 Thank you so much for the chair of this convention. Good morning. I'm happy to be present in this powerful convention. The theme we are told is Young Professionals Convention 2023. You answer beyond all limits. This theme is built into the worldwide church vision 2025, which states mission impact 2025, double our membership. That's what we say worldwide as 70 address. So this convention is in line with this mission impact program of the church. We also say Jesus is coming soon, get involved. In the youth ministry we say I will go home fast. I will go home fast. The rest of the church is saying get involved. Get involved. And my church, the central church has even made it sound sweeter. They get involved beyond all limits. Beautiful blending of these thoughts. The youth ministry is taking this challenge very seriously because as we speak right now, young professionals are part of the great youth ministry of the church. The youth ministry has two arms structurally and the one side is the junior youth. Junior youth has several clubs, the adventurous club and the pathfinder club. They have the master guides as their teaching team or leading team. And then on the other is the senior youth that has ambassadors and then young adults which actually is the big home for the young professionals and the PCM. PCM is public campus ministry. So this morning we are really blessed as a department to be part of this great convention. What is a limit? What is a limit? I want us to begin our reflection this morning from this point. What is a limit? A limit is defined loosely as a peg, a hindrance, a barrier that defines or restricts the person's life. For example, a speed limit for drivers would mean restricting the car to a certain speed on a given road or part of the road even though the car is built for a much higher speed and can move faster than that limit. But the speed limit then regulates the road users to drive at a certain speed. So in this sense therefore a limit is a thing that does not allow you to maximise your potential. You have more but you are limited by the hindrance. There are several types of limitations in life. We have a physical limitation. You can be physically challenged and so limited to a certain extent physically. You can probably stand on your own, you can't run, you can't lift some things, you can't walk etc. So physical limitations is one such. You may have potential, you may be an educated person professional career person but with physical limitations you can only go so far. The other example is the what we call the spiritual limitation. Spiritual limitation. The Bible in Isaiah 6 verse 1 talks about a prophet who had a vision, a prophet Isaiah. He had a vision of God and he says he had been limited until the king Uzair died. So he couldn't see God until the king was dead. Now that sounds very interesting doesn't it? That someone can actually limit you to access God or to have a clear vision of God. I don't want to take time on it but you can be clear here that spiritual limitations can really be a handcuff. If you can't see God, if you can't for example see the purpose for which you are brought into this life because of someone that is a serious limitation spiritually. Thirdly is what I call the limitation of the mind. Limitation of the mind. In Numbers chapter number 13 when the children of Israel were just about to cross over to the great promise land of Canaan Moses sent 12 spies and after the 12, 10 were limited in their thoughts and perception of themselves. They actually described themselves as grasopas vis-a-vis or against the giants of the land. Thank God for Joshua and Caleb because they were not negative, they were not limited in their thoughts. They said that they were actually well able to take the land in spite of the limiting presence of the giants. Now that is a mental limitation. So this morning as we talk about going beyond limits we will have to consider this whole spectrum of limitations I suppose in our presentation. But my friends, I want you to know that one of the greatest moves or steps in your life you and I have to make is to free our thoughts from self-imposed or externally imposed limitations. Yes, your chance in life and journey to your divinely appointed greatness begins with a change in your thinking. You have to purpose to change your thinking. The Apostle Paul adds in Philippians chapter 4 and verse number 8 he says whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, if anything is of good report if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on those things. It's actually like saying this theme today has to challenge our thinking. Going beyond limits has to challenge the way we view life. It could involve a change of worldview. The lenses with which we view life and process life. It's a very powerful influence for people. JF Kennedy, one of the presidents of the US once said attitude is determined sorry, altitude is determined by attitude. Very interesting. I don't know whether he had flying in mind or change management but he is one of the leaders that had to move America to do things that had never been done. It is during his time that the Americans imagined they could go outside the earth into space. So if you really are distant to fly in this life, JF is saying you have a part to play and that part is you start with some internal settings and they are the settings of your thoughts. You have to begin to think big even if you are too small. Even if you are short you have to think as if you are tall. If you are so weak you have to think as if you are strong and so on. Finally I want to share an example in the Bible then we can kick off this discussion. How do we break out of limitations in this life? How do we do it? The Bible gives several examples of individuals who are young or old sometimes very young who pursued God and excellence in their own right and sacus and by choosing the account herein this morning I deliberately bypassed the so many accounts because the example I have picked has not just the texture but it has the context that fits a young professional if you like. It's a story of a young man a youth if you like with real challenges which were imposed on him by his birth and upbringing I don't know about you but I think I really really identify with this young man you are born in a home none of us chose to be born where we were born but you find yourself born into a home and it had a whole set of limitations in your life and most of us have had to break the canopy the ceiling that naturally your home set for you this example is such please come to the book of Fast Chronicles chapter number 4 Fast Chronicles chapter number 4 and verse 9 and 10 two verses a very interesting story now you will quickly have to appreciate the background the background is the book of chronicles is the most boring reading in the world perhaps in church because it has names names that don't make meaning that don't mean anything names that just list things of names if you like is like visiting a cemetery visiting a cemetery and just all you have to do all day is to look at the epistone the tombstones with the names described that's exactly what this book is about a tombstone venture but somewhere in the middle of nowhere verse number 9 and 10 and I want you to pose with me and consider these two verses the Bible is saying and Jebes was more honorable than his is right here right so we can read together and Jebes was more honorable than his brothers and his mother called his name Jebes saying because I bore him in pain now this is a version that has introduced the proposition in the Hebrew has with pain the Hebrew proposition is with pain not in pain but let's move on the next verse says and Jebes called on the God of Israel saying oh that you you would do what you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory that your hand would be with me and that you would keep me from evil that I may not cause pain the Hebrew has that it may not grieve me the direct translation so God did what granted his prayer now you can go back to the epitaphs and read the names the other names very powerful I want to spend a few minutes to consider what this mean past and foremost the Bible says Jebes was and please understand Jebes is a Hebrew name that means pain I would like to propose we use a name that you would easily identify with let's speak for example malaria ok in your mind you know malaria is fever terrible experiences so his mother named the malaria the question is because when you say Jebes you may never see the content you may never see the texture of the name the name is a label you know going around with a name malaria people will just have to pause and say wait a minute you call malaria what on earth was your mom thinking who gave you the name he said my mom why and you would have to explain every time you call or you are introduced in a meeting like this you would have to explain fast why you call malaria this is the kind of world this young man was found he found himself in the Bible says he was malaria was mohonrabu than his brothers a whole lot of questions must run through your mind why would a malaria fellow be mohonrabu because it's possible that Jebes was born into a home before marriage his mother bore him before she got married so to begin with this is a child being brought into a family and other brothers are born as a result and because this guy with a label the malaria fellow is one of us the rest of the children have to look different but by so doing he had to do some serious reflection the malaria fellow had to think deeply how do I change my story how do I get out of this mess that I did not choose I just found myself in and that is clear the Bible says he was mohonrabu he chose the path he determined that I will choose to be a honorable man I have a bad name but I will choose an honorable path my friends it starts there going beyond limits begins with you doing a self reflection self assessment perhaps your name could be the very fast beginning the very fast limitation you have you are called malaria you are called come on give me a name some fancy name kibogoyo kibogoyo you go round first of all you have to fight to take your space excuse me I am called kibogoyo but I can speak you don't have to look down upon me I can do some speaking kibogoyo the story begins with you and this meeting I couldn't agree more with the planners of this meeting we begin with ourselves going beyond limits starts with you who are you what limitations make you up what is your texture are you rough by virtue of your birth by virtue of your upbringing and whatever so the Bible then says his mother is responsible for this label the mother says I will call him what Jebes it means because I bore him with pain that's why I told you the Hebrew text has the right meaning the proposition in will make you miss something because in pain all women bear children in pain I don't know a woman who has had a child without pain actually it's supposed to be illegal if you have a child without pain then you know it's an illegality because the Bible is clear it's a divinely imposed pain you shall bear children in yes then the width would make sense because the width means apart from the usual punks and the usual sorrows of having a child this woman had a child with pain and I already gave you the suggestion about this child out of wedlock in Israel women would be stoned if they find the man responsible then you become a wife if they don't they would stone you so it looks like she didn't show or say who the father of the child was and she had to run from one city to another but the idea is when the child came she said I will call him malaria I don't care what anybody thinks but I call him Jebes and the Bible continues to say in the end of verse 10 and that's where the gist of this discussion is and I'm rushing to include I will not take much time the Bible says and Jebes did what called on God it's called prayer dare to pray he dare to pray the story of Jebes would not have been recorded in the text on the passage we now look at I will pray about this going limits is not a game my friends it's not a wishful thinking it's breaking ceilings it's bursting seams of your life going crazy and if you begin with a prayer there is no better place than that and the Bible says Jebes dare to pray because he had spiritual limitations but he chose to pray and by thus doing he became an honorable man yes well behaved perhaps after praying God answered him so he had no reason to keep on working with a drooping head and feeling sorry for his name and so forth Jebes with a bad label began with prayer and when you look at the prayer you find some beautiful things I want to point out before I stop point number one his prayer says bless me indeed it's called a sanctified obsession you just crazy about God blessing you he wake up and say Lord you are going to bless me you have to bless me you have to bless me Lord and not just any blessing he say bless me indeed let it be known in town that malaria is a blessed guy he's truly blessed so bless me indeed a sanctified obsession he was not a blessed man he lacked blessings he lacked material means perhaps he lacked money he lacked living or he was living in debt or he did not have a job because his name was a hindrance he probably was suffering from depression but after praying that God bless him that the Lord give him a life that is blessed a blessed life with God is an experience that is over transformative it simply lifts you up if you choose to pursue God secondly his prayer said enlarge my territory in some versions or enlarge my costs I call this sanctified vision a sanctified vision he was limited in everything no advancements in his life living in a home that probably despised him his brethren didn't like him if they ever called him it would be to despise him the same thing ran through his old years as he grew up from childhood to this point in time when he was a young man and could not pay house rent or he talked less because he didn't have friends and so he is a guy living in a cocoon locked up by situations and circumstances that you did not choose simply born atrukana simply born simply put born a kalenji or simply put born a chokora you had no choice whatsoever but you can break out of those cocoons yes this going beyond limits has to be break or bust your seams if you dare pray thirdly in the last is that your hand be with me very powerful it's called a sanctified company sanctified company or companionship Jebes could not see the hand of God on his life and what was happening but in his prayer he says lord I want to feel your hand of favor upon me I want to feel your hand of favor upon me it's probably a experiencing failure in business or taking wrong decisions or what we call a dysfunctional home and bringing in a dysfunctional home imposes or accrues a whole lot of mental health issues and many of us do not sometimes understand you can't keep friends you can't keep a job you come to church you get tired sitting it's boring to listen to people just talk and tell us how successful they are because your life is nothing but it's a box your box tea and the man says I want to feel your hand lord upon me the favor of God's hand is what he was asking for sanctified companionship and finally or lastly says that it may not grieve me that it may not that it may not cause pain the Hebrew says that it may not grieve me I want you to translate it in your own words that it may not jebes me that it may not jebes me I'm tired of being called malaria please God don't allow the blessings to give to turn into another malaria please I don't want blessings I don't want a life like this one I'm tired of being the talk of town I'm tired of struggling to even have a face please God when you bless me let it not grieve me let it not jebes me some more and you know what folks some of us ask to go beyond limits and you land in a job that pays you crazily and you lose your head and instead of living a better life and working for you turn out to be a sorry successful person a successful professional who cannot marry a woman you want to marry a man or a successful woman professional who cannot marry a man she wants to marry another woman that's a sorry state of things I don't know if that is what it means to say bottom up but I'm telling you the truth my friends limitations in your life and especially spiritual limitations can cripple you mentally I pray the next time we talk about this we talk about mental health and how many are crippled they are in nice suits but crippled in mind so finally and in conclusion the Bible says and God granted him his request you read the Bible many times and there are very few instances the Bible just goes pop God answered the prayer and with the prophet Jeremiah chapter 4 verse 3 it says go break your follow grounds you've been having some potential sitting and rotting away just go and break your follow ground there pray then go beyond the limits that are divinely appointed for you let's pray our Lord and Father in heaven what a privilege to inspire young people to dare step into life by daring to pray in order to partner with you to go beyond all imaginable limits of their lives so I pray as we go through this experience this convention that our lot after here will be to go and break our own follow grounds as Jeremiah 4 verse 3 so pray