Some Ways Man Can Limit God

I’ve recently become fascinated and impressed with the amazing insights Andrew Wommack has brought to my understanding of basic Christianity. Although he has only recently joined the list of teachers available on TBN, he has been in ministry since 1968, and his is now one of the largest in the world, reaching millions on radio and TV broadcasts and the work of graduates from his Charis Bible College in Colorado Springs, Col.

It is not just the size of Andrew’s ministry, but the amazing insights he brings into clarifying, contested, and seemingly contradictory scriptures that have long divided believers. Wommack’s is a leading voice preaching salvation by grace and grace alone. This position is much contested by performance based ministers who insist upon the mixing of old testament legalism with the grace message, which many consider too good to be true.

On Oct. 17^th Andrew began a series of programs pointing out ways that we, as Christians, limit God’s ability to help us in our daily walks. The scripture He cites supporting this seemingly preposterous statement is Psalm 78:41: “They limited the Holy One of Israel” Thinkers hearing this immediately wonder, “If God is omnipotent, how can anything or anyone limit Him? But if we read that whole psalm, which details much of the Israelites’ journey after their liberation from Egypt, you might be more than convinced that their complaining, and rebellion truly limited Moses and God.

As Andrew points out, God always works through people. He doesn’t flit about, capriciously blessing some people and hampering others. Even the tooth fairy needs a person to deliver his surprise.

Throughout the Bible, God selects people to regain the dominion over the earth that was stolen from Adam by Satan. Here are just a few: Abraham, Noah, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Matthew, John, Peter, Paul and Mary. At no time does God come down to correct man’s problems arbitrarily, as the agnostics assume. They believe if He really cared He would zap the bad guys. But even in the loosing of the Great Flood against a world lost to corruption, He inspired a man, Noah, to build an ark to save the righteous remnant from drowning.

There are, indeed, many ways we limit God; here are a few: First, very few people actively seek God to find out His plan for their life. All of us are uniquely gifted, but not many really set about to pursue the thing they’d rather be doing than anything else. Many simply adapt to their circumstances and spend their lives “toughing it through.”But as Joyce Meyer recently pointed out, if we discover our gifting and God’s purpose for giving us our talent, only laziness and apathy can stop us from becoming “the best we can be,” with God’s help.

Also, far too many try to succeed on barely an hour in church a week. Many consider their work or hobbies to be far more important than any sabbath time or Bible study time honoring God. The Bible offers over 7000 “great and precious promises” (II Peter:1),but few ever dust off that unopened treasure trove of priceless wisdom that could bless them far beyond their wildest dreams.

Thirdly, few understand the crucial connection between our speech and attaining the goals we desire. Wommack says that “faith is voice activated.” The scriptures point out that we are largely the product of our own words. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” and … “out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.”Speaking doubt and uncertainty stifles the will to step out in faith to attain that dream.

In Mark 11:23 Jesus says. “Whoever will say unto this mountain, ‘be thou removed and be cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart but believe that the things which he says shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he says.”(kjv) The word say and says appear three times in this one speech. This was shown to Wommack by the Holy Spirit. And it helped him see more clearly the way we should be praying. We’ve been given the authority, but seldom take it.

He realized that most of us “speak to God to remove our mountain, rather than commanding the mountain to be “plucked up and planted in the sea” in the name of Jesus. Jesus never asked God to curse that fruitless fig tree, he “answered” the fig tree and commanded it never to pretend to bear fruit again” “No man pick fruit of thee forever.”(Mark 13, 14)That killed it.

So our confession plays a huge part in getting what we pray for. We need to stop what Joyce Meyer calls stinkin’ thinkin’ and speak in agreement with God’s word: Like “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”Or, as the centurion said to Jesus, “Speak the word only and my servant will be healed.” And as the woman with the issue of blood confessed, “If I can but touch the hem of His garment, I shall be healed.” She did, and she was. For a deeper study of Wommack’s teaching see awmi.net.

Gene Pinkney/ 10/23/23/ for The Daily News