You are Uncontainable

Id like to start with something funny. These are just jokes, dont anybody be offended by them.
But I heard about these 3 aspiring psychiatrists. They were taking their first test on emotional
extremes. The professor asked the first student from Harvard, whats the opposite of sadness?
He replied, happiness. He asked the second student from Yale, whats the opposite of
depression? He replied, joy. He asked the third student from Texas, Indiana, whats the opposite
of woe? He looked kind of puzzled. He finally replied, Giddy Up.
Alright. Hold up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have
what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I will be taught the word of God. I boldly
confess; my mind is alert, my heart is receptive, I will never be the same. In Jesus name, God
bless you.
I want to talk to you today about how you are uncontainable. When God created us, he put seeds
of increase on the inside. We were never made to reach one level and stop. We were created to
grow, to move forward, to increase. We should constantly be breaking barriers of the past. Taking
new ground for our family and advancing Gods Kingdom. But throughout our life there will always
be forces to try to keep us where we are. They cant stop the progress that weve made. But
theyll do their best to contain us, to keep us in a box, and to lean into our influence.
Not long ago, the swine flu came on the scene. Many experts believe that it started from Mexico.
They immediately shut the city down; no one could come or go. It looked like a ghost town. No
traffic, no people, no business. What were they doing? Trying to contain it. They knew it might be
contagious. And if it got past a few people, it could multiply and spread all over. And that ended
up happening; eventually it couldnt be contained.
And thats the way the forces of darkness try to work against us. Theyre constantly trying to push
us down. Limit our influence. Keep us from taking any new ground. But can I give you some good
news today? You are uncontainable. The forces that are in you are greater than the forces that
are trying to contain you. And, if youre going to become everything Gods created you to be, you
cant get stuck in a rut and think youve reached your limits. Youve got to keep stretching your
faith, looking for new opportunities, new ideas, and new ways to expand your influence.
When I was 12 years old, I played football. A friend of mine was on their opposing team; he was
on their running back. He was very fast, very quick, almost impossible to stop. The week we were
going to play his team, our coach came up with a special defence. He put twice as many guys on
his side. The phrase he used all week was, contain him. I must have heard that phrase a
thousand times. The coach had us focus one group on the outside and one group on the inside.
We worked and worked, trying to figure out how to stop him. But when the game rolled around, it
was like we had not even practiced. He was so much quicker than us. The coach could have put
the whole team on him; he still would have gotten by. Even when we were able to grab him, it
was like he was covered with oil. We couldnt hang on. He would twist and turn and always get
away.

What was the problem? He was uncontainable. Thats the way I want you to see yourself. You
have the spirit of the living God on the inside. His anointing on your life is just like oil. When
something tries to stop you, hold you down, it doesnt have a chance. In your imagination, you
just twist and turn and see that sliding off. You are uncontainable.
But some of you today have gotten complacent and youve settled where you are. You believe
those lies that youve gone as far as you can go, youve made too many mistakes. You come
from the wrong family. Youve got this handicap. Well, Im here to infect you with a virus. Its a
good virus, a God virus. It says you were made for more, to influence more, to accomplish more,
love more, to give more, to have more. Friends, Ive got to warn you today, Im highly contagious
and Im infecting you with faith. Im infecting you with vision. Im infecting you with joy.
God is saying, you have not touched the surface of what He has in store for you. He is going to
take you places that youve never dreamed of. Hes going to bring opportunities that give you
amazing influence. You have not seen your best days, theyre still out in front of you. Now youve
got to dig your heels in and say, I will not be contained, by people, by the way I was raised, by
mistakes Ive made, by some injustice, disappointment or even handicap. no I have my mind
made up; where I am is not where Im staying. Im rising higher. Im going to be a barrier breaker.
Im going to take new ground for Gods Kingdom.
Its time for us, as Gods people, to rise up and become leaders and have influence and respect
and credibility. And not just in our own circle but in the marketplace. That means in the general
public, in the schools, in the government, arts, sports, entertaining. Were not supposed to hide
our gifts and go around feeling like were second class, we dont have that much to offer. No, put
your shoulders back, hold your head up high. You are a child of the Most High God. God
breathed His life into you; you have something incredible to offer. In the coming days, God is
going to increase your influence.
I love the story in Acts 4, Peter and John had prayed for people and they had gotten well. Great
miracles had taken place. They had a big service and all kinds of good things happened. But the
city leaders didnt know what to do with them. They werent for them; they didnt fit in their box.
Instead of being happy about it, they said in Acts 4:16 and 4:17, we cannot deny that a notable
miracle has taken place. But heres our plan that it spread no further.
They were saying, in effect, were just going to push them down, lessen their influence, and try to
contain them. Peter and John understood this principle. They know we cannot be contained. The
dream God put in our hearts, as long as we stay in faith, nothing can shut it down.
And that message was not restricted. It spread like wildflower and heres were still talking about it
today. What am I saying? You cannot be contained. People may try to push you down.
Somebody may try to destroy you and close some doors. But if youll just keep pushing forward,
shaking that off, God will open up doors that no man can shut.
God will raise you up, even though somebody else is trying to push you down. I think about
Nelson Mandela. He was put in prison because he opposed the government of apartheid. The
leaders thought they had finally gotten rid of him, they wouldnt have to deal with his opposition

anymore. Mr. Mandela could have thought, I did my best, gave it my all, I guess it wasnt meant to
be. Nelson Mandela knew he couldnt be contained by people, by injustice, by racism, by hatred,
even by prison walls. Even 27 years later, he walked out a free man. Eventually he became
President of that same country and won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Friends, what God has destined for your life, will come to fulfillment. Some of you think you have
too many obstacles, and youve had too many closed doors. And its been too long. You dont see
how it could ever happen. Well, youve got to get your fire back, get your dream back. It may look
impossible, but God is saying, that setback cannot contain you. That injustice, that
disappointment, that bad break cannot hold you down. If you would get rid of that limited
mentality and press forward in faith, God will still get you to where youre supposed to be.
Thats what happened to the Apostle Paul. He was put in prison for spreading the good news.
Paul could have gotten depressed, discouraged, given up. Instead, his attitude was, I may not be
able to go out and minister but I do have a pen, I do have a piece of paper. I can write. He ended
up writing much of the New Testament from a prison cell. They thought they were containing him
but it did just the opposite. It backfired. Paul had more influence with his writings than he ever did
in person. Now, I want you to get this down in your spirit: God is going to increase your influence.
The Scripture talks about how God will cause His light to shine down on us. His faith to shine
down on us. Thats His favor. You need to start expecting this favor as never before. God wants
you to be a barrier breaker. He wants you to take new ground for the Kingdom.
But it seems like in days past the Church has been seen as kind of secondary. Thats for people
that dont have anything better to do. Weve fallen into that mentality at times. We think well Im
not that talented, I dont have too much to offer, and too often we thought just let us take the
leftovers. We cant afford anything. If you can just give us a discount, if you can just please help
us. No influence, no abundant mentality. In fact, this is exactly how my father started out.
My dad grew up extremely poor and he developed a barely get by mentality. He never thought he
would have enough and he certainly never thought he would have any influence. It took him
years and years to get rid of a poverty mindset, a second-class mentality. One day, he realized
what Im telling you. He didnt have to be contained by how he was raised; rather, he was created
to live an abundant life. He developed a new mindset. I remember, one time my father was at the
store to buy a suit. When the salesperson found out he was a minister. He said to my father, let
me go talk to my manager; maybe we can give you a ministers discount. Years earlier, my father
would have been jumping up and down, rejoicing, God youre meeting my needs. And my dad
loved to get a good deal; were certainly not against that. But he had come through so much
poverty and lack and defeat; that just didnt sit well with him.
He said, listen brother, I appreciate you wanting to help me but Ive got to tell you I dont need a
ministers discount. I am not a beggar, Im not looking for a handout, I am not second-class; I am
a child of the Most High God. I am blessed, I am prosperous. And I am well able to pay the full
price. That man looked at him and said, man I have never met a minister like you. What was
that? My father was a barrier breaker. He believed that he could rise higher and he didnt have to

be contained by how he was raised and what he saw modeled growing up. He saw God do
amazing things in his life.
But, too often, Gods people have seen themselves as second-class and poor and defeated and
let me just barely scrape by, no influence, no respect, and credibility. Like it should be from our
peers. Bit thank God this is a new day, there is a new generation rising up. People that say, I
know who I am, a child of Almighty God, and I dont have to be contained by how I was raised, by
what Ive seen in the past. I know I am a barrier breaker. I am a person of influence, so Im going
to move forward and take new ground, not just for my family but Im going to advance Gods
Kingdom.
Friends, it all starts in our thinking. Dont be contained in your mind. Who told you, you cant rise
any higher? Who told you, youll never be successful? Youll never own that nice house, youll
never be in management? Youll never have any more influence?
Those are lies from the enemy. Let me tell you what I know about you. Some of you are going to
write a book that will touch millions of people. Some of you will develop medicine that will impact
our world. Some of you will see your movies at the top of the charts. Some of you will have a
ministry that will shake our nation. Some of you will develop software that will revolutionize
business. Some of you will start a company that will be a global force in the economy. Some of
you will be the next leaders of your community, of your city, of your state. Even of your nation.
Dont you dare sit back and say, well that couldnt be me Joel. I dont have the education, Im not
that smart, I dont have the contacts. No, youve got to start seeing yourself differently. Youre a
barrier breaker, you are uncontainable. Youve got so much talent in you, so much potential; there
are seeds of greatness on the inside. If you will break free from a limited mindset and embrace a
vision, you will see God take you places youve never even dreamed of.
Thats what God has done for us. I think about the fact that were sitting in this beautiful facility
today. I tried to go the traditional route and buy some property and build a sanctuary on it. But
Gods dream for our life is always so much bigger than our own. God gave us this beautiful
former sports facility, the premiere auditorium, in the fourth largest city in America. What was
that? We broke barriers. God helped us to pave the way, to go further. Now other people can
come behind us and do the same thing.
And, you know, its not just about being bigger. Its not just about the size. Its about advancing
the Kingdom.
Its about making a mark in our generation. Thats the way God wants it to be. Every generation
should increase. Our former campus was on very side streets in the rural section of town. Great
people over there but over time it had really gotten run down. Over time, people used to say to
my parents, what are you doing still over here in this part of town? Some of them even ridiculed
them, saw them as second-class. But isnt it interesting how God has a way of always giving you
the last laugh. Today, were not on a side street. Were on the second-busiest freeway in the
nation, sitting on a prime piece of property. God didnt just give us a building; He increased our
influence.

Its happening all over. I think about when I was growing up. You just heard Christian music in our
Church services. Maybe ever once in a while through the years other radio stations would play it,
but not that much. But this is a new day. A couple of months ago, I was watching a ballgame and
a national commercial came on for a cellphone company. The music in the background was. You
are good all the time, you are good. Its the song that Israel wrote that we sing all of the time.
Whats happening? We cant be contained. Were dangerous. Were on the loose. Dont you know
the enemy is having a nervous breakdown?
They tried to stop us from building a new sanctuary and God blessed us with a premiere sports
facility. They tried to push down your talent, try to contain you, but you pop up on commercials,
movies, on the sports field. People today are not ashamed of their faith. Even in the business
world, people are not afraid to admit, you know what, and my talent comes from the Lord. Hes
the one giving me my skills.
A few months back, my children were watching American Idol. At the end of the program, all of
the contestants came back on and they started singing a song that our friend Darlene Zschech
wrote, Shout to the Lord All the Earth Let us Sing. Not on a church program but on the #1
program in all of television. It cant be contained. I want you to get this down in your spirit. God is
going to increase your influence. Hes going to cause your gifts and talents to come out in a
greater way. His face is shining down on you right now. Youve got to get rid of every limited, not
talented, dont have what it takes, second-class mentality.
You have exactly what you need. There are, in you right now, gifts, talents, ideas, inventions,
books, movies. They are just waiting to come out. Its going to be like an explosion. Youd better
get ready; God is about to thrust you into a new level of your destiny. You cannot be contained.
Its been said that the most famous sports facility in the world is Yankee Stadium. A while back,
when they were finishing building their new ballpark, someone from their organization called.
They invited us to come and bring one of our nights of hope and be the first non-baseball event in
the new Yankee Stadium. When my dad told me, I thought they were joking. I said, why would
they want to invite me? They could invite the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elvis? But instead, they
invited this good-looking minister from Texas. What was God doing? Increasing our influence.
God was opening doors that no man can shut. We were able to take new ground in the Kingdom.
So often we think, nothing like that will happen for me. You dont know my circumstances, Joel,
you dont know what Ive been through. God is not limited by your circumstances. God is not
contained by your education, by your environment, how you were raised. All God has to do is
breathe in your direction. All He has to do is blow the wind of His favor your way.
You could be standing at the very back of the line but if the winds change and blow the other
direction instead of being last youll be first. A couple of years ago I as at the amusement park
with our 2 children. We were waiting in this very long line for a popular ride.
At first, it was all single file but when you got close to the front you went into this small room and
waited to get into this ride. It was about 20 by 20, and we were the first ones in this new batch so
we naturally just walked up to the front. But when all of the other people. Most of them were kids;
they were so excited and so anxious about getting on somehow they maneuvered their way in

front of me. Im more laidback so I wasnt going to try to get in front of them and stand our
ground. We ended up at the very back of the room, right where we came in.
A couple minutes this young lady came out that worked there. She made announcements and
told some instructions about what was going on. She said, everybodys ready to go? Oh yeah.
She said, okay turn around and go right back out the doors you just came in.
Right where we were standing. I wanted to say, nanny nanny boo boo. I thought we would be
last, but we were the first. What am I saying? All God has to do is change the direction of the
wind and youll be first in line. Thats Gods favor in your life. God just has to change the direction
and he can blow a Compaq Center your way like He did for us. Or more practical He can throw a
new job opportunity, a new person, a new level of His favor. You may feel like today you are at
the back of the line, nothings going your way, never getting any good breaks. But you need to get
ready; Gods wind is about to blow in your direction.
Thats what happened to a friend of mine. You heard the story recently of Dr. Todd Price. He told
how he grew up in a small town in Kentucky and he grew up in a lower income family. It never
looked like he would make much of his life. But as a young boy, he saw a program on television
that talked about how there were starving children, kids that were desperately in need of food,
and for $15 a month you could sponsor a child.
Nobody asked him to do it. His parents didnt encourage him. But he was so moved by that
program, at 12 years old he went out and started mowing lawns and he used that money to
sponsor a child. That was over 40 years ago, not only has a successful medical practice but this
year to date he has given over 250 million dollars worth of medicine to needy people around the
world. He went from $15 to a quarter of a billion dollars.
Dr. Price is a barrier breaker. He didnt let the limitations of the past and how he was raised keep
him from rising higher. In the natural, it didnt look like he could ever go to medical school, ever
make much of his life. But he didnt allow those strongholds to take route. Deep down, he knew,
he was uncontainable. He knew the Creator of the universe was breathing in his direction.
Today, hes taking new ground for the Kingdom, hes making a new mark that cannot erase. I saw
a report on television recently about a young girl that has severe autism. Her name is Carly. For
years and years she had never spoken a word or communicated in any way. It looked like she
was mentally retarded. All through the day, she would just flail her arms, drool and have
uncontrollable fits. At 7 years old, the authorities tried to talk her parents into putting her in a
special home; they said, shes never going to get any better. She doesnt even comprehend the
love that youre showing, much less what youre constantly saying to her.
Those parents wouldnt hear of it. They just kept loving her, training her, speaking faith into her.
One day, out of the blue, at 11 years old, Carly sat down at the computer and typed these words:
I have autism but this is not who I am; take time to know me before you judge me, I am smart,

cute, funny, and I love to have fun. At that point, the parents realized Carly was in there she had
just never found a way to communicate. Later she typed, dad thank you for believing in me I
know Im not the easiest child to love but you were always there for me to pick me up when I fall.
The father said that was worth every frustration, every sleepless night. They even discovered that
Carly has a sense of humor. When asked about her little brother, she sat down and typed,
Matthew smells so bad even skunks run and hide. Today at 14 Carly still amazes us. Shes in the
process of writing her first novel.
Even though she still has severe autism, shes still confined to a body that doesnt function
normally, she cannot be contained. Im asking you today to get rid of the excuses, quit thinking
Im not talented enough, Ive made too many mistakes, Ive got this handicap. Dont let these
words sink deep down into your spirit.
You are uncontainable. Youre a barrier breaker. God wants to use you just like you are. To
influence others. Get a vision for it. You can set a new standard for your family. If Carly can do it,
you can do it. Unlock whats on the inside. Your seeds of greatness are waiting to take root and
grow.
Know this, right now God is breathing in your direction.
Vision is increasing. Faith is rising; dreams are coming back to life. You have not seen your best
days. You may have had some victories in your past but what God has in store in your future will
supersede anything you can even imagine. Now youve got to take the limits off of God and take
the limits off of yourself. Quit looking at what you dont have and what you dont do and how big
your obstacles are.
No, shake that off and have the attitude I am uncontainable. This sickness cant contain me. Im a
child of the Most High God, I will fulfill my destiny. These people that are trying to push me down,
they cant contain me. If God be for me, who dare be against me. Even these prison bars, they
cant contain me. I may not be able to leave but I can do like the Apostle Paul, I got a pen I can
write, my gifts will still come out to the full.
Friends, in the coming days, God is going to bring opportunities for you to increase your influence
in amazing ways.
Dont shrink back in fear, dont be intimidated, you are well able. You are equipped. You are
anointed. Dare to take those steps of faith. Make up your mind. Where I am is not where Im
staying. Im not going to get comfortable. Im not going to get stuck in a rut. I know I am
uncontainable so Im going to keep pressing forward. Stretching my faith. Believing for bigger
things. Expecting Gods favor in unprecedented ways. I want to declare this over each one of you.
You are going to go places that youve never dreamed of. You are going to have influence in
circles that youve never imagined.
You are going to be a barrier breaker. Youre going to take new ground for your family. Youre
going to advance Gods Kingdom. Your gifts and talents are going to come out in a greater way.
What youve seen God do in the past is going to pale in comparison to what God is about to do.
Get ready for Gods favor. Get ready for increase. Get ready for blessings. You are
uncontainable.