In Judges 6:11-16, we read the account of Gideon’s first encounter with God and how God referred to him as a mighty man of valour. That conversation revealed his opinion of himself and the limits he had placed on his life.
Gideon was not limited by the oppression of the Midianites; he was limited by his beliefs about himself and his family. Gideon had a loser’s mentality. People with loser mentality feel inadequate. They say things like ‘I’m ugly, I’m a loser. Nothing good can come out of me.’ ‘I don’t have what it takes.’ They live in shame and depression. These people have no drive or they have low drive. They exhibit low self-confidence. This is a disempowering mentality. It is not what people believe about you that matters but what you believe about yourself. Stop labelling yourself negatively! Peel off that label now!
From what we now understand the thought process to mean, it is clear that if the mind is closed, you cannot access your answers. Some thoughts limit you and must be taken off.
Limits are self-imposed! Throughout your life, you have trained your mind to believe in limitations. Throughout your life, you have been trained by a parent or parents to believe in limitations. For example, you have difficulties with money, maybe your parents used to say phrases such as
• “Money is hard to earn”
• “Money doesn’t grow on trees” or
• “I cannot afford this”
Ten spies Moses sent to the Promised Land believed they were grasshoppers and not God’s chosen race of a special people (Numbers 13:33). They forgot the God factor. They forgot they were not alone. They forgot the miracles of the past.
8 Ways to take the limits off
1. Build a strong relationship with God. Reconcile with God by surrendering your life to Jesus. Get saved. God could talk to Gideon the way he did because there was a relationship: he was the seed of Abraham and had a covenant relationship with God. Nothing matters if you are not saved.
2. Modify your beliefs. Your beliefs create your reality. When you make positive changes in your belief system, a corresponding positive change will take place in your level of achievement and level of fulfilment. Read the Bible and you will see that God did not design you to be small.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you know and understand what you have been given in Christ. 1Corintians 2:12 says, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”
3. Dream big; very big. The cure for littleness is great dreams. As a man thinks in his heart so is he. Disregard your limits. Think of what you thought you couldn’t do that you have accomplished. “Instead of giving myself reasons why I can’t, I give myself reasons why I can.” Change your ‘I can’t’ to ‘I can’. Become a limitless thinker. Become a possibility thinker. Develop a limitless mind-set. Develop an all-things-are-possible mind-set. Don’t just dream big, dream limitless dreams. God wants to give you as far as your eyes can see; He will give you limitless possessions if you see limitless possibilities. So you are limited only by how much you permit yourself to see. Modify your beliefs.
4. Expect to win. Raise your expectation. There are people who do not expect to win. I heard someone say, “Blessed are they who don’t expect to win for they shall not be disappointed.” If you have no expectation you will have no drive. Expectation sets the limit for your possibilities. Expect to win but if you fail, pick yourself up and continue. Believe in yourself! Have faith in your God-given abilities. At any given moment, the choices you see as possible are directly related to what you believe you can achieve. If you lack a strong belief in your own abilities and envision yourself achieving merely limited success, your mind can only access those answers which correspond to this limited vision. So, elevate your concept of what’s possible for you — you’ll become aware of far greater opportunities.
5. Ask the help of the Holy Spirit in everything you do. Know that you are not alone and that the Holy Spirit lives in you. He is in you to will and to do (Philippians 2:13). Know that you can do all things through the power of God. You are not operating in your own strength any more. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you ((Philippians 4:13).
6. Relate with people who have empires in their head. Stay away from negative people and associate more with positive people. When Mary became pregnant, she went and spent some time with Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist. Only a pregnant woman knows what another pregnant woman is going through. There are fire-fighters and fire-lighters. Move away from fire fighters; they will quench the fire in you.
7. Change your confession about yourself. Talk like a champion. Avoid grasshopper conversation. Understand the law of the mind. Let me quote Dr. Mike Murdock; he said, “Your mind needs constant instruction. God gave you your mouth to give your mind instruction.” Your mind needs constant conversation. My role is to prophesy positively to my day. You are a mighty man of valour! You are a giant killer. You are not a grasshopper! Remember also the Bible says you have whatsoever you say (Mark 11:23)
8. Employ the power of sacrifice. Understand that your seed is your power over your future. I’m talking about the sacrifice of time, treasures, etc. Think big, plan well and work hard and smart. Remember, champions don’t do what is convenient but what is required.
God is about to make all grace abound towards you. God is saying to you, ‘take the limits off.’
You are moving from a weak, dejected and frustrated person with no confidence to a courageous and powerful leader.
You are rising to a place of prominence.
God is moving you from the back bench to the front row. You are moving from obscurity to the limelight.
I see you stepping out of the shadows of failure and defeat into the corridors of power.
You are coming out of the relegation zone.
I see you stepping out of the shadows of poverty into enviable wealth.
Like Joseph, you are moving out of containment and limitation into liberty, power, authority, wealth and fame. The anointing of God is upon your life; you cannot fail!
Olowojoba is the General Overseer of Dayspring Bible Church Worldwide with HQ in Abuja, Nigeria & President, Dayspring Christian Ministries Int’l. Website: www.dayspringcmi.org e-mail: [email protected] Help line: 08035150515
