God wants you to believe BIG, not small! Look to Him for what is major and meaningful—and have faith for what is spacious, immense, and high up the ladder—in other words, for what blows your socks off!
As the Lord has been speaking this to my heart about this, it has changed my thinking and my expectation. When I am confronted by circumstances, instead of believing only to work through those things, barely getting by, I remind myself that I should believe for much more!
This kind of thinking and faith takes a revamping of our thoughts and heart. Our spirit already does this because it is tuned into God and wants to believe for bigger things. Our spirit understands the immensity of the God we serve. But we have to get our mind and heart tuned into that same belief.
God spoke to my heart some powerful words, and I’ve been sharing them with a few of our Partners in my letters. The Lord said, “Believe BIG from Me.”
It’s important that He said to believe big—but what’s even more important is that He said, “Believe BIG from Me.” I tell you, God enjoys a challenge from His people’s faith.
Really let that sink in. God enjoys receiving a challenge from our faith He wants to meet a substantial need or goal. If we’re going around only asking for small things to happen, our faith will not give Him much of a challenge. But He savors it when we say, “God, I believe You can do this”—and our arms are extended wide because we’re showing Him how much we think He can do. That really gives Him something to sink His teeth into, so to speak. It “challenges” Him, which of course is no real challenge to Him at all. But He likes to hear His people say they believe He can doing anything.
Remember the story of when the centurion said, “Jesus, You only have to speak the Word, and my servant will be healed”? And what did Jesus say? “I haven’t found this big of faith in all of Israel. I love this! Your servant is healed now” (Matthew 8:7-9, paraphrased). The Lord loves a big challenge like that from someone’s faith.
God is issuing a challenge to us from the Lord, and it is this: “Believe BIG!” We need to cross the river of believing and go to a higher place of faith. We must step on the stones going across that river. Each time we step, we inspire our faith to greater things. We’re getting closer to living at a higher level of seeing bigger things happen.
Let this inspire your faith to just cut the Lord loose. In other words, don’t hold Him back in your life by limited faith. Instead, challenge Him with “believing big.” Give Him something really fun to do. A health miracle, a turnaround in someone’s life, financial abundance, starting something new, growing in spiritual depth, or removing a big obstacle. Give God some fun as He responds to your faith—by your believing BIG.
Cross the River and Go Higher!
The first step necessary for crossing the river of believing and going to a higher place of faith is to know that you have a BIG source in God. That has to be the foundation of your believing bigger—to understand the source from which you’re receiving.
We need to remind ourselves continually of how big our source is in God. He is not limited by a certain quantity of supply or by procedures, protocols, people, or time. God’s supply is limitless, and He is a BIG God!
There was a woman named Lois, who shared how time was running out for her to receive the funds required to meet a need. She was actually just as one minutes away from needing the money. Nevertheless, Lois was still confident in her BIG source—she knew the amount would come just in time.
This was a woman God had recently healed of cancer, so she knew by experience that nothing was too big for Him. When she was fighting the cancer, she had to undergo surgery, and as a result, she developed lymphedema and began swelling in her body. A physical-therapist friend arranged for Lois to attend a workshop on lymphedema that ordinarily only doctors could attend. She was so excited about going to see if she could find a way to help not only herself, but also others who suffered from this because of a cancer surgery.
This therapist friend was going to pay all Lois’ expenses except airfare, which was exactly $153.27. Lois accepted the invitation and began to ask big from God because she had nowhere near the funds she needed to go. She had paid her medical bills and was short the money required for the trip. But she had faith! Lois had faith in her BIG source!
Receive Your On-Time Provision!
That’s all you need too. If you understand how immense your source is in God Himself, just concentrate your faith on that for your own need to be met.
The day the funds were due for her airplane ticket, Lois had gone to lunch with several women from her church. Afterward, she was sitting in her car in the parking lot at 1:30, and she needed the funds by 2:00 p.m. She began to rehearse to herself the scripture in Matthew 17 of how Jesus supplied Peter’s urgent financial need.
Jesus told Peter to catch a fish and that when he did, a coin would be in the mouth of the fish, and it would be enough to pay their taxes. (Ref. Matthew 17:27.)
Lois began to pray. She said, “Dear Lord, I need a fish soon. Please show me where to find the lake.” That’s when she saw in her rearview mirror the car of one of the women who had just been in the lunch group with her. This woman backed out of the parking space and then hesitated, pulling back into the space. Then she pulled out again and circled the restaurant. When she drove back around, she stopped and got out of her car. She ran over to the open passenger window of Lois’ car and placed an envelope on the front seat.
The woman explained, “Several months ago, God told me to begin putting change in an envelope for you. I’ve been carrying this envelope around ever since, adding to it every day, and I was working up the nerve to give it to you. I just have to obey God. Here.”
The woman ran off, got into her car, and drove away. With tears in her eyes, Lois dumped out the contents of the envelope and started counting.
How much do you think was in that envelope? It was $153.27—down to the penny, it was exactly what Lois needed for her plane fare. For all those months, God had already started meeting Lois’ need!
Lois knew she had a big source in God, so she had challenged Him with her faith. And He came through to the penny on time!
Can you imagine how much fun God had answering Lois’ big believing? Oh, what great things can happen when we challenge God with our faith, recognizing that He is a BIG source!
Taxes!
That’s what Jesus did with Peter in the account Lois had been meditating on and rehearsing from Matthew 17. Peter had been challenged by the tax collectors, “Don’t you and your Teacher pay the temple tax like others?”
Peter simply answered, “Yes,” and then he got out of there because he didn’t know how they would pay it! We can only guess what Peter was feeling inside. Maybe he was somewhat anxious or fearful that they might get into trouble because they hadn’t paid the tax. Or perhaps he was wondering what he should say to Jesus about it.
But the Father had spoken to Jesus about it first. As soon as Peter came into the house where Jesus was, He explained to Peter that the Son of God was exempt from paying the temple tax, just as the King and his family are exempt from paying taxes in the land. Even so, Jesus was not willing to offend others over this point.
That’s a great tidbit of wisdom! Over that small thing, Jesus was not willing to offend others who would not understand what He knew. Plus, they were looking for a reason to incriminate Him. So Jesus told Peter to go do something that Peter was fond of doing—go fishing. He said, “…Go down to the sea and throw in a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find there a shekel. Take it and give it to them to pay the temple tax for Me and for yourself” (Matthew 17:27). Just as He did for that woman, God provided precisely the amount of funds Peter and Jesus needed for the temple tax.
Give God Some Fun!
Believe big today that God can resolve any issue you have. He can meet your need of any kind. You have a BIG source to whom you can go. So challenge Him with your faith. Give God some fun! Watch Him rise up from His throne and say to Heaven, “All right! I have someone who is believing big! He wants to see My power. He knows I have unlimited ability and that I can do anything for him. Therefore, I will meet his expectations according to My will. Here we go!”
This is when God goes into action to fulfill His Word. He shows you where the fish is that carries your answer—and it will be precisely what you need. That’s because you serve an immense God with a large resource and tremendous love and care for you. Believe big from Him today.
We Want To Believe With You and Pray for You To Be Healed!
Let’s do as God says in His Word and come into a prayer of agreement for your needs, then believe what the Lord said. Whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven (Matt. 18:19).
There is so much power available to you as we do this. So let us pray with you by sharing your requests for God. Click here now and we will receive them as soon as you send them. After we pray, we’ll send you a letter filled with words from God’s Spirit for your life.
Jeanne and John Alcott
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