Don't Limit God - Part 3
Breaking Barriers and Bitterness
When we talk about limiting God, we often think of fear, doubt, or complacency. But today, I want to expose two silent killers: boundaries we put up and bitterness we hold onto. These two may seem unrelated, but they share the same destructive power—they restrict what God can do in our lives.
We pray for breakthrough but build barriers. We cry out for healing but hold onto hurt. And then we wonder why we feel stuck.
But today, we’re going to tear down the fences and uproot the poison. Because you were never meant to live limited!
The Boundaries We Set for God
Imagine building a beautiful house and inviting God to live there but putting up 'Do Not Enter' signs on most of the rooms.
We’d never do that physically, but spiritually? That’s exactly what many of us do every day.
"God, you can have my Sundays, but my Mondays? Those belong to my agenda."
"Jesus, I’ll give you my worship, but my wallet? Let’s not go there."
"Lord, I trust You with my salvation, but my relationships? I’ll handle those myself."
"Jesus, I'll worship You, but my career decisions? Let's keep church and business separate."
We create spiritual VIP sections where God needs a special pass to enter. Some of us have more "Do Not Enter" zones than open spaces! But let me tell you something—God doesn’t do partial Lordship. He’s either Lord of all or not at all.
Every area you refuse to surrender is an area that stays under your control—not under His power.
And then there’s the "Sunday-Only Syndrome." Some of us treat our faith like a gym membership—we pay the dues, show up occasionally, but never fully commit. We think a quick Sunday workout will keep us spiritually strong, but then we wonder why we feel weak on Wednesday!
God isn’t interested in being your weekend Savior. He wants to be your weekday strength. He’s not just the God of revival services—He’s the God of real-life struggles, rush-hour traffic, and hard conversations. He wants to walk with you in the everyday moments.
The question is: Will you let Him?
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 tells us: "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." We have the power to tear down every obstacle that sets itself up against God’s work in our lives.
The Root of Bitterness
Now, let’s shift gears. Jesus said something profound in Luke 17: "It is impossible that no offenses should come." That means hurt, betrayal, and disappointment aren’t a matter of if but when. Pain is part of the package of life.
Your ability to handle and process offense will determine the direction of your life. Someone once said, "Offense is an event, but being offended is a decision." We can’t control what happens to us, but we can control what happens in us.
Bitterness doesn’t just appear overnight—it’s a process. Like a seed, it grows into something that can overtake your entire life if left unchecked.
First comes the wound – A betrayal, a disappointment, or an injustice. The pain is real, and it’s valid.
Then we protect it – Instead of bringing it to God for healing, we hold onto it.
Then we focus on it – We replay the hurt over and over in our minds.
And before we know it, we’re bleeding on people who never cut us.
Hebrews 12:15 warns us: "See to it that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Bitterness doesn’t just stay in one place. It spreads. It poisons marriages, friendships, families, and even our relationship with God. And here’s the scariest part—it doesn’t just distort how we see others; it distorts how we see Him.
The Power of Forgiveness
Holding onto bitterness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. But God offers us an antidote—it’s called forgiveness.
Matthew 6:15 is clear: "But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." That’s not a suggestion—it’s a warning!
Some of you might be thinking, "But I have a RIGHT to be angry!" And you do. But holding onto anger gives the enemy a legal right to keep you in bondage. Demons have a right to torment you when you refuse to forgive.
Forgiveness isn’t about letting someone off the hook. It’s about setting yourself free.
It doesn’t mean forgetting what happened.
It doesn’t mean pretending it didn’t hurt.
It doesn’t even mean allowing that person back into your life.
Forgiveness is setting someone free—and realizing the prisoner was you all along.
I remember a time when I had to say "I forgive them" out loud, even when I didn’t feel it. Sometimes, I had to say it over and over until my heart caught up with my words. But guess what? It worked.
Because here’s the truth: You can’t change your past. You can change your future. And the bridge between the two? Forgiveness.
For some of you, that wound has been your identity for so long that you don’t know who you are without it. But God is saying, "It’s time to let Me heal what you’ve been protecting."
Are You Ready to Be Free?
I don’t know about you, but I refuse to be bound by bitterness when I was made to walk in blessing.
Here’s the challenge:
Are you ready to surrender the areas you’ve kept off-limits?
Are you willing to give Him your bitterness, your wounds, and even your right to be angry?
Let Him heal what needs healing. Break what needs breaking. And move in your life like never before.
Picture Him at the altar—with open arms, ready to take what you’ve been carrying.
It’s time to let go. It’s time to be free. It’s time to stop limiting God.
