“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless
his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.[1]
I. What is inside
you?
A. When Psalm 103 tells us to bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is
within me, bless his holy name, what does that mean?
Your
soul is your mind, your will and your emotions. When I was studying this
Psalm, I wondered how “ALL that is within me” – ALL the things I was and all
the things I WASN’T could bless the Lord.
That
is when a powerful truth hit me that changed my life: this Psalm is telling me
that everything I AM can “bless the Lord” but also everything I am NOT can
bless Him too! I don’t have to be everything to be something. God
loves me and accepts me: strengths and weaknesses. And because of that great love: as He has
loved me; so can I love others too. I can love people for all they are and
for all they aren’t too!
B. Look at what this Psalm reminds us of
immediately after telling us to let “ALL that is within me” bless His Name:
v
He
forgives my iniquities and faults.
v He redeems my life from destruction.
v He crowns me with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
v He is merciful and gracious.
v He is slow to anger and plenteous in mercy.
v He won’t always chide nor keep His anger.
v He doesn’t deal with me after my sins or iniquities.
v His ways are higher than mine.
v As a father loves and has compassion on his children so
the Lord feels towards them that fear Him.
v
He
knows what I am made of!
THAT
is why we can bless the Lord in all
places of His dominion.
So WHAT is inside of you that can
bless the Lord? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Once you
have given the Lord dominion over both your strengths and weaknesses, all that is within you can bless Him!
II. Your
Strengths
Saul,
Uzziah, King Nebuchadnezzar, and Samson, some of the strongest men in
Scripture, demonstrate that your strength can work against you when you trust
in your own strength vs. God’s strength.
III. Your
Weaknesses
When
looking at the people God uses, it seems as if their weaknesses are always made
evident in Scripture so that we know that God uses us when we permit Him to
without allowing our weaknesses to stand in the way.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient
for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore
will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon
me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in
persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I
strong.[2]
How does
God see you? How does He see you with all your weaknesses, your limitations,
your mistakes? It is so very important that you know how God sees you. What you believe about Who God is will
determine your relationship with Him; what you believe about how God views you
will determine the way you see yourself, and how you relate to others.
Your
correct or incorrect assessment of how God looks at you can make you hide from
Him or run to Him when you are faced with your weaknesses.
Deny your weakness, and you will
never realize God's strength in you.
Maybe the truly handicapped people are
the ones that don't need God as much. Joni Eareckson Tada
The glory
of the terrestrial is seen in the glory of the celestial.[3] The
moon demonstrates this principle. By
itself, the moon is very dark. The moon’s ability to reflect light is like
coal. The moon does not produce its own light, but reflects the light of the
sun in accordance with its orbit. The large amount of debris on the surface
of the moon contributes to its reflectivity. In other words, the more
debris on the surface of the moon, the more it reflects the sun!
Has it ever
occurred to you that often the weakness we want to hide is the place where God
produces the strength that He wants to show the world. (Stephen Furtick)
What’s Stopping YOU?
Today
we aren’t going to talk about who you are; we are going to look at who
you aren’t – your limitations – and what God can do with what you give
Him. When you give who you are and what you have (and don’t have) over to God, our
limitations become God’s manifestations!
God doesn’t
call the qualified; He qualifies the called…
1. Fearful People
With Excuses
Gideon.
What
he didn’t have. Gideon felt abandoned; he was scared and
hiding from the Midianites,[4] feeling
the least in his family, It says that
“the Lord” turned to him through His messenger and said, Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I
not sending you?[5]
Gideon had all kinds of excuses: My clan
is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my family.[6]
Even when Gideon realized that it was the
angel of the Lord,[7]
he was so afraid of his family and the townspeople[8]
that he followed instructions at night rather than in the daytime.
What
Gideon’s life shows us. God wanted
Gideon to know that if God is for us, who
can be against us?[9]
That is is Not by might, nor by power,
but by [God’s] Spirit…[10]
He wanted Gideon to know that it wasn’t about who Gideon was, but it was
about Who God was! God shows us through how He worked in Gideon’s life that it
doesn’t matter how little you feel, how scared you are, or how insignificant
you think your life is, when God is for you, no man can be against you. He
wants you to know as He told Jehoshaphat, Be
not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is
not yours, but God’s.[11]
He wants His story to intersect with your story to bring glory to His name. As
insignificant as we are, Christ is in us,
the hope of glory,[12]
and He has commanded His light to shine out of our darkness, by shining His
light in our hearts, to give the light of
the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this
treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of
God, and not of us.[13]
Do you need God to confirm His Word to you? He will! Do you need His specific
strategy for the battle you are facing? He will give it to you! Blow your
trumpet, shout the sound of victory, shatter your earthen vessel and get it out
of the way to shine the light of God, and see God work.
2. People With
Flawed Character
Moses.
What
he didn’t have. Saved from the
wrath of Pharaoh, he was found by Pharaoh’s daughter and raised in the palace
as Pharaoh’s son. But Pharaoh did not know that Moses was a man with a heart to
free his people. Moses was raw material: he had a hot temper and he murdered an
Egyptian beating a Hebrew.[14] He then became fearful: he ran away and hid
for about 40 years in the backside of the desert, keeping sheep.[15]
He wasn’t a good speaker: he spoke slowly and became tongue-tied easily. But he
wasn’t too tongue-tied to argue with God: even after the Lord told Moses He
would handle that and would be with his mouth and teach him what he should say,
Moses argued with the Lord to send another person to speak. He argued until God
became angry with him and told him that after Moses heard from God, his brother
Aaron would be his speaker and the intermediary to the people.[16]
What
Moses’ life shows us. God showed Moses that He desired to show forth His
glory on something common, by setting His fire on a bush. The bush was not
consumed, but the fire was seen on it. When Moses said, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring
the Israelites out of Egypt?;[17]
God pretty much says: “I will be with you” – this isn’t about you; remember the
bush; it wasn’t about the bush and it’s not about YOU – it is about I AM WHO I
AM.[18]
God asks “What is that in your hand?” and Moses replies, “a staff” (used to
shepherd); and the Lord tells him to throw it on the ground to show Moses
that He can put His glory on what is in Moses hand if it is yielded to Him.
Our character flaws do not prohibit God from demonstrating His glory in our
lives and equipping us to be leaders in spite of them. What are your
character flaws? God wants to show His glory on something common where His
glory can be seen. God wants a relationship
with you. Like He had with Moses: raw and real.
3. The Young
and Weak
Josiah
What
he had. King of Judah reined from approximately 640 to 609 B.C.[19]
Josiah was the son of King Amon and the grandson of King Manasseh – both were wicked
kings. Yet Josiah …did what was right in
the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did
not turn aside to the right or to the left.[20]
He began to reign at age 8.
There
was no king like him before or after [Josiah] who turned to the Lord with all
his heart and all his soul and all his might, according to all the Law of
Moses.[21]
What Josiah’s
life shows us. God shows us that you
can choose to follow Him regardless of how young you are. Even children can
make strong spiritual decisions that can have great impact on their world. God
shows us through the life of Josiah that even if your parents don’t live for
the Lord, it doesn’t stop you from choosing to respond to God’s Word correctly
and make different choices for your own life.
4. The
Insignificant
David.
What
David’s life shows us. David was the
youngest of the 8 sons of Jesse. When Samuel called Jesse and his sons to the
sacrifice, Jesse didn’t even bring David. When Samuel knew from God that God
had not chosen any of the 7 sons that Jesse brought, he inquired if they were
Jesse’s only son, only to discover that David had not even come with them to
the sacrifice but was referred to by a Hebrew word qatan which refers to diminutive, not important, the least, the cut
off one.
God wants
us to know the same thing He showed David: that He is with us when we are
tending sheep, or when we are facing giants (David
or his men went on to overtake Goliath’s four giant relatives![22]) Even
if we are feeling insignificant in light of the giants we face, we come with
the Name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, and He is able
to deliver. He wants us to know we can run
into our battles shouting that our battles can become our testimonies, as David.
He wants us to demonstrate to others that the Lord doesn’t save with sword and
spear: but our battles are His, and He will
give us victory!
5. The
Outnumbered and Overpowered
Joshua.
Joshua
was told specifically by the Lord that the Lord would give Jericho and the king
and the men of valour into his hand.[23] Joshua
was leading a bunch of second-generation Israelites that hadn’t seen all the
Lord had done. They were facing a huge group of people with a fortress around
them.
What
Joshua’s life shows us. Joshua
needed to know that even though God wanted to deliver Jericho into their hands,
the Israelites had to separate themselves and look God for the victory. They
had to follow a strange battle plan from Joshua, so they had to see God’s
anointing in his life. They had to be totally quiet, and just listen not talk,
and to walk around the city once a day for six days, and seven times on the
seventh day, with the priests blowing the trumpets. Once they blew the trumpets
with a long blast, they were to shout with a great shout and the wall of the
city would fall down flat.[24]
Like
Joshua, we need to learn to serve before we lead. We need to be “where the
action is” and where God is speaking, and we need to learn the voice of God
because …as the heavens are higher than
the earth, so are [His] ways are higher than [our] ways, and [His] thoughts
than [our] thoughts,[25]
and we need to trust His voice. We need to separate ourselves and trust God
for the victory. We need to follow God’s plan for victory, even though
sometimes it may not make sense! When we come against our enemies with
the Lord’s battle plan, the victory is ours through Him!
6. People that
are Discouraged
the
wife of the sons of the prophets Elisha ministered to
This
woman was a widow. Her husband feared the Lord, and may have even been one of
Elisha’s pupils since he was referred to as the son of the prophets. His
creditors came to take his two sons to be bondmen because of his debts. She
comes to Elisha for help, and he asks her What
shall I do for you? Tell me, what have you [of sale value] in the house?[26] She
had one pot of oil.
What
this woman’s life shows us. First
of all, the woman knew where to go when she had a need. She didn’t run to a
bank or her neighbors first, but ran to one who she knew heard from the Lord.
And then we hear it again: “What is in your hand?” “What do you have?” God wanted the woman to see that
if she would give Him what she had, then
He would take care of what she didn’t
have. She then had to obey the
prophet in faith and as many vessels as she gathered would be filled. Here the woman didn’t stop short: she
gathered enough vessels to not only pay the debt, which she was seeking after,
but to live off of with her sons.
God
wants us to look to Him to answer our needs. He wants to use what we have and
multiply it. He wants us to be closed in with Him for our vessels to become
full. He wants us to go over and above with a heart to obey what He tells us to
do—gather not just a vessel or two but gather as many as we can! He wants us to
empty ourselves so that He can fill us. He wants us to trust Him for what we
need in our lives, and to know that He will multiply our resources. Just as
Elijah had asked the widow of Zarephath for her handful of meal in a barrel and
a little oil when she came to him telling her she had absolutely nothing left,
once she gave it up and made a cake
for Elijah with it, Elijah told her
that …The barrel of meal shall not waste,
neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sends rain
upon the earth.[27]
Don’t
be afraid to give what little you have. Give generously. Give unto the Lord. He
will provide, and He will be glorified because when He provides there is always, just as He is, more than enough.
7. People that
Doubt and Have Questions –John the Baptist… Thomas… even Peter…
8. The
Misunderstood and Falsely Accused
Joseph
What
Joseph’s life shows us. When Pharaoh finally called for Joseph to come out
of prison after more than two years, he was 30 years old, and yet he had the
faith to tell Pharaoh that the dream was
doubled unto Pharaoh twice, it is because the thing is established by God, and
God will shortly bring it to pass.[28]
This declaration was even though the dreams God gave to Joseph seemed
unfulfilled since almost 13 years had passed: he had been 17 when he received
it and he was now 30 and just coming out of prison. Joseph held on to his
dreams. He was able to say to his brothers, Even
though you planned evil against me, God planned good to come out of it…[29]
God wants us to know that sometimes we have to go through some stuff and
some wilderness experiences to get to the promised land. Through it all He is
faithful, and we need to keep looking to Him to fulfill His plans for our
lives. Even though our family and friends may forsake us, God’s plan for us
will never fail.
9. The
Suffering and those with great losses.
Job.
What
Job’s life shows us. This book
shows us that when we go through incredible losses, even our best friends that
leave everything to console us may not offer sound theological advice, and we
need to hear from God Himself.
God wants us to realize that our relationship with Him and
our understanding of Him is more important than everything going perfectly as
planned in our lives. We have to trust Him that He will work out the losses in
our lives for good when we are called to His purposes.[30]
God
also wants to show us through the book of Job that as friends that love others
and walk through the sufferings of this world with them we should not purport
to have all the pat answers for God, particularly when those answers put
salvation, redemption and victory in our friend’s own hands and doings rather
than trusting in the goodness of our Lord and Savior.
10. People with
Limitations
The lad with the lunch.
As Jesus was teaching about 5,000
men, plus women and children, the book of John records that Jesus asked Philip,
Where are we to buy bread, so that all these
people may eat? Andrew said, There
is a lad here, who hath five barley loaves, and two fishes: but what are these
among so many?[31] Seems as if the lad didn’t even offer up his lunch but rather Andrew
found him with it. The lad brought a lunch: five barley loaves and
two fish. I know how the lad with the lunch felt as he stood with his little
lunch in the midst of a crowd.
I can
imagine how the lad felt when asked to turn over his lunch. It was the only
food available. The lad had enough to eat, but now was asked to turn it over to
Jesus to feed the multitudes with it! Sometimes I feel like that boy must have
felt: I am clutching my little provision to my chest wanting to hoard it. After
all, he was the one that thought to bring food for the long day!
But when
he turned it over to Jesus, Jesus blessed it; broke it; and handed it to the
disciples and they fed the multitudes with twelve baskets to spare.[32]
What
the lad’s life shows us. If the lad had held onto his lunch there would be no miracle.
Jesus uses our little lunch to supply the needs of others, miraculously. But we
have to give our little bit to Him to bless, break, and hand out. Jesus reaches
the multitudes through us. When we give what we have to Jesus – He has the
capacity to bless it, break it and hand it out to feed the multitudes and make
an impact for eternity in the lives of countless others. He provides the seed
to sow, then multiplies it! And [God] Who provides seed for the sower and bread for eating will also
provide and multiply your [resources for] sowing and increase the fruits of
your righteousness [which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness, and
charity].[33]
IV. What about
YOU: what are your limitations? What do
you have that you can put in the hands of the Lord for Him to multiply
and feed the multitudes with? What don’t you have that you can trust God
to put his glory on the commonplace for all to see that it isn’t about them but
about the great I AM THAT I AM? Bless
the Lord O my soul, and ALL THAT IS WITHIN ME bless your holy name!
[2] 2 Corinthians 12.9-10
[3] 1
Corinthians 15.40
[9]
Romans 8.31
[10]
Zechariah 4.6
[11] 2
Chronicles 20.15
[12]
Colossians 1.27
[13] 2
Corinthians 4.6-7
[16] “And Moses said to the Lord, O Lord, I am not eloquent or
a man of words, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I
am slow of speech and have a heavy and awkward tongue. And the Lord said
to him, Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the dumb, or the deaf, or the
seeing, or the blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be
with your mouth and will teach you what you shall say. And he said, Oh, my
Lord, I pray You, send by the hand of [some other] whom You will [send]. Then
the anger of the Lord blazed against Moses; He said, Is there not Aaron your
brother, the Levite? I know he can speak well. Also, he is coming out to meet
you, and when he sees you, he will be overjoyed. You must speak to him and put
the words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and
will teach you what you shall do. He shall speak for you to the people, acting
as a mouthpiece for you, and you shall be as God to him.” (Exodus 4:10–16 AMP)
[21] 2 Kings 23.25
[22]
1Chronicles 20.8
[23]
Joshua 6.2
[24]
Joshua 6, pt. vv. 6-16
[25]
Isaiah 55.9
[26] 2
Kings 4.2
[27]
1Kings 17.14
[29]
Genesis 50.20
[30]
Romans 8.28
[31]
John 6.5-9
[32]
Matthew 14.16-21, “But Jesus said unto them,
They need not depart; give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here
but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me.And he
commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and
the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the
loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they
did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained
twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men,
beside women and children.”
[33] 2 Corinthians 9.10
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