Taffi Dollar - Making Room for What Matters - Part 1
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Today, we want to look at making room for the new, because we don’t want to go back to what things were before the pandemic. We don’t want to go back to, you know, relationships and the traditions of the past. But I don’t know about you. I believe that God wants to do something beyond what we experienced up to that point. And so, he says, «I will do a new thing». And there are new things that God wants to do, and so it’s a matter of really opening up ourselves and closing things that need to be closed.
And a lot of times, if we don’t close things at the proper time, they’ll continue to operate. They’ll drag us back. We’ll stay in the past, we’ll have those same emotions and feelings from the past, and God can never do something new. And so, that’s what this teaching is аbout: making room for God to do something new, for him to do something that hasn’t been done before. You know, centuries of time, religion has existed, and we’re understanding now that it’s not a religious experience that we’re after. It is a relationship with God.
And so, religion has operated for centuries of time, but we understand that it’s not about us becoming more and more religious, because people were religious in Jesus’s day, but he rebuked them, he corrected them, he addressed them, he challenged them, and he wants us to get beyond just going through the motions, the fashions, the traditions, and the patterns of time, over to a place where we can really experience the union and the intimacy of a relationship with him. And so, that’s why he went to the woman who was at the well, and he went to the people who were infirmed, the man who was sitting at the pool of Bethesda, and he went to, you know, the blind man who was born that way, so that there was not this traditional mindset of why people were in the situations they were in.
But that was a newness that he came to present, a newness that existed separate from the law, separate from, you know, the traditions of the past, the Torah, and the things during that time, but he really wanted them to realize that they could have a real experience and a real encounter with God. And so, they had to make room for that. They had to expand their heart in order for that to happen. It didn’t just happen by osmosis, you know. It had to happen as a result of them welcoming him in, and receiving from him, and knowing that he came to bring something new, and that what had been done was not what he came to do again, but he was doing something different.
And so, when we talk about making room, I want us to understand that it means giving God unrestricted space in and throughout our life, giving God unrestricted space in and throughout our life. It is the time, the energy, the identity that we allow him to use, him causing challenge in our life that he wants to redeem in us, so that we can make a difference. It’s making room for God. It extends him into every creek and every crevice of our lives, every crack and every crevice of our life. When we allow God space, when we create room for him to exist, giving him the place where he resides, and he has dominion, and he’s first, and there’s this sacred position that he has in our thoughts, and in our heart, and in our lives that causes us to expand, to broaden, to experience the good life that he’s prearranged and made ready for us to live.
But, you know, we have to make room, and so we want to look at Mark chapter 2, verse 2. Mark 2, verse 2. Because so many times, we can be so occupied with other stuff, other things, other situations, and it takes the place that God wants to be. We have no space for him to do what he wants to do in our lives because, you know, the schedules, the calendars, maybe our experience from the past. I realize sometimes trauma can take the space up in our hearts, in our life; and, consequently, it shuts God out.
And so, these are things that restrict him from having the opportunity to just blossom and cause us to bloom where our relationship with him is concerned. And so, when we look at Mark chapter 2, verse 2, it says, «Straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them». They said that there were people who were gathered, insomuch that there was no room to receive the message, no room whatsoever. And so, we have to look at our lives and be honest with where we are and admit to ourselves, «Am I giving room for God’s Word, for God’s message, for God to do what he wants to do in my life, or am I so busy and so encumbered and cluttered and distracted with all these other things that he has no opportunity, no access, no means to intervene and involve himself in our lives»?
It’s the time, it’s the energy that we extend, it’s the identity that we have that allows him to use us, to challenge, redeem in us, so that we can make a difference. So, we see in this situation here that there was no room. Somebody say, «No room». No room to receive, not so much any room, and he preached the word unto them. Let’s look a little further here at John 1, verse 11, and then we’re gonna look at the New Living Translation. We’ll look at this one and a couple more, but I just kind of want to walk you through some things as it relates to making room for what matters, making room for the new, making room by allowing God to have that space that he desires, that has precedence in other areas of our lives.
John 1, verse 11 says, «He came to his own people, and even they rejected him». He came to try to accomplish the assignment, the purpose, the vision for his life, to do the things that God sent him to do. And you know what? He couldn’t do it because they didn’t receive. And in order for us to make room, we’ve gotta receive. We’ve gotta be receivers. We’ve gotta make sure that we’re in the position, we’re in the posture where we can grab a hold of what God wants to do. Skip down to chapter 8 of this same book, John 8, verse 37. In fact, we’ll start at verse 35. He came to his own. His own didn’t receive him. We must recognize that we are his own, and he’s coming to us this very day, asking if we’ll make room for him in our lives and receive from him. We are his own. We belong to him.
And so, it is our decision. It is our responsibility. The choices that we make are to receive what God wants to do in our life and make room for what he wants to do, bringing us out of the things from the past and taking us into the new. So, look at what happens here in John 8, verse 35. It says, «The slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message. I’m telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father. 'Our father is Abraham! '»
This is what they declared. «'No, ' Jesus replied. 'For if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example. Instead, you’re trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. No, you are imitating your real father.' They replied, 'We aren’t illegitimate children. God himself is our true Father.' Jesus told them, 'If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you can’t even hear me! For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him.'»
So, I want us to understand today and realize that we must make room for the message. We must make room, because during this time people were deceived, and they were under the influence of the lies of the devil. They were doing all kinds of things that were contrary to what God wanted to do; and as a result, he had to help them to understand where they were, because there was, you know, the respecter of persons. There was the treating of people different types of ways. I mean, there were those who were esteemed and highly placed in positions, and there were those who were looked down upon. And so, you know, Jesus had to call them out and say, «No, you are of your father the devil». And he caused them to be challenged in identifying in the fact that there was this lying spirit, because they were under the influence of the enemy, the father of lies.
And so, you know, when we understand some of these things, we understand that because they didn’t make room for God and his Word, they were under the influence of the wicked one, and that’s what happens in our lives. And so, that’s why it’s so vital, so important, because the world has this voice. The world is speaking, and all the voices that are out in the world today, and so these things cause, create confusion and chaos, cause rebellion, resentment, all kinds of things. And so, Jesus challenged, and he identified with those who were living beneath the mark, and helped them to understand that they needed to make room for the Word.
Now let’s look over this next Scripture over in Leviticus chapter 26, Leviticus chapter 26, and just kind of want to walk you through some things here. Let’s look at the New Living Translation, verses 6 through 10, New Living Translation, starting at verse 6. I love what he says here, because it really helps us to see the importance of the new, because that’s what God wants us to focus in on is the new. What he wants to do in your life is the new. He says, «I will give you peace in the land, and you’ll be able to sleep with no cause for fear. I will rid the land of wild animals and keep your enemies out of your land. In fact, you will chase down your enemies and slaughter them with your swords. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand. All your enemies will fall beneath your sword. I will look favorably…»
Somebody say favor. He says, «I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill my covenant», glory be to God, «I will fulfill my covenant with you. You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to clear out the old grain to make room for the new harvest». I’m telling you what God wants to do in your life in this day and time in which we live, this very space, this very moment. If we can get rid of all the clutter, and get rid of all the junk, and let go of stuff, then we will experience the new. He says, «If you will experience these things by clearing out», you will need to clear out. He says, «There’ll be such a surplus».
I don’t know about you. I’m ready to receive everything that God has destined from the foundations of the world. I’m telling you, there’s an outpouring harvest of souls. There’s a latter rain that’s been prophesied, where the younger will speak with the older, and women and men and people will serve alongside. There is a great return that must take place. There’s a great harvest that’s been prophesied for centuries of time. The wealth of the wicked, how many of you know that transfer must take place? But you know what? We’ve gotta make room for the new, and he says you’ve gotta get rid of, and you’ve gotta clear out the old in order to make room for the new. Time to make room for the new in our lives.
So, we have to realize that what God wants to do is something totally different, and God was using even this analogy in this day and time so that they could begin to realize the things that he was endeavoring to happen. And so, as we are understanding this, we are realizing that these times in which we live are very sacred times, and our lives belong to the Lord. Let’s go a little further here. Look at Matthew chapter 9, verse 23. I believe we’ve gotta make some room for the miraculous. Make room for signs and wonders. He is still God. He has not left the throne.
I know what men say. I know what people say, and the psychologists, and the psychiatrists, and what the doctors say, and what, you know, the lawyers say, and all these other people say, but he is still God. He will have the final say-so in our lives. His Word is incorruptible, and that which is sown will come to pass. It is incorruptible seed. It will accomplish that which it was sent forth to accomplish in our lives. And so, he is still God, and there are things that only God can do. He says, «With men things are possible, but with God all things».
Men’s limitations should not limit what God can do in our lives. And so, we’ve gotta make room for the miraculous, for the signs and the wonders that the things that only God can do. He hasn’t left the throne. How many of you know he hasn’t stopped loving you. He hasn’t thrown in the towel. He hasn’t forgotten about us. He’s not frustrated with us. He’s not mad. He’s not angry. He is still good. And when we go to him in faith, and we know who we are, knowing that we have a place in his plan and according to the things that he’s destined for our lives, how many of you know he can do things that only God can do? How many of you know there are some things that only God can do?
You might’ve gone to school and learned how to, you know, do all the different things to go from, you know, getting an entry level job, to getting, you know, a six-figure job. But you know what? It’s something about God, when he gets in your life, and he gets involved in your situations. He’ll just cause you to experience such favor, you’ll look up, you might even start owning the company. You might start your own company. I mean, there’s all kinds of things. We’re talking about God today. We’re talking about the miraculous and the signs and wonders that still exist in this day and time. And so, let us not be moved by the demonic force. Let’s not be moved by all the demons, and the darkness, and the oppression, and the wickedness, and the evilness, and all those things, because he says, «Where sin abounds, grace will much more abound».
And so, we, as his children, as the body of Christ, must allow him a space and a place where he can be God, where he can do the miraculous, when he can do the impossible, things that men said could never be done. I’m a living witness today. If you would’ve told me 30-some years ago that I’d be standing up here teaching and talking from the Bible, I probably would’ve cursed you out and told you where to go, but that’s because I realize that God can do only what he can do. And what he wants to do is just blow your mind.
So, don’t be moved by what it looks like right now, what it seems, what the doctor said, or what the banker says, all these things. He will turn it upside-down, because his plan will prevail, and the Word will prevail over every circumstance, over every situation, over everything. I remember when our daughter, the doctor was talking about how she had alopecia. And man, we got on the Word of God and started praying over her hair and praying over her head, and got the oil out. She’s got a head full of hair right now. Don’t listen to… I mean, you can use the information that doctors give, and bankers give, and lawyers give, and all that stuff, but don’t let that be the final say-so. Let God have final say. Let him be God.
Make room for the miraculous, for him to get on your financial affairs, for him to get in your children’s lives. That’s why you sow the Word. You train them up when they are young, and you put it in there, and you allow that Word to have first place in your child’s life and in your family. And though they may go through different things when they become a teenager or young adults or whatever, but you know what? That Word will not return void, and the assignment of God will be accomplished in their life. So, however long it takes for them to get more and more testimony, or whatever needs to happen, that’s all right. God will have the final say-so.