Outrageous Faith (part 3 of 5): Collecting Jars

When you don't have what you really want, turn to a person who can help and you may discover that God has already given you all you really need. The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.” (2 Kings 4:1, 2 NIV) 1. God works through people. When you have a REAL need, turn to a godly person for help. Do not be afraid to reach out to others and be vulnerable. You are not “bothering” them. In fact, when you meet someone who has a REAL problem, you must make yourself available to them. How can I help you? Remember, God performs miracles through His people. Parents: your greatest success in life will likely not be what you accomplished, but rather who you raised. God want to work through you. 2. When you don't have what you really want, you may discover that God has already given you all you really need. So stop waiting for what you want Him to give and start working with what you already have. We must focus on what we DO have, not what we DON'T have. What we DO have is more than enough for God to use to do a miraculous work. We have a God who specializes in doing great things with very little. When God is involved, He does GREAT things with VERY LITTLE things (Moses staff, the widow's jar of oil, 5 loaves & 2 fish). 3. Offer God what you have and trust him for what you need. Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. (2 Kings 4:3-6 NIV) The oil would likely have kept flowing if there had been more empty jars. If she had more faith and collected more jars, God's blessings would likely have been even greater. On the other hand, God gave her only what she needed (for the rest of her life). Faith is not "a force" like in Star Wars, rather it is a measure of how willing we are to totally surrender to God whatever he wants us to do – to offer him all that we have and to trust Him for all that we need. We come to God completely empty and He fills us with His presence. Oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit I'm the Bible. His presence in our life is ALL we need. He is everything. He is all we need. Offer God what you have, then trust Him for what you need. Why? Because when you don't have what you really want, you will discover that God is all you really need. Do you know what you really want versus what you really need? Do you offer to God all that you have and trust him for all you need? Are you willing to turn to others who can help in order to see God work His miracle in your life? Truth@Life can help. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a FREE consultation. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/