A prayer for God to ENLARGE YOUR COAST is a prayer for God to:
I. ENLARGE YOUR REACH.
The coast is a natural boundary to
the place where you already are.
*The coast is the stopping point; the
furthest place in your current area.
It is a clearly defined point on the
map.
*The coast is stationary and is not
up for debate.
*Jabez wasn’t asking for DIFFERENT
coast, or a NICER coast, or a more CONVENIENT coast.
*Jabez was praying for MORE coast.
*Jabez was praying for God to expand
his territory.
DEFINITION of ENLARGE: multiply; increase; to make much; to become great and numerous;
*Where he was living/serving/working/ministering/laboring
was not big enough for what he wanted to do.
*Jabez was praying for more. More
reach. More influence. More impact. More growth.
He was asking God to help him outgrow
the place where he was.
He was asking God to help him outgrow
the people where he was.
He was asking God to help him outgrow
the perimeters where he was.
*This prayer could be for:
A. An Individual – Jabez was an individual. He prayed for God to enlarge HIS coast. His
personally.
B. A Family – God can use a family to do
unbelievable things. Do you want God to enlarge your family’s coast?
C. A Church – Only God knows the impact a single church can have. Do you want God to
enlarge our coast?
*So many people just choose to live
with their natural limitations.
*Most people never think of asking
God to enlarge their coast.
*They just accept their current coast
as the ultimate; the clearly defined end of their reach.
*For many people, their coast is a
predetermined extent.
*In fact, most people are overwhelmed
with their current ability to reach.
*Let’s be honest – most people are
spread thin just with the coasts of their own home.
*Most people are overwhelmed with
their spouse and their children.
*That is more reach than they are
mentally, spiritually and emotionally capable of reaching.
*They are not even coming close to
reaching the people within their own sphere of influence.
*They are not looking for more reach;
more influence.
*Most people are looking for less.
*They are trying to get out of
reaching the people they already have within their coast.
A prayer for God to ENLARGE YOUR
COAST is a prayer for God to
II. ENLARGE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
*He was aware of the simple fact that
when God enlarges your coast, He increases your responsibility.
*Luke 12:48 …For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be
much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the
more.
Many people do not realize that with
greater influence comes greater responsibility and greater accountability.
*The more people you have to
influence, the greater the responsibility.
*The more people God lets you teach,
the greater the judgment.
*James 3:1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we
shall receive the greater condemnation.
A prayer for God to ENLARGE YOUR
COAST is a prayer for God to:
III. ENLARGE YOUR RESISTANCES
*Asking God to enlarge your coast is
not going to set well with some people.
*Praying and asking for God to
enlarge your coast will increase the opposition and the adversity.
A. The Inhabitants
*For God to enlarge your coast, He’s
going to have to take it from somebody else.
*They won’t appreciate it.
*You will be invading someone else’s
territory, so you’ll have to expect opposition from the inhabitants.
*Don’t think for one moment that the
enemy will be grateful that God is enlarging your coast.
*The devil thinks that is his
territory.
*He thinks that he has unlimited and
undisputed rights to that region.
*But if God has given it to you, take
it. Occupy it.
B. The Inactive
*Those that are content with where
they are will not understand your prayer for more.
*Your most vocal opponents will be
those that are not even capable of handling the coast they already have.
*The ones that will criticize you for
wanting to do more will be those that are doing nothing.
*The greatest critics will be those
that are wanting God to shrink their coast.
*They are looking for a way to get
out of what they are already supposed to be doing.
*They don’t want more reach.
*They don’t want more responsibility.
*In fact, the only thing they are
really good at is criticizing and harassing those that are praying for more.
*A prayer for God to ENLARGE YOUR
COAST is a prayer for God to:
IV. ENLARGE YOUR REWARD.
*Old Testament Illustration: Solomon
was a wealthy man. But he had a navy that traveled to countries beyond his
borders.
*The results were an unprecedented
reward.
1 Kings 9: 26 And king Solomon made a navy of ships in
Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of
Edom.
27 And
Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea,
with the servants of Solomon.
28 And
they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty
talents, and brought it to king Solomon.
1 Kings 10: 11 And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from
Ophir, (southern Arabia) brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and
precious stones.
12 And the
king made of the almug trees (sandlewood) pillars for the house of the LORD,
and for the king’s house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no
such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day.
22 For the
king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years
came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and
peacocks.
23 So king
Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.
*The moral of the story is this: When
you ask God to enlarge your coast, you are praying for God to bring in riches
and rewards that you cannot find within your own coasts.
*If you want apes and peacocks,
you’ll have to go where they are.
*If you want the gold and silver and
the cedars and the almug trees, you’ll have to go where they are!
QUOTE: No steps, no stories. – Todd
Bell
New Testament ILLUSTRATION:
God enlarged the coast of the early
church.
*He did it through persecution and
scattering of the church of Jerusalem.
Acts 8:1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that
time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem;
and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and
Samaria, except the apostles.
Acts 8:4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every
where preaching the word.
Watch what happened:
Acts 14:27 And when they were come, and had gathered the church
together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened
the door of faith unto the Gentiles.
Conclusion:
My question to you tonight is this?
Are you at all interested in God enlarging your coast?
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