The "Only a Flask" Trap: Stop Discounting What GOD Gave You | 2 Kings 4 Sermon | John Giftah

0:01 Speaker 1: Do you ever look around and think, wow, the world is a crazy place, and it just seems to get crazier and crazier? Ease your mind and take a break. This is Fuel for the Soul with John Gifta. We're a hub for inspirational Christian sermons, practical keys for Christian living and Christian discussions and interviews. You'll be inspired to live the life that you were created for. Your host is a top ranking podcaster, bestselling author, world record holder, aerospace engineer, life coach, evangelist and founder of John Gifta International.

0:41 Speaker 1: Welcome to Fuel for the Soul with John Gifta.

0:45 Speaker 2: Hello everyone welcome to this edition of the john gifter podcast all through this week we are looking at various lessons we can take away from the life of elisha from second kings chapter four with this interaction with this widow now here's the thing i want you to understand right there is an important aspect where when elisha is asking this question to the widow what do you have you know what she replies nothing at all except a flask of olive oil nothing at all except for a flask of olive oil if you look at the different translations she's just kind of saying it's only a flask of olive oil it's it's only this this is all i have you know sometimes we just think this is nothing man this is nothing great and i i want to talk about something on the lines of don't despise what you have because what you have may look insignificant what you have may be small what you have may be very small in quantity in saying that nothing great can come out of this this is nothing that is significant in any form or manner so just don't overthink it that's what we would say but i want you to understand all she had was this and she was despising what she had what she had in fact was more than enough for God to do the miracle.

2:01 Speaker 2: She despised the little that she had without realizing that God was going to use it as a tool to multiply and to help her come out of the situation that she was in. Today, I want to ask you this question. Are there things in your life that you're despising, that you are discounting, that you're thinking is insignificant? You feel like nothing great can come out of it. You're saying, John, this is just one job that I have. John, this is just one gift that I have. This is just one opportunity that I have.

2:32 Speaker 2: Nothing great can come out of it. No, you have no idea how God can use something small, something insignificant, something that looks ordinary in the natural to bring out something extraordinary, something that can shake nations. Because you see what happened to this lady, that miracle is being spoken of and is a source of encouragement for us thousands of years later. That's what God can do. The little that you have, when you allow God to bless and work out a miracle, I want you to know he can do something that you've never even seen or imagined.

3:09 Speaker 2: I remember when the Lord asked me to start the international ministry just about a week or two ago on the 19th of September, the ministry officially turned 14 years old. But when the Lord said start an international ministry, I didn't have any contacts. I didn't have the resources. I didn't have anything great or impressive for me. I thought it was great. Wow, I have a calling. I have the anointing. But when I look back over the shoulders, over my old videos when i look at how i was presenting myself when i look at how i was delivering the word i feel like oh my gosh john you have a long way to go to perfect yourself there's a long process involved in getting polished you know now when i look at the videos they are looking so much more polished the the sermons are having so much of depth but back then it did not Right.

4:04 Speaker 2: And the thing is, at that point, I was feeling like, oh, my gosh, what God is calling me for an international ministry. But what do I have? And when I asked a lot, all I have with me is the phone. What do I do with it? Because God was asking me like Elisha asked this lady, what do you have? It was, in fact, the way God was asking Moses, what do you have? All he had was a stick. This lady had only this flask of olive oil. And the Lord said, use that. All I had was my phone. And I started sending out these messages.

4:42 Speaker 2: audio podcast messages on the phone it started small it looked insignificant it was at a time when nobody has heard the name podcast in fact even i never knew there was something called podcast but at that point all i had was in the hands of almighty god i said god this is all i have but i'm giving it to you this is all that is available for me right now for me to give it to you Use it. And can I tell you something? That one step that I took, God started multiplying step by step by step by step.

5:15 Speaker 2: And here we are after 14 years from the audio podcast to video podcast, to be on television, to travel across the globe and minister. I'm telling you, you have no idea where God can lead you. So today you may be looking at your life and feeling, John, this is all I have. But What great can come out of it? You have no idea what God can do. And you may say, John, that sounds fine, but... I don't have anything significant at all. All I have is just a phone. One phone is all you need. It's just a contact.

5:53 Speaker 2: That's all you need. Or just one skill is all you need. Even if it's a small audience, that's all you need. Even if it's only a little money, that's all you need. If it's one opportunity or one idea, that's all you need. Start with what God has given you. Start with what the Lord is leading you. And even if you see the same passage, if you go down, there's a moment where we know about Jesus multiplying food to, you know, be a blessing to multitudes. We speak about that so many times. But I was also intrigued by the fact that here we see.

6:29 Speaker 2: God was using a prophet Elisha to do a miracle where her oil was getting multiplied. But a little later, if you notice, there's also a moment when there is a prayer meeting with over 120 people and. All they had was just some small loaves of bread and that bread was multiplied to feed so many people. Okay, maybe we'll go in depth when we are studying that passage, but I want to see the commonality here to give you this message where you see that the same chapter starts with a moment where this lady, all she had was a flask of olive oil.

7:08 Speaker 2: God multiplied it. And later you see all they had was a little bread and God multiplied it And what I want you to understand is whatever you have, it can be bread, it can be olive oil. But when you give it into the hands of God, confidently say, God, this is all I have.

7:26 Speaker 1: But you know what?

7:27 Speaker 2: That is more than enough for you to do a miracle. This is all I have. But I know that you can do something extraordinary with this ordinary thing. you may have just a phone but maybe god can birth an international ministry from it you may have just a flask of olive oil but god can bless it to not only feed you but can also be a blessing and a source for you to sustain for the rest of this journey maybe what you have is just an idea that feels too out of the ordinary but can i tell you something god can bring something and extraordinary that can bless multitudes in and through your life so today my challenge to you is very simple don't despise what you have don't think this is all i have this is only a flask of olive oil no what you think as just only is actually god saying that is more than enough you for you to see the miracle that i'm bringing into your life I really challenge you to share this with someone and leave a comment if you're checking this out on YouTube or Facebook.

8:31 Speaker 2: And I will see you back next time.

8:33 Speaker 1: You've been listening to Fuel for the Soul with John Gifta. We hope you were blessed and inspired to live the life that God has for you. Make sure to subscribe to the John Gifta YouTube channel for regular uploads of sermons.

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9:26 Speaker 1: See you on the next episode of The Fuel for the Soul with John Gifta. God bless you.