8/21/16 You can do a lot! by pastor Oleksandr Mykhaylyk

Last Sunday during praise and worship time I stood and God started to speak in my heart. You know, people usually expect children to grow up first. They say: “You need to grow. You need to get an education. You need to do this and that, and then you can be able to or you will have the possibility to do something". Am I right? They believe that in order to do something, you have to wait for when they grow.
Last Sunday God spoke to my heart and He said that this is not right with Him. God started to remind me about examples in the Bible where He used young people, even kids. He started to talk to me and to show me that the age for Him does not really matter.

---

I want to talk today about three people God put in my heart. Three people: One child and two young people. And to Him, their ages didn't matter.
I want you to open your heart today and let God lead you in your life, show His direction for you, not what other people tell you to. Because what I found out in this world we have a lot of prejudices, or stereotypes. People always try to put you in some kind of box. But what I like about God is that He always tries to put us out of the box and let us be who we are meant to be.
I have three examples that God put in my heart.
The first example is David.
Do you know David and Goliath? It is interesting or I can say even amazing that David won the battle or he won the war where he was not even allowed to participate. Did you know that? When that war started all old enough people were sent to fight and David was sent home, because everybody thought that he is too young to fight. King sent his home to his dad’s house to care about the sheep. Everybody thought that he is too young to fight. And you know what happened after that? He won the war for which he was too young. He did it. What nobody else can do. Can you imagine this? David the young man. Everybody said: “ You are too young to fight”. But God saw something in David’s heart and He said: ”You are not too young for Me and I am going to use you”. And He did it. You know, when David came to that war and he said that he is going to fight, nobody took him seriously. Only when he spoke about his experience with the lion and the bear, he was allowed a chance to fight. Nobody else wanted to do it. And do you know what is interesting? Do you know what Goliath said the moment David got out on the field? He said: “You are so young.”
1 Samuel 17:42
42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. 
  
What does it mean? When Goliath came to the field he expected that somebody who will fight with him will look like a warrior. Do you know how warriors' look like?  Yes, he has shield but it is not what makes you a real warrior. Do you know what can make you a real warrior? If you used to fight, then you will have marks on your face, and on your body. You know, I used to box. The first that shows that you used to box is your broken nose. All boxers have this sign.
So when Goliath came out he looked for somebody with scars maybe on the face or broken nose but he saw no broken nose, no scars. David looked beautiful. Everything I read before says that David was beautiful. And Goliath said to David: “What are you doing here handsome man? You are so handsome and I am going to kill you. So get out of my way!” And David said: “Do not look how I appear, because I am going to kill you! Not what you see outside will work but what is inside of me. “
And do you know that some people will look at you and say to you that you are so young, get out, or what are you doing here man? This is what Goliath meant. What are you doing here man? You are so young. You are so handsome. Look! I am the only warrior. I have fought all my life. Can’t you see it?  And David said: “I do not care about who you are. I know my God and if you want to do something to hurt or destroy His people, it’s better not do it, because I will fight you and kill you with God on my side!”
​This is the first example from God’s Word where you can see that young people rejected by other people were used by God. What I like about David is that he did not care about other people's opinions, but only the opinion of God. If he would or cared about people’s opinion, he would not have been able do what God wanted from him. If you depend only on other people’s opinions, your life will be terrible. Today, many people are depending on Facebook comments, it builds their life from themselves. They put all their trust in it. But David said that I do not care about others opinions! I care about trusting my God and what He put in my heart. It is more important than anything. The whole nation of Israel warriors said: “David! You can’t win this war! “
Do you know that if you move by your faith, if you trust God, then God will prove that it is true? He will make the impossible, possible because you trust Him. Rely on God’s opinion in each situation. This is what has been proved by David – the young man who was not even allowed to participate into the war. He won this war. He trusted God and won against all tactics, strategies. He did it! God can use young people if they trust Him!
Do you remember what David's own older brother said to him? He said to David: “What are you doing here? You can’t fight. You think a lot about yourself!” David turned his head in the opposed direction of what his brother said to him. He knew Who is with him. Sometimes we do not know Who is with us. We rely on our own strength, and not God’s. We can do a lot with God. Very often we do not know ourselves.  We do not know what we can do, because sometimes we put ourselves into the box of the limitations, somebody’s opinions, our own thinking about ourselves. If you put God in first place, allow Him to guide you than you will see that you can do a lot at a young age. You are old enough to do something when God leads you.  Do not wait for some special time if God has already spoken to you.

Second example is Jeremiah.
 Jeremiah 1:6
"O Sovereign LORD," I said, "I can't speak for you! I'm too young!"
 
Who said this? Whose opinion was it? This is how Jeremiah saw himself. It was not other people’s opinion. It was his own. It is funny when we try to open God’s eyes and let Him see something that He does not care to know about us but we care. Jeremiah knew whom he talked to. It was God, who knows better. Why didn't Jeremiah agree God? Because he depended too much on other people's opinions and made his own. Listen! If God decided to use you, please do not argue with Him. Let Him help you to do what He wants from you. God did not agree with Jeremiah's opinion and He told him: ”Do not tell me that you are too young, go and speak what I commanded you to speak”.  And Jeremiah did. Today he is our example about how to overcome fears, and negative thinking on the way to complete what He told us to do or what He put in our hearts. If God is leading you to do something it means you have everything to accomplish His task. He has provided everything already. You are old enough to do what God wants you to do.
 
My third example for you today is one young girl. 
2 Kings 5:2-3
2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

She has been taken captive and brought to the land of Syria. She was made a maid of a very powerful family of this area. The Naaman was very powerful; his position was given by the king. He had everything. But he was sick, he had leprosy. And one girl, who was captive, was used by God at the right time. She spoke so boldly to Naaman. She said: “I know the answer to your problem. I know who can help you.” She was not afraid to talk about the God she believed in. A little girl. She allowed her faith to grow up when she heard all the stories about God in her country. And even in the place where she was a captive she spoke about what Naaman should do for this problem to be solved. He should go to the land of Israel to talk to the prophet. How was she so sure? The little girl. And Naaman listened what she told him. He did exactly what she was told him to do and he was cleaned. And I think from that very moment the life of this small girl was not the same anymore. She changed the life of Naaman by being bold enough to speak what God wanted her to speak. Remember that even a child with faith can do a lot. 
What is my message to you today?
YOU CAN DO A LOT. You can do it if you allow God to guide you, allow God to speak to you. 
What do they all have in common? They trusted God, they listened Him, they shared their faith with others, they were not ashamed to talk about God and allowed Him to use them.
I want to encourage you today. Do not worry that you can miss something God wants you to do. Just always be ready to do what God wants and in the right time you will be used by Him. David came to the battlefield only to visit his brothers. He was not prepared to fight in his mind.  But he was prepared by God for the upcoming opportunity and when the right time came he used it. That girl did not plan to be captured, or to meet Naaman, but she walked in her faith and used it at the right time.  Jeremiah did not plan to speak, considering his age, but he was open to hear the voice of God and he obeyed what God told him to do, no matter what.
God will put you in some situation where He wants to use you. Be open to hear His voice and do what He wants you to do. Do not look at yourself as small. You can be the one who can bring an answer in people's lives, who can bring healing from God. Let your heart be open for Him and He will use you in His mighty way. You are not too young; God can use you. Ask Him to use you and your life never be the same again. You will feel Him by your side. He will confirm what He has asked you to do!     ​