LIMITLESS

 

Have you ever had those encounters with God that you walk away just stunned by his overwhelming greatness?  Those times where everything that happens is dripping in his presence and can only be explained as an ordained and sovereign happening of the Lord? This weekend I had an encounter like that. This weekend I was able to help and be behind the scenes at an outdoor Jeremy Camp concert. It took place in a small Texas town with under 600 people making up the entire community. To get a sense of how small it is; there is not even a stop light or a Dairy Queen! The amount of people who showed up to the concert doubled and almost tripled the entire town’s population. It was an awesome sight to see. The quote from Field of Dreams came to mind where he says, “ If you build it, they will come”. That is exactly what happened and they came. Satan tried many times to put a stop to this event but did not prevail! As each obstacle came up, the Lord, who is ALWAYS in control, took care of each situation so that the concert could take place. 

I have found, that the Lord loves to show his power in situations that seem helpless to the human eye.  From the moment the day started on Saturday until Sunday at midnight the Lord really showed up and let me know in a BIG way that He is LIMITLESS.  For example, the concert took place in an area that is usually drought stricken and a storm came in on Friday that caused flash floods in certain parts, and for a concert that is taking place in an outdoor venue this is not a good sign. But the Lord is LIMITLESS. He stopped the rain and dried up a drenched field covered in 4 1/2 inches of water to the point where people were able to sit on the ground to watch the concert.   He continually defied the odds and you could almost taste his presence. Halfway through the concert I just stopped and was amazed at the POWER of the Lord. The fact that the winds and rains answer to the Lord and all of creation was breathed and controlled by my Creator was powerful. Then and there he spoke to me, right to my heart, saying, “ Why do you limit me?” It caught me off guard, because never in my mind did I think I was limiting the Lord. How can I limit such a mighty God? But then he asked me again, “ Why do you limit me?”  and thats when it hit me, in my mind I believe the Lord can do mighty things but do I really believe it in my heart and live out that belief? To often I hold onto what I know the Lord can do and try and put him in my “Lauren- made” box. The problem with this way of thinking is that his thoughts are not my thoughts and his ways are not my ways (Isaiah 55:8-9) and He is able to do and does more than I can ever imagine. He breaks my man- made box in every aspect and yet I continually try and shove him back in there. I need a good slap across the face and a reminder that we have a God who has created all and literally breathed all into existence. We were created by a LIMITLESS God. 

How often do we also put limits on ourselves? We see the goals we want to reach physically, like wanting to lose weight, or get more toned or build up endurance but we only see ourselves able to do so much. We put these unspoken and unseen limits on our abilities when the Lord has created us to do so much more with his help and through his power. You see, that is where we get messed up. We limit ourselves because we only see what we are able to do as humans. But through God, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!  ( Matthew 19:26) He breaks every boundary, he breaks through every limit that was placed and works best through the weakest and most available servants. I have found that the Lord loves to flex his power and majesty in situations that seem impossible and are covered in the doubts and limits put on them by our finite minds. So before you settle, before you only see yourself going so far, or accomplishing only so much, stop and ask the Lord to guide you and give to him all that you are and let your LIMITLESS God work in and through you. 

Tonight as you lay your head down I challenge you to  pray Psalm 31:3,5 to the Lord. Whisper in the darkness, “ SInce you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead me and guide me. Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.” Then let him work, watch him work and show up in mighty LIMITLESS ways.  

About the Author: Lauren Barksdale is the founder of Soul Fitness. She has a BA and Masters in Kinesiology from Dallas Baptist University . She coached volleyball at Birdville High School in North Richland Hills for the last 5 years. In college she played volleyball for Baylor's club team and at Dallas Baptist University. She has been married to Ben Barksdale for 5 years and has two children; Evie Grace who is 3 and Hudson who is 10 months old. Lauren has a passion for health and fitness and incorporating that into everyday life as a Christ follower