The Command To Expand
(Isaiah 54:2-4 NKJV) “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…
(Isaiah 54:2-4 MSG) “Clear lots of ground for your tents! Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big! Use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep. (3) You’re going to need lots of elbow room for your growing family. You’re going to take over whole nations; you’re going to resettle abandoned cities. (4) Don’t be afraid–you’re not going to be embarrassed. Don’t hold back–you’re not going to come up short…
Enlarge (HEB) = To expand, to widen, to go beyond, to make more room, to increase capacity, to go further, to occupy new territories with no limits or boundaries
“There is no limit to how far we can go this year.”
What Will It Take to Expand Our Vision?
Question and Answer:
“Lord, what will it take for us to fulfill our personal vision, as well as the vision for the church and ministry?”
- You will have to develop an uncommon faith to believe and receive all that God has planned for you.
- The Dictionary defines “uncommon” as: out of the ordinary, unusual.
- Uncommon faith says, “If God’s Word says it is so, then it is so.”
- Uncommon faith says, “I see it NOW.”
- Uncommon faith says, “I receive it NOW.”
- Uncommon faith says, “I have it NOW.”
Paul’s Strategic Faith Development Plan
(1 Thessalonians 3:10 AMP) (10) [And we] continue to pray especially and with most intense earnestness night and day that we may see you face to face and mend and make good whatever may be imperfect and lacking in your faith.
(1 Thessalonians 3:10 NLT) (10) Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith.
Paul had a strategic plan to move their faith up to the next level.
Two months later they had experienced stunning results.
(2 Thessalonians 1:3 NKJV) (3) We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other,
(2 Thessalonians 1:3 MSG) (3) You need to know, friends, that thanking God over and over for you is not only a pleasure; it’s a must. We have to do it. Your faith is growing phenomenally; your love for each other is developing wonderfully. Why, it’s only right that we give thanks.
Steps to Develop an Uncommon Faith
In order to develop uncommon faith, you will have to take some uncommon steps.
- Realize your faith potential.
(Romans 12:3 KJV) For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Billye Brim quoting David Baron in Glory Watch Magazine:
“God loves to communicate His absolute, limitless goodness to all. The only thing that limits Him from imparting His goodness to any human being is that person’s capacity to receive.”
- We all have an unlimited faith capacity.
- How far we go is totally up to us.
- Receive Jesus as the Developer of Your Faith
(Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2) looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus will become our “Faith Trainer” when we decide to live by faith. He will develop our faith the same way a trainer develops our body.
Expect Him to develop our faith every time we put our faith on the line.
- When we stand on 1 Peter 2:24 for healing
- When we stand on Philippians 4:19 for our needs
- When we stand on Romans 13:8 for our debt freedom
As our faith begins to grow, Satan’s dominion begins to wane and circumstances will yield and no longer look overpowering to us.