Break Out!: 5 Keys to Go Beyond Your Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life (15 page)

When you really understand that you have God’s favor, you won’t become bent out of shape when trouble comes your way. Think about this little Moses sole. When it’s in the shark’s mouth, the little fish’s blood pressure doesn’t go up. He doesn’t call 911. He doesn’t become depressed and say, “Oh, this is not my day.”

Instead, he goes about his business. He knows there is something special about him. Before the foundation of the world God ordained that he would be protected from that enemy, so he just rests in who God made him to be. When you have a revelation that you are a child of the Most High God, crowned with favor, then when adversity comes—when you face difficulties—you won’t get worried or all bent out of shape. Like this little fish, you’ll declare God’s favor and you’ll know that those enemies cannot keep you defeated.

I saw a report on the news a few years ago about a teenage girl who had driven her car into some high water on a flooded street. She was stranded in her car. The water was rising rapidly. In just two or three minutes, the floodwaters were over her hood. She couldn’t open the car doors because the water pressure was too strong. She couldn’t roll down her windows because they were electric and her car’s engine had stalled.

The news report showed all of this as it was happening. My heart was beating so fast. She was in there just praying and praying. Then, a man jumped in the water and swam over to her car. He beat on the window trying to break it open but couldn’t. The whole time the car was floating down the road. I’ll never forget seeing this. It was like the news footage was in slow motion. At one point the car tilted forward and sank underwater.

My heart sank with it. About that time another man jumped into the
floodwater and swam to the teenager’s car like he was Superman. Somehow he found the submerged car. He dove underwater and disappeared for about thirty seconds. It seemed like an eternity. But in a few more seconds I saw the young girl’s arm come up out of the water.

I thought, “How did he get a window open or a door open under there?”

Then, the rescuer pulled her out of the water and onto dry land. She was perfectly fine and walked off on her own two feet. If that wasn’t amazing enough, when the wrecker pulled the car out of the water they noticed that no windows had been broken. No windows were down. There was no evidence that any doors had been opened.

The newscaster was dumbfounded. He said, “I don’t know. You figure that one out.”

When you walk in God’s favor, no weapon formed against you will prosper. No matter how big the obstacle appears to be, the favor of God will keep those enemies from defeating you. Just like that little fish, God has put something in you. Start declaring His favor over your life. Speak favor over your finances, over your health, and over your family. All through the day pray, “Lord, thank You that Your gracious hand is upon me.”

You, too, have this favor factor. It can’t be measured. There is something about you that can’t be put on paper. The bottom line is, you’ve got what it takes. Now do your part and activate this favor. In the tough times don’t complain. Be like Job and say, “Lord, thank You. I know I have Your favor.”

When the dream looks too big, don’t give up. Be like Nehemiah and say, “Lord, thank You that Your gracious hand is upon me.” If you’ll do that, then like Job you will overcome every obstacle. Like Nehemiah, you will accomplish every God-given dream. I believe and declare you will become everything God has created you to be, and you will have everything God intended for you to have.

H
ow you pray determines what kind of life you live. If you only pray small, ordinary, get-by prayers, then you’ll live a small, ordinary, get-by life. But when you have the boldness to ask God for big things, you ask Him to open doors that might otherwise never open. You ask Him to take you further than anyone in your family. You ask Him to restore a relationship that looks over and done.

When you pray God-sized prayers, you will see the greatness of God’s power. All through the Scripture we see this principle. Elijah prayed that it wouldn’t rain, and for three and a half years there was no rain. Joshua prayed for more daylight, and God stopped the sun. Elisha prayed for protection, and his enemies standing right in front of him didn’t recognize him. God made him invisible.

The common denominator is that they asked God to do the unthinkable. If you’re to reach your highest potential you have to have this same boldness. When was the last time you asked God to do something impossible, or something out of the ordinary? One reason we don’t see God do great things is that we ask only for small things. Most people pray over their food. They pray for protection. They ask God for wisdom. That’s all good, but it’s limiting what God can do. There should be something you’re praying about and asking for that seems impossible, far out, something that you cannot achieve on your own.

The phrase I hear in my spirit is
Dare to ask.
Your dream may seem impossible. You may feel you don’t have the connections, or the funding, but God is saying, “Dare to ask Me to bring it to pass. Dare to ask Me to connect you to the right people. Dare to ask Me to pour out a flood of My favor.”

A lot of times we pray for small things: “God, my child is making poor choices. Could you just turn him around?” That’s good, but that’s an ordinary prayer. Ordinary prayer gets ordinary results. God meets us at the level of our faith. If you ask small, you’ll receive small.

A God-sized prayer is “God, I’m asking You to not only turn my child around but God, use him in a great way. Let him touch people all over the world.”

An ordinary prayer is “God, just help me to make it by this month. Just help me to pay my rent.” There’s nothing wrong with that. But a God-sized prayer is “God, I’m asking You to increase me in such a way that I can not only pay off my house but I can also pay off someone else’s home.”

An ordinary prayer is “God, just help me to go as far as my parents. Help me not to lose any ground.” But a God-sized prayer is “God, help me to take our family to a new level. Let me set a new standard. When people look back two hundred years from now let them say it was that man, or that woman, who thrust our family higher than we have ever been before.” That’s a God-sized prayer.

I wonder how many of your prayers are not being answered simply because you’re not asking.

You may tell yourself: “God is God. If He wants to bless me He’ll bless me.” But the Scripture says in James 4:2, “You have not because you ask not.” If you’re not asking big then you’re shortchanging yourself. You will never reach your highest potential if you pray only small prayers.

I’m not suggesting that you can make a wish list and pray for every whim. I’m encouraging you to ask God for what He’s promised you. There are dreams and desires God has placed in your heart. They didn’t just randomly show up. The Creator of the universe put them in you. They’re a part of your divine destiny.

You can tell a desire or dream is from God if it involves something bigger or grander than you could ever accomplish or acquire on your own.
God does that on purpose so that it will take faith. Faith is what pleases God. Faith is what allows Him to do the impossible.

God will put something big where you don’t have all the talent, the connections, or the confidence. He’ll also allow an obstacle to come across your path, one that you cannot overcome under your own strength. When this happens, you can do one of two things. You can turn negative and say things such as:

“Too bad it’s not going to work out.”

“I don’t have the connections.”

“The medical report is not good.”

“I can’t get the financing.”

You can talk yourself out of your dreams and desires. Or you can say, “God, I can’t do this on my own, but I know You are all-powerful. You have no limitations. There is nothing too difficult for You, so God, I’m asking for Your favor to shine down on me. I’m asking You to make a way, even though I don’t see a way. God, I’m asking You to open doors that no man can shut.”

You need that sort of boldness to ask big. This is what David did: In 1 Chronicles 17, God promised him that one of his descendants would always be on the throne. He would have a lasting dynasty. David could have said, “God, I’m just a shepherd boy. I was tending my father’s sheep. I don’t have any formal training. I’m not as big, strong, or talented as others.”

Instead, David understood this promise. Even though this seemed far out, David didn’t dismiss it. He said in 1 Chronicles 17:23–27:

“Lord, God, do as you have promised. May the dynasty of your servant be established forever.”

Imagine the nerve David had. Verse 25 gives the key. He said, “God, I have been bold enough to pray this prayer because you have spoken it over me.” In other words, “God, I’m asking You for something big, not because I have all the talent, education, and connections, but simply because You promised it.”

The dreams God has placed in your heart may seem impossible. But you have to do as David did and say, “God, You promised it, now I’m bold enough to ask You for it.”

When you are that bold, don’t be surprised if you have doubts such as:

“You could never do that.”

“You don’t have the talent.”

“You’ve made too many mistakes.”

“You come from the wrong family.”

The enemy gets stirred up when you start asking God for big things. He’ll leave you alone if you settle and pray only small ordinary prayers, but doubts will bombard your mind when you start praying these God-sized prayers and asking Him to take you places that you’ve never been, to touch a family member who has been off course, or to give you the hidden dreams of your heart.

Negative thoughts will come: “Who do you think you are?” Just smile and reply, “I am a child of the most high God.”

A minister I know had a four-year-old son who was very sad when all but one of his pet goldfish died. Then, one morning, they found that last goldfish floating on the top of the water, totally stiff. The little boy said with great disappointment, “Daddy, he died, too.”

The father just shook his head. Before he could respond, his son said, “Dad, can we pray and ask God to heal my fish?”

The minister wanted his son to know that he could pray about anything. But as a father, he also wanted to make it clear that sometimes our prayers aren’t answered in the way we want. This debate was going on in his mind. Finally he quit reasoning with himself and said, “Yes son, let’s pray.”

Early the next morning, the father heard his son shout, “Yes!” He ran over to see what the excitement was about and the little boy said, “Dad, it worked. The fish is just fine.”

The goldfish was swimming around as healthy as can be. That dad nearly passed out. Before seeing the fish come alive, the father had his speech prepared: “Let me tell you, son, what happened.” He threw his speech away and said, “God, You can do anything.”

God didn’t say when you pray you should make sure it’s logical and reasonable and that you’ve got it all figured out. Instead, He encourages us to just believe and stay in faith. That’s what allows God to do the extraordinary.

Have you talked yourself out of dreams? Have you convinced yourself that you will never overcome certain challenges? Why don’t you follow the
example of the minister’s son and take the limits off God? What if your dreams aren’t happening because you’re not being bold enough to ask?

The Scripture says, in Luke 12:32, “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” God wants to give you the desires of your heart, but you have to have the faith of a child and be willing to ask.

As a father, I would rather bless my own children than anyone else. Who would any father most enjoy seeing excel and fulfill their dreams? Nobody more than his own children. That’s the way it is with our Heavenly Father, too. It is His pleasure to give you the kingdom. That brings a smile to His face. But what if my children never asked for anything? What if they were afraid they’d be bothering me or make me feel bad?

I would say, “Come on step up to the plate. I’m your father, I want to be good to you.”

You may need to step up to the plate. Quit asking small. Quit acting like you’re bothering God. Quit praying weak, get-by prayers. Your Father owns it all. He created the universe. If you want to see the fullness of what He has in store you should learn to ask big.

I pray every day: “God take this ministry where no ministry has ever gone before.” I pray: “God let my children supersede anything Victoria or I have done.”

There are things I pray in privacy that I’ve never told another person. These are my secret petitions. If I shared them, you’d think: “Are you serious? You really think that could happen?”

The fact is they may not all come to pass, but if I don’t reach my highest potential, it shouldn’t be because I failed to ask God’s help. I don’t want to get to Heaven and have God say: “Joel I had all this for you—abundance, good breaks, wisdom, favor, healing, and restoration—but you never asked. You never released your faith. You stayed in the safe zone. I wanted you over in the faith zone. You prayed ordinary prayers. I wanted you to pray God-sized prayers.”