Uncommon Faith – Part 3
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.
Steps to Develop an Uncommon Faith
In order to develop uncommon faith, you will have to take some uncommon steps.
- Realize your faith potential.
- 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 12:2 NKJV) 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.
- Give the Word first place and make it final authority.
(Proverbs 4:20-22 NKJV) My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. (21) Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; (22) For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
- We must build our busy schedule around the Word instead of trying to fit the Word into our busy schedules.
- We don’t make the Word fit our lifestyle, we adjust our lifestyle to fit the Word of God.
- Continually feed on the Word.
(Matthew 4:4 NKJV) But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.’ “
John Osteen – “If you will put the Word in your heart when you don’t need it, it will be there when you do need it.”
- Meditate on the Word.
(Joshua 1:8 NKJV) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
- Meditation is fixing your mind on the Word of God.
(Isaiah 26:3 NLT) You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!
The Word you meditate on will become the reality you desire!
- Act on the Word
(James 1:22-25 NLT) But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. (23) For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. (24) You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. (25) But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
(James 2:26 NKJV) For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
- “Let the redeemed say so…” (Ps. 107:2)—whether or not you feel like it.
- “Let the weak say, I am strong…” (Joel 3:10)
(Mark 2:5 NKJV) When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
- Jesus saw their faith.
- Their acting on the Word was visible.
Act as though the Word is absolutely true!
- Pray in the Spirit
(Jude 1:20 AMPC) But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;
(1 Corinthians 14:4 NKJV) He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
Edify (GK) = Enlarging of a house; to augment, enhance and improve
- To charge your faith like a battery; faith boost
- Whenever you sense your faith is in a weakened condition, just spend some time praying in the spirit to build yourself up in your faith.
- Continually Give God Praise.
(Psalms 34:1 NKJV) I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
If you want to enlarge your faith, cultivate a lifestyle of thanksgiving.
Praise and thanksgiving are mighty affirmations of faith.
What we do between the time we pray and see the manifestation is crucial. After the “amen” of our prayer, we continue to thank God for the manifestation of the desired result.
(Psalms 67:5-7 NKJV) Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. (6) Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. (7) God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
Jerry Savelle – “The depth of your praise will determine the magnitude of your harvest.”