Read Ephesians 5:15-18 & Colossians 4:2-6.

Are you ‘seizing the day’ ? Forcefully laying hold of the Kingdom of God ? Making the most of every opportunity ?
- To love others, to share the Gospel, to grow in your faith and holiness.
Are you positively moving forward in the purposes of God ?
Now is the time. This is what God wants from us as a church, as we approach this coming year.

There will be outreach opportunities, both for you as an individual, and corporately. The rest is up to you, your willingness to obey God and step our of your comfort zone.

This is life out of the box.

Sometimes we put God, or put ourselves in a box – we put restriction on what God can do through us.

We use words like : Can’t. Never. Won’t. No. Not me. Not now.
But when we see God as infinitely bigger and greater, when we see that all things are possible with Him to those who believe……the words become : Can. Anything. Here I am. Yes Lord. Your will be done. Send me.

Which we tend to use will depend on the state of our hearts and minds. Are they fixed on the Lord or ourselves ? Do we see God as limited in any way ? Do we see ourselves through His eyes ? Do we believe His word and trust Him ?

Living inside the box is boring, living outside the box is exciting, an adventure because you never know what God is going to do next. Look at Jesus ministry years, look at Acts and the early church.
Think about Gideon, ordinary bloke who God uses to defeat a huge army. Through strength and power, no ! A small group holding torches and smashing jars.
Think about Joshua and Jericho, a city with vast walls. Did God give Joshua huge ballistas and siege towers. No ! They marched round the city for seven days, in faith, that God knew what He was doing.
Think about David, defeating the giant Goliath with a sling stone, because He trusted in God.

And don’t you think, ‘ah yes but they were different from us’. The culture and times in which they lived were different….but they were ordinary human beings like us, Gideon and David both considered the least in their families…ordinary people who said yes to God and stepped out in faith.

God does things we can expect from Him, but He does them in unexpected ways and in His timing. All we have to do is co-operate and trust Him.
God will make you more like Jesus in your character and produce the fruit of the Spirit in you….because He’s said He will…..but He may do it through suffering and hard times.
How can you develop patience if every problem is solved immediately ?
How can you develop love if everyone you know is easy to love ?
How can you develop self control without temptation ?
How can you develop faith without it being stretched and tested ?

If God had said to Gideon, here’s a million well armed and well trained troops, now go out against the enemy….there would be no faith or trust in God involved.
If God had given Joshua sophisticated siege weapons, where would faith be ?
If God had made David bigger than Goliath, what would He have been trusting in ? His own strength.

It’s not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord – Zechariah 4:6.
Unless the Lord builds the house, it’s builders labour in vain – Psalm 127:1.
What is impossible with men, is possible for God – Luke 18:27.

Some people seem to think that means we sit back and do nothing. Did Gideon, Joshua, and David ? No, they acted as God directed them !

What it means is that we listen to God, …..we do what God tells us, …..and we do it trusting in God and His resources, and not in ourselves and our resources.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding – Proverbs 3:5.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it – Luke 11;28.

God will do expected things, things which are consistent with His character and what He has said in His word. We can believe the Bible.
For example, God will heal, deliver from evil spirits, do miracles…..but how, when, and where, are things that He determines.
He will do it through us, His people, but only as we listen, trust and obey Him.

The same Holy Spirit of God is given to us, as anointed the men and women of God in the Old Testament, the same resources are available to us. The same Holy Spirit who filled Jesus and the disciples, enabling miracles, healing, and conversions to take place. The same power which raised Jesus from the dead, is at work in those who believe – Ephesians 1:19.
Belief not just as head knowledge but a trusting from the heart, a trust in God which acts, faith with deeds to match.

It’s the Holy Spirit who’s power does the healing and miracles, but we still have to speak the word trusting in God. It’s the Holy Spirit who convicts a person of sin, righteousness, and judgement, it’s the Holy Spirit who give new life and make someone born again, but we still have to speak the word and proclaim the good news of the Gospel. It’s a relationship, a partnership. As we’re obedient to Him, He moves in power.
And He even gives us the wisdom, love, and courage we need to do it, if we ask Him, such is His grace.

Read Luke 11:9-13.

We need to be listening to God, and therefore close to Him – seeking Him in prayer and His word.
We need to be obedient to God and step out in faith, sometimes to do unusual things outside of what we are comfortable with. New things.
And we need the Holy Spirit, without whom our efforts are pointless.