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Nike Man - by Doug Gooch

Everyone has limits in their life. Since the Lord instructed me at the beginning of this year to preach about “No More Small Thinking,” I have discovered several things. One is that we need to keep up with God. God is unlimited and He is able to do abundantly above all we can ask or think. Secondly, we must overcome any limit that constrains Him in our lives.

Ps 78:3742
For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant. But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.

When we put boundaries on God it grieves Him. Why? Because it pleases Him to bless us. The word “limited” as it is used here means to set boundaries, and that’s what grieves God. Webster defined it as “The greatest amount allowed.” I told God one time, “Lord, when I look around to see all that you’ve done for me, I get a little embarrassed. If you keep this up, people are going to wonder what’s going on.” And I felt the Lord say back to me, “That’s my plan.” Jesus said; “It is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  ”(Luke 12:32). 

Can you imagine seeing God’s goodness following you every where you go? Didn’t he say, “Goodness and Mercy were going to follow us all the days of our lives?” Can you imagine, every time you turn around, the blessings of God are right there for the taking? See what limitations we put on ourselves every time somebody says something that stretches us and we immediately think, “I can’t imagine that.” We have to get rid of that. That’s how Satan has limited us and we’ve limited God in our lives. Someone says, “I can’t imagine favor coming on me every day.” Guess what? It won’t. “I Can’t imagine my needs being met, so that I can in turn meet other peoples needs.” Then it won’t happen. It will only happen to those who can. Can you Imagine that? 

Listen, if you and I are going to be involved in God’s plan, than we’d better cut down the boundaries. We need to get out of our limited and get over into His unlimited. We’d better get ready for the over flow. I learned a long time ago that God’s blessings were much bigger than my natural eyes. So, what did I do, give up? No, I just learned to put on another set of eyes, the eyes of faith. When I did that, I began to see that God’s favor was always working for me, but I was blocking it with my limited understanding. And now, I have freedom in areas today that 10 years ago I didn’t have. I can serve the Lord in ways today that I never could before. 

As believers, we need to change our mind-set and realize that God wants to bless, not prevent us from being blessed. Most of our limits and boundaries are self-imposed through selfishness, failures, fear, false humility, or unworthiness. Sometimes we allow others to place limits on us through control, tradition, religion, or wrong teachings. Listen, whatever the source of our boundaries, we must rid ourselves of them if we are going to continue on with God. James told us... (James 1:25) But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, (freedom from boundaries) and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. When we allow ourselves to be changed into the image that the Word creates in us, we place ourselves in a position to start living in God’s unlimited arena. If we are going to learn to walk in that arena, then we’d better put on the image that God intended for us. We are “World Overcomers.” (Jn 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God over cometh the world: and this is the victory that over cometh the world, even our faith.)

Not too long ago, I preached a message entitled, “Nike Man.” The Greek word for overcome is “Nike.” In that message, I proclaimed that I was not a bird, nor a plane; I was NIKE MAN! I am an “Overcomer Man!” And so are you! I can do all things through Christ. Especially when I take the limits off.