Now here's the interesting thing about God; He will take what you have, not what you don't have. Most of us we look at what we don't have. Jesus said what have you got? Show me what's in your hand. Moses said I've just got a shepherds rod. He said that's okay, I'll deliver a nation with that and He said to the poor widow lady what have you got? Oh, I've got nothing - got a little a bit of bread, that's all, we've just got a little bit here and I'm making the last meal for - He said that'll do. We'll start with that. He went to another widow woman, He said what have you got? Just got one little vase of a bit of oil. He said okay, start with that, get the empty vessels and pour it out. God always starts with what you have. He doesn't start with what you don't have.
Most people think I don't have anything I could give. You have got plenty! - compared to the rest of the world you're a millionaire! You have got so much. The problem is not what you've got, the problem is in the heart. When I say it's not my problem and I don't engage, I'm a block to the miracle. God just says take what you've got. Find what you're good at and use what you're good at or love to love people with - so what is it you love? Begin to develop what you love and use it as a way of loving people. You'll enjoy it and they will too and God will get the glory - and you won't know what you can do by just taking what you've got and making it available for people. It's just what you love to do. Take what you love to do - that's what you've got. Well then start to use to be a blessing to people. You'll be amazed what God can do.
So we've got Jesus made them go and check what they've got. What do you have? Don't sit there moaning what you don't have. When you moan what you don't have you'll never see a miracle. Say what have I got? Let's start with that and make that available. I remember we just started and we had a little school home. We made it available for young people to come and gather in. You'd be amazed the number of people that got saved and got delivered, got ministered to in that place. I didn't know anything. I can remember when I got first started and I didn't have a clue. I wasn't water baptised, didn't know the Bible. I said I'll help. I'll make what I've got available and I made what I had available - God started to use it. See, take what you've got and make it available. Believe God could use what you have. That's how He says: make yourself available! Here I am!
I was talking to Owen this morning and he made himself unconditionally available to God and then God used him in tremendous ways. I've watched various people over the years rise here and almost all of them had this in common; they made themselves available to God. They made their home, their gift, their talent, whatever they had. It isn't much, just a little thing, but I'll make it available to God and God says that's the story. I just need you to take what you've got - not what you haven't got.
Here's the next thing; the miracles always require you speak and act. Now always with a miracle you've got to say something and do something. I've never seen a miracle happen easily yet, that didn't require someone saying something and doing something. Now what Jesus did here - and we'll just finish with this - He said they found out we've got five loaves and two fish, so He told them - now notice this - He commanded them to sit down in groups on the green grass or in table big parties, in other words in groups just to eat and have a meal. So the whole - can you imagine, 5,000 men plus all the women plus all the children; He said to them tell them now everyone's to sit down and get ready for a feed. Now you've got to understand what He's doing is He's building anticipation and expectation.
I've found miracles always require an expectation. Now you see the crowd didn't know He didn't have any food. They just know He told them all to sit down and get ready to eat, so they're all - see, naturally speaking there weren't the resources for anything to happen, but what He did was build expectation and He got the disciples above, He said get them all organised and get them sitting down in table parties and tell them to say Grace. Now you can understand what's going in the disciples - they said well how on earth is this going to work? And then notice what else He did; He said looking up to heaven, looking up to heaven - so number one, you've got to actually build expectation for a miracle. Usually you talk and get things set, that's how it happens. You have to have expectation. Miracles always seem to come when there's expectation for them.