“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, and do not hold back. Lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread out to the right and to the left...”
For you will spread out to the right and to the left...”
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“No weapon formed against you will prevail.”
“Enlarge, Lengthen, and Stretch…Being Wise Stewards of God’s Blessings ”
SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 54:2-4,17
As we embark on implementing our vision, the above-mentioned prophetic words come from the mouth of the prophet Isaiah as he proclaims God’s plans for His people. Today, those words are still true and God’s promises continue to be real amongst His people, the Church!
After being in captivity for years, a new day is about to arrive. The days of pain and suffering will be gone, and God’s people can “shout for joy” for the presence of the Lord is with them. The enemy that once oppressed them is no longer in control. God’s “unfailing love” has broken the chains and the people are free to experience redemption and restoration. The Lord commands His people “not to be afraid, and not to fear disgrace” because the “Almighty, Holy One of Israel” is their Redeemer! God’s people with God’s power have taken back what the enemy took from them! It is a new day!!! The enemy is defeated and now it’s time to build up and expand with the glory of God. It’s time to move forward and not hold back. It’s a new day for us too. As we have spoken for the past weeks, we have been given a vision from the Lord to be more faithful as disciples by praying and praising more, by and by reaching out to those in need of hearing the good news of the gospel. We will success in God’s name, but be aware that the enemy is relentless in trying to snatch from us what God has given us. He doesn’t rest and he will constantly look for ways to rob our joy and interfere in our relationship with God. But praise the Lord that we too, have the “Almighty, Holy One of Israel” as our Redeemer! In the midst of adversity, and in the midst of hardship, we shall not be afraid! We fight in the name of the Almighty God who has given us victory through Jesus Christ, our Savior. We will stand on the promises of God that tell us that “no weapon formed against us will prevail”. Alleluia! We will recognize the enemy for what he is… a liar and a deceiver, and we will stand firm, connected to the power and the glory of God. For us, it’s also time to build up, time to move forward and not hold back. Fighting the enemy is only but a first step in God’s plan for us. We fight, we win in the name of the Lord, and we build on the victory God gives us. “Enlarge the place of your tent”, says the Lord! It’s time for the church to claim its territory and not settle for anything less than what God has for us. “Stretch and lengthen…” says the Lord! We will find ourselves in uncomfortable situations as God pushes us to go beyond our own limitations and embrace more challenging expectations. We are called to conquer new lands and navigate unchartered waters. “Strengthen your stakes” says the Lord! As life’s storms come our way, our faith must be grounded in the Lord. Never take your eyes off Jesus! We must focus on prayer and praise, and embrace the power of the Holy Spirit to stay strong. “Do not hold back…” says the Lord. All we are and all that we have is given to us by God. He is the sustainer of life and the supplier of all our needs. Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING!) comes from the love and mercy of our Lord. He chose us to be the recipients of all His blessings and He has called us to be faithful stewards of the same. So why hold back? “If God is for us, then who can be against us”. (Romans 8:31) The church moves forward in victory as we in obedience give to God what belongs to God… more of our time, more of our talents, and more of our treasures. Don’t hold back anything…surrender all that you are and all that has been given to you, to the Savior! Then we will experience the presence of the Lord and the glory of God in extraordinary and special ways. Then and only then, will we be able to enlarge our tents, and be able to lengthen our cords! No need to hold back, let’s go for it! For we are “more than conquerors by He who loves us”. To Him be all glory and praise, forever and ever, AMEN! |
