I was chatting with a lady this week who shared her fear for the generation growing up. She had fears, in regards to their ability to be able to afford to own a home of their own, given the current high prices of real estate today. She shared this fear for her daughter. The lady then recounted how it was far more achievable when she was just starting out in her working career to be able to obtain property, as everything was far more affordable.
Now, I certainly empathize with this lady, and many others, who have watched as the price of real estate in the last few years has seemingly accelerated beyond the reach of what they could possibly achieve. And it is a very real struggle for many people living in the reality of this post-covid world, with the cost of living steadily increasing and more demand being placed upon peoples’ lives and families.
And it would be very easy to resign ourselves to this always being the case. What chance have I got when housing prices are going through the roof?! And understand too, that this is not just an issue that affects housing affordability. We all face challenges, situations, circumstances in every part of our lives where we feel small in comparison to what is before us.
Yet the solution to challenges like these is not to shrink back in our thinking. It is not to be fearful and pessimistic about the future. It is not to decide to settle for less in life because it is beyond our reach. No, there is a better way. And that way is to make the decision to become more. To grow ourselves, to grow our lives, to grow our incomes, so that we are well able to handle whatever comes our way. It’s not time to shrink our dreams; it’s time to enlarge our faith.
In fact, this has been God’s desire for us since the beginning.
“Be fruitful and multiply...”
— Genesis 1:28
God commands us: increase, become more. He is not just talking about making babies and growing your family here, although that does apply. He is saying be fruitful in your lives, multiply, make something of what I have given you. Bring about increase.
As people who have placed our faith in God, we are partnered with the one who is able to make all things possible. He knows no limitations. He is the God of all possibilities.
“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.””
— Matthew 19:26
So how do we grow in this area of our lives? How do we become more so the limitations of who we are are superseded by the possibilities of God?
Let me share with you 3 steps.
1. Shut off the negative influences. We have to start by silencing those negative influences that speak fear and doubt into our lives. They may be people in your life who have negative talk. People who know more about the world than the word. These can be in your sphere, or in the media. Shut them off. Turn off the news. Turn off the voices in your world that spew out toxic gutter talk of how hard life is, and how you can never get ahead. You will never soar like an eagle scratching around with the bush turkeys.
Psalm 1 talks about the power and blessing of the person who meditates on God’s word. But it prefaces that blessing with a summary of who the blessed person chooses not to listen to or keep the company of.
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”
— Psalm 1:1-2
The wicked, sinners, mockers.
You would be wise to stay away from the verbal influences of these types of people. Online and offline.
This leads us to the second step:
2. Fill your mind and your heart with God’s thoughts. God’s thoughts are found in God’s word.
““For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
— Isaiah 55:8-9
God’s thinking is high above our thinking. It’s high above the world’s thinking. Its the truth for your life and mine. As we commit to meditating on God’s word, His thinking becomes our thinking and we have the results of His thinking, which is flourishing and success.
Otherwise we are left with the stark reality described in this quote from Robert J. Morgan:
““Without the insights that come from God and His Word, our thoughts never really get out of the basement of life.””
— Robert J. Morgan
Many people’s thoughts are at the basement level of life. Mired in mediocrity and hopelessness. Stuck on what will never happen, what is too hard or impossible. You won’t live a big life if your thoughts are stuck in the basement.
God has called us to a higher level of thinking. If we think His thoughts, we will have His future.
Another fantastic way to fill your thoughts with God’s word is to listen to Godly men and women preach and teach life-giving messages. We are blessed to have access to some of the best Christian communicators alive today via the internet. As you go about your day, as you travel in your car, listen to these voices. They will speak hope and faith and empowerment to your heart and life. You become like the people you hang around. Choose to hang around these Godly people consistently and you will be amazed at how your life begins to change.
3. Stay the course. After you have stopped negative input, and started filling your mind and your heart with God’s truth, you need to then commit to staying the course. Continue in these things. Filling your heart with God’s word is powerful, but it takes time for the seeds that are sown to bear fruit and multiply in your life.
Changes you make today won’t be noticed for a period of time. Just like if I plant some seeds in the ground today. I can’t expect a plant to spring out of the ground in the next 24 hours. It takes time. This is especially true for good seed that you plant in your heart. There has to be a period of sowing before you reap the results.
Read this wisdom from Mark 4:
“But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.”
— Mark 4:20
As we embrace the word - make it a big part of our lives and thinking, it will produce a harvest bigger than we could imagine. That is God’s promise to you today!
You don’t have to settle for less when you serve a big God. He desires to do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond in your life, and as you follow these steps outlined above, you will be amazed at what God can do in your life! Don’t shrink your dreams, enlarge your faith!
If you would like to know more about the power of biblical meditation to transform your life, check out this highly recommended resource: Reclaiming the lost art of biblical meditation by Robert J Morgan.