There comes a point in everyone's life when we need to hear the Lord say, "What do you want me to do for you?" Now, I am not talking about some kind of Santa Claus dream in the sky. I'm talking about a legitimate need based upon one's desire to break through the barrier, to make a quantum leap, to jump to the next level, to get around that obstacle that sits in our way. That's when we desperately need to hear the Lord say, "What do you want me to do for you?"

I am honored and privileged to be the son of a bartender who worked for 51 years in that trade and worked double shifts to put me through Bible college. I am honored and privileged to have a mother who struggled with many different things, but she overcame those struggles to become one of the most outstanding Christians that I know.

Our family overcame one of the greatest barriers because we were a family with a huge hole in our heart and it was a hole that only God could fill. But, God is in the process of doing many wonderful things these days, and He's in the process of helping people break the barriers that exist in their lives. If you've come this morning or you're watching via television, I want you to know that God will empower you to break through the barriers.

Kevin was a ten-year-old little boy who had been abandoned, had been abused and neglected by his biological father, and wound up in the foster home. He received an invitation by a ministry by the name of Royal Family Kids Camp. They set up this camp in the upper northwest. It has a huge lake, and they invited this retired fisherman named Sven to teach these kids, who came from desperate situations, how to fish. The counselors knew that if they could help the kids experience some sort of breakthrough during their week, they could literally revolutionize the children's lives. They had the mentality of "What can I do for you?"

There was one problem, though. Kevin was deathly afraid of the water. The last place he wanted to be was near the lake. So, his counselor, looking for some kind of strategy to help him with his breakthrough, suggested that he wear a lifejacket. "After all, he said to Kevin, "all the other campers are wearing their Spiderman uniforms and their Superman uniforms; they're even wearing them to bed. Why don't you try on this lifejacket?"

Kevin loved the idea, and he wore the lifejacket to breakfast, wore it to lunch, wore it to dinner - he never took it off. The next day, the counselor suggested that Kevin go for a little walk down by the edge of the lake, and they did. Kevin was a little hesitant but, after all, he was wearing his lifejacket. So, he plopped down in the sand and began to make some sandcastles. Occasionally Kevin would look up and see Sven, the fisherman out there teaching kids how to fish.

The next day, towards the end of the afternoon, Kevin's counselor turned to him and said, "You know, why don't we at least walk out and greet Sven on the dock." Well, the last thing Kevin wanted to do was to walk out onto that dock, in the midst of his greatest fear and his greatest obstacle. But the counselor was persistent, reminding Kevin that, after all, he was wearing a lifejacket.

So they carefully walked out onto the dock and, as soon as Sven saw this ten-year-old little boy with his nice little lifejacket on, he perked up. "What a strapping young man you are," said Sven to Kevin. "I've got something just for you." Then he reached down and he placed a fishing pole into Kevin's hands." The boy clenched onto that thing. "While we're at it," said Sven, "why don't we slap some bait onto that hook?" And they baited the hook. "Watch me. I'll teach you how to cast."

Kevin wasn't too excited about the idea. After all, he was within a few feet of his greatest fear, but he thought, "Well, I do have a lifejacket on."

So Sven reached down, picked up his own pole, and started to teach Kevin how to cast. He whipped that pole back and launched that bait out a good 50 yards. Reeled it back in. Did it again. Brought it back in. He said, "Kevin why don't you try?"

Very carefully, Kevin walked to within 18 inches of the edge of that dock, looked down at the water, and decided he would copy everything that he saw that Swedish fisherman do. He pushed down the cast button, pulled it back, launched it with all of his might, and went flying head first into the water!

The counselor and Sven could not believe their eyes. Their worst nightmare came true. They couldn't believe it. And Kevin's worst nightmare came true, as well. Before he even hit the water, the counselor was in the water, and Sven was on his belly waiting to rescue this kid. As soon as Kevin bopped back to the surface, Sven grabbed him by the hooks of his lifejacket and put him back onto the dock. Rivers of water were just gushing out of Kevin's clothes and lifejacket, but he was still clenching onto that fishing pole! As their eyes followed the fishing pole to its end, they noticed it was pointing downward. At the end, where the bait was, now hung a big old fish. What are the odds? What are the odds of catching a fish?

Kevin overcame one of the greatest barriers that he could ever imagine. One of his greatest fears was within 18 inches. Then he flew into the water! But because of that loving, caring experience of somebody loving him enough to rescue him, he overcame that barrier. He spent the rest of his week with his feet hanging off the edge of that dock, fishing next to an old Swedish fisherman.

You see, God places people in our lives to help us break the barriers. I don't know what it is that you're facing or what mountain it is that you need to overcome, but I want to tell you this morning that God will empower you to break the barriers that you face. There is no barrier that is too insurmountable because God will do it and He'll do it through you.

There was a young man who took a certain path every day. The sun beat down upon his skin, and his skin was bronzed from that experience day after day. He took that path around the noon hour. It was 72 degrees, cloudy, and one could smell the aroma of the lunchtime meals being prepared in the neighboring houses. He could smell the aroma of the farm animals nearby, as well. As this young man, Bartimaeus stands by the side of the road begging, all of a sudden he hears a low rumble that grows louder and louder. An entourage is moving in his direction. He knows by the sound that this is not some regular entourage, but perhaps one to two hundred people parading in his particular direction.

His hearing is enhanced because he's blind. He the person next to him, one among many others waiting to see what this entourage is all about, and asks, "What is it that I'm hearing?"

The man says to Bartimaeus, "I believe it's Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."

Jesus? The great healer has come to my town? Bartimaeus realizes, based upon his faith and his belief, that he has one shot and so he decides to use it. The only tool that he has is his voice. And as soon as Jesus crosses in front of him, Bartimaeus raises his voice and shouts, "Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!"

A person standing next to him says, "Shhhh, be quiet." Another says, "He doesn't care about you." These people remind me of those we'd describe as "raining on our parade." They are most likely miserable and lonely and have nothing to do but to be on a mission to dishearten others. "Shhhh, be quiet!" "It can't be done." "He doesn't care about you."

But in the Bible it very clearly it states that Bartimaeus wasn't disheartened. He raised his voice all the more and said, "Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped.

And with two words, He says to His disciples, "Call him." Immediately, two disciples are dispatched like special forces units. They penetrate that crowd and they grab this Bartimaeus, who throws off his cloak.

Notice that the Bible says that those who are standing around him say (paraphrased), "Cheer up, the Master is calling you! Don't forget us when you're famous!"

As Bartimaeus comes before the Lord, the world stops. You could hear a pin drop. And the Lord looks at him and says, "What do you want me to do for you?"

Bartimaeus could have said anything, but he said only, "I want to see. I want to see!

The Lord responded by saying, "Your faith has healed you." Immediately signals that had never been sent from his optical nerves began to penetrate his nervous system, sending signals directly to the cerebral cortex, where he began to interpret distances and dimensions and colors for the very first time!

Bartimaeus began to follow Jesus based upon that one question: "What do you want me to do for you?"

I could turn to pastor Schuller, to Sheila, to the choir, to the orchestra, and every one of you, and to the 20 million people who are watching, and I could ask that question, "What would you want me to do for you?" And there would be 20 million different answers. The great thing about God, friend, is that He has the power and the ability to meet you just as you walk through the door. There's not one universal answer for everyone; there are different answers for each person. God has the ability to meet the needs, to break the barriers no matter how great, no matter how insurmountable. And He will break those barriers in your life this day.

My wife and I serve as missionaries. we hold crusades all around the world. Twelve years ago, we had this vision that God wanted us to make a quantum leap, to get to the next level because our crowd sizes were roughly 1,500 people. We felt that they should be approximately 5,000 people. And as I was praying, the Lord spoke to me and he said, "Jason, I want you to go into Channel 7 there in Costa Rica." It's the CNN affiliate, the most powerful secular television network in the country. "I want you to talk to the owner and tell the owner that you want five commercial spots announcing these crusades, 10 days leading up to each crusade in the foreseeable future, free of charge."

I said, "Come again?"

He said, "You tell them we want five commercial spots announcing these crusades, 10 days leading up to each crusade in the foreseeable future, free of charge."

Now as you could imagine, I thought it might be the pizza that I had eaten the night before giving me this crazy dream. However, the impression that it truly was God speaking to me continued to grow. So I picked up the phone, I called the secular network, and I got all the way up to the assistant to the owner. I said, "We have an idea that we think is going to revolutionize this country and we just need 15 minutes with the owner of the network."

She said, "Send me a fax." I sent the fax, and ten days later my phone rang. The owner's assistant said, "You've got 15 minutes with the owner the network."

I thought, "Now what am I going to do?"

The Lord said, "You tell her. We want five commercial spots announcing these crusades, 10 days leading up to each crusade in the foreseeable future, free of charge."

So I got my Italian suit on, got in my car, drove to the network headquarters with my crusade coordinator, went up to the conference room, sat down in the most luxurious room there on the third floor of Telefónica, that's the name of the network. About ten minutes later, the doors open up and one by one, the executives of that network file through the doors in their designer suits and move round the outer perimeter of the table, and sit down almost in unison. My blood pressure was 220 over 110. Ten minutes go by, and the door opens. It's the owner of the network, a 75-year-old woman, who came walking through the door. (I always hear a few ladies say "amen" when I mention that she was a woman; I don't quite know why.)

As soon as she walked through the door, all the men stood at attention. When she sat down, all the men sat down. She looked at me and she asked, "What do you want me to do for you, young man?

The Lord says to me, "You tell her. We want five commercial spots announcing these crusades, 10 days leading up to each crusade in the foreseeable future, free of charge."

I said to the Lord, "You know, that's really easy for You to say!"

With a smile on my face, I looked at her and I said, "The Lord has given us a vision and a burden for this country. That in the midst of gang violence and drug addiction and the drug trafficking that's taking place in this country, God loves this country. He loves this nation. He doesn't come to condemn it. He wants to bring a message of hope, of encouragement, of inspiration. We need your help to pronounce and to proclaim that message of hope by granting us five commercial spots announcing these crusades, 10 days leading up to each crusade in the foreseeable future, free of charge."

She looks at me, her head tilted to one side like the RCA dog. She said, "Did you say 'free of charge'?"

I said, "Yes ma'am."

She looked at her associate, looked back at me, and said, "Well that sounds reasonable to me. Do any of you men have a problem with that?"

All the men said, "No ma'am."

She said to them, "Well, give them whatever they want." She turns to me and says, "Is that all you came in here for?"

I replied, "Well, for now." And since 1997, we have received five commercial spots announcing crusades for the foreseeable future, 10 days leading up to the event free of charge.

When she got up and left, I turned to her associate and I said, "Tell me, am I on candid camera? How was that so easy?"

He said, "She loves the work of the Lord." In one split second, I realized that God has agents all over the world who are planted to help people break barriers.

Friend, you can rest assured that God will help you break barriers. He has people placed in strategic places who are equipped to help you break barriers. Perhaps you're watching, perhaps God has been dealing with you about becoming an agent, a strategic agent to help this ministry continue the evangelization of the world. I would encourage you to do that. As I sat there in that boardroom meeting, I experienced, first hand, the fact that there's no barrier that God can't overcome.

I close with this. It's true that I do not come from a churched home. I mentioned before that our family had a huge hole in its heart, a God hole that only He could fill. And as a 15-year-old punk kid, I sat in a Christian missionary alliance church with a Hispanic family that had invited me to go to church with them. As that pastor began to share, as he began to enlighten me about God's love, it was as though God has looked at me, a 15-year-old kid, through the eyes of that pastor. He asked me, "What do you want me to do for you?"

I replied, "I want to be free. I want to be free." And 28 years later, friends, I am free indeed. For he who the Son sets free, is free indeed.

Perhaps you're watching this morning and you would say, "You know, I've got insurmountable barriers. I need to wipe the slate clean. I need to start all over again. I need a new life. I need to begin that new life with God.

There's a phone number that is appearing at the bottom of your screen: 714-971-HELP.

Friend, I want to encourage you to call that number and begin that new life with God, today. Perhaps you're here this morning and you'd say, "You know, I have got some significant barriers that I need to overcome." Or perhaps you might need to begin that new life for the very first time this morning. I want to encourage you, as we conclude this service and after the benediction, to come forward. We will have many people ready to pray for you, to help you break the barriers, to help you begin that new life. And believe me, as I conclude, I say this: I believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that your greatest days are right around the corner. I believe that your eyes will see God's hand move in your life, and you will walk through some of the most wonderful doors, if you will only believe.

Would you like to accept Christ?

© Copyright Hour of Power 2009. This message was delivered by Jason Frenn from the pulpit of the Crystal Cathedral and aired on the Hour of Power, October 18, 2009.