Dream again God Size part 2

Expanding your faith, love and land

1 Chronicles 4:9–10 NRSV

Jabez was honored more than his brothers; and his mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” Jabez called on 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 hurt and harm!” And God granted what he asked.

What is in a name? When you named your children or helped name our grand children how did you come about doing that? Did you search baby name books for boy and girls, did you the biblical baby name book, did you decide to name the child after someone in the family to give homage to their legacy. How did you come up with and did you know what it meant. For example I named my children Jacobi Nathaniel and Jorian Daniel. The middle name was their biblical tie to the Lord. Nathaniel in Hebrew means God/El has given or Gift of God/El . Daniel in the Hebrew means God is my judge. So there is meaning in a name so it is important that you understand the meaning you place on your children when they are coming into the world.

Jabez was a man of the lineage of Jesus Christ. He was part of the twelve tribes of Juda and came in the time of Joshua’s ruling and leadership. His mother names in Jabez which means “Because I bore him pain”. Now this could be leading us back to the book of Genesis when God told Eve that she would bare children in pain for the rest of her life and those to follow as part of the consequence that came from the fall. So his mother said this was bore out of pain so I name him Jabez. The bible really does not tell us what kind of pain she meant. Was it the birthing process and maybe he was born breach, was it the pain of knowing she was bring a son into the world and she knew how hard it was going to be for him growing up, was it a sorrow that she felt within herself of something she was going through. Many scholars had several reasons to choose. However, for what ever reason she felt this name fit her son and the meaning followed him all of his life.

In the scripture today we find Jabez older and more mature. The Bible says that Jabez was an honorable man more than his brothers so just in that I am sure he encountered some struggles within the family just like Joseph did with his brothers due to the favor that was over his life. You see sometimes when God has favor order your life you could feel like the name Jabez, that you were born into pain. But today I am here to tell you that when you Dream Again God Size that the Lord will move and Expand your Faith, Love, and Land with power and with assurance that you will know it was nobody but God that heard your prayer even in your pain.

So let’s talk about how God will Expand your Faith in your pain. When pain is afflicted upon you such as family hurt, death, failure, church hurt, job loss, failure in your health. Who do you turn to? How do you make it through the difficult times that stand before you or that you know are eventually knocking at heavens door. Do you have that kind of faith that is immovable, unshakeable, standing on a sure foundation of Jesus Christ to help you through the situation at hand. Jabez had an issue and he prayed a very simple and yet powerful prayer because of his faith and belief in God/El. He simple took his faith and put it into action and first asked God to bless him. Bless simply means God giving power to something or somebody to do whatever he has empowered you to do or receive. So Jabez simply when boldly before God and said humbly 1. Bless me. How many of you want to the Lord to bless you today, right now in this moment and move some mountains that are standing in your way. Go ahead and type it in the comment section or just simple shout Bless me!

Now, lets look as this love piece when we are talking about enlarging when we Dream Again God Size. When God formed this earth out of nothing he formed it out of love. He simply spoke the words and it cam to pass and could see the love all in it. The Bible even tells us the God is love, right. So, if God is love surely in order for God to hear our prayer we must be in love with Jesus and with our neighbor. No matter what that person has put you through we say it in our Decalogue right. (recite the Decalogue, Here what Christ our Savior saith).

When we love with the love of Christ even out of our pain God cannot help but to hear the sincere prayer you are putting before him. But, I must warn you. If you truly want to be blessed and God to enlarge what he has placed for you need to Love your neighbor as you love yourself. So if you do not love yourself this will be hard to do and if you do love yourself but you treat your neighbor in foolishness and hate or unkindness then do not look for God to expand because you have not expanded your love as he says in the Greatest Commandment given. Jabez was sincere about the love he had for God and for the people of his land, and his family. I am sure that he was taught to forgive others so that your prayers will heard by God. Mark 11:25

Mark 11:25 The Message

And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it’s not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins.”

This is how we enlarge in our Love for God and for one another and when this is done God will hear your prayer and take action.

This last piece may not be how you have heard it before. When I read this and was thinking on Enlarge my border or in the KJ it states enlarge my territory so that no evil will come upon me or harm me just as we heard in the song earlier. So let’s dive into this enlarge my boarder. Remember in the text Jabez already had land coming to him and in the birthing of him the Israelites were going in and out of bondage trying to get to the land of Cannon that God had promised them. This could have very well been the reason for his name as well at the time of his birth. Yet Jabez was a praying man and he believed that his God could do anything if he just asked him and placed his trust in him. He was bold in his prayer even though short it was to the point and started with power, remember the work he started with? Bless.

The context of this word enlarge my land did not mean that he was asking for more land. He already had it but needed to go and retrieve it form the Cannanites just has God had promised. Yet, Jabez remembered what his name meant, born out of pain. And at this point Jazbez was saying I no longer except that everything is going to be given to me out my pain always, even though it builds strength in our faith that is not the kind of life God planned for us but yet we must prepare for the pains that come our way. His prayer is that God when I get to the part of land you have already said was mine, cover me, keep me and shield me from my enemies. And God did just that. It did not say he received that land immediately but we do know that God answered his prayer, covered him and gave him all that he asked for.

What are you asking God for today? You already possess what you need to get it. A simple yet strong prayer like Jabez prayer. Lord Bless, Love and Enlarge. Expand all of these areas and if one of them is missing you in it then my prayer is that you deliver me from it and renew a right spirit in me so that you may be pleased and my prayer be answered for your glory and your glory alone. Jabez kept his dram alive and he did it in a God Size manner. He prayed, he trusted and he gained what was promised to him from the beginning of his birth rights.

Women and Men of God we have a right to be blessed indeed. God is simply waiting on you to believe that he will do. Greater Allen Temple we have the land to do what God has purposed us to do in this season. Have you started to Dream Again for the vision of this church, for your home and our life. For your family and generations to come. Have you prayed the generational prayer so that the land will be blessed and with great love and protection to keep them from harm? God said greater is coming but you have to believe not with what you see with your eyes but what you know what is to be true about the God we serve. People of God he is ready to expand your faith, love and land when you are ready to trust and believe that he will do it when you pray. But, your prayer has to be sincere, with a repentant heart not only toward God but your neighbor too. Then he will grant what you ask. It may not be right then, it may be over time as he wants to see what kind of endurance do you have to stand in the midst of adversity when your name means Born out of Pain. God is ready to bless this land and do with it what he has given to us to do. He says we have work to do with the little we have and trust him in the growth. He says are you excited about Me and my truth. Are you excited about sharing me with others again so that the land can increase, multiply and grow.

God is saying Dream again God Size; Expand my faith , love and land so that others may see the God we trust and know operate in his Goodness when we cry out to him in boldness and faith.

The Word of God for the hearers of Gods Word. Thanks be to our God.

There was a promise made over some 2000 years ago when Jesus went to the cross. He came so that we may be saved and have increase in him. The greatest increase is that of being saved by our almighty Jesus Christ....