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The title of this blog is some advice that was given to me over 15 years ago by Dr. Les Johnson when I first moved to Los Angeles. It easily ranks among the best counsel that I have ever received. I am not exactly sure what he meant by it, but I decided that it means that we must be extremely careful not to allow the perspective that other people have of our talents, prospects, and opportunities to determine the horizon of our hopes. We must constantly war against the unfortunate tendency that so many people have of deciding what is possible for us based on their limited purview. Sadly, this occurs far too often—especially among people who supposedly “know us.”

Perhaps the classic biblical example of this dynamic can be seen in the conversation that transpired between David and his oldest brother Eliab. Their conversation is recorded in 1 Samuel 17. A veteran Philistine warrior named Goliath had struck terror in the hearts of Israel with a simple request. He challenged Israel’s army to find a man valiant enough to face him in hand to hand combat. The victor would end the conflict between their respective nations without involving any of the soldiers of either army. Goliath’s proposal seemed entirely reasonable. The only sticking point was that Goliath was over nine feet tall! For forty days, no one in Israel accepted his proposal. Finally, a scrawny 17 year-old boy named David showed up on the battlefield and announced that he would face Goliath. When he began to inquire about the benefits of facing Goliath, both his courage and his curiosity were ridiculed—first by Saul the King, and, then, sadly—by his own brother. Here is the transcript of what his brother said to him:

But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of?

As far as Eliab was concerned, David’s world was limited to taking care of sheep. Eliab was offended that David saw himself as something other than a shepherd boy, and tried to belittle his interest in the battle and derail his aspirations of fighting Goliath. Luckily, David ignored him. And of course, the rest is history. David went on to defeat Goliath, and would eventually rise to become one of the great figures of history.

Who is trying to shrink your world?

Who is trying to put a ceiling on your hopes?

Who is trying to convince you that certain doors will never be opened for you because of your background?

Who has suggested that you can’t move to a next level because of a mistake?

All of these counsellors are ambassadors from hell.

Ignore them and keep pressing.

The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy. Had David heeded his brothers’ advice, Israel would have been robbed of a victory (and a future King) and David would be been robbed of his destiny. But don’t allow the world shrinkers in your circle to succeed.

Your world can be as big as your faith.