#44 Discover Your Possibilities (II) (28/09/02)

By Dr. Robert A. Schuller

This morning we are continuing Part II on discovering our possibilities. In Part I, last week, we looked at how Moses heard the voice of God at the burning bush. And Moses discovered the possibility of becoming one of the greatest leaders for God in all history.
This morning we look at the life of St. Paul, and how God called him to discover the possibility to be the most influential leader in the early Christian church. St. Paul became the author of most of the books found in the New Testament, with the exception of the four Gospels. Paul's letters to the New Testament churches, and to Timothy and Titus, still today have a tremendous influence on our western culture.
So look for a few moments at how God revealed to St. Paul the possibilities to open his mind and heart to a new faith turning from a life of hate to a future with noble love. Then my prayer is that we will also discover possibilities God wants us to see to help us become the persons He wants us to be.

1) Support The Positives

The first possibility St. Paul discovered he had to do in his life was to change from a negative to a positive lifestyle. That was the beginning and that's the first step for any of us.
St. Paul's was a very judgmental and angry person. The book of Acts, Chapters 7 and 8, tells the account of St. Paul's travels throughout the country as a zealous Jew. He was persecuting the new Christian churches and their leaders. The very first Christian martyr was a young leader, Stephen, who was described as "full of faith and power, doing great signs and wonders among the people." (Acts 6:8). When a mob stoned Stephen, his garments were thrown at the feet of Paul, then known as Saul. Saul was there instigating the stoning. Then Saul continued on his rampage to find more Christians in Damascus, a Roman City - about a four-day journey on foot from Jerusalem (about 150 miles). Suddenly a light struck him. Blinded he fell to the ground and there God spoke to him. (Read Acts 9). "Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And then God instructed Saul to go on to Damascus to see a man whose name was Ananias, meaning, "the Lord is gracious." So Saul went there, received his sight again and, more importantly, his calling to become St. Paul. Instead of persecuting the Christians, he now began to instruct and lead the early Christian church. When he met Jesus Christ, St. Paul's negative lifestyle changed to supporting that which was positive, not only in himself, but also in others. And the same happens to us when we meet Jesus Christ. Our own lifestyles change and become positive ... and we begin with the positives within ourselves.
Instead of tearing ourselves down, we begin to build ourselves up through a positive faith. It's a decision that we make. Herman Cain writes in his book, "CEO of Self"1 , "You are in charge of yourself." We are in charge of our own happiness
John Maxwell in his book, "Failing Forward" 2 quotes Gary Hamel and CK Prahalad who recently did a study on some monkeys. In this study they put four monkeys in a cage, and then at the top of a pole they put a bunch of bananas. Every time one of the monkeys would climb up the pole to get a banana, the keeper would squirt it with a blast of cold water and the monkey would run down. Each time the monkeys tried, they would be blasted with the cold water and they would come running back down. After a few times, the monkeys simply quit trying to run up the pole for a banana. They soon realized that if they tried they would be blasted with cold water.
Then one of the monkeys was taken out of the cage and replaced with a new monkey. When he sees the bananas he immediately starts to climb up the pole and guess what happens? The other monkeys pull him down and won't let him go up. He tries again and again, but after a few times he realizes that those bananas aren't for him. Then another monkey is replaced. And that new monkey does the same thing. When he starts to climb up the pole to get the bananas, the other three monkeys pull him down. Then still another monkey is replaced with the same results. Finally the fourth monkey is replaced.
Now there are four monkeys in a cage who have absolutely no idea why, but for some reason they won't allow each other to climb up the pole to get the bananas.
How often do we try to climb the pole of success and we pull ourselves down? No reason ... just experiences of history ... we just pull ourselves down by repeating what we have heard other people say. "I'm not good enough." "I'm not worthy enough."
We continually need to focus on the positives and not on the negatives. We need to support the positive and then open our eyes and see all the beauty that God wants to produce in our world through us. It is a huge world out there and there are opportunities that abound in every conceivable way.

2) Open Your Eyes to the Possibilities

The second thing that happened to St. Paul was that his eyes were opened to the possibilities God had for him and that's what we need to do also. There are so many possibilities in this world, so many dreams and aspirations in this incredible world in which we live if we just open our eyes to them.
I love fishing and I've been fishing all my life. You really need to be a possibility thinker when you fish. My father used to take me out to Newport Pier here on the ocean when I was about five years old. At that time the pier only had a rail with a few posts every ten or fifteen feet apart. The bottom of the rail was totally open where I could easily fall off into the water - neither my dad nor I knew how to swim, so he was pretty concerned for me. To protect me, he would take his belt off and latch me to the bench on the pier. Then we would sit on the end of the pier catching the little sand dabs and mackerel. That is the way I started fishing. Well, as we progressed through the years, we would always look for little bigger fish. We have a contest going all the time. I'll catch the biggest ... then he'll go and catch a bigger one ... then I'll catch a bigger one ... and he'll catch still a bigger one. Well, right now I hold the record - a four hundred and ten-pound black marlin. So he wants to beat me and I wouldn't be surprised if he does. He is traveling to Australia for a speaking mission this year and hopes to have a couple of days to travel to where the big black marlin are caught. It's where they call a five hundred-pound marlin a runt! So we'll see what happens.

See Every Challenge as a Possibility

Speaking of fishing, I've studied a lot of things about tuna. Here on the west coast we have the Pacific Blue Fin Tuna. For years there have been arguments that the Pacific Ocean Blue Fin we have, are a different species than the Blue Fin in the Atlantic Ocean. The reason of the argument is the claim that the Pacific Blue Fin are smaller, only perhaps a hundred pounds, compared to the Atlantic Ocean Blue Fin which are over a thousand pounds.
So for decades it has been believed that the Pacific Blue Fin is a different species. Meanwhile, the scientists have looked at the fish and declared that they are an identical species. There is no difference. About ten years ago off the Anacapa Islands near our California coast this dispute was resolved. Commercial fishing boats dropped their nets and they brought in some Blue Fin tuna, averaging about 600 pounds each. Word soon spread ... more boats appeared because these fish are extremely valuable.
There are opportunities taking place around you every day. This world is enormous with its many possibilities. See every challenge as a possibility. There are fish in the sea to be caught whether you are in the Pacific or the Atlantic oceans ... but you are never going to catch any if all you ever do is sit in the harbor.
Ships were not made to sit in a harbor. They are made to sail the seven seas and to face storms. In the same way, God has made you and me ... not to sit safely in a harbor tied to a dock, but to venture forth and to see what new opportunities await us as we explore and discover all the possibilities that God has for us. But it begins by supporting the positive ... then opening our eyes to the possibilities and blessings that God is in the process of blessing us with.

3) Follow God's Directions

A man who lived in Maine told of an event in his former home of Flagstaff, Arizona. The Corps of Engineers announced that they were going to create a dam there and as a result, the town of Flagstaff would be flooded and completely disappear. Everyone knew that all the homes were scheduled to be destroyed. He said the saddest thing was that when people realized that their entire town would be under water and become a lake, the people quit caring about their homes. They quit painting their houses, mowing their lawns, and trimming the trees. They no longer took care of anything. He said it was very depressing to watch the homes and the neighborhood just disintegrates to the point where they wouldn't even take the trash out anymore.And then he concluded with this final statement:

"Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present." 3

As we discover our possibilities and follow God's directions, we realize that we are children of God, created in His image for a purpose, and we believe in a future full of faith and hope.
This past week I had a counseling appointment with a gentleman who was really struggling with how to discover God's will for his life. He was sharing with me how he had felt a calling for many years to help those who are homeless and at the lowest scale of income. I said, "So what are you doing now? You felt this calling to help the needy and you don't feel like you're doing that? What are you doing?"
He answered, "Well, I call myself a social worker" ... he paused, "but I only help people with their social security problems and needs.
I said, "Oh ... but you are fulfilling God's calling for you because you seen very sincere in trying to help those who truly need the kind of help you are giving."
By the time we finished with our conversation, he realized that what he was doing was really beneficial for people who relied on their social security income for their daily needs. Even thought he was not an ordained minister, he was truly fulfilling God's call for his life by helping people who needed him.
Today I ask you the question: Are you doing what God has called you to do?
Ask yourself, "Am I doing what God wants me to do ... or am I simply doing this because it makes more money for me? Am I doing this because it makes me happy? ... or am I simply doing this because it puts bread on the table? Am I doing this because this is what my calling is as an individual? ... or am I simply doing a job?"
Today discover your possibilities as a child of God. Support the positives in your life. Open your eyes to the incredible opportunities that are in this world. Then follow God's direction no matter what it costs.
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You that You are a God who cares ... a God who loves ... a God who directs. So as I experience Your Presence, and feel Your Holy Spirit, touch my heart with reality of what you want me to do. I trust and believe in You.

1.Herman Cain, "CEO of Self" - Published by Tapestry Press, 2001
2. John Maxwell, "Failing Forward", Published by Thomas Nelson, 2000
3. Parables, Etc., Vol. 22, Num. 5, July, 2002