Limitless 7: Plateau Busting Overload Reload

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Limitless 7: Plateau Busting Overload Reload

What do you do when what used to work, no longer works? Success can seem easy to attain early on, but it rarely remains this way.
It is normal to find yourself in a plateau.
A plateau is a prolonged time with effort, but little to no success. How do we bust the plateau?
We change! We need to give #1 more effort and #2 different effort. Our physical body reveals how to grow.
We need to undergo an Overload & Reload

Welcome everyone to Redemption Church. My name is Chris Fluitt and I welcome everyone in the room as well as those watching and listening online.
We are in the final week of our Limitless series.

LIMITLESS

Our God is limitless, and you are made in His image. God has placed limitless potential within you.
However, over the past 2 weeks, we talked about behaviors and habits that can bring limits on our life.

We talked about the comparison trap. The best person to compare yourself to is who you were yesterday. You need to gain a slight edge over who you were yesterday. This will lead to limitless success.
Last week we talked about a double-minded trajectory. That is when we have our goals and dreams firmly in our mind but we have a double-minded behavior that takes us away from our goals.
One of those double-minded behaviors is procrastination. It eats our time… and time is one thing we have that is not limitless.

Today I want to talk to you about the dreaded Plateau.

PLATEAU

Everything starts off good. Making success!

Then there is a time where you put in the effort… yet no success.
And then when things go south, we give up because we have the mindset that we shouldn’t even bother if we won’t succeed.

A plateau is a prolonged time with effort, but no success.

Raise your hand if you ever experienced a plateau?
You can experience a plateau in any area of your life. Health, finances, career, relationships…

The question is this… “What do you do when what used to work, no longer works?”

CHANGE BUSTS THE PLATEAU

When what you are doing isn’t working, it is time to change. How can you change?
#1 More Effort. #2 Different Effort.
I need to be open and transparent with you. I am an addict. I have a drinking problem… a coke problem… more exactly… a Diet Coke problem.
2 years ago I went back to the gym. I saw instant results. Lost some weight, gained some muscle and strength… but this year I looked in the mirror and realized I was in a plateau. So I looked at my workout routine… gave more effort. I looked at my diet and really cleaned up my eating… different effort. Yet I still wasn’t seeing the change I wanted to see… So I decided the one thing I have not changed is that I still drink A LOT OF DIET SODA.
If you have seen me at Connect Groups you know that I can drink a lot of diet soda. It really is an addiction. It was a hard decision but I decided 3 weeks ago to no longer drink diet soda and that artificial sweetener.
I said to myself… “I am working TOO HARD to not see PROGRESS. I NEED TO CHANGE.”
This was more effort. This was a different effort. But I can already feel the change for the better.
If you are in a plateau you need to say to yourself… I AM WORKING TOO HARD TO NOT SEE PROGRESS. I NEED TO CHANGE.

BE HONEST

Be honest about the plateau. You can’t change the problem until you are honest about the plateau.
We make excuses that keep us in the plateau. “I can’t help that people keep bringing donuts to work.”
We make self-justifications that keep us in the plateau. “I said those awful things and keyed her car, but she deserved everything she got because of those things she did in the past.”
Blaming others instead of owning our problem keeps us in the plateau. I have trouble quitting smoking, but if you had my childhood…”
Be honest. You are in this plateau and it will take your effort to get out of it!

SPOT IT QUICKLY

Many people never beat the plateau, because they don’t recognize it. They aren’t paying attention to their trajectory or comparing themselves to who they were yesterday.
To change the plateau you must spot the plateau. And we need to spot the plateau quickly!
You will waste time until you spot the problem. Days, weeks, months, and years where you don’t grow.
Raise your hand if you are working too hard to not experience growth and success in your life.

Growth requires 2 things

#1 OVERLOAD.

The things that used to work may no longer work because your life, your mind, your body, has grown accustomed to the routine.
Like Arnold Schwarzenegger said… the body knows what you are going to do… you have to SHOCK it with new struggle, intensity, & dedication. You must overload the muscle to grow the muscle.
Mark 9:17 (NIV2011) A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech.
Mark 9:18 (NIV2011) Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
Mark 9:19 (NIV2011) “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
Mark 9:24 (NIV2011) Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief !”
Mark 9:25 (NIV2011) When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
Mark 9:26 (NIV2011) The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.”
Mark 9:27 (NIV2011) But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
Mark 9:28 (NIV2011) After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
Mark 9:29 (KJV) And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

Mark 9:28 (NIV2011) After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

These disciples had seen people healed & delivered from demons… but they now ran into a plateau. What worked in the past was not enough.

NEW LEVEL NEW DEVIL

If you want to go to new levels you must expect new devils. If you expect to get stronger then you must expect higher levels of resistance to push against.
Verse 29, Jesus said “This kind” …this kind of what?
This kind of devil requires a new level of faith.
This kind of faith comes from an overload of prayer & fasting.
In the physical & the spiritual there is no growth without an overload.
In order for muscles to grow larger & stronger, they must be challenged and actually torn down.
If you are in a plateau I challenge you to overload with MORE EFFORT & DIFFERENT EFFORT.

Plateau in school – study more intensely & differently.
Plateau in relationships – relate more intensely & differently.
Plateau in finances – plan & save more intensely & differently.
Plateau in your profession – work more intensely & differently.
Plateau in your health – exercise more intensely & differently.
Plateau in your spirituality – pray, fast, study the word, worship more intensely & differently.

Can you be more intense in spiritual matters? Can you try new things in spiritual matters?
Colossians 3:23 (NIV2011) Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,
Whatever you do… different efforts. Work at it with all your heart… more effort.

#1 OVERLOAD

You have torn down the weak muscle… growth happens after the overload in the section we call the reload.

#2 RELOAD

Turn to 1 Kings 19.
The Prophet Elijah has been going through an overload.

Stood against an evil king & queen.
A 3-year drought
Depended on God’s provision through widows and ravens

Then at the climax of this season of overload, Elijah battled 400 prophets of Asherah & 450 prophets of Baal. 1 Prophet against 850 false prophets… Out-numbered, overworked, overloaded.
Elijah won this showdown against the 850 prophets, but look at Elijah after the overload.
1 Kings 19:3 (NIV2011) Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
1 Kings 19:4 (NIV2011) while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”
Following an overload, you need a reload.
1 Kings 19:5 (NIV2011) Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”
1 Kings 19:6 (NIV2011) He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
God’s Word always focuses on what is most important. Verse 5 & 6 don’t focus on the angel… there is more focus on Elijah sleeping, eating, and drinking. The Angelic message was “get up and eat.”
1 Kings 19:7 (NIV2011) The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.”
Again, for a second time, the message from the Lord through this Angel was to “get up and eat.” There are times where God’s focus for you is to reload. He may even send you an Angel to tell you to relax and get rest.
God is not always going to send an Angel to tell you to go… He may send an Angel to tell you to stop & take rest. What if God’s message to you right now is to rest, eat, & drink?

Remember that during the overload the muscles are torn down, and the growth & strength is received in the reload.
1 Kings 19:8 (NIV2011) So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
Elijah was strengthened in the reload. He received supernatural strength that would last 40 days as he traveled up a mountain.
Elijah’s ministry was never the same after this overload & reload. Angelic visitation became a part of his ministry from this point on. He went on in a new strength and saw Israel delivered from the evil king & queen.
Remember how Elijah felt in verse 3 & 4. HE was afraid and prayed that God would kill him. He was at his lowest, but then God gave him a reload of strength.

Raise your hand if you need to grow. Every hand ought to be raised right now. There is an area of your life that is need of growth… an area of your life stuck in a plateau.
You either need an overload work out or a reload rest. What is it that you need?
In a moment I am going to invite you to talk to God. I want you to prepare your heart to come. Come and give more effort or different effort. Pray at a deeper level, with more intensity surrender in worship. Maybe you do something new. Worship in a new way or pray in a new way.
Or maybe you need that reload rest. I challenge you to come and let God minister peace & strength to you.
All humanity was in a spiritual plateau.

PLATEAU

Man had fallen into sin and through religion was only able to raise so high. The laws of the Old Testament could only take them so far. Man lived, he tried, and then he died. Every man & women was doomed… It was a spiritual plateau.
But Jesus came and went through an overload.

He fasted & prayed and faced Satan
He defeated sin in the flesh
He drank from the cup in the garden… the cup of our sin he took on himself.
He bore our sorrow, took our stripes & punishment
He poured out His blood
He died on the cross, was buried in a tomb… BUT THEN HE AROSE

Jesus busted the plateau. He has busted your plateau. Now you are raised with Christ.
Colossians 3:1 (NIV2011) Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
You were self-righteous… Now Holy.
Tried to save yourself through weak works… Now saved by Grace.
Dead in the flesh… Now alive in the Spirit.
We have passed from death to life.

The goodness of Jesus has broken every plateau in your life.

Come overload in worship & prayer… Reload in His rest.