Enlarge the place of your tent and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities. – Isaiah 54:2-3 ESV
Warrior;
It is written, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”. (Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 2:10) The 54th Chapter of Isaiah, is a reminder of how GOOD OUR GOD IS! This chapter portrays the results of the atoning work of the Servant SAVIOR, and its universal extent to all nations. The Gentiles are depicted as a “barren” and “desolate” woman who breaks forth into songs of praise. The imagery depicts the Israelites as the “married wife” and the Gentiles as estranged from God. Our God did all the heavy lifting! Jesus Paid it all, all to Him we owe- IT IS FINISHED! (John 19:30) This is how the whole of HISTORY wraps up! God made promises, Jesus came, Jesus died, Jesus rose again, Jesus is the MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION- Yahweh kept His Promises! This is the REMINDER of Jesus most quoted book of the Hebrew Bible, Deuteronomy. “And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery”. (Deuteronomy 6:10-12)
Leader, is this the GOD you know? The God who wants to bless His followers, who wants to reward those whose FAITH OVERCOMES the World. God wants us to DREAM BIG, God is looking for people willing to BELIEVE and ACT AS IF! The Apostle Luke recounts a question Jesus asked, And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:6-8) When the Son of Man returns, will he find FAITH? Are you bold enough to believe? This is what the Prayer of Jabez represents in 1 Chronicles. God calls those who BELIEVE, HONORABLE! Hear the Word of the Lord, Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked. (1 Chronicles 4:9-10) There are 5 simple lessons to learn from HONORABLE examples like Jabez. The first thing Scripture tells us about Jabez is that he cried out to God. Jabez acknowledges God’s divine lordship and leadership over his life. It is critical that we start Prayers with the right perspective. We must start by acknowledging our GOD!
Conduit, Jabez asked Jehovah Jireh to do what He does best, PROVIDE! Jabez asks, “That you would bless me”. Jabez recognizes God as the one and only true God and acknowledges that blessings come from Him alone. Are you chasing broken promises and blessings that the world tries to entice you with? Are you striving toward prosperity on your own strength? Then Jabez asks, “that you would multiply my territory” – If we look at the lineage of Jabez we can understand that he is not merely speaking in terms of wealth and prosperity but in terms of impacting the kingdom of God. He wanted his spiritual territory to increase, to claim generations for the Lord of Israel. Do you need to claim or reclaim some of the land Satan has taken from you? Jabez then asks, “your hand be with me”. Jabez understood the power of God’s hand to protect and to lead in the right direction. He wanted God to be in every moment of his day. When we pray, it’s ok to request more than blessings and provision but that God’s hand would lead us through any circumstance and trial that comes our way. Lastly, Jabez asks, “keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain” The name Jabez literally means “born with pain”. When Jabez prays, he speaks against the testimony of his name and let go of the shame it covered him in. It is time to break Generational curses thoughts, and words of debilitation. It is important when we pray, we come to God Understanding, our STANDING and HIS STANDING. We also must come with the RIGHT HEART. A heart that is vulnerable and ready for Him to turn our weakness into His glory. Remember; If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8) DREAM BIG, our GOD is in charge!
