It’s hard to fathom a people that would settle for receiving only a part of what God promised, right? When God gave Israel the Promised Land, the boundaries made it to about 300,000 square miles. Under David and Solomon, the people of Israel occupied 30,000 square miles. So when Israel was at its greatest point in its history, it was only 1/10 of what God had promised them. (Joshua 1:4) Presently 7,000 square miles make up Israel.
God told them through the Prophet Isaiah the same thing He’s telling us this very day:
- Enlarge. Make it bigger. Ephesians 3:20 “exceedingly” and 2 Corinthians 9:10- “Multiply thy seed.” Set-up to make room for more! “Foolish is the farmer who has seed but deems his seed too valuable to bury in the ground.- Because he can’t see it.” (2 Corinthians 9:10)
- Stretch. They weren’t given new curtains. They stretched what they already had.
a. God will stretch you. It often starts with a dream or a vision.
i. God gave Noah a dream of an ark
ii. God gave Abraham a dream of being a great father
iii. God gave Joseph a dream of being a leader that’d save his people
iv. God gave Nehemiah a dream of building the wall around Jerusale
b. When God gives you a dream, it will stretch you. If it stretches you, you can be sure it comes from God!
c. It will take faith to bring it about. If you could do it on your own, you wouldn’t need faith. - Do not spare. Do NOT hold back. Sow generously, walk in faith, and live by the Spirit. God’s not much into waste. He told the Israelites to gather according to their needs. Exodus 16:19-21.
- Luke 9:17- The fragments were picked up.
- Lengthen. The cords keep the tent in place and properly balanced.
- Strengthen your stakes. Get rooted and grounded in truth. To me the stakes keep us from being tossed with every wind of Doctrine. Isaiah 35:3 tells us “Strengthen ye the weak hands, confirm the weak knees.”
How do we strengthen people who feel weak or fearful? Tell them the Lord’s coming. Not by Might, Nor by Power, BUT by God’s Spirit. (Zechariah 4:6)
Why would we live beneath the promise?
May you sieze this great opportunity to enlarge your span of influence and live a life that exceeds your expectations!