If You Can Do It Without God, You Are Not Dreaming Big Enough!
Stop Limiting Your Vision to What Your Own Strength Can Accomplish
Introduction
In the very very short Dominion narrative that preceded this deeper teaching, I referenced something Dohnte Meyers said after making the Cincinnati Bengals’ 53-man roster. His words carried a spiritual truth much larger than football, If what you are attempting can be accomplished entirely through your own strength, your own resources, your own intelligence, your own connections, and your own ability, perhaps you have not yet allowed God to stretch your vision beyond YOU.
That thought deserves more than a Dominion short.
Because there is a dangerous form of Christianity that says we trust God while carefully constructing lives in which we never actually have to trust God.
We pray, yet only pursue what we can already afford.
We say we walk by faith, yet refuse to move until every detail is visible.
We say God is our Source, yet measure possibility by our bank account.
We say God called us, yet measure the assignment by our qualifications.
We say nothing is impossible with God, then immediately reduce the vision until it becomes possible without Him.
Beloved, THAT IS NOT FAITH!
That is human capability dressed in Christian vocabulary.
There is nothing wrong with planning.
There is nothing wrong with preparation.
There is nothing wrong with education, resources, experience, discipline, wisdom, strategy, or hard work. Use everything God has placed in your hands.
The problem begins when what God placed in your hands becomes the limit of what you believe God can do.
Some believers are asking God to bless plans that never required His power in the first place.
Some have downsized their vision until there is no room left for supernatural intervention.
Some have confused being realistic with being faithful.
And somebody needs to hear this, GOD NEVER ASKED YOUR PRESENT RESOURCES FOR PERMISSION TO DETERMINE YOUR FUTURE OBEDIENCE!
If God gave the vision, God already knew what you had when He gave it.
He knew your bank balance.
He knew your education.
He knew your age.
He knew your connections.
He knew your weaknesses.
He knew your history.
He knew who would support you.
He knew who would walk away.
He knew what doors would close.
He knew what obstacles would arise.
And He still gave you the assignment!
Perhaps the size of the assignment was never meant to demonstrate how capable you are.
Perhaps it was meant to demonstrate how capable HE is.
Now Let’s Eat Some Meat!
Ephesians 3:20 (AMPC) “Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—”
Read that again.
“Far over and above.”
Not barely enough.
Not slightly more.
Not just within the boundaries of what you calculated.
Not merely what your salary can finance.
Not merely what your education can qualify you for.
Not merely what your connections can arrange.
Not merely what your experience tells you is reasonable.
Paul says God is able to do “superabundantly, far over and above what we dare ask or think.”
Then the AMPC makes it even clearer, “Infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams.”
Beloved, if God declares that His ability reaches infinitely beyond your highest dreams, why are you deliberately reducing your dreams to the size of your own ability?
Notice something else.
The scripture does not merely say God is able.
It says His power is “at work within us.”
That means biblical vision is not about sitting down, imagining something enormous, refusing to work, and demanding that God produce it.
No, not so!
God works in us.
God works through us.
God gives the vision.
God gives the strength.
God gives the wisdom.
God opens doors.
God provides resources.
God arranges relationships.
God gives favor.
God corrects direction.
God develops character.
God demands obedience.
And we participate through faith, discipline, preparation, work, perseverance, and submission.
This is not motivational thinking, this is KINGDOM DEPENDENCE.
There is a tremendous difference between saying, “I want something enormous because I want to be important,”
and saying, “God, make my life available for something so far beyond me that only You can receive the glory when it happens.”
One is ambition centered on self, the other is vision surrendered to God.
And that distinction is absolutely critical.
The Context of This Teaching
Paul's words in Ephesians 3:20 do not exist as a blank check for selfish ambition.
We cannot rip “far over and above” out of scripture and turn God into a supernatural financing mechanism for every personal fantasy we invent.
Look at the language carefully, “[carry out His purpose]”
Aha! There it is! HIS PURPOSE.
This is where some modern teaching goes off the rails.
God-sized dreaming is not, “Whatever I want, God must make happen.”
God-sized dreaming is, “Whatever God wants accomplished through me, I refuse to shrink because I cannot presently see how He will accomplish it.”
There is a massive difference.
Faith does not make God serve your vision.
Faith causes you to surrender to His.
God is not your employee.
God is not your business partner waiting for instructions.
God is not obligated to finance your ego.
God is not required to endorse something merely because you dreamed it.
The question is not simply, How big is your dream?
The greater question is, WHO GAVE YOU THE DREAM?
Because a huge dream born from pride is still pride.
A huge dream born from greed is still greed.
A huge dream born from competition is still competition.
A huge dream designed to make people admire you is still self-exaltation.
Yet when God plants something in your spirit that exceeds your ability, your resources, your connections, and sometimes even your comprehension, do not insult His ability by reducing His assignment to something you can accomplish without Him.
That is where faith enters.
Relevance to Today’s Believers
We live in a culture obsessed with measurable resources.
How much money do you have?
Who do you know?
What is your degree?
How large is your platform?
How many followers do you have?
What is your credit score?
Who is backing you?
What organization supports you?
What experience do you have?
Those may be legitimate questions in human planning.
They are not the final questions when God has spoken.
God has never been restricted by what a person had when He called them.
Moses had objections.
Gideon had insecurity.
David had a sling.
The widow had a little oil.
The disciples had five loaves and two fish.
Peter had a fishing boat.
Paul had a painful thorn.
And God repeatedly demonstrated throughout scripture that human insufficiency is not divine inability.
Some of you have been staring at what is missing for so long that you have forgotten WHO IS PRESENT.
You keep saying, “I don't have enough.”
God says, “I Am enough!”
You say, “I don't know the right people.”
God says, “You know Me!”
You say, “I don't have the resources.”
God says, “I Am your Source?”
You say, “I cannot see how this could possibly happen.”
And God is answering, “GOOD! NOW WILL YOU FINALLY STOP TRUSTING YOURSELF, AND TRUST ME?”
Supporting Scriptures
Matthew 19:26 (AMPC) “But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible, but all things are possible with God.”
There are two categories in this scripture, “With men” and “With God.”
And believers get into trouble when we evaluate a with-God assignment using with-men mathematics.
You calculated what you can do.
You calculated what they might do.
You calculated what your resources can do.
You calculated what your present circumstances permit.
Then you reached the conclusion, Impossible. Maybe so, “With men.”
Jesus did not deny human limitation, He identified it.
Then He immediately revealed that human limitation does not establish divine limitation.
Stop making your inability the measurement of God's ability.
Zechariah 4:6 (AMPC) “Then he said to me, This [addition of the bowl to the candlestick, causing it to yield a ceaseless supply of oil from the olive trees] is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit [of Whom the oil is a symbol], says the Lord of hosts.”
There are assignments that will expose the inadequacy of human might, and that’s good.
There are assignments that will exceed human power, and that’s better as long as you let go and let God!
Because when human might becomes insufficient and human power reaches its limit, the Spirit of God has not reached His.
Some believers keep praying for more might when God wants them to learn dependence upon His Spirit.
You keep asking, “How can I become strong enough to accomplish this?”
Maybe God is saying, “I never intended for you to become strong enough to accomplish it without Me.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMPC) “Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.”
There is the confrontation.
“Do not rely on your own insight or understanding.” Your understanding is valuable, it simply was never designed to replace God.
You may not understand how the provision will come.
You may not understand why the door closed.
You may not understand why God chose you.
You may not understand the timing.
You may not understand the route.
Faith does not require complete understanding before obedience.
Faith requires confidence in the One giving direction.
STOP DEMANDING THAT GOD SHOW YOU THE ENTIRE ROAD BEFORE YOU AGREE TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP!
John 15:5 (AMPC) “I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.”
Jesus destroys the mythology of Christian self-sufficiency, He says, “Apart from Me...you can do nothing.”
That does not mean unbelievers cannot build businesses, accumulate wealth, create organizations, achieve fame, or accomplish impressive human things.
It means Kingdom fruit cannot be manufactured apart from vital union with Christ.
You can build something without God, the question is whether you can build what God assigned.
You can attract attention without God.
You can create a platform without God.
You can make money without God.
You can become famous without God.
You can gather crowds without God.
Yet if Christ is not the Vine from which the work receives its life, what exactly have you built?
The goal is not merely to accomplish something impressive.
The goal is to bear Kingdom fruit. Hebrews 11:6 (AMPC) “But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].”
Faith is not an optional accessory to Christianity.
Faith is fundamental.
And faith becomes visible when obedience carries you beyond what sight alone can guarantee.
If you refuse to move until there is no risk, no uncertainty, no unanswered question, no possibility of failure, and no need for divine intervention, where exactly is faith required?
Faith is not foolishness.
Faith is not irresponsibility.
Faith is not ignoring wisdom.
Faith is not refusing preparation.
Faith is obedience to God when His Word is more authoritative than what your circumstances are telling you.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (AMPC) “But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and to enable you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!”
This destroys another excuse, “I'm not strong enough.”
Maybe you are not. Now what?
Will you quit?
Will you shrink the assignment?
Will you tell God He selected the wrong person?
Or will you discover that God's strength is displayed precisely where yours is insufficient?
Your weakness does not automatically disqualify you.
Your weakness may become the stage upon which Christ's strength becomes undeniable.
If everyone can explain your accomplishment entirely by your talent, resources, connections, and intelligence, they may applaud you.
When God carries you into something your human ability alone cannot explain, they have to confront the evidence of His grace.
Philippians 2:13 (AMPC) “[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.”
There it is again, “Not in your own strength.”
Beloved, how many times does scripture have to say it?
God is not merely standing at the finish line waiting to congratulate you.
He works within you.
He energizes.
He creates desire.
He gives power.
He works toward His good pleasure.
This is why the believer can face an assignment larger than himself and still move forward.
You are not walking into it alone, God is walking before you, beside you, and behind you.
Psalm 37:5 (AMPC) “Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.”
Commit it to him and, trust Him.
Then stop picking the burden back up every fifteen minutes!!!
Some of us say we gave something to God on Sunday and spend Monday through Saturday trying to figure out how we are going to accomplish it without Him. That is not surrender.
If you have committed the way to God, then trust Him enough to obey Him through the process.
The Danger of Dreaming Too Small
There is a danger that rarely gets preached about.
We talk about prideful ambition.
We talk about unrealistic expectations.
We talk about presumption.
And we should.
Yet there is another danger, MAKING YOUR LIFE SMALLER THAN GOD'S CALLING BECAUSE SMALL FEELS SAFER.
You can hide fear beneath the language of wisdom.
You can hide unbelief beneath the language of being practical.
You can hide disobedience beneath the language of waiting on God.
You can hide insecurity beneath the language of humility.
There is a false humility that says, “Who am I to do something like that?”
The answer is, by yourself? Nobody, however in Christ, under His direction, empowered by His Spirit, that is an entirely different situation.
Moses asked, “Who am I?”
God's answer was His presence, “Certainly I will be with you.”
The issue was never whether Moses was enough.
The issue was whether God was with Moses.
And somebody reading this needs to understand, STOP ASKING WHETHER YOU ARE ENOUGH FOR WHAT GOD CALLED YOU TO DO.
Just now that, HE IS.
This Is Not Permission for Recklessness
Now let me put a guardrail around this teaching.
God-sized faith is not irresponsible behavior with God's name attached to it.
Do not quit your job because you had an emotional moment and call it faith.
Do not spend money you do not have because you refuse wisdom and call it faith.
Do not ignore counsel and call it faith.
Do not refuse preparation and call it faith.
Do not make reckless decisions and expect God to rescue you from the consequences you created.
And do not manufacture a dream, demand God fund it, then accuse Him of failing you when He does not.
Faith follows God, and presumption tells God to follow us.
That distinction matters.
The question is not, “What enormous thing do I want God to do for me?”
The question is, “WHAT HAS GOD CALLED ME TO DO THAT I CANNOT ACCOMPLISH WITHOUT HIM?”
That changes everything.
Reflection and Spiritual Insight
Ask yourself these questons…
Have I reduced what God placed in my heart because I cannot see how it can happen?
Have I confused my current resources with God's total provision?
Am I waiting for certainty when God has already given direction?
Have I been calling fear “wisdom”?
Have I been calling unbelief “being realistic”?
Have I been calling disobedience “waiting for the right time”?
Am I asking God to enlarge my territory while refusing to leave the territory where I feel safe?
If God removed my own ability to control the outcome, would I still obey Him?
Those questions matter because there comes a point where faith must move from confession to action.
You can quote Ephesians 3:20 and still live beneath it.
You can quote Matthew 19:26 and still organize your entire life around what is humanly possible.
You can quote Proverbs 3:5-6 and still refuse to move until your understanding approves God's instruction.
You can quote Zechariah 4:6 and still rely completely upon your own might and power.
Knowing the scripture is not the same as trusting the God Who spoke it.
Application to Modern Faith
Stop Measuring God's Assignment by Your Present Resources
Resources can change overnight.
Doors can open overnight.
Relationships can form unexpectedly.
Provision can come from places you never considered.
Your responsibility is not to know everything God knows, your responsibility is to obey what God has revealed.
Prepare Like It Depends on You, While Trusting Like It Depends on God
Study.
Train.
Learn.
Save.
Plan.
Organize.
Develop.
Practice.
Show up.
Work.
Faith is not laziness wearing church clothes.
Noah believed God, then Noah built.
David trusted God, then David ran toward Goliath.
Peter trusted Jesus, then Peter stepped out of the boat.
Faith moves.
Stop Waiting Until You Feel Qualified
If God requires you to become qualified in some area, become qualified.
Yet do not confuse preparation with permission.
Some people are endlessly preparing because preparation feels safer than obedience.
At some point you have to MOVE.
Give God Room to Be God
If you insist upon controlling every detail, every person, every dollar, every timetable, every method, and every outcome, you are not surrendering the vision.
You are managing God, and God will not be managed.
Make Sure the Glory Has Somewhere to Go
Why do you want the dream?
Why do you want the growth?
Why do you want the platform?
Why do you want the business?
Why do you want the ministry?
Why do you want the influence?
Why do you want the resources?
If the answer ultimately ends with YOU, the dream may be enormous while the purpose remains spiritually small.
A God-sized vision should ultimately produce God-sized glory to GOD. Five Checkpoints for Every Believer With a God-Sized Vision
Did God Give Me This Vision?
Proverbs 16:3 (AMPC) “Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.”
Before asking God to make your dream bigger, ask whether the dream has been surrendered to Him.
Is this His will or merely my ambition?
A surrendered vision can survive God's correction.
If God says change direction, will you?
If God says wait, will you?
If God says no, will you still worship Him?
If your answer is no, you may not be carrying a vision, you may be carrying an idol.
Does This Vision Require Me to Trust God Beyond What I Can See?
2 Corinthians 5:7 (AMPC) “For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance.”
Are you walking by faith, or are you waiting until sight eliminates the need for faith?
If you require visible evidence before every act of obedience, sight is governing you.
Faith does not deny what is visible, faith refuses to make what is visible more authoritative than God.
Am I Doing My Part, or Am I Calling Laziness Faith?
James 2:17 (AMPC) “So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).”
What have you actually done in response to what you say you believe?
Have you prepared?
Have you studied?
Have you applied?
Have you called?
Have you written?
Have you built?
Have you practiced?
Have you started?
Prayer is not a substitute for obedience.
If God told you to move and you are still standing still asking Him for another confirmation, the problem may no longer be lack of direction, the problem may be lack of obedience.
Am I Depending on God's Strength or Secretly Depending on Mine?
Philippians 4:13 (AMPC) “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].”
Read that final phrase carefully, “Self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency.”
Not independent of Christ.
Not self-made.
Not self-powered.
Not self-sustaining.
IN CHRIST'S SUFFICIENCY.
When you reach the place where you say, “Lord, I cannot do this without You,” you may finally have reached the correct starting point.
Who Gets the Glory If This Happens?
1 Corinthians 10:31 (AMPC) “So then, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you may do, do all for the honor and glory of God.”
This may be the most important checkpoint of all.
If God makes the impossible possible...
If God provides...
If God opens the door...
If God expands the ministry...
If God grows the business...
If God gives the influence...
If God brings the opportunity...
If God takes you somewhere you could never have reached yourself...
WHO GETS THE GLORY?
If your vision ends with people being impressed with you, it is too small.
If your vision ends with your name becoming great while God's name becomes an accessory, it is too small.
If your vision exists primarily to prove something to people who doubted you, it is too small.
The greatest God-sized vision is not one that makes people say, “Look what he accomplished!”
It is one that eventually forces the honest observer to say, “THERE IS NO WAY HE DID THAT BY HIMSELF. GOD HAD TO BE IN THAT!” Summary
The short narrative began with a simple idea, If You Can Do It Without God, You Are Not Dreaming Big Enough!
Now understand what that statement means biblically.
It does not mean every believer must pursue fame, wealth, enormous organizations, massive platforms, or spectacular public accomplishments.
A God-sized assignment may never make you famous.
It may be raising children according to God's Word in a culture fighting for their minds.
It may be rebuilding a marriage everyone else abandoned.
It may be starting a ministry with almost nothing, or even with nothing, except God of course.
It may be forgiving someone when everything inside you wants revenge.
It may be returning to school later in life.
It may be writing the book God placed inside you.
It may be launching the business.
It may be feeding people.
It may be serving quietly where nobody applauds.
It may be standing alone for truth.
It may simply be becoming the man or woman God called you to become when your history says you should have remained who you used to be.
Size in the Kingdom is not measured by publicity, it is measured by obedience to the size of God's assignment.
And sometimes the greatest thing God asks you to do will happen where almost nobody sees it.
The issue is dependence.
Does the assignment force you toward God?
Does it demand faith?
Does it require obedience?
Does it exceed your independent ability?
Does it glorify Him?
Then stop shrinking it!
Stop asking your bank account whether God can provide.
Stop asking your past whether God can use you.
Stop asking your weakness whether God is strong.
Stop asking your circumstances whether God's promise is possible.
Stop asking people who did not receive the vision whether the vision makes sense.
And most importantly, STOP SHRINKING WHAT GOD CALLED YOU TO DO UNTIL IT FITS WHAT YOU CAN DO WITHOUT HIM!
Prepare.
Work.
Study.
Plan.
Seek wise counsel.
Count the cost.
Obey.
And after you have done everything God has placed within your responsibility to do, have enough faith to leave room for GOD TO DO WHAT ONLY GOD CAN DO.
Because when God gives you an assignment beyond your strength, He is not necessarily setting you up for failure.
He is setting the stage for His glory.
So dream according to His will.
Plan under His direction.
Work under His authority.
Walk by faith.
Depend upon His Spirit.
Trust His provision.
Refuse to shrink because the assignment looks impossible.
And when God takes what was beyond your resources, beyond your strength, beyond your connections, beyond your calculations, and beyond anything you could have manufactured by yourself...
Do not stand there talking about how brilliant you were.
Do not stand there talking about how talented you were.
Do not stand there talking about how you made it happen.
Point upward and say, “GOD DID THAT!”
That is the testimony, that is the witness, that is the purpose.
And THAT IS WHERE THE GLORY BELONGS.
If You Have Ears To Hear, Then Hear It!
I pray for you each and every day.
All God's Best!
Karl McKinnie
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