The following excerpt is from Don’t Limit God by Andrew Wommack:
And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. 1 Kings 17:1
Elijah stood up in front of a king who was killing all of God’s prophets. He walked right up to him and said, “Thus saith the Lord.” Elijah identified himself with God, knowing that being one of God’s ministers, he could be killed. Yet Elijah boldly walked up in front of all the people and said, “Thus saith the Lord, ‘It will not rain until I say so.”‘ Since Elijah was bold enough to speak the truth, within three years, he was the central figure of that entire nation. The king was taking orders from Elijah because he stood up and spoke the truth.
Most people won’t stand up and speak for morality when people talk about shacking up with each other and acting like dogs and alley cats. We should stand up and say, “Did you know that’s destructive? You need to make a commitment. Why would you want to live with someone who’s not even committed to you?” One of the main reasons people shack up instead of making a commitment through marriage is so that the first time that something goes wrong, they can leave without any encumbrances.
Pastor Ray…
Sandy and I were out in a restaurant. This just goes to show that sometimes you are thinking something and it just isn’t true. So, we were sitting there and behind Sandy there was a couple sitting at a table The gentleman had gotten up to go to the restroom and on his way back I saw he had tattoos everywhere. And he had one of those deals where his ears where pierced and there was one of those rings that stretches your ear out. So, I said something to Sandy just reacting. So she just kind of turned to look at him right when the lady was looking at her. Within three minutes, they had the manager over there. And so we thought they were disturbed by the fact that Sandy turned around and looked at them. And then all of sudden they were out of there. They talked to the manager and they were out.
We were surmising, we thought yes, they were offended because we were looking at them. And then we were saying, “Well, isn’t that why you would do that, so people would look?” Why else would you do it? I mean if Annie came in here tattooed all over her face, it must be for attention? (ha, ha, ha) Then the manager came by and we said, “Excuse me, could you tell us what the deal is with that couple. We thought maybe they were offended by us, by the fact that we noticed them.” He said, “No, it had nothing to do with you. They were unhappy with the service they received. They had to wait too long for their table.”
We can be upset just because somebody didn’t look at us or didn’t say anything. Pastor Mac addresses that by saying, “You would be surprised how little people think about you anyway.” So, when you are thinking and your brain is working overtime, it’s not happening. It’s just your brain. Or we could say what? It’s the Devil.
We will limit what God can do through us if we know something is true but won’t stand up for the truth because we are afraid of what people will say. There is zero excuse for this in America. In foreign countries, many have given their lives standing up for the truth. That’s true persecution! But in our country, we feel persecuted if people just look at us a certain way.
We have become addicted to everyone’s acceptance. We receive our ego and acceptance from others, so we become co-dependent on people. We need our spouse’s, co-workers’, children’s, in-laws’, or out-laws’ approval. I’m not saying we should enjoy the rejection of others, but we should get to a place where if God loves us—which He does—then that ought to be sufficient for us. When we have a fear of man and let criticism and rejection keep us from doing what God called us to do, we limit Him.
Pastor Ray…
Isn’t that true? Last year at the prayer conference in France… Sandy and I have gone there a lot of years. I have always done the first meeting which I love that because you can just be led by the Spirit, you’re not moved by whatever someone said. Whatever, you just get up and go. However, there can be pressure in your brain about it because in this particular meeting, I was sitting next to Pastor Lynne, next to Patsy Cameneti, next to Terry and George Pearsons and I am opening the event. Oh boy. So, I just looked over to Pastor Lynne and said, “This has to be God. This is a miracle that I am the one that would be opening up this event.”
So I had to stay in my heart. I couldn’t stay in my brain because that’s status quo kind of stuff. Ms. Annie and I have gone over it before: “I am nobody.” Yes, you are somebody (ha, ha, ha). We are all nobodies without Him but we are somebody with Him. And if we would just shrivel up and not do what God has called us to do, then other people would be missing out on what He has called us to do and called us to say or pray.
God Is Enough
I have a Scandinavian friend who ministered in Africa and had started some churches there. He was really struggling, and it seemed like nothing was working for him. One day he was out in the jungle complaining and griping about how nobody loved him and how people hadn’t accepted him. All of a sudden, the Lord spoke to him in such a loud voice that the ground shook. He could actually see the trees swaying as God asked, “Walter, aren’t I enough?”Needless to say, Walter repented and said, “God, You are enough. “When he realized he had been limiting God because of a fear of man, he stopped complaining and instead planted over 500 churches in Africa! We all need to stop limiting God in our lives and get to the place where God is enough. It’s amazing how insecure we become when we aren’t in a vibrant relationship with God. We need to have everyone else’s approval. The only people who will ever let us down are those whom we lean on. If we don’t lean on anyone but Jesus, nobody can let us down.
If the Lord tells us to move to Africa or someplace else and we stop to consider what our family or others would think, we have a fear of man. I’m not saying we shouldn’t think about these things. But for us to debate whether we’re going to do what God tells us to do because someone might not like it, is a fear of man.
As a minister, I’ve had to deal with this a lot. I don’t like it when people hate me or spit in my face—nobody does. One thing that really helped me was when the Lord instructed me to tell someone something that I knew this person didn’t want to hear. I knew they weren’t going to like it, so I was debating whether or not to say anything. Finally, the Lord spoke to me and said that I had no right to reject the truth for this person. He told me that we need to give people the right to reject His Word on their own. This changed my thinking, as I realized that when we don’t tell people the truth because we’re afraid of how they might respond, we reject the truth for them.
No Restraints
Many people are afraid someone is going to criticize them or reject them so they are paralyzed and unable to do what God tells them to do. Once in one of my meetings, there were hundreds of people who raised their hands when asked if they would go to Bible college if they had no restraints. Some common restraints people have are thoughts like: What would my family think? What would a particular person think? People are going to think I’ve lost my mind. All of this is a fear of man, which will limit God. The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25Some people who have come to our Bible college, however, have not allowed such restraints to stop them. There was one woman from Utah who was told by her husband that he would divorce her if she got on the plane to come to our Bible college. Their marriage was already in trouble, so she came anyway—and he divorced her. Because of situations like this, people become paralyzed and don’t obey what God tells them to do.
We need to come to a place where when God speaks to us, nobody else is going to stop us from doing what He told us to do. Fear of man will bring bondage into our lives, so we need to get over it! We cannot respect or honor anyone else’s opinion as much as we honor God’s opinion. Fear of man will limit God in our lives.
Pastor Ray…
We are not in fear, but we can be tempted to be in fear. We all have relatives and they all have their deals. We can’t always go along with their deal. We all go through that and we have to make decisions based on what God has led us to do and not be so swayed by other’s opinions, the fear of what they’ll think. We have all gone through that and we are going through.
Prayed…
I declare “We are going through and we are not in fear”
The only fear we have is in the Lord
We have all of our faith and trust in You, Father
And we thank You for Your wonderful presence and the power of Your Spirit this morning
Showing us new – new ways, new ideas
Even some new plans about the places that God is calling us to
And what He is calling us to do and how He is showing us what to say
Thank You, Father, for this is a new day and we shall rejoice and be glad in it
So, today we are happy! Today we are joyful!
The joy of the Lord inside each one of us is strengthening us to stand up
And do what our Father has called us to do, each one of us today
We open up our hearts, the book of our hearts and do what He has told us to do
And believe that He can make it come to pass, AmenMs. Annie led us singing Because You’re With Me, I Will Not Fear
Continued praying…
Thank You for being with us, Lord
Because You are with us, we have no fear
There is no room for fear, not hear, not where You have called us to go
There is no fear, but strength, encouragement, boldness, power from heavenScripture focus…
Prov 18:10
The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. (NIV)
The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe. (NLT)
The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. (KJV)
The name of the Lord is a strong tower: a righteous person rushes to it and is lifted up above the danger (ISV)
The name of the LORD is a strong tower. A righteous person runs to it and is safe. (GWT)We are running, we’re running, we’re running – we’re safe!
We have no fear for the name of the Lord is a strong tower!
There is power in the name, there is authority in the name
We lift up and exalt the name that is above every other nameA tower of strength is the name of Jehovah, Into it the righteous runneth, and is set on high. (YLT)
Continued praying…
Even with the situations, the things that are happening around us
Whatever is happening in our government, our nation, what’s happening in the earth
The name of the Lord is a strong tower and we run to and we’re safe
There is safety in the name – there’s no fear
Fear, get out! Leave!
Fear about the future, fear about what to do, fear about what to say
Oh, no, no, no – no in Jesus’ name
Hallelujah
Thank You, Annie, that you just keep on singing about it
I want us to really, truly get to the place where we absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt
We know we are free! We are in victory and we are not in fear!
Because fear has to go – it’s been defeated on the Cross at Calvary when Jesus said “It’s finished!”
It has to go wherever it’s tried to come back on in – “Get back out!”
Ooooooh! No! Fear about our money! Fear about all the finances!
Fear about what will happen next! Fear about how the nation will go!
Fear! Fear! Fear – Out! Go in Jesus’ name
You’ve been defeated, you are staying that way
A defeated foe!We lift up and pray over the, it seems like there are boundaries and sometimes they are boundaries that try to hold us, try to close out the way to go
We hold the blood against those things that would try to hold us back in Jesus’ name
And we stay on the attack, on the offensive
We stay moving, we stay speaking, we stay walking
Our eyes, our ears, our hearts – all in the right places
Our eyes looking up, looking up
And our hearts connected up to heaven’s ways, to heaven’s plans, to heaven’s direction
Obstacles be removed in Jesus’ name
If we have to, if we need to, we will go around
If we have to, if we need to, we will go over
If we have to, if we need to, we’ll go THROUGH!
By the power of the Spirit of God in the name that is above every other name!
The name of JESUS!
We push it! We push things in the right way!
We push things in the right plan! Move now in Jesus’ name!
God has not given us a spirit of fear but love, power, and a sound mind
Pulling down the stronghold, pulling down the fear, vain imagination
Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death – we fear no evil for the Lord is in us!
Shalom! Shalom! Illuminate!
Everyone! Everyone!
Out! Out! Out! Get out of the way! Get out of the way!
Clear out! Get out! Move out in Jesus’ name!
Ooooooohhh!! Hallelujah!
Now is the time!
Now is the time, these are the days! These are the times!
Ooooooohhh!!
Obstacles, get out of the way now in Jesus’ name!
Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Get Out! Get Away! Leave! Be gone in Jesus’ name!For many in the Church have been walking with their heads held down, their eyes looking downward, but these are the days for the Church to rise up and walk in God’s way and call the things that are not as though they were and demand and command the Devil to get out! Get away! Get down! Leave in Jesus’ name today! Ooooooohhh!! Hallelujah! Even in the body of Christ there are those that are in the wrong position, in the wrong places, doing the wrong things—in the body I am talking about, in positions that they should not be in. They are holding back God’s will, they are holding back God’s plan, and they are bringing about strife and division that has no right to be in the Church!
So when we speak over America and we say “Drain the swamp!”
We speak over the Church and say “Drain the swamp in Jesus’ name!”
Every religious plan and word—words must get out in Jesus’ name!
Those that are directing things in the wrong way “Go! Get out!”
Be removed so the right man or woman can be in that place in Jesus’ name!For these are the days where the Church is rising up! Taking her place of ascendancy and grace and moving forward that every hindrance must bow its knee to the plan of God almighty. So these are keys! We are not coming against man. We are coming against the Devil’s plan. And some have opened themselves up to be directed by the enemy’s ways. No more in Jesus’ name! We shut the door on those things! It’s going to go God’s plan, God’s will, and God’s way in Jesus’ name!
The Church, the body of Christ – oh we lift up the body
And declare holiness over the body, holiness, holiness, holiness
holiness, holiness, holinessMs. Annie led us singing Holiness, Holiness Is What I Long For
Continued praying…
It’s what the Lord wants, it’s what we want
His holiness, it’s what we need
Hallelujah, Lord, all of it—our hearts, our minds
Thank You for Your righteousness and holiness
You said through Your servant that this year would be a year of holiness
And there would be revivals breaking out, bursting forth, the light of Your Spirit all over the earth
And holiness would be one of the things the Church would seek for
Thank You for the precious blood of the Lamb
We are covered in the blood, washed by the blood
Our way has been made clear through the blood and by the power of Your Spirit
We believe in Jesus’ name to walk it out and go through
We thank You for it today in Jesus’ name, Amen
