Tape Measure Thinking: by Tony Crawford

I believe that the principle in this document can and will change your life. Messages don’t change your life. Preaching doesn’t change your life. But a revelation from the throne room of Heaven can change your life… And continue to keep changing your life. A few years ago I heard a message by Ps Jentzen Franklin that has simmered in my spirit. I have consumed this teaching over time and caused it to come to life in my own thinking and outworked in my life. I’d love to say I have this one down…but truth is, the fleshly man struggles with this all the time.

Zechariah 2:1-5 (NIV)
Man With a Measuring Line
1 Then I looked up—and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand! 2 I asked, “Where are you going?”
He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.”
3 Then the angel who was speaking to me left, and another angel came to meet him 4 and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it.

It goes on in verse 5 to say that God will be “a wall of fire around it,’ and the “glory within” it. Pretty cool stuff.

Context of the times:
The bible said that at the time there was a prophesy about the city that God was going to do something wonderful there and that he was going to make radical and historically significant change, just as has been prophesied over our cities and our churches…even our lives.

The thought I want to introduce to you through this passage of scripture is that we too- can be, have been, and often are like the guy in this passage. This is us all at various times in our passion and inexperience.

The first thing he did when he had received the prophecy and the word spoken over his city and his life was he got excited. I know often when a word like this comes, we get excited and we begin to plan it out in our heads- trying to visualize what this might look like. It’s a natural response when God speaks for us to get excited. The passage says that he then ran out and began to measure what he thought God was capable of in width and height and depth.

And it soooo slacked God off that he sent an angel to the man and said, “What are you doing?” The guy said, I’m measuring what Gods gonna do. Because God has promised to rebuild Auckland and make it better. God has promised to rebuild Tauranga and get rid of the injustice there. God has promised to make Hamiltron a better and Godlier city.

Lets pause here and reflect on our own lives.

The word comes. We get excited and then this is what we begin to say in our minds to God:

I think I know how far you can go here God. Why, wouldn’t it be amazing to see 10 people saved? I mean, we haven’t seen 10 saved at our service for years!
I know how far you can build God. I mean, there haven’t been any churches over 2000 in this country before- the climates not right for it.
I know how far our Praise and worship can go and we just can’t go any further. I know how good our songs can be with our limited skill.
I know the boundaries God can move in my life and my dream.
I know exactly how far I can go.
I know what I am capable of.
I know how much talent I have.

But God said to the man- put away your tape measure! And don’t tell me what I can and can’t do in this city and in and through your life.

Its interesting aye- we sound rational and it even sounds like a feasible and well thought out plan. “We will do this” and “I know just how far I can go here” and “we will see that” but the bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:9
… it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”

Don’t get me wrong; God blesses the plans of a good man. So I’m not talking about planning. I’m talking about limiting God with your spirit and expectation. And besides, a good man is a man of faith because we know its FAITH that pleases God- not just being good.

HEAR IT TODAY WORSHIP LEADER. HEAR IT WORSHIP PASTOR: If God’s involved in something its immeasurable.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all. Just when you think your worship team has peaked. Just when you feel like you’re on the top of the mountain…God says, “don’t limit what I can and can’t do in your life”.

The only thing that will limit what God can do through your life is you measuring.

We measure ourselves out of the miraculous.
We have measured the miraculous out of our services. We call it arrangements. We call it set lists. We call it structure.

A.W Tozer says:
God is looking for people through whom he can do the impossible; what a pity that we only plan the things we can do by ourselves”

The question is: WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PLANNED FOR SOMETHING IMPOSSIBLE?

Why don’t we see breakthrough in our worship today? Because we have limited ourselves to talent. We have measured ourselves out of the blessing of God.

We’re into talent. We rate success by gift. We rate services by response- how many hands were raised?
BUT GOD IS LOOKING FOR A WILLING SPIRIT…SOMEONE THROUGH WHOM HE CAN ENTRUST HIS PLANS AND PURPOSES. God is looking for a generation that will break through into unseen realms of worship. A new destiny and plan, not an old wine skin.

God is saying to you right now…if you could just get the tape measure off of me, I’ll show you things you’ve never seen or dreamed about!
God wants to see the sick healed in your worship.
God wants to see people break into action for the lost and broken in your worship.
God wants to see the devil driven back in our worship.

But we have got to stop measuring things in the flesh.

Tape measure thinking operates in the NATURAL.
But God operates in the SUPERNATURAL.

Tape measure mentality people don’t rock the boat-
…They measure it. They calculate. They think logically…and in doing so they manage God out of the equation.

They are pessimists not Optimists.

The bible says in MARK 6 Jesus cruised into his hometown but he could do no mighty works there. Check it out in vs. 5 and 6.
Mark 6:5-6:
5And He was not able to do [a]even one work of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few sickly people [and] cured them.
6And He marveled because of their unbelief (their lack of faith in Him). And He went about among the surrounding villages and continued teaching.

Why? Why couldn’t he do miracles there? Because they measured him up.

I’ll tell you exactly what happened:
Jesus walked into his hometown and straight away they got out their tape measures and said:
“Hey isn’t that Jesus the son of a carpenter?”
“Hey didn’t you grow up here? We know who you really are”
“Aren’t you that guy who was born to a supposed virgin”? ha ha ha!

The very next chapter it says he left them and walked into Capernaum and healed them all!

Tape measure thinking sounds like this:
–    Its OK for you, you have heaps of people. We don’t have anything.
–    I mean, if we had that sort of lighting gear of course we’d see Breakthrough
–    If we could just get the latest speaker then God would show up.
–    Well, of course if I were at Hillsong then I’d write great songs…they have the right environment for it.

Don’t compare yourselves to one another.

All God needs from you is to take the tape measure off your worship and let him speak to you. He has a limitless source of solutions for your problem. But we need to be a people who aren’t thinking of what we don’t have.

The glass is not half full or half empty. Start to thank God right now that you actually have a glass! You’re positioned in the place he wants you right now. Ask HIM to fill it by his spirit.

Examples of Tape Measure thinking:

Moses/Gideon/Pharisee’s
Same characteristics. Midget mentality. Small Mentality. Lack mentality. Not enough mentality. Tall poppy mentality.

Check out Moses:
God says to Moe “I want you to go for me” and the first things Moe does is he whips out his tape measure and says, “Who am I?” Now check it out. Moses is talking with almighty God and God says I want you to go for me. The next thing he says is “bbbbbbbuttt I don’t talk good…iiiiiiiim a stttttutterer”

In other words, I’m not Ps Paul de Jong, I’m not Ps TD Jakes, I’m not Israel Houghton…who am I? Who am I? Who am I? I’m not as good as…

Oh- I can’t sing like Wayne Hui.
Oh- I’m not as talented on the guitar as Isaac Graham
Oh- I haven’t got as good a gift as…

Who am I? Who am I?

You laugh but YOU DO IT.
I’m not Darlene Zschech, I’m not Israel Houghton…who am I? I don’t have a gift like that. What could God do with this piddly small gift that I have? I mean, I wouldn’t even want to buy my own CD’s cus I don’t think it’s worth much…

Personal comparison.
When Ps Paul said to me Tony you are going to lead worship at Pursuit of excellence with Darlene Zschech. I walked out of there and thought “But she’s a pro” and ‘She’s done albums” and “she’s amazing” Who am I? And straight away I got out my tape measure…
Darlene= BIG.
Me= Small.

But I tell you what. God doesn’t care about what you can’t do. God takes what you can do and touches it and it is always more than enough…your two loaves and 3 fish- more than enough. Your small jar of oil and little bit of flour- more than enough.
Always to the Glory of HIS name.

I tell you what- right now, tonight, today, wherever you are, faith is stirring and you are beginning to drop that Tape measure way of thinking. Even as I write this. The chains are dropping off your ministry. You’re going to lose that old way of thinking. A new season of fruitfulness is coming to your ministry. A new level of operation is coming to whatever you do.

Check out Gideon:
The angel comes to him and says Gid, arise mighty man of valor. And Gid whips out his tape measure and says, “I can’t go, I’m the least in my family, I’m too young”

More people don’t reach their potential because of the family around them. Aww c’mon Wayne, you’re just my brother. Aww- c’mon Sarah, you’re just the same old sister I always had. Has God REALLY anointed you? Have you REALLY changed? You’re still the same old person I remember growing up.

The story of Gideon has some special sentimental value to me. You see, when Ps Paul originally asked me if I would lead the arts team back in 2000 I said nope, I’m too young. I don’t have the skills. Who am I? Who am I? Ps Paul said to me at the time some thing I will never forget. He said “get out of the winepress Gideon & get out of my office!”. He reckons he didn’t say that but I seriously know he did…and truth be told, its probably one of the fundamental revelations as to why I am here doing what I am doing today.

For the love of God!!!- You are the anointed one! You have been set apart. It is no coincidence that you are here. It’s your season. It’s your time. Put away the old way of thinking. Stop leading and responding in the flesh…let the spirit man rise up!

When Jesus died for our sins on that rugged and shameful cross he put away the tape measure over our lives forever and said “its by Grace that you’re saved”…you’re fully accepted. My Grace has no measure. Its unending. It goes on forever. It’s enough for your sin. It’s enough for your weaknesses. There’s nothing that my grace can’t cover!
It’s enough for your past, stop measuring all the mistakes you’ve made. Stop listening to the negative voices around you and in you.

It’s your day. It’s your time to rise above the slums of our societal thinking and grab hold of the way heaven thinks. Hold on tight to what God says about you. He says in Ps 139 you are fearfully and wonderfully made. I tell you, everything you touch without that tape measure over your life will be full of God. Everything you are capable of- realized. Everything you’ve dreamt about- realized. Oh- and before I go, its not just for you this breakthrough anointing. It’s for your church- the bride of Christ. It’s to make her more beautiful for when he returns for her. It’s to bring her honor and integrity. It’s for your community and those around you. God is going to use you in ways you have never even dreamed about because His plan is to prosper you and bring you a hope.

TAKE THE TAPE MEASURE OFF YOUR LIFE TODAY, OFF YOUR MINISTRY, OFF YOUR GOD AND BEGIN TO BELIEVE HIM AGAIN.

“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him”
Isaiah 64:4