Some inspiration for you today:
“Enlarge my territory, as I expand my tent.”
I created this image for my personal Facebook header several years ago.
This image is an aerial view of the Kibera slums in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Kibera slum is the largest urban slum in all of Africa.
Kibera (Kinubi: Forest or Jungle[1]) is a division of Nairobi Area, Kenya, and neighbourhood of the city of Nairobi, 6.6 kilometres (4.1 mi) from the city centre.[2] Kibera is the largest slum in Nairobi, and the largest urban slum in Africa.[3][4][5] The 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census reports Kibera’s population as 170,070, contrary to previous estimates of one or two million people.[6] Other sources suggest the total Kibera population may be 500,000 to well over 1,000,000 depending on which slums are included in defining Kibera.[7][8][9][10]
I’ve been there. It’s MASSIVE. This photo sort of puts it into perspective. Thousands, perhaps millions, of people struggling, hungry, frustrated, discouraged, oppressed, sick, suffering, and more… And this image to me also represents the globe. Billions around the world in the same state. And wealth has nothing to do with it… many wealthy are just as impoverished and struggling, just in different ways, their lives are in shambles. I have a deep love for Kenya, and for everywhere else too.
When Jabez cried out, asking God to bless him, to enlarge his territory = his area of authority… God granted his request.
But Jabez didn’t just request for an enlarged territory, but for encouragement (that you would bless me, bless = barak = to praise, salute, congratulate, encourage), and for power and favour (that Your hand would be with me) and for wisdom and holy self-control (that You would keep me from evil, and that I may not cause pain), and in saying the last part, he was also indirectly asking for the ability, power, resources and wisdom to be able to be a HUGE blessing to people… to those in his “territory” or area of “assigned authority”.
So, we ask the same thing.
But the way God works is always Seed-then-Harvest, Faith-then-Reward. If you take a step in faith, then that makes room for the reward.
So, knowing this, we employ the Biblical principle. When the Israelites were about to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, the river was in high season and was tumultuous and deep. The priests carrying the ark of the covenant had to FIRST step into the water before it parted and made way for them. (Joshua 3:13)
We know that God has called us, because He said: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”… 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. Mark 16:15, 20
So, too, do we take a step of faith. We heed the call and trust God to provide. And we trust the promise God made in Isaiah 54:1-4. No matter what has gone before, TODAY EVERYTHING CHANGES.
It is time to start rejoicing!! It is time to start getting excited!!!
God is about to do something REALLY BIG in and through YOU!
Rejoice, you who wanted to make a difference for so long, but for so many reasons you couldn’t. Rejoice, you who had so many troubles up until now! Rejoice, you who have waited for such a long time for this! Rejoice, you who longed to be a blessing and have felt discouraged by struggles! You were hindered before, but NO LONGER.
God has made a promise, so rejoice in the PROMISE! And begin making your preparations!
Start enlarging your tent. Start making room for the influx of people who you will love and inspire and help. Start preparing to travel and minister.
What does “enlarging your tent” look like for you? Perhaps it’s beginning to set up a blog, or a ministry, or a business, or something else. Perhaps it’s just about saving money. But likely it is much more than that. For me, it is building the website with a giant number of future trips in mind, with multiple leaders representing Dandelion Missions all over the world.
And when you expand your tent, then you demonstrate by faith that you believe in and trust and EXPECT the promises of God to manifest. And by doing so, you provide the gateway by which God’s grace will flow and MANIFEST THAT PROMISE.
God has done it for me, He will and IS doing it for you!
Here are some scriptures to meditate on and prepare your hearts for this year’s journeys.
* Want to share what “enlarging your tent” means for you? Send us a message. We will cheer you on as you do it.
[1Ch 4:10 NKJV] 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep [me] from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.
[Isa 54:1-4 NKJV] 1 “Sing, O barren, You [who] have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You [who] have not labored with child! For more [are] the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman,” says the LORD. 2 “Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes. 3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited. 4 “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.
[Rom 4:16 NKJV] 16 Therefore [it is] of faith that [it might be] according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all[1Ch 4:10 NKJV]
[Heb 11:1 NKJV] 1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
[Psa 130:5 NKJV] 5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.
[2Co 1:20 NKJV] 20 For all the promises of God in Him [are] Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
