There is so much that God would do on earth if He had willing partners. All He needs is someone to say, Yes! He would heal. He would multiply food. He would open doors and shower blessing. He would save people in desperate need of being saved.

But the kingdom of God is set up for us to be participants in what He does. He wants to use us, whether we want to be used or not. And if we refuse, or fail to make ourselves available to Him, other people are effected by it.

If we say, “Yes, Lord, use me”, He will. He just needs someone willing to agree with Him. Say yes and watch what happens. Listen to the leading in your heart. He may nudge you to speak to someone. They may have just asked for help, for someone to pray. You have no idea the impact you can have if you are willing to be God’s arms.

Imagine what this world would be like if we all said, Yes! Imagine God moving freely through His people to bless and heal. Imagine having that relationship with Him. Try it. Be used. The more you trust Him, the greater He can work. And remember, He’s doing the work, not you. All you have to do is say yes and keep your eyes open.

Do you remember the story in 2Kings 4 about Elisha telling the widow to fill jars with oil? He didn’t tell her how many jars to collect. He said, Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. He meant a lot! She was wise to collect as many as she could, because God used every single one of them.

What if she collected twice that many? What if she got the idea to use really big containers, barrels? Would God pour into them like the jars she used? I think so. Our God is a God of abundance and generosity. He will never skimp when it comes to blessing us. But He will bless us according to our faith in being blessed.

Can you dream big? I mean really big? God would probably have even bigger plans for you if you’d let Him. Do you think you deserve tremendous blessing? Many people do not. That’s the lie of the enemy to make us feel unworthy of God’s grace.

Once we’ve been redeemed, we are a royal family with a kind and loving Father. When your heart beats with His heartbeat, you want what He wants, and He wants so much more for you than you know. When He says collect as many vessels as you can, think tanker trucks and ocean liners, because there is no limit to God’s grace.

Why are young people leaving the church? It’s not an easy question to answer, but I have my ideas. As parents, we teach our children from the moment we wake up in the morning until we go to bed at night. Everything we do trains them in some way. They watch and listen and understand our reactions without being told. Children can see the difference between a confession of faith on Sunday and what is expressed at home.

Faith that comes from knowledge instead of relationship is not faith at all. Jesus said, My sheep know my voice. If the voice of God is not heard in the home, there is nothing to follow. Children can be entertained anywhere, but what they want is the real thing, just like everyone else. If what they see at home is not the Emmanuel, God with us, they will look for something else to fill that deep need to know Him.

We are called to live in intimacy with God, not worship Him from a distance. He needs to be active in our lives when the washing machine breaks down, when the dog is hit by a car, when bills are past due. Turning to God for help when you need it is what Jesus meant when He said, Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. (Mat 6:25) He knows what you need, but you won’t see His help until you start to trust Him.

Let your children watch you trust God in the hard times. Let them see you put your family in His hands. Then let them see you rejoice in gratitude when the answers come. Show them the reality of God and His amazing love. Once they understand that He is real and active, there’s no reason to leave.