I can tell you this, although I have no definite conclusion,
that God told Jeremiah that he should go to everyone
that he was sent to and speak whatever God told him. Jeremiah thought he was too young.
Paul told Timothy, do not let anyone look down on you because you are young
but instead set an example for the believers.
One thing I do feel like I am an expert at
is this idea of just being dumb enough to believe that God can do anything.
That is one advantage to being young, because you have not lived long enough
in some cases to really realize that there are some things that cannot be done.
I feel like I fulfill a critical role in this year's Global Leadership Summit.
The other faculty members will give you the wisdom that you need.
And I will help you to get the dumbness that you need
to believe that you can actually do anything that God says you can do
that anything written in his word is possible for everyone who believes.
That is my assignment today.
They asked me to speak briefly about the subject of audacious faith.
I want to help you raise your faith today.
You could say audacious faith, believing God to do the impossible,
is really the theme, the chorus, the hook of my life and ministry as a young man.
When I was 16, a pastor gave me a copy of a book by Jim Cymbala
called Fresh Wind Fresh Fire.
On page 23 of that book there was a sentence that said,
"I despair at the thought that my life might slip by
without God showing himself mighty on our behalf."
I remember when I read that sentence as a junior in high school
how God gripped my heart.
I knew that one day God wanted me to start a church in a big city in the USA
to reach people far from God.
It was years after that I found myself casting vision
to a core team of seven other families
and I told them I do not know exactly what we are going to do, where we are going to do it,
but I do not want to waste my life.
I do not believe God has called me to survive the world but to change it for his glory.
I do not want to just fill up a retirement account, buy a boat, and die one day.
I want to have stories to tell of times when we risked and we saw God come through big.
So Elisha says something that is very timely for all of us.
"This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches." I love that.
"For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain,
yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle, and other animals will drink.
This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord."
Everyone say, "Easy thing." "This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord."
Nothing is difficult to our God. In fact, if the size of the vision
that you have for your ministry and your life is not intimidating to you,
there is a good chance it is insulting to God.
One of the reasons we struggle with insecurity
is because we are comparing our behind the scenes with everybody else's highlight reel.
So we see great things that God is doing
and we do not realize that before they saw a drop of rain they dug a lot of ditches.
I want to say to someone who is frustrated today -
you are not dysfunctional just because you have not seen the cloud yet.
It does not mean God does not have a purpose for you.
You do not know what God might be doing through you that you cannot see.
But here is what I can tell you to the glory of God,
if you will dig the ditches God will send the rain.
If you can do what you can do, he will do what only he can do.
And the is verified in his word.