Break Out!: 5 Keys to Go Beyond Your Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life (17 page)

If you’re to become everything God’s created you to be, you need a boldness to ask big. Like David, you must say, “God, You promised it. I see it here in the Scripture. Now I will be bold enough to ask You for it.”

If you’ll learn to pray these God-sized prayers, then, like with Victor’s mother, you’ll see your children become mighty in the land. Like with this pastor, the right people will show up at the right time. Like with that minister’s son, God will give you the desires of your heart.

O
ne of the most powerful ways to pray is to find a promise in the Scripture and remind God what He said about you.

“God, You said I’m blessed and cannot be cursed.”

“God, You said with long life You would satisfy me.”

“God, You said Your favor is not for a season but for a lifetime.”

When you can say, “God, You said…” all of Heaven comes to attention. God is faithful to His word.

Isaiah 62:6 says, “Put God in remembrance of His promises.” It doesn’t say, “Put God in remembrance of your
problems
.” Sometimes we use prayer as an excuse to complain: “God, these people at work are not treating me right.” Or, “God, these gas prices are so high I don’t know how I’m going to make it.” Or, “God, these children are getting on my nerves. I can’t take it anymore.”

You don’t have to tell God your problems. He already knows what you are going through. He knows every need and every concern. He knows the number of hairs on our heads. And sure, it’s okay to be open and honest and tell God how you feel, but don’t turn that into a self-pity session. All that will do is make you more discouraged.

If you want to see things change, if you want God to turn it around, then instead of complaining find a promise you can stand on. Go to God and say, “God, You said when the enemies come against me one way You would defeat them and cause them to flee seven different ways.”

“Yes, these gas prices are high, but I’m not focused on that.”

“God, You said You would supply all of my needs according to Your riches. You said You are Jehovah Jireh; the Lord my provider.”

“Yes, people at work are not treating me right, but I’m not here to complain. God, You said You would be my vindicator. You said You would fight my battles. You said what is meant for my harm You will turn and use to my advantage.”

When you put God in remembrance of His promises, you allow God to bring them to pass. You may not feel well. The medical report may not look good. You could easily say, “God, I don’t see how I’ll make it. I don’t see how I will ever get well. The report is so bad.”

Instead of putting God in remembrance of your problems, put God in remembrance of His promises. “God, You said You would restore health unto me and heal me of my wounds. You said I would live and not die. You said what is impossible with men is possible with God.”

When you pray the promises instead of praying the problems, you will feel better, and it will change your attitude from a victim’s to a victor’s. God’s word coming out of your mouth is alive and powerful.

When God hears His promises He dispatches angels with the answers. He sets the miracle into motion. He will change things in your favor. It may not happen overnight, but just stay in faith and keep reminding God what He promised you day in and day out.

Instead of complaining, remind Him: “God, You said…” Instead of begging, remind Him: “God, You said…” Instead of describing the circumstances, bring up His promises: “God, You said…”

If you will get in a habit of saying, “God, You said…,” then eventually you will see what God said come to pass in your life. One day instead of saying, “God, You said…,” you will say, “God, You did it.”

‘‘You turned it around.”

“You blessed me.”

“You healed me.”

“You favored me.”

“You restored me.”

“You vindicated me.”

“You are true to what You said.”

When we parents promise our children something, we will do everything possible to bring that promise to pass. Our daughter Alexandra loves to go to Disneyland. We took her there when she was just three years old, and she has been hooked ever since. Now she is a teenager, and we haven’t been there in some time.

I was saying good night to her recently and she said, “Daddy, I really want to go back to Disneyland. Will you take me sometime?”

I didn’t think much about it. I just said in passing, “Sure. I’ll take you again. We’ll go sometime.”

“You promise?” she said.

“Yes, I promise.”

I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. The next morning bright and early, “Daddy, you said we’re going to Disneyland. Now when are we going?”

I thought, “Man alive. I just got out of bed.”

Every other day: “Daddy, you said, you said, you said.”

I must have heard that a thousand times. She was not about to let me forget that promise. Needless to say, it wasn’t long before we were back at Disneyland.

If we as earthly parents are that moved when our children remind us what we’ve promised—if we feel such a strong obligation to respond to the
You said
s—how much more will our Heavenly Father stand behind His word? He cannot lie.

We can break promises. I could have put off my daughter and not been true to my word, but God cannot go against His word. All of His promises are yes and amen.

You need to find some
You said
s.

“Father,
You said
I will lend and not borrow.”

Remind God of that again and again.

Maybe business is slow, and you don’t see how your situation could work out. Don’t go to God with that. Take a
You said
.

“Father, You said You would open the windows of Heaven.”

“You said my cup would run over.”

“You said whatever I touch will succeed.”

“You said You would prosper me even in a desert.”

When you’re constantly reminding God of what He said, You are releasing your faith. I talked to a lady whose seventeen-year marriage was coming to an end. She was devastated. Her husband had left her for someone else. Her whole world looked like it was falling apart. In that situation, it’s easy to get depressed and fall into self-pity and not have any hope for the future.

But I told her what I am telling you: you’ve got to find some
You said
s.“Father, You said You would give me beauty for ashes.”

“God, You said You would pay me back double for the unfair things that have happened.”

“God, You said my end would be better than my beginning. You said all things are going to work together for my good.”

When you’re tempted to fall into self-pity, just turn it around and declare a
You said
. All through the day we should be putting God in remembrance of His promises, just like my daughter Alexandra.

Eating breakfast, out of the blue, “Daddy, you said we’re going to Disneyland. When are we going?”

“I don’t know, Alexandra, yet.”

“But Daddy, you said.”

Finally, I told her, “Alexandra I know I’ve said it. You’ve reminded me 450 times.” We went to Disneyland, not because I wanted to but because of what I’d promised.

Isaiah 62:6–7 says, “Put God in remembrance of His promises. Keep not silent. Give Him no rest till it comes to pass.”

That was what Alexandra did. She’s an expert. She gave me no rest. She kept not silent.

When you are standing on a promise, you can’t remind God one time and think that’s good enough. It says, “Keep not silent.” That means you have to be persistent. You’ve got to show God you mean business. Not nagging God, not begging God, but in faith going to God and reminding Him over and over what He promised you.

When you wake up in the morning and those dark thoughts come (“You will never get well. You will never accomplish your dreams. You will never get out of debt”), don’t listen to them. Instead, kick it into gear.

“Father, You said the moment I pray the tide of the battle turns.”

Taking a shower: “God, You said I am more than a conqueror.”

Driving to work, “God, You said many are the afflictions of the righteous, but You deliver me out of them all.”

At the office, under your breath: “God, You said You hold victory in store for the upright.”

Driving home: “God, You said You go before me and make my crooked places straight.”

It’s not enough to do it one time and think you’re done.

“Joel, I did this thirty-seven years ago.”

You’ve got to be persistent. The Scripture says, “Keep not silent.” You have to be a pest when it comes to reminding God what He promised you. Not begging. Not demanding but relentless.

Jesus told a parable about an unfair, unjust judge. This man neither feared God nor respected people. One day this widow woman came to him and said, “Judge, I have a problem. This man is bothering me. I need you to make him leave me alone. I need protection.”

She was saying, “I have a promise from the government. The law is on my side. Judge, I’m asking you to enforce the law. Make him leave me alone.”

This judge didn’t give her the time of day. He didn’t pay any attention to her. He said, “I’m not ruling on your case. Don’t bother me with that. Just leave my courtroom.”

She left, but she didn’t get discouraged. She knew the law was on her side. She kept going back day after day, week after week. Every time the judge walked in his courtroom that woman was there making her case.

“Judge, enforce this law. It’s my right. It’s on my side.”

Finally she wore the judge down. The judge said, “Lady, I’m going to help you not because I want to or because I like you. I’m going to do it just so you will leave me alone.”

One Scripture says, “Because of your shameless persistence.”

That’s the way we need to be when it comes to reminding God what He said.

The good news is, God is not like this judge. God is for us. He is on our side. But if we’re to see His promises come to pass, we must have this shameless persistence. Some promises you may have to stand on for a year,
or five years, or twenty years. Whatever the case, like this lady, you should have a made-up mind. You are not remaining silent. You know what belongs to you.

My sister Lisa and her husband, Kevin, had been trying to have a baby for six years with no success. Lisa wrote a contract with God. She listed on a piece of paper all of the promises she was standing on concerning having a baby. She made it like a legal contract. She even signed the bottom of it, and she had Kevin sign it, too.

Isaiah 41 says, “Present your case before God. Make your arguments. Bring forth your proof.”

Lisa wrote at the top of the contract: “God, Kevin and I are presenting our case to You. Our case is based on Your word. God, You said in Genesis 1:28 to be fruitful and multiply. God, how can we do that unless You help us?

“God, You said in Psalm 112 our children would be mighty in the land. God, how can that be unless you give us children?

“God, You said in Psalm 113 that You make the barren woman a happy mother of children. How can that be, God, unless You bless us with children?

“God, we’ve done all we know how to do. Now we’re presenting our case based on Your word, knowing that You are faithful and true to what You have said.”

She took the contract, that piece of paper filled with Scriptures, and she placed it on her bathroom mirror where she could see it. Again and again, week after week, month after month, she just kept reminding God what He had promised.

About two years later, God blessed them with twins, and today they have three beautiful children. God is faithful to His word.

My questions are: “Are you presenting your case? Do you have any proof? Have you done as Lisa did and found the promise He made so you can say, ‘God, You said You would make me a happy mother of children.’ ”?

“God, You said You would restore what the enemy has stolen.”

“God, You said You would give me the desires of my heart.”

If you present your case before God, the good news is that Jesus is called our “Advocate.” Another word for
advocate
is “lawyer.” In the courtroom
of Heaven, imagine Jesus is our lawyer. God is the judge. As long as you present your case based on God’s word, you cannot lose. He will be faithful and true to His word.

It would be good for all of us to do as Lisa did, and make a list of the promises we’re standing on. Put it up on your bathroom mirror; somewhere where you will see it often. All through the day, week after week, just keep reminding God what He promised you.

When those thoughts come telling you that you’re never rising higher, you’ve seen your best days, present your case. You can say, “God, You said the path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter.”

“God, You said the glory of the latter house will be greater than the glory of the former house.”

“God, my case is not based on what I feel. It’s not based on the economy. It’s not based on a medical report. It’s not based on what somebody said about me. My case is based solely on Your word, and I know You cannot lie. What You say, You will do.”

That’s what it means to present your case before God.

But sometimes, especially when it’s difficult, instead of presenting our case we plead our case:

“God, please. You’ve got to help me.”

“God, I went to church last weekend.”

“God, I’m a good person. I volunteered at the shelter.”

“God, I’m begging You to do something.”

The problem with that is you don’t have any proof. You’re not taking any evidence. You’re just describing to God how you feel. You’re just describing all the circumstances.

But if you’re presenting your case like you would in a court of law, you’ve got to be prepared. You don’t just walk in and say, “Judge, I need some help.” Instead, you take documents. You take evidence. You’ve done your research. In the same way, when you go into the court of Heaven, so to speak, you’ve got to remind God what the contract says.

“God, You said no weapon formed against me will prosper. Here’s my evidence: Isaiah 54:17.”