Christine Caine - A Life Interrupted, Part 4
Where the natural stops is where the supernatural starts. If the dream in front of you seems impossible, then this message is for you. Stop what you're doing right now, your life is about to get interrupted in an awesome way. I want to share with you how to step into the realm of the impossible and start doing what you were born to do. Are you ready? I'm Christine Caine and I have a personal mission to Equip and Empower people like you to connect with your God-given purpose and potential. I'm so glad that you're joining us today. Let's dive right in.
Hey everybody, I'm so excited to be with you! Well, you've tuned a fantastic week to tune in today and I know that God has got a very, very powerful word for you as we wrap up our series on "A life interrupted". Now, we've been talking about the fact that when God interrupts your plan with his purpose, that's when you step into your supernatural destiny and God's got an incredible plan for your life, an incredible purpose for your life. God has not called us to just a small mediocre existence, but he has called us to a passionate purpose-driven adventure. That's the faith adventure that we are on. And we're in the book of Luke where we're reading a story of the announcement of the birth of Jesus, which is always exciting. The Bible says in Luke chapter one verse 26:
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
That does mean the same in these days as it does on what you're thinking on the other side of the screen.
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
What a story. I love this account and we learned it through this that when God wants to do something extra ordinary, when he wanted, God incarnate wanted to be birthed on the planet, he came to an ordinary teenage girl. And God has always used ordinary people to do extra ordinary things on the earth, because the only kind of people that exist are ordinary people. Stop waiting for all the special people. You are a special person. That's the whole deal. You are one of the special people. And so you just have to be willing. You just have to be willing for God to use you. And that's certainly the story of my life. And I know it could be the story of your life if you say, yes to Jesus. And so God came to an ordinary woman. He told her, you have found favor, you are highly favored. And we've learned that favor is for purpose, not for status. And God gives you great doors of opportunity because he wants you to walk through them for his purpose.
And it is so we understand what divine favor is all about. And the angel of the Lord says fear not because the greatest thing that has kept people out of their destiny is a spirit of fear. And we understand that it is not that I am fear less necessarily, but it's just that I'm faith full. I am more full of faith than I am of fear. Sometimes we think that I have to be fearless, but I love my spiritual mama, Joyce Meyer always says sometimes you've just got to do it afraid. And that's so important that, I can't tell you how many things in my life I've done afraid, because if you're waiting to have no feeling of fear, you're never going to step out of the boat, so you don't have to be fear less. You just have to be faith full and so when you're faithful, you're going to step into what it is that God has for you. And also never forget that what God asks us to do, it's never difficult. It's always impossible. And so some of us, we've got a sign up in our office, it says difficult we can do immediately, impossible takes a little longer. And so at the end of the day that what God is asking you to do is not difficult, it's impossible, because if it's not impossible, you don't need God.
See, the Lord was not asking Mary to accept a difficult assignment. He was asking her to accept an impossible assignment. I don't know if you realize this, but to be a pregnant virgin is impossible. I have a 15-year-old daughter. I have often talked to her out of this text and I said, do not try this because I will not believe you. There was only ever one pregnant virgin. That was Mary. Now the fact is, that's impossible. Anything that I'm doing in my life is impossible because we have to comprehend. Impossible is where God starts. Miracles are what God does. See, a lot of times we want God to do the difficult for us. He says, no, you do the difficult yourself. You can do the difficult.
Sometimes we're praying for things and we go, God, I need a miracle. I need a financial miracle. He says, no, you don't. You just need to stop spending more than you own. You don't need a miracle. God, I need, you know, I need a miracle to lose some weight. He's like, no, stop eating the krispy kremes and get on the treadmill. You don't need a miracle. You need discipline. That's all that that is. And so a lot of us, we have to understand that God isn't asking us to do the impossible. He's asking us oh, he's not asking us to do the difficult. He is asking us to do the impossible, to carry a God dream to our generation. It can't be done, I couldn't do A21, I don't have the skill set. It's now so big. I couldn't even, I don't even know what's going on in most of it.
Now someone does, don't worry, someone does, but the issue is that I am living an impossible life, but that's because I serve a God that does the impossible. It's not me that's doing the impossible. It's God through me that is able to do that impossible life. So just because you have something that seems like a God-sized job, that's what God does. Sometimes you think, my dream is so big, the thing I need to do is so huge, but you have to understand that nothing is impossible for God. Sometimes when I hear people go, you know, I felt this dropping my heart, but that's impossible. I think impossible is where God starts then that's likely to be God. I remember when we started A21 and the consultants told us, they gave us a report. 10 times in that report they use the phrase, it will be impossible. It will be impossible to start A21 in Eastern Europe. It will be impossible to put traffickers in jail because there are no laws protecting victims. It will be impossible because of the economic crisis in Greece. It will be impossible.
I remember when they said that and I stood up, when Nick told me that on the phone I was in the airport lounge in Frankfurt in Germany, and I stood up and I said out loud like Caleb did. I said, you tell them that we are well able to take the land, because what is impossible with man is possible with God. With God all things are possible and nothing is impossible with God. Nothing and you know what? Every time we put a trafficker in jail, every time someone is rescued, I think the experts said it would be impossible but impossible is where God starts and miracles are what God does. That is how it works. That is how it works. There's not one problem that's too hard for God to solve, not one. There is not one person that is too hard for God to save, there's not one mountain that is too big for God to move. There is not one disease that God cannot heal. There's not one relationship that God cannot restore. There is not one need that God cannot meet. There is nothing my God cannot do.
Do you remember that song? My little girl Catherine. I remember when she used to go to kid's church, she would come home and you know a kid, when they watch a movie that they love, or they hear a song that they sing, it's like it's on repeat forever, and she would sing it out. "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do" okay, so we all know that song. And I remember once I was about to go, Catherine, after about the 400th time of those, "My God is so big, the mountains are his, the valleys and the stars are his handiwork, too". And I'm like, can we change the song? And just as I was about to say, Catherine, I just felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to say, Christie, if that is, and she was four years old at the time. If that is all your little girl ever knows about God, if your girl believes that her God is so big, so strong, and so mighty, there is nothing her God cannot do. Would that be enough for you? If nothing else messes her up and she can truly believe so, then I start singing with her.
Catherine, let's do it again. "My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty, there is nothing, nothing my God cannot do". And you keep singing that for the rest of your life, kid. Because if you can believe that, don't let the nay Sayers pull that back and swallow that down. And so what is the key to miracle activation, what is it? The Bible says, Mary said right here, "Let it be to me according to your word". You know, in the net Bible, the Bible says that Mary answered, yes. Yes means that she could have said, no. And I wonder how many people don't do what God has called them to do on the earth because they won't say yes.
Don't go, well, I'm just a worm. I'm hopeless God can't do anything thing with me, God chooses to use earthen vessels to reflect his glory. So he only uses ordinary people 'cause there's no other kind of people. So you don't have to keep shrinking yourself. So God is fine. People go, I don't want to take the glory away from God. I don't know how good you think you are. Me on my best day cannot take any glory from God. Not on my best day. I don't even, I can't even cover his toenail. I can't do that. I'm not diluted to think I'm that good that I could take any glory from God. So the issue is, will you? The issue is where we are commissioned to carry God to our world, and we need people that will stop living small lives that will live huge lives, that will glorify our God and they will say, I'm willing. You know, to be willing to say yes, like Mary was ultimately means you have to be willing to look like a fool.
And I think it's our pride that stops us from saying yes, we call it humility. You know, I'm just a worm. But the root of that is actually pride because when you go, I'm just a worm, I'm just nothing. You're saying that your limitations are greater than God's supernatural ability to do something in your life. But what a lot of that is, is fear-based. I'm too scared that if I step out I'm going to look like a fool, 'cause I could have done that. I had a great itinerant global ministry before A21 started. Well, it could have not worked. And I'm like, you know what, just step out and find out. That's okay, it's not. But it could have been starting propel. It could have not worked and I could have thought, you know what? I'm getting older, I could just live safe. I could just keep it here and go out looking good, or I can just go. I'm prepared to step out of the boat and look like a fool in order to do what God has called me to do. But scripture is full of people that were prepared to look foolish for God.
It's always astounding to me. You know, they just said yes. They all looked foolish. So I think I'm in really good company and that's the whole point. Can you imagine how foolish Noah looked building an ark in the desert? He's not building an ark. There was never any such thing as an ark and all his friends are like Noah, what are you building? An ark? What's an ark? I don't know. Why are you building an ark, Noah? Because rain's coming. What's rain? I don't know. I haven't got a clue. Oh, so you're building, I don't know for I don't have a clue. Yes. I feel like that's the story of my life. I'm always building an ark for I don't know what 'cause I haven't got a clue. And so here we go, thanks God. A little bit more detail would be awesome. Could you imagine how foolish Moses looked he's carrying his rod, there's a Red Sea, mountains on either side. There's an Egyptian army behind him and there's a Red Sea in front of him, and everyone's like, Moses, what are we going to do? I don't know, I've got a stick.
So often I feel like that with my team. I don't know, I've got a stick. Let's go global trafficking, we going to abolish slavery everywhere forever, let's go. But are you willing to look like a fool? Got my little stick. Can you imagine Sarah, how foolish she looked as an old chick, 90-years-old in the maternity section at target. What are you doing, Sarah? Looking for a cute outfit, dunno. Is it going to be a boy or a girl? Here we go. Pink or blue, pink or blue. They will be thinking, she forgot to take her medication. That's how foolish she would've looked.
Can you imagine how foolish the children of Jericho looked marching around, the children of Israel. Looked marching around the walls of Jericho. Could you imagine? What are you doing? Toga sandals. I'm just kind of matching, day one, what are you doing matching around the walls. You got any guns? No. Bombs? No, we're just marching. Day two, what are you doing? Marching around the walls 'cause that's what God said. Day three, what are you doing? We're just taking another lap, awesome! Here we go. Any bricks falling out of the wall, you know, like any side? No, no, no. Day four, day five, day six, day seven laps six. How foolish would they have looked?
Can you imagine how foolish David looked? There's a nine foot Philistine giant and he's got a little slingshot. Couple of rocks. Here we go, David and Goliath.
Can you imagine how foolish Esther looked going in to see the king when she was not summoned? Do you realize that that could have been death on arrival? Actually, if you went in to visit the king when you were not summoned, she could have died.
Can you imagine how foolish Caleb looked at 85 saying, I'm as strong now as I was then. No 401k pension plan for me. I'm going to take Hebron because that's what God promised me.
Can you imagine how foolish Mary must've looked month eight? Well, now we're all celebrating because she was carrying the Messiah, but most people would not thought she was carrying the Messiah. They would have thought she was carrying Joseph's illegitimate child. That's what they would have thought. How foolish she looked because she said yes to the Lord.
Can you imagine how foolish the wise men looked on their little camel looking at a star? What are you doing? Following the star. Where's it taking you? The Messiah. Awesome. How would that have looked? Sometimes we just read over this like it's perfectly normal. There was nothing normal about this.
Can you imagine how foolish Peter looked to everyone else as he's stepping out of the boat? What are you doing, Peter? He called me. He said, come, I'm going to step out of the boat. How foolish would he have looked to the other disciples. There goes Peter, man, who does he think he is? Does he think he can walk on water, who does he think?
Can you imagine the conversations that can you imagine how foolish the woman with the issue of blood would have looked as she stretched to grab the hem of his garment? There's a crowd pressing in on Jesus. How foolish would she have looked even being out with an issue of blood in society at this time, let alone daring. Do you realize how culturally unacceptable that was that she would have reached out to touch the hem of the rabbI's garment?
Can you imagine how foolish Paul and Silas looked? They're in chains in prison and they are singing no longer a slave to fear and then they're breaking into oceans, and then they're breaking into Jesus, what a beautiful name. How foolish would they have looked as they're worshiping the king in chains?
Can you imagine how foolish the little boy looked when there's a crowd and they anticipated it could have been up to 15.000 people, including women and children on the crowd as he gave his little fish, a couple of pieces of fish and five loaves of bread, five little pieces of bread, and there's a crowd of 15.000. I don't have much, but you can have what I've got. How foolish would the disparity have looked between the need and the provision? And he gave them.
Can you imagine how foolish Jesus looked hanging on the cross as people mocked and ridiculed? So this is the king of the Jews? This is your Messiah? This is your Savior? This is who you were waiting for? This is the one that was going to bring salvation and redemption? And as they're nailing him to that cross, he's praying, father, forgive them. They haven't got a clue. He was willing to look like a fool. But you know what the result is when you're willing to look like a fool for the sake of the Gospel? Do you know what the result is when you're willing to say, yes, Jesus, my family might not understand. My culture might not understand. This is not my, not be a normal way forward. This doesn't make economic sense. This does not make cultural sense. This doesn't even make sense to how I'm wired up and how you made me, but Jesus, like Mary said, I'm just going to say yes somehow. If you want to use me, I will just say yes. Well, because they said yes and because these people were willing to look like fools.
Well, let me tell you what happened. Noah and his family were saved from the flood. Moses did see the Red Sea part. Sarah did give birth to Isaac. The Israelites did see the walls of Jericho come down. David did defeat Goliath. Esther did stop a Jewish genocide. Caleb did get Hebron. Mary did give birth to Jesus. The wise men did find the Messiah. Peter did walk on water. The woman with the issue of blood, she was healed. Paul and Silas were freed from prison. The little boy's lunch fed 5.000 and Jesus Christ, he got up out of that grave he holds the keys to hell and death and the same spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives on the inside of you and me, and because that same spirit lives on the inside of us I can do all things through Chris Jesus who strengthen me. Let's make a decision to say yes to Jesus. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. In Jesus name. In Jesus name. Amen.