Nothing
by Mike Shreve
Recently God impressed me with the importance of NOTHING! Yes, I mean what I’m saying. The concept of NOTHING and the word NOTHING both have a powerful revelation to share in Scripture. Just consider the following four thoughts concerning this important though neglected Biblical word:
1. The Creation Principle—In the beginning the world was without form and void. Nothing existed except the vacuum of absolute emptiness. Then God spoke. And out of nothing (ex nihilo) He created a universe so vast it defies measurement and so beautiful it defies description. Application: In like manner, at a certain time our lives and our souls were “without form and void,” then God spoke into the nothingness of our lives and created something so beautiful and a destiny so beautiful that both defy description. Amazingly, though, we must recognize our nothingness before this can happen. Galatians 6:3 reveals that without Messiah we are nothing and John 15:5 states that without Him we can do nothing (of any eternal value). But if God speaks into our lives—and we receive His Word—our potential is unlimited.
2. The Prayer Principle—King Asa was faced with a dilemma. The million-man Ethiopian army was marching on Jerusalem and Asa only had 300,000 men to resist the invasion. The odds were over 3 to 1, in favor of Ethiopia winning. But then God’s anointed and righteous king turned his gaze toward heaven. As he prayed he did not magnify the bigness of the problem (a mistake we make too often); instead, he magnified the greatness of God with the statement, “Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power…” (2 Chr. 14:11) He got his answer. God struck down the opposition and they fled. Application: If we want a miracle of this proportion, maybe we should pray the same way. Dare to say, “God, it’s nothing for You to help me, to heal me, to deliver me and to prosper me. It requires no strain on Your part, Lord. You can effortlessly stretch forth Your hand and perform the miracle.” Get ready for your breakthrough!
3. The Suspension Principle—Even in his great trial Job dared to say of God, “Sheol is naked before Him and Destruction has no covering. He stretches out the north over empty space: He hangs the earth on nothing.” (Job 26:6-7) Think of that! God “hangs the earth on nothing.” Yet the earth weighs 6.6 sextillion pounds (that’s 6,600,000,000,000,000,000,000 pounds—a thousand times a million times a million times a million pounds). Yet there are no supporting wires or invisible pillars. This huge ball of matter is just suspended in space. What could be holding it in place? Hebrews 1:3 answers that question indicating that God upholds “all things by the Word of His power.” Application: In like manner when we feel weak, when we feel vulnerable, when we feel incapable, when there’s nothing visible or tangible effectively upholding us (our friends, our finances, our circumstances, etc.) we can still depend on the promises of God’s Word undergirding our lives. For “underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Dt. 33:27)
4. The Miracle Principle—After announcing the miraculous conception of the Son of God, the angel Gabriel told Mary, “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age: and this now the sixth month for her who was called barren. FOR WITH GOD NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE!” (Lk. 1:36-37) Nothing is too difficult for our God to accomplish. We know that! But another scripture lifts us to a new level of faith. In Matthew 17:20 challenges us His disciples, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move and NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU!” Application: If we dare to speak the Word of faith in times of opposition and tribulation, if we dare to defy our circumstances and our own negative emotions and logic driven-mind, we can move the immovable and change the unchangeable. Try purging your conversation of negatives and instead speak positive confessions and declarations of faith. Try it consistently for a month and expect the windows of heaven to open.
Mike Shreve has been teaching God’s Word since 1971. He is the founder of Deeper Revelation Books and the visionary behind The True Light Project, an outreach to followers of non-Christian worldviews. Watch Mike’s It’s Supernatural! Television interview with Sid Roth here.
This article reprinted by permission from: https://www.shreveministries.org/.