Today I was reading from a past journal. In the entry for March 6, 2008, I was expressing my apprehension about taking on a very challenging assignment. The Lord encouraged me to be unafraid to press beyond what I thought I was able. When I run out of what I already have is when He steps in to provide what is needed.

      I considered the widow’s small amount of oil and flour in I Kings 17:12. Elijah asked her to make him something to eat. “As surely as the LORD your God lives,” she replied, “I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

      So when did the miracle take place? When did the flour and oil begin to multiply to provide food for many days? When the widow did her part first and obeyed the word of the Lord. The same principle is illustrated in Mark 6 when thousands were fed with five loaves of bread and two fish. That miracle also started with a young man first giving what he already had.

      It turned out that this challenging assignment the Lord had for me was indeed successful. I could not have done it without Him. He would not have been able to provide through me if I had not been obedient to start with what I already had.

 
     Do you feel overwhelmed with an upcoming project? Remember this: if God has called you to an assignment, don’t be afraid to step out with what you already have. He will take the little you already have and turn it into a miracle, and you will have the fun of being in partnership with Him for its success.