part 2

Two messages from my Hope For Today Bible…


New Names:
“I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!”
(Genesis 18:10)

When God told Abraham and Sarah that they were going to have a child, they were both well beyond the childbearing years. No wonder Sarah laughed. She must have said, “Abraham, what are you talking about? Me? Have a child? I’m an old woman. I don’t think so.”
God had to change the image they had of themselves before they could ever have that child. How did God do that? He changed their names; He changed the words they were hearing. He changed Sarai to Sarah, which means “princess”. He changed Abram to Abraham, which means “father of many nations”. Think about it. Before Abraham had a single child, God called him, by faith, the father of many nations. Every time somebody said, “Hey, Abraham. How you doing?” they were saying, “Hello, father of many nations.” He heard that so often, it began to sink down inside him.
Sarah was an older woman who had never had any children. She probably didn’t feel much like a princess, but every time somebody said, “Hello, Sarah,” they were saying, “Hello, princess.” Over time, that changed her self-image. She no longer saw herself as an older, barren woman; she began to see herself as a princess. Eventually, she gave birth to a child whom she named Isaac (there’s a story behind that name, too), as God had instructed.
Perhaps God has whispered something to your heart that seems totally impossible. It may seem impossible for you to ever be well again, or impossible for you to get out of debt, to get married, to lose weight, to start that new business. In the natural, physical realm, all the odds seem to be against you; you don’t see how it could happen. But if you’re going to see those dreams come to pass, you have to get your mouth moving in the right direction and use your words to help you develop a new image on the inside.
No matter how impossible something looks, no matter how you feel, start boldly declaring, “I am strong in the Lord. I can do all things through Christ. I am well able to fulfill my destiny.” Call in what God has promised you. There’s a song that says, “Let the weak say I am strong.” You may not feel well today, but don’t go around saying, “I don’t think I’m ever going to get over this sickness.” Instead, start boldly declaring, “God is restoring health to me. I am getting better every day in ever way.”
Or maybe your financial situation doesn’t look good. Stars declaring, “I am blessed. I am prosperous. I’m the head and not the tail. I will lend and not borrow.”
Don’t merely use your words to describe your situation; use your words to change your situation.


God Without Limits:
Then the Lord said to Abraham…”Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
(Genesis 18:13-14)

Abraham and Sarah were stuck in the natural – they couldn’t see beyond what they couldn’t do. So they had a hard time imagining what God could do!
We often have the same problem when we think that our situation is beyond God’s control or power. But God is not limited by your education or lack of it. He’s not limited by what you have or what you don’t have. The Bible declares “with God all things are possible.”
Your job, your creativity, and your efforts are not your source. God is your source, and His creativity and resources are unlimited! One idea or direction from God can forever change the course of your life. God can do anything if you will simply stop limiting Him in your thinking.