Take the Limits Off Your Faith

What a four-minute mile teaches us about trusting God for the impossible.

 

Have you ever heard of Roger Bannister? On May 6, 1954, the British runner became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes.

His story holds a powerful lesson about taking the limits off your faith.

Before that day, many people believed a sub-four-minute mile was beyond human reach. Runners had chased it for years and come up short. But Roger refused to let that ceiling define him. He believed he could run faster, and he did.

Scripture says, “As he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV). What you believe shapes how you live. If you’re convinced something is impossible, you’ll probably never attempt it.

One Breakthrough Opens the Door for Others

Something remarkable happened next. Just 46 days after Roger’s historic run, his Australian rival John Landy broke his record. Roger had finished in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds. Landy crossed the line in 3 minutes, 58.0 seconds.

Think about that. For all of recorded history, no one had run a mile in under four minutes. Yet once Roger proved it could be done, other runners began to believe it too. Since then, many have matched or beaten his time.

That’s the principle I want you to see. When one person takes the limits off, it builds faith in everyone watching. Roger’s breakthrough paved the way for countless breakthroughs after him.

I want to be a pacesetter like that. Don’t you? I want my life to show others that God still does the impossible.

Why It’s Time to Raise Your Expectations

It grieves my heart to see so many believers settling for a powerless, fruitless life. I’m convinced it’s often because we’ve set our expectations far too low.

Like the runners of Roger’s day, we’ve told ourselves, “This is as far as I can go. I’ll never get any higher than I’ve been before.”

The apostle Paul saw things differently. He urged the Ephesians to lift their eyes higher, and I believe he’d say the same to you today:

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20 NLT).

Friend, take this verse personally. What dreams has God placed in your heart? How are you expecting Him to use your life in the days ahead? Whatever your expectations may be, Paul says God is able to do more.

Notice that Paul doesn’t stop there. God doesn’t work miracles only in some distant, abstract way. He works them “through his mighty power at work within us.”

Let that sink in. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you (Romans 8:11 NKJV). It’s time to raise your expectations!

Maybe you’ve gone to church your whole life but have never seen God’s miracle-working power firsthand. It’s not too late. Jesus made this astonishing promise to everyone who dares to believe:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12 NKJV).

What an incredible promise!

Mustard-Seed Faith Is Enough to Start

You may be thinking, “I just don’t have that kind of faith.” If so, I have good news for you.

Jesus knew that faith often starts small. A desperate father once came to Him and cried out, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 NKJV). Jesus didn’t send him away to come back when his faith was stronger. He honored the man’s honesty and healed his son.

If your faith feels small right now, take heart in these words from Jesus:

“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” (Matthew 17:20 NKJV).

The mustard seed was one of the smallest seeds people in Jesus’ day would plant. Yet in another parable, Jesus explained that once it’s sown, this tiny seed grows so large that birds come and nest in its branches (Matthew 13:31-32 NKJV).

Your faith works the same way. It may look tiny today, but when you act on it and trust God with the little you have, it will grow. Jesus said even mustard seed faith can move mountains, and nothing will be impossible for you.

So don’t be discouraged by how small your faith seems. Treat it like a seed. Plant it by taking a step of obedience, then watch God make it grow.

Friend, what step of faith is God calling you to take today? I can’t wait to hear what He does in your life when you take the limits off your faith!

God bless you,

David Cerullo

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it wrong to have doubts as a Christian?

Not at all. Doubt is part of being human, and God isn’t threatened by your honest questions. When Thomas doubted the resurrection, Jesus didn’t reject him. He invited Thomas to see and believe (John 20:27 ESV). The key is to bring your doubts to God rather than letting them pull you away from Him.

How can I grow my faith day by day?

Faith grows as you feed it. Romans 10:17 (NKJV) says “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” A few simple habits can help:

• Read a portion of Scripture every day, even if it’s just a few verses.
• Pray specifically and write down your requests so you can record how God answers.
• Take a small step of obedience when you sense God leading you.
• Spend time with believers whose faith stirs yours.
• Start each morning with encouragement from God’s Word. Inspiration Today, our free daily devotional, is a great place to begin.

Does “nothing will be impossible” mean God will give me anything I ask for?

God’s promises are rooted in His will, not our wish lists. Scripture says, “If we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1 John 5:14 ESV). Mountain-moving faith isn’t about bending God to our plans. It’s about trusting Him fully and aligning our prayers with His purposes.

What are the “greater works” Jesus promised in John 14:12?

Jesus wasn’t saying we’d be greater than He is. He was pointing to the reach of His work through the Spirit-filled Church. After Jesus returned to the Father, the Holy Spirit empowered His followers, and about 3,000 people came to faith on a single day (Acts 2:41 ESV). Today, the Gospel has spread to every corner of the earth through ordinary believers who dared to trust Him.