Watch the message
It was our last Sunday in our old home before the move to Jesus House. Pastor Lola Adeosun opened with one line for everyone to tell their neighbour: I'm being stretched for impact.
No stretch, no impact
A rubber band is useless until it is stretched. A mother cannot ask her body to stay the same and still expect the baby to grow. In the same way, God does not enlarge us without stretching us first. If He kept pouring in without making room, we would burst.
Your usefulness in the Kingdom is tied to your capacity to be stretched.
Stretching looks different for each of us. Waking up at 5:30 for prayer. Wearing the choir uniform even when it is not your colour. Apologizing when you know you are not wrong. Letting go of a relationship God says is not part of your future. Carrying a mortgage, school fees or an immigration process.
Mary Slessor left everything to serve in Calabar and helped end the killing of twins. Some of us are alive today because she was willing to be stretched. One of the greatest enemies of impact is the comfort zone. The good news? You will be stretched, but you will not break.
Abraham's stretch test
Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac. Then God asked him to lay that same son on the altar. He had failed some tests before, but he passed this one, and heaven answered:
Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
God was not taking from Abraham. He was making room to bless him. Here is how Abraham walked through it, and how we can too.
What to do when you are being stretched
- Worship, don't murmur. On his way up the mountain, Abraham told his servants, "I and the lad will go yonder and worship" (Genesis 22:5). Worship in a hard season tells God you love Him for who He is, not just for what He gives.
- Keep God's Word in your mouth. When Isaac asked where the lamb was, Abraham said, "God will provide himself a lamb" (Genesis 22:8). Trade complaints for promises, and pray daily: Lord, keep me going.
- Remember He is with you. The God who stretches you is not standing at a distance. "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee" (Isaiah 43:2).
Your next step
If you have been coming for a while and are not in a department yet, this is your sign. Don't be an onlooker. God is counting on you.
Sign up below, or speak to Pastor Jay, our volunteer coordinator, after service. And when you say yes, stay true to it.
As God stretches you, you will not break. You will come out stronger, and more useful in His hands.
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