Three Questions That Frame Potential

Matthew 9:28 “28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.”

Matthew 15:34 “34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.”

Matthew 20:32 “32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?”

What do you want?

Two blind men of Jericho

Matthew 20:29–34 “29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. 30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? 33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. 34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.”

Desire the right things

Do you want the food of Egypt or freedom from Egypt

Numbers 11:4–6 “4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: 6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.”

Psalm 106:15 “15 And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.”

What you think you want is not always what you really want.

Desire can be manipulated or corrupted

Genesis 3:6 “6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

Your want should align to your need

God responds to desire

Jeremiah 29:13 “13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

Evaluate your desire

Psalm 26:2 “2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.”

Desire God’s wholeness

Not another blind man’s garment, nor a hand to hold; I want to see!

Desire the Lord

Psalm 27:4 “4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.”

What do you have?

Feeding the multitude

Matthew 15:32–34 “32 Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. 33 And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? 34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.”

God can feed a multitude with the little lunch you have, as long as you let him use what you have.

God often works with what we have

A rod in hand

Exodus 4:1–3 “1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. 2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. 3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.”

Are you willing to let God use what you have?

God replenishes what we give to him

1 Kings 17:12–14 “12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.”

What do you believe?

Two blind men of Galilee

Matthew 9:27–29 “27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. 28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.”

Unbelief limits God’s work

Psychologists speak of ‘self-limiting’ beliefs

There are God-limiting beliefs.

Matthew 13:53–58 “53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. 54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? 56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? 57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. 58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”

Teaching surfaced the unbelief.

Skepticism based on familiarity

Offense

Faith creates the environment for miracles

Mary and the first miracle at Cana

John 2:3–5 “3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”

Come boldly to the throne of grace

Hebrews 4:15–16 “15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

God knows what we have; he knows what we want (and need); and he is the God of the possible. Come to him in faith!

According to your faith

Your faith determines what is possible in your life

Not everything that’s possible will be realized, but faith enlarges the range of possibilities where God can work, and maximizes the potential field of God’s activity in our sphere of life.