THE LIMITATION WITHOUT

So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” – Judges 6:15

REFERENCE
Judges 6:1-16

Limitations are behind the lack of progress people experience in certain areas of life: marital, familial, political, professional, occupational, educational, financial, ministerial, etc. Today, we continue our study on the causes of limitations that we started yesterday. In addition to the limitations we encounter from within us, there are limitations that we experience from without us, and these include:

Environmental – Limited by where you live or where you grew up. Certain environments tame your expectations and tell you not to dare certain dreams. No matter how good you are, if you are part of a mediocre system, it automatically imposes a limitation on you. Also, if for instance where you live is seen as a ‘corrupt nation,’ doing business on a global scale or forming global partnerships may be difficult for you because people don’t trust you; and this can limit you from going global with your ideas.

Parental – The words of your parents can determine the limit of your aspirations. If they constantly drummed it into your ears that your family is ‘just an average family,’ you may never aspire to anything better. Also, if they called you ‘a good for nothing’ child who can’t amount to much in life, chances are, those words will affect your self-esteem, as well as your drive to become significant in life. You may also be limited by how much you saw them achieve. The extent of their exploits can become the boundary for yours.

Educational – Limited by what you read in school, where your education stopped or the fact that you don’t have an education at all. Ignorance is a big limitation in life, because people hire you for what you know. Similarly, what you read can limit you in gaining employment in a place where those with your type of qualification are in low demand. Also, it is hard for those who read Medicine to walk by faith for divine healing when dealing with sicknesses; in this case, they are limited by what they know medically.

Experiential – Your history can become your prison in life. How it has happened before, an established pattern, a negative experience that has occurred more than once can impose a limitation on you, and hinder your progress in certain areas of life. For example, you may shy away from writing a professional exam that will fast track your career, if you have already tried and failed for five times.

In spite of all these causes, limits are meant to be broken. A life lived in transcending limitations is a miraculous life. Take a sheet of paper and write out what you think may be limitations without you and present them before God in prayers. Join us in the next episode as we study how to go beyond limits.

SCRIPTURE PHOTO

ADDITIONAL STUDY
Hosea 4:6a, II Kings 7:1-3, & Philippians 3:13

PRAYER POINT

+ Pray to break yourself free from anything that limits you because of where you live, what your parents told you, what you know, and your past experiences.

+ Ask God for courage to continue to aspire for more regardless of past failures.