Sunday, January 24, 2016

Asking Big

Joel Osteen at Lakewood Church

  • God is a god of more than enough.
    • He wants you to have leftovers.
      • Mathew 14:15-20
        • Jesus had just finished ministering when the disciples urged him to dismiss everyone so that they could go home and eat. Jesus assigned that job to the disciples. The only person who had a lunch was a young kid whose mother packed him 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.
        • After feeding EVERYONE with the child’s lunch there were 12 basketfuls of leftovers.
    • He wants your cup to run over
      • Psalm 23:5
        • You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
  • God wants to deliver you.
    • Exodus 5
      • The Israelites were praying for TIME OFF of slavery so that they could worship God.
      • They were praying to be BETTER SLAVES?!?!?
        • God DOES NOT want you to function in your dysfunction!
  • Sometimes we get conditioned to not having enough.
  • Grandmother with grandkids in private school.
  • Matthew 20
  • Jesus wanted to hear what they were believing for.  Asking from a limited mentally can limit your destiny.
  • James 4:3
  • Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
  • Ask in spite of what the circumstances look like and what people say about you.
  • 1 Chronicles 4:9-10
    • Jabez was a better man than his brothers, a man of honor. His mother had named him Jabez (Oh, the pain!), saying, "A painful birth! I bore him in great pain!" Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: "Bless me, O bless me! Give me land, large tracts of land. And provide your personal protection—don't let evil hurt me." God gave him what he asked.
      • Despite his unfortunate beginning and his mom didn’t believe in him,  Jabez believed that GOd's nature was to bless.
      • He decided to ask big
  • Psalm 2:7-9
    • Let me tell you what God said next. He said, "You're my son, And today is your birthday. What do you want? Name it: Nations as a present? Continents as a prize? You can command them all to dance for you, Or throw them out with tomorrow's trash."
    • On your birthday you have a boldness and feel entitled to ask big. Don't be shy.
    • Luke 11:11-13
      • Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[a] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
    • How much MORE will your heavenly father give!??!
  • Luke 12:32
    • Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
  • Psalm 72
    • Solomon prayed for notoriety and influence to advance God's kingdom.

Victoria Osteen @ Lakewood Church
  • Psalm 12:1
    • I lift up my eyes to the mountains—    where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord,    the Maker of heaven and earth.
  • Proverbs 24:16
    • …for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.
    • Where I am now is not my final destination.
  • I need to walk through life with lifted eyes.
  • When you lift your eyes you'll see:
    • God's provision
      • Matthew 6:25-34
        • “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? 
    • God's promise
      • 1 Peter 5:6-7
        • And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand 7 by casting all your cares on him because he cares for you.
    • God's power
      • Philippians 4:13
        •  I can do all things through Christ[a] who strengthens me.
  • Don't look at the dirt in your life.