Enlarge Your Tent Series

Isaiah 54:1-3

1: "Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the LORD. 2: "Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. 3: For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.

Prayer

God is ready to do a bigger thing. God has a bigger plan for your work. "You must enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide." go to the next place where God wants us to go? "Lengthen your cord, strengthen your stakes, for you have spread out to the right and to the left. Your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities."

In this text the question that God is asking is “Will you Grow?”

There are some common misconceptions about how to grow spiritually

A New York City businessman moved to the country and bought a piece of land. He went to the local feed and livestock store and talked to the proprietor about how he was going to take up chicken farming. He then asked to buy 100 chicks.

"That’s a lot of chicks," commented the proprietor. "I mean business," the man replied.

A week later the new farmer was back again. "I need another 100 chicks," he said. "Boy, you are serious about this chicken farming," the man told him.

"Yeah," the man replied. "If I can iron out a few problems." "Problems?" asked the proprietor. "Yeah," replied the man, "I think I planted that last batch too close together."

We cannot grow by burying ourselves and expecting sprouts. In order to grow spiritually you need to listen to the shepherd’s voice. But there are also some other things you need to do.

I. Enlarge Your Capacity For God

God wants to do a bigger work in your life. God has a bigger purpose. But for that to take place you must enlarge your capacity for God. The number one purpose God had in creating us was for us to know God in an intimate relationship. And the second reason God created us was to make himself known through us.

Making room to grow.

1 Chronicles 4:10: Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. In the book, "The Prayer of Jabez". This is Jabez’s prayer, "Bless me and expand my territory."

It’s not wrong for you to ask God to bless you. In fact I would suggest that should be our prayer. Now the thing that made it right was that Jabez wanted to be used to ultimate capacity. His prayer was not self centered but rather it was centered upon allowing God to expend his area of influence.

God wants to expand your influence for his purpose. The measure of your life is not what you consume but what you allow God to birth through you. Here is a powerful principle in life: we live to give. It is a principle that is woven into the fabric of creation. Salmon spend the last days of their lives battling upstream to spawn. They have this intuitive sense that they exist for the purpose of birthing new life.