Lessons in Little

Part 5: It’s Enough For God To Use

Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

May 31st, 2026  •  May 2026 Sermon Series

Scripture: John 6:5–13 (NKJV)

5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”

6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”

13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.

I.          INTRODUCTION

One of the things that keeps so many people stuck, living beneath our God-given potential, is this idea that what we have is not enough. We wonder: If I had more money… if I had more connections, more influence… if I had just more of anything, my situation might be a little different. Rather than focusing on what we have, we always focus on what we don’t have. But I need to tell you that the blessing of the Lord over your life today begins with you shifting from the posture of complaining about what you do not have, to recognizing the blessing in what you do have. There is potential, there is blessing, tied to what you do have.

Understand this: the kingdom of God is not about human sufficiency. The kingdom of God is about divine multiplication. God has never needed a whole lot in order to perform a miracle. He never needs abundance to perform a miracle. God just needs a willing vessel. God takes small things and He does big things with them.

Consider all the ways God has worked with little:

• Job’s oil sustained a widow and paid her debt.
• A rod in the hand of Moses brought liberation to God’s people.
• David’s slingshot brought down Goliath.
• God used a handful of meal and a little oil in the time of Elijah to bless him during the famine.
• God used a jawbone to defeat Samson’s enemies.
• God used a tiny little cloud in the sky to bring an abundance of rain.
• God used Gideon’s 300 against thousands of troops coming against him.
• God used the mustard seed to teach us about the power of faith.
• God used a borrowed donkey to usher the Son of the living God through the streets of Jerusalem as they cried, “Hosanna!”
• God used two fish and five loaves to feed 5,000.
• God used a little servant girl to point Naaman toward his healing.
• God even used an empty tomb to change the course of human history.

The danger is that we don’t lack resources — we just lack an understanding of what to do with what God has already given us. Too many people are waiting for more while sitting on what God has already given them to use. And the truth is, what you’re holding on to may look small to you, but in God’s hands, it is more than enough to meet what you need today.

I want you to understand the power and potential that reside in the thing that God has already given to you. The question is not whether you have enough — the question is actually: Are you willing to release what God has given to you?

In this Gospel of John, Jesus is surrounded by a multitude of people who are following Him. They are hungry — yes, spiritually hungry, but also physically hungry. The scripture tells us that their physical hunger could not go unnoticed that day. Jesus had compassion on those who followed Him. As the day progressed, Jesus raised a question to Philip about where they could buy bread. But the text makes clear: this is not about information; this is about investigation. Jesus already knew what He was going to do, but He wanted to expose how they were thinking. Because before God changes your situation, He has to evaluate your mindset to relocate you into a different space. With an old mindset, it’s like getting you out of Egypt, but not getting Egypt out of you.

Andrew finds a boy with a small lunch. Philip calculates and says, “We don’t have enough — this is just not gonna be enough.” Andrew sees a boy with a lunch but dismisses him. And what we see is the tension between human limitation and divine possibility. The disciples are focused on what they lack, but Jesus is focused on what is available.

What is often missed in many of our lives is that this is the place where the miracle happens. At the very moment when you’ve concluded you don’t have enough, when your back is up against the wall and it looks like nothing can be done — you are in the perfect place for God to show up. That’s when the adventure happens.

So, I hope you understand something: what God is after is not your abundance — He needs your agreement. He is asking: What are you willing to release?

II.          SURRENDER SETS THE STAGE

The turning point of this story is not the miracle — it is actually surrender. It is the very moment where the boy hands over his lunch to Jesus. The miracle did not start when the lunch was multiplied. The miracle started at the point of surrender.

Many of us ask God to do great things in our lives, but we hold on so tightly to the very thing God wants to use — because fear tells us to hold back, because of what we might lose. But faith tells us to surrender to God, because whatever you surrender to God will always be multiplied.

The miracle does not begin when Jesus breaks the bread. It begins at the moment of release. God does not multiply what you hide — He only multiplies what you hand over. So if you keep holding on to it, that’s all you will ever have. But the very moment you release it, that’s when transformation takes place.

The reality is that many of us are just one act of surrender away from the biggest blessing we have ever experienced in our lives. The small thing you’re holding on to could be the seed of significance that turns your entire situation around. Surrender to God is not weakness — surrender to God is the gateway to the supernatural.

A.   Surrender Silences Scarcity

Scarcity talks. When you don’t have much, that little voice will show up on you. Scarcity will tell you to hold on, to protect, to preserve, to play it safe. But surrender says: If I release this to God, I’m declaring that God is not just my supply — God is my source.

Because God is my source, I can always get another supply. If I lose my supply, I don’t lose my mind, because I know where my source comes from. Job said, “I came out of my mother’s womb naked, and shall I return there? The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” If you think your job is your God, your supply is your source — you’ve missed it. But when you recognize that God is your source, you can look at a job loss and say, “I’m not worried about that, because God is mine.”

3 Reasons Why We Struggle With Surrender:

1. Focusing on limitations instead of lordship.
2. Fear loss instead of trusting multiplication.
3. We want understanding before obedience.

1. Focusing on Limitations Instead of Lordship

The lad could’ve looked at his lunch and said, “This is not enough.” But instead, we hold back because it seems too small, too insignificant, too inadequate. We measure our resources against the size of our problem, versus measuring our problem against the size of our God. So what looks little in your hand becomes limitless in God’s.

2. Fear Loss Instead of Trusting Multiplication

You’re playing it safe. “That’s all I got. I can’t afford to give that away.” Because it feels too risky, you hold on to your time, your talent, your treasure, your opportunities. But the miracle only happened after it was released.

3. We Want Understanding Before Obedience

“It’s got to make sense. I need more details. Give me more explanation and I’ll do it.” But you have to trust God even when you can’t trace God. You have to lean not to your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him, and let Him direct your path.

And pay attention to this: all the adults in the room were calculating the situation — and a little child is the one who offered up his lunch. You wonder why Jesus says, “Become like little children”? Because children have not yet been corrupted by the experiences many of us have had. Our experiences of dysfunction and disappointment have put on layers that cause us to have suspicion about trusting God completely.

Matthew 18:2–4 (NKJV)

2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 19:14 (NKJV)

“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.’”

III.          OBEDIENCE OPENS OVERFLOW

Everybody wants a breakthrough. Everybody wants a miracle. But nobody wants to obey. Obedience to God is better than sacrifice. Many of us don’t realize that Jesus was giving specific instructions that must be obeyed. You may be wondering why something isn’t happening in your life — because you are one simple act of obedience away from the thing occurring. Your breakthrough is on the other side of your obedience. Your miracle is on the other side of your obedience.

What did Jesus do? The text says: Jesus told the multitude to sit down. Maybe your biggest problem is that you keep trying to figure everything out. Would you please just go somewhere and sit down? Because when you sit down, that means you’ve learned how to be still and know that He is God. You’ve learned how to move from activity to trust, which allows God to do what you cannot do.

1. Gratitude Grows The Miracle

Before Jesus multiplied the food, He paused. Don’t miss this. Gratitude is not a reaction — it is a requirement. For something that appears insufficient, a natural perspective says, “This doesn’t even make sense.” But a spiritual perspective: gratitude shifts your focus from what’s missing to what’s present. It aligns your heart with God’s provision.

You may be blocking your breakthrough because you always complain about what you don’t have. But would you just sit down and reflect on what you do have? Somebody would love to have what you have — the car you’re complaining about, the job you hate going to, the very house you walk in. Gratitude declares: God is still good. God is still present. And if He is present, He is able to do what I don’t even think can be done.

A. Thanksgiving Triggers Transformation

Jesus gave thanks — and nothing had changed yet. But everything was about to. You have to learn that thanksgiving triggers transformation.

Biblical examples of thanksgiving that preceded the miracle:

• Jesus — gave thanks before multiplying the loaves and fish (John 6:11)
• Paul and Silas — sang praises in prison before the earthquake set them free (Acts 16:25–26)
• Jehoshaphat — appointed singers to praise before the battle was won (2 Chronicles 20:21–22)
• Jesus and Lazarus — Jesus gave thanks before raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:41–43)
• One leper — returned to give thanks and was made whole (Luke 17:15–19)
• Jonah — gave thanks from the belly of the fish before his deliverance (Jonah 2:9)
• David — gave thanks and praised God before seeing his victories (Psalm 34:1)
• Jesus — gave thanks at the Last Supper, before His sacrifice and resurrection (Luke 22:19)

B. Distribution Demonstrates Dominion

Watch how Jesus keeps the food. He gives the food to the disciples and instructs them to distribute it. The miracle does not just happen — it flows. It moves through their hands as they serve others. That is the most powerful way God works.

The miracle was not simply that Jesus multiplied the food. Jesus could have fed everybody directly — but He chose to feed them through the disciples. Why? Because often God exercises divine power through human participation.

We spend so much time asking God to send provision to us, while God is asking whether we are willing to distribute what He has already put in our possession. God has not called you to be a reservoir of selfishness — He has called you to be a channel of blessing. “Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.”

IV.          STEWARDSHIP SECURES THE SURPLUS

After everyone is fed and satisfied, Jesus does something else. He says, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” After feeding as many as 20,000 people, Jesus instructs them to gather the leftovers. Those twelve baskets represent legacy.

A. Stewardship Sustains Success

Miracles open the door. Stewardship keeps it open.

The twelve baskets are evidence of God’s provision. If you waste what God has given you, you diminish your capacity for more. But if you store it well, you position yourself for continued overflow. Stewardship is not just managing resources — it’s honoring the source.

Many people who have never had anything, and they finally come into something, make the mistake of spending it all on themselves trying to prove they have it. Without wisdom, the moment they come into something, they squander it, with no legacy to leave — because nobody taught them that their leftovers should leave a legacy.

God did not bring you out of “not enough” to “just enough” for you to squander it. Take those twelve baskets and put them somewhere useful.

B. Leftovers Leave a Legacy

The twelve baskets represent legacy. The first generation may see things pass through their hands — but because of your stewardship of your gifting, your vision, your dream, and the things God has deposited in your life — your values can be passed on to generations that haven’t even been born yet.

Behind you will be a trail of generosity, a trail of blessing. Someone you don’t even know is going to give God glory because you recognized that with a small thing, you trusted God, God multiplied it, and because God multiplied it, you came to a place of legacy.

Take a seed and put it in your hands. You might minimize that seed and say, “It’s nothing.” And in your hands, you may be right — until you release it into the soil. Once you release it into the soil, that’s when potential happens. That seed gets into the earth, it begins to break, it begins to multiply, and it becomes all it was supposed to be.

Even when people told you that you were not enough — something transformational happens when you put your life in the hands of Jesus. Whatever you turn over to God, He multiplies. And the person sitting next to you: they said you would be nothing. But you turned it over to Jesus, and He multiplied your life.

Make this declaration:

“I am the blessing.”

“You are enough.”