony I have never heard of Jesus walking up to someone’s door and offering them a job. Have you? I can give you an example using my own experience. My husband and I had returned from I was praying and while I was praying, I received a phone call. Here’s how the conversation went: Me: Hello Him: Hi, is this Phyllis Ward? Are you the accountant that was looking for a position? Me: No Him: Are you a bookkeeper? Me: Yes, I have done some bookkeeping in the past. Him: Are you looking for work? Me: Yes, I am Him: Are you looking for full time work? Me: Yes, I am. We then went on to talk a little about what his business, my experience, etc. He asked me to send my resume to his wife’s email address. I heard from his wife on Friday evening asking if I could meet them at a restaurant on Saturday morning since they had a soccer game with their kids in the area. I prayed that morning before we met and a specific dollar amount came to mind to request for salary. I prayed for direction and confirmation. We met and really clicked. They had just finished the “Body for Life” fitness challenge and we all had so much to talk about and so much in common. At the end of the interview I had to ask. This was such a bizarre occurrence. We talked about the fact that I hadn’t even sent a resume, applied for a position or anything. He just called me. I asked him, “Are you and your wife Christians?” He said yes. I felt sure that this was an opportunity presented by God but, I had to know for sure. We ended our interview. He said that he and his wife would talk and contact me. I got a phone call from his wife on Sunday evening asking that I take a bookkeeper’s exam that their accountant suggested. I told her that I had taken one several years ago and didn’t feel comfortable with it. At the time, I was a bookkeeper and the questions pertained to an accountant. I really didn’t want to take it and didn’t feel comfortable about it. I had to be honest. It may cost me the job but why waste anymore of anyone’s time. She said that she would talk to her husband and they would call me back. By today, Tuesday, I felt that maybe it just wasn’t meant to be but I had to stick with my conviction about the test. This morning I wrote a letter to God to clear up this confusion. I felt this was an opportunity from God but nothing was happening. I thought that I really blew it by not wanting to take the test. I thought, oh well. It just wasn’t meant to be. It was just an odd coincidence. But still, I really wanted to job. In less than 7 hours I received a phone call from Dan (the husband) saying that he understands that I don’t want to take the test and he would just like to fax it to me and see what I think. Then he decided to ask me a few questions. He did state that the top of the test said “accountant test.” The first question was about depreciation. That’s an accountant question. I was honest and said, “I have no idea.” “That sounds like an accountant’s function.” He agreed. He went on to ask me a couple of other questions. We both agreed that it sounded more like accountant responsibilities. He said, “I’m not even going to fax this to you.” “I believe you are qualified based on the testimony you gave me.” “When can you start to work?” Of course my answer was “tomorrow.” He said, “I would like to offer you the position for the salary you requested and I know that that you didn’t like the vacation benefits that we have so I’m offering an additional week of paid vacation during the year.” “Can you start on Monday?” This is clearly an instance where I had to take action; I needed a job so I applied for many jobs. I didn’t get the jobs I applied for and I certainly didn’t expect to receive that job. I didn’t even apply for it. Later I found that there was a woman named Phyllis Ward that had applied for a position there. Her phone number was disconnected so he called information and got my number. Hmmmmm. Wait on God for the answer
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