1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,000 I invite you to join me now in 1st Chronicles chapter 4 and verse 9. We're continuing now with just part 2 of this series Level Up and it's based on this man of the Bible named J.Bez. 2 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:20,000 You weren't here last Sunday. I invite you to go back to the recording, listen to that message. It'll bless you. 3 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:32,000 The word of God says this, Now J.Bez was more honorable than his brothers and his mother called his name J.Bez saying because I bore him in pain. 4 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:43,000 And J.Bez called on the God of Israel saying, Oh, that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory. 5 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:52,000 That your hand would be with me and that you would keep me from evil. That I may not cause pain. 6 00:00:52,000 --> 00:01:03,000 So God granted him what he requested. My title today is God sized prayers. God sized prayers. 7 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:15,000 Let us pray right now. Father, I thank you for your spirit that we feel so wonderfully in this place. And I ask God that you would now speak to us from your word. 8 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:26,000 Annoy my lips of clay, God. Put your word in my mouth that everything that is spoken, God, would be God approved and God anointed. 9 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:36,000 And touch the ears and the hearts of all that are here today and those that are watching be a life stream, God, that they would receive this word with gladness and be strengthening courage today. 10 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:43,000 In Jesus name, we declare this a mess. I'm going to say, Amen. Now you can be seated in the presence of God. 11 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:48,000 And then we also got our Park Day today, too. So praise God. Amen. Hallelujah. 12 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:58,000 About 20 years ago, I was introduced to a little book called The Prayer of Jabez by an author named Bruce Wilkinson. 13 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:07,000 I don't know how many of you are familiar with this book, have read it. To be honest, I didn't even know who Jabez was until I got a copy of this book. 14 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:18,000 I never read his story, never read the verse, but I became very interested in Jabez and his prayer. 15 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:27,000 This was a period of my life where I was trying to develop a more fervent prayer life. 16 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:41,000 Growing up in church all my life, was born and raised, dedicated as a baby in the church, slept under the pews, like they say, and been around prayer all of my life. 17 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:56,000 But there came a point in which I understood that it was time for me to get my own prayer life and really begin to develop that close relationship with God. 18 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:00,000 And so around that time was when this little book was introduced to me. 19 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:09,000 And my dad also at the time had noticed that I was hungering for more of God and wanted to grow in prayer. 20 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:16,000 And so he invited me to join him at the church every Friday. 21 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:23,000 And so him and I would meet every Friday morning at 5 a.m. for prayer. 22 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:27,000 And this went on for years, just myself and my dad. 23 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,000 Sometimes other brothers would come. 24 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:36,000 They were everyone, anybody was welcome, but rain or shine, my dad and I would meet there for prayer. 25 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:46,000 And that was really the schooling or the training for the life of prayer that I would eventually develop. 26 00:03:46,000 --> 00:04:02,000 And it was during this time that I was as I was praying more and learning about J.Bez that I learned the importance of not just praying longer, but praying bigger. 27 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:09,000 Amen. There is a difference between long prayers and big prayers. 28 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:22,000 Not all long prayers or lengthy prayers are big prayers and not all big prayers are necessarily long prayers. 29 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:28,000 So lengthy prayers doesn't equate to big prayers. 30 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:32,000 In other words, you can pray all day long if you'd like. 31 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:52,000 But if there's no faith being mixed in that prayer, if you're not claiming or asking or believing for big things, it could just be an average prayer, but not the kind of prayer that would move God and the kind of prayer that excites God. 32 00:04:52,000 --> 00:05:02,000 I think and I believe that there is a certain kind of prayer that excites God, that really pushes God to move. 33 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:14,000 And so what I've discovered is that that God not only invites us to pray more, but he invites us to pray for more. 34 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:27,000 Men, it's good for us to pray longer and to pray more, but not just to pray more for the sake of praying more, but to pray for more. 35 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:38,000 Why is that? Because God desires to not only supply all your needs according to his riches and glory, 36 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:49,000 but that you may prosper in all things and be in health just as your soul prospers. 37 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:58,000 And I want to today just lay a very brief foundation before I begin to look closely at the prayer of Jabez. 38 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:05,000 So before I can preach about what I would call God sized prayers, 39 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:10,000 we have to establish a few facts about God. 40 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:16,000 First fact we need to know is that God is an abundant God. 41 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:26,000 I said he is an abundant God. Somebody give God a praise if you believe he is an abundant God. 42 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:32,000 He is an abundant God. God is not lack of anything. 43 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:36,000 He possesses all things. 44 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:42,000 And in the Old Testament, they had a name for God, El Shaddai. 45 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:49,000 El Shaddai, which means the God of more than enough. 46 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:54,000 If God was just enough, I'd still serve him. 47 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:57,000 How about you? 48 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:01,000 If he was just enough, I'd still serve him. 49 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:06,000 But the fact is, is that he's not just enough because if he was just enough, 50 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:10,000 that means he would meet your needs and I'd still serve him for that. 51 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:18,000 But he's the God of more than enough, which means that he not only meets our needs, 52 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:22,000 but he exceeds our needs. 53 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:31,000 This is why David wrote in his famous Psalm 23, he said, my cup runneth over. 54 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:35,000 He doesn't just feel my eye, I could just preach on this, hallelujah. 55 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:42,000 He doesn't just feel my cup, but he feels it to the point that it runs over. 56 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:49,000 He feels, my God, he feels it to the point that I'm overflowing with the goodness 57 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:54,000 and the abundance and the excellence and the goodness of God. 58 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,000 Praise be to God. 59 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,000 And so my cup runs over. 60 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,000 God is an abundant God. 61 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:09,000 And secondly, I want to establish today is that God is a blessing God. 62 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:20,000 Jesus taught if you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children. 63 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:28,000 How much more will your father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him? 64 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:36,000 God is saying, if you as an earthly parent, mother or father, know how to give good gifts 65 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:40,000 to your children, how much more am I? 66 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:44,000 Your supreme, your heavenly father would give good gifts to you. 67 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:50,000 What I want to establish today is this, before we could talk about praying big prayers, 68 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:55,000 praying God sized prayers, you need to know that number one, God is abundant. 69 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:57,000 He lacks nothing. 70 00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:59,000 And number two, God is a blessing God. 71 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:03,000 He actually wants to bless you. 72 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:04,000 Amen. 73 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:11,000 He actually wants to give you good gifts because he is a good God. 74 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:15,000 And God is the source of all blessings, all blessings. 75 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:19,000 Every good gift the Bible tells us comes from above. 76 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:26,000 Every good gift, every good thing that we have in our life is because God ordained it. 77 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:27,000 God allowed it. 78 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:28,000 God blessed it. 79 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,000 He is the source of all blessings. 80 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:37,000 I alluded to Psalm 23 and I'll allude to it again where David says, the Lord is my shepherd. 81 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:38,000 Hallelujah. 82 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,000 How many of you is he your shepherd today? 83 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,000 The Lord is my shepherd. 84 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:51,000 I shall not want everything I could possibly need, everything I could possibly dream and aspire to. 85 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:55,000 God is my shepherd and he leads me to the green pastures. 86 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:59,000 He makes me lie down in green pastures. 87 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:02,000 He leads me beside still waters. 88 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:09,000 I've come to announce to somebody today that we serve an abundant God and we serve a blessing God. 89 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:13,000 And God is always in the mood and blessing his people. 90 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:23,000 And I don't know about you today, but I want to walk out of those doors more blessed than I did when I walked in. 91 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:27,000 And all we've got to do is learn the secrets of prayer. 92 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:31,000 Because let me tell you where these blessings will come through. 93 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:33,000 Hallelujah. 94 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:35,000 Prayer, someone say prayer. 95 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:40,000 Prayer is the pipeline of God's favor. 96 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:42,000 Oh, I get excited when I think about that. 97 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:44,000 Prayer, someone say it again. 98 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:45,000 Say prayer. 99 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:47,000 Prayer is the pipeline. 100 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:54,000 It's the channel through which the blessings and the favor of God flow. 101 00:10:54,000 --> 00:11:07,000 And if we ever tap in to prayer and really pray like we mean it and understand that God is inviting us to pray these God-sized prayers, 102 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:15,000 then we will invite him to intervene on our behalf in ways that we have never seen. 103 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:20,000 God is wanting to move among us, move among our families, 104 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:29,000 move among our businesses, move among our ministries in ways that we have not even begin to imagine. 105 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:34,000 I want somebody to understand something about the way that God works. 106 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:41,000 Whatever you have experienced of him thus far is not even a fraction of what God can do. 107 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:47,000 If you keep praying and believing and asking God for the big stuff. 108 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,000 Hey, I'm thankful for the little things. 109 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:54,000 I'm thankful for all the little blessings, but I serve the God of the overflow. 110 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:57,000 I serve the God of the abundance. 111 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:02,000 And God wants to bless us, but we've got to pray. 112 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:09,000 Let's look at the four parts of J.B.S.'s prayer, which was a God-sized prayer. 113 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,000 And the first part is bless me. 114 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:15,000 Someone say bless me. 115 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:26,000 He said, J.B.S. began his prayer saying, Oh, that you would bless me indeed. 116 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:34,000 Now that word bless is powerful, but there's actually two other words in this verse that I want to focus on. 117 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:39,000 And they are the words, oh, and indeed. 118 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:43,000 I want to actually focus on those two words. 119 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:49,000 The word oh is an important word, and you need to get a revelation of oh. 120 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:53,000 Someone say, oh, oh, I didn't know what I did. 121 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:55,000 Well, yeah, now you know. 122 00:12:55,000 --> 00:13:02,000 Oh is a word that serves no other purpose than to express strong emotion and intensity. 123 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:05,000 It is a word that flows out of the heart. 124 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:12,000 That word oh especially expresses when you are surprised or amazed by something. 125 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,000 Somebody shows you something you've never seen. 126 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:18,000 You go, oh, wow, I've never seen that before. 127 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:20,000 Or oh my, right. 128 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:23,000 Or if it's bad, you might say, oh, no. 129 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:30,000 But that word oh usually expresses that you are amazed or surprised about something. 130 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,000 It flows out of the heart. 131 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,000 It's an expression of wonder. 132 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:40,000 It's an expression of excitement, an expression of amazement. 133 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:46,000 And I believe that that little word oh, that two-letter word oh is so key. 134 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:52,000 This is how Jabez started his prayer on an oh. 135 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:59,000 He said, oh, there's something about that oh that God must have turned and looked at and said, 136 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:03,000 oh, I think I hear my servant calling me right now. 137 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:06,000 And maybe it was a cry. 138 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:12,000 Maybe he yelled from the depths of his soul oh. 139 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:16,000 And God heard his son calling on him. 140 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:21,000 It is a term of excitement or a term of passion. 141 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,000 It is a term of praise. 142 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:29,000 And it was that oh that set the tone for the rest of the prayer. 143 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:33,000 If you want to know how to attract the attention of God, 144 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:37,000 if you want to know how to arrest the attention of God, 145 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:42,000 if you want to make your prayers more powerful starting from this day forward, 146 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:45,000 you need to get a revelation of oh. 147 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:52,000 And oh, my God, you need to get into a place of prayer when you really begin to call on God 148 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:59,000 from the depths of your soul and say oh, we've got to put these boring prayers aside. 149 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:03,000 We've got to put these lifeless, emotionless prayers aside. 150 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,000 God gave you emotions for a reason. 151 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:08,000 He's an emotional God. 152 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:11,000 And he wants to feel the beat of your heart. 153 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:14,000 He wants to know that you're praying like you mean it. 154 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:16,000 Am I talking to anybody here today? 155 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:21,000 If you get a revelation of oh, it'll change the way that you pray. 156 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:28,000 From the moment that you put your feet down, the moment that you begin to kneel and you say oh, 157 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:33,000 or you begin to call out to him with words that cannot be uttered, 158 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:37,000 that will do something to the heart of God, 159 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:41,000 I believe that there are some oh people here today. 160 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:44,000 There are some oh people here today. 161 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:48,000 Oh, yes, God, I believe. 162 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:54,000 Come on, clap your hands and give God some praise here today. 163 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,000 I can preach a whole message just on oh. 164 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:04,000 Magnify the Lord with me if we can get that oh in our spirit and go before what am I preaching? 165 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:05,000 I'm preaching. 166 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:09,000 We've got to come to him with excitement and anticipation. 167 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:11,000 We've got to come to him with our whole heart. 168 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:15,000 We've got to preach and we've got to pray bold prayers. 169 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:21,000 Bold prayers are those that are offered with praise and with passion. 170 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:25,000 Oh, God wants us to cry out unto him. 171 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:30,000 Oh, God, here I am again. 172 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:34,000 Oh, God, I love you. 173 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:36,000 And I feel the Holy Ghost. 174 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:46,000 Oh, God, if we would get an oh in our spirit, it'll revolutionize the way you pray. 175 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:51,000 It'll change the way it'll turn your altar on fire. 176 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,000 It'll call something to happen. 177 00:16:54,000 --> 00:17:00,000 If the devil wants to stop anything, it's to take that oh out of your spirit. 178 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:04,000 Oh, hallelujah. 179 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:08,000 Long are the days of dry, empty, cold prayers. 180 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:12,000 Long are the days of sleepy, tired and emotionless prayers. 181 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,000 We've got to get the oh back in our hearts. 182 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:20,000 And then when you get the oh, the second word was the word indeed. 183 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:25,000 He said, oh, that you would bless me indeed. 184 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:27,000 Indeed. 185 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:29,000 And that word indeed is also important. 186 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:34,000 That word indeed means it's to make an emphasis on something. 187 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:38,000 When you say the word indeed, you're saying that something is true 188 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:41,000 or something is truer than something else. 189 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:47,000 When you say indeed, if somebody asks you a question and you answer indeed, 190 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:51,000 what you are saying is it's very much so. 191 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:56,000 You are saying really and certainly without a shadow of a doubt it is. 192 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,000 And I believe that when we go for God in prayer, 193 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:03,000 he doesn't just want to hear and feel the oh of our spirit, 194 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:08,000 but he also wants to hear somebody praying with an indeed. 195 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:11,000 God, I've got a made of mind. 196 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:13,000 God, I am settled in my spirit. 197 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:16,000 God, I'm not taking no for an answer. 198 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:20,000 God, I'm ready to wrestle with you like Jacob did. 199 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,000 God, I'm ready to say, my God, I feel something. 200 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:25,000 I need this indeed. 201 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,000 Without a doubt, God, I want it. 202 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:30,000 Without a doubt, God, I need it. 203 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:32,000 Without a doubt, God, I'm believing for it. 204 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:36,000 We've got to have an indeed in our spirit. 205 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,000 And come boldly before the throne of grace. 206 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:44,000 Our Bible teaches us and we read in Hebrews 4 and 16. 207 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:47,000 Therefore, let us come boldly. 208 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,000 Someone say boldly. 209 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:51,000 Say boldly. 210 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:56,000 Let us come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain 211 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:01,000 mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 212 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:07,000 God wants us to come to him like we are his spiritual sons and daughters. 213 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:09,000 I've got news for you today. 214 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:12,000 I am not a spiritual beggar. 215 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:15,000 I am not a spiritual beggar. 216 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:18,000 I don't have to beg God for anything. 217 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:21,000 Do I got a witness in the house today? 218 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:28,000 I don't got to beg God for anything because I realize that I am already the head and not the tail. 219 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:35,000 I realize that every time I go before the throne of grace, I am covered by the blood of Jesus. 220 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,000 I stand in his righteousness. 221 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,000 Can't I preach like a filter? 222 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:46,000 I stand in his goodness and when I ask for what I need, I'm not asking in my name, 223 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:51,000 but I'm asking in his name and I can do so with boldness. 224 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:54,000 I can do so with fervency. 225 00:19:54,000 --> 00:20:00,000 I've come to preach to somebody here today that you want to pray with a greater boldness 226 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:05,000 and say, God, this is the day that the Lord has made. 227 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:12,000 And I claim my blessing and I claim my miracle and I claim what I need from you today. 228 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:15,000 Somebody ought to praise him in this house. 229 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:17,000 Somebody ought to lift up your voice. 230 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:20,000 Somebody ought to magnify his name. 231 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,000 I can come boldly. 232 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,000 Jesus! 233 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,000 This is not about demanding from God. 234 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:30,000 This is not about making God our genie. 235 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:33,000 This is not about making God do things he don't want to do. 236 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:37,000 No, but God wants us to come before him boldly. 237 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:42,000 We are, as the Bible teaches, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. 238 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,000 That means you are royalty. 239 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:45,000 Hallelujah. 240 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,000 That means our God. 241 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,000 How many of you know he's an abundant God? 242 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:52,000 He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. 243 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:55,000 He owns the land that flows with milk and honey. 244 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:56,000 He owns everything. 245 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:57,000 My God. 246 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:59,000 And we ought to pray. 247 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:00,000 You know how we ought to pray? 248 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:02,000 Like we're seated in heavenly places. 249 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:05,000 My God, I don't have to beg for it, God. 250 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:08,000 But all I got to do is ask with an O. 251 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:13,000 And indeed, God, this is what I want. 252 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:15,000 Someone shout hallelujah today. 253 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:17,000 Then he prays this. 254 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:19,000 He prays enlarge me. 255 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:20,000 This is the second part. 256 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:22,000 Enlarge me. 257 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,000 He says, and enlarge. 258 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:27,000 He's very specific. 259 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:31,000 My territory. 260 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:34,000 You're going to pray at God-sized prayers. 261 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:36,000 Don't ask for reduction. 262 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:38,000 Ask for more. 263 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:40,000 Hallelujah. 264 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:47,000 When you're going to pray at God-sized prayer, you're going to say, Lord, enlarge my territory. 265 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:48,000 Hallelujah. 266 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:51,000 Somebody say amen today. 267 00:21:51,000 --> 00:22:00,000 First of all, I read this and I began to meditate and think, well, if Jabez asked God to enlarge my territory, 268 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:06,000 what it tells me, number one, is that Jabez had a territory to enlarge. 269 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:12,000 Can I tell you that God's already given you a territory? 270 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:16,000 You can't ask God to enlarge something you don't have. 271 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,000 Jabez was already blessed. 272 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:25,000 He said, God, this is good and I like it, but I want more. 273 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:27,000 Anybody want more here today? 274 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:28,000 Hallelujah. 275 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,000 I want more of your goodness. 276 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:31,000 I want more. 277 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:39,000 And he said, enlarge my territory, the space, God, that you have given to me, Lord, enlarge it. 278 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:45,000 And this is important because God had already given him a territory. 279 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,000 God had already given him a space. 280 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:54,000 This is important because too often people pray for things while overlooking what God has already given them. 281 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:57,000 Jabez didn't say, give me a new territory. 282 00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:02,000 He said, enlarge the territory I already have. 283 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:04,000 Oh, my Lord, hallelujah. 284 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,000 I'm going to help somebody here today. 285 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:08,000 He didn't ask God for a new territory. 286 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:12,000 He asked God to grow what I have. 287 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:16,000 My God, grow what you've already given me. 288 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:20,000 Expand what you've already given me. 289 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:25,000 He said, grow it, God, enlarge it, enlarge it, make it wider, make it bigger. 290 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:26,000 Hallelujah. 291 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:30,000 Secondly, he's not just asking. 292 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,000 I want to clear up something. 293 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:38,000 Jabez is not just praying for wealth and prosperity for the sake of wealth and prosperity. 294 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,000 He's saying, God, give me more. 295 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:47,000 But with him asking for more, he's not just asking for a bigger slice of the pie. 296 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:55,000 He's not just asking for a bigger slice just so he can, you know, I don't know, show off to other people. 297 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:58,000 I don't think how big of a thing I got here going on. 298 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:05,000 No, he asked for more so that he could do more with what he had. 299 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:07,000 Hallelujah. 300 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:12,000 He's asking for a greater responsibility, a greater influence. 301 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:17,000 Jabez is not just asking for more land for the sake of land. 302 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:22,000 Jabez is saying, God, expand my influence. 303 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:29,000 Expand and enlarge, God, the area that you've given me to steward. 304 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:30,000 Hallelujah. 305 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:32,000 And to be responsible for. 306 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:34,000 And so he praises to God. 307 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:40,000 And I'm reminded of the heart, the heart of a God-sized prayer. 308 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:45,000 It's not selfish, but it's inclusive of others and how we can bless them. 309 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:50,000 I'm reminded of the covenant that God made with Abram. 310 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:56,000 In Genesis 12 and verse two, I will make you Abram, who would become Abraham. 311 00:24:56,000 --> 00:25:00,000 I will make you a great nation. 312 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,000 I'm going to make you one. 313 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:06,000 I will bless you and make your name great. 314 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:12,000 And you shall be a blessing. 315 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:18,000 I'm going to bless you, Abraham, so that you in turn can bless others. 316 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:19,000 Hallelujah. 317 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:24,000 So you in turn can take the blessing, the influence, whatever I've given you, 318 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:31,000 the large, enlarged territory or capacity in order to bless someone else. 319 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:33,000 Everybody wants to be blessed. 320 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:35,000 But I just got a question for you. 321 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:41,000 The question is, blessed for what reason? 322 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:42,000 Blessed for what reason? 323 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:45,000 For what reason do we want to be blessed? 324 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:48,000 Why should God bless you with more? 325 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:49,000 Hallelujah. 326 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:51,000 Why should he bless you? 327 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:58,000 Please understand that God never blesses for the sake of blessing. 328 00:25:58,000 --> 00:25:59,000 Hallelujah. 329 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:03,000 Doing so might actually do more harm than hell. 330 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:08,000 He doesn't give us growth for the sake of growth. 331 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:16,000 God's blessings, hear me today, are always attached to a divine purpose. 332 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:18,000 Amen. 333 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:22,000 Did I lose some of you guys? 334 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:29,000 He always blesses us for a divine purpose, and it's to be a blessing. 335 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:30,000 Amen. 336 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:33,000 To lift up others. 337 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:34,000 Hallelujah. 338 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:44,000 God invites us to pray for increase, for enlargement, for expansion. 339 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,000 Why? 340 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:55,000 We are to pray these things so that in turn we can do what Jabez did when God expanded his territory. 341 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:59,000 He had more to take care of. 342 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:03,000 He had more responsibility that was given to him in his life. 343 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:13,000 And when we pray these things, get ready, because you cannot expect God to expand your territory and you not be stretched. 344 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:16,000 The only way to expand something is to stretch. 345 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,000 As someone say stretch. 346 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:20,000 I like that word. 347 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:21,000 Let's say it again. 348 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,000 Say stretch. 349 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:26,000 In order for something to expand, I'll only be a few more moments. 350 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:27,000 Amen. 351 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:31,000 And then only for it to expand, it's got to be stretched. 352 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:37,000 Many people want expansion, they don't want to be stretched. 353 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:42,000 Because being stretched is going to make me uncomfortable. 354 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:43,000 Hallelujah. 355 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:48,000 Being stretched is going to cost me something. 356 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:51,000 Being stretched is going to inconvenience me. 357 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:56,000 They want expansion, but they don't want discomfort or accountability to come with it. 358 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:59,000 I just want to grow, but I don't want to be stretched. 359 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:03,000 You're never going to grow until you are stretched. 360 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:06,000 And in order to be stretched, you've got to be made uncomfortable. 361 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:08,000 So I've got news for somebody here today. 362 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:13,000 If you're going to pray a God-sized prayer, say, God, expand my territory, Lord. 363 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:15,000 Give me more influence. 364 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:16,000 Use me in a greater way. 365 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:22,000 I want to be used God and expand the boundaries of my ministry and my life. 366 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:26,000 Get ready to be stretched. 367 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,000 Get ready to be stretched. 368 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:34,000 Those that God uses the most are those that God bruises the most. 369 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:35,000 So I don't know if God worked like that. 370 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,000 Absolutely. 371 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:46,000 If you can't be made uncomfortable, if you can't go through pain, if you can't be, if it can't stretch, then it's never going to expand. 372 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:49,000 And the only kind of expansion it'll be is that of a balloon. 373 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:55,000 And once a balloon has expanded beyond what it can do, what does it do? 374 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:57,000 It pops. 375 00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:58,000 There it went. 376 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:01,000 It expanded, but it didn't last. 377 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:03,000 It popped. 378 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:05,000 It's not the kind of growth that God. 379 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:08,000 We don't want to have balloon growth. 380 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:12,000 We want to have territory grow. 381 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:13,000 Make me wider. 382 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:15,000 God, take me further. 383 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:16,000 Somebody give God some praise today. 384 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,000 Hallelujah. 385 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:20,000 He prays. 386 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:22,000 Thirdly, he prays. 387 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:27,000 Oh, brother, I didn't call you up yet, but you can come up anyways. 388 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:30,000 Play real soft. 389 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:33,000 Thirdly is to be with me. 390 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:37,000 Jabez wanted more than anything. 391 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:38,000 He wanted the blessing. 392 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:41,000 More than the blessing. 393 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:43,000 More than the blessing. 394 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:47,000 He wanted the blesser. 395 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:51,000 He said, God, I need you to be with me. 396 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:54,000 Some would say be with me. 397 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:55,000 And so he prays. 398 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:56,000 Say it again. 399 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:57,000 Be with me. 400 00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:02,000 He prayed that your hand would be with me. 401 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:04,000 The hand of God, he prays. 402 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:07,000 I need you to be with me. 403 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:20,000 Nothing terrifies me more than having success, blessing, and expansion without the hand of God. 404 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:23,000 Nothing scares me more than that. 405 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:32,000 To be in a place of presumed blessing, whatever you want to call it, success without the hand of God. 406 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:40,000 So he prays that your hand would be with me. 407 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:47,000 Without the presence of God, what is it, brother, sister? 408 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:49,000 It's nothing. 409 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:51,000 Without the presence of God. 410 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:53,000 He said, I need your hand. 411 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:55,000 The hand symbolizes God's presence. 412 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:56,000 Why? 413 00:30:56,000 --> 00:31:00,000 Because you can't separate the hand from the body. 414 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:02,000 The body goes where the hand goes. 415 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:04,000 Hallelujah. 416 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:14,000 And he says, give me your hand, God, because no matter where I go, no matter how you bless me, no matter how prosperous or great I become, doesn't matter. 417 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:20,000 If your hand is not with me, God, then it's not going to stay blessed. 418 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:24,000 If your hand isn't with me, God, if I don't have your presence, God. 419 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:26,000 He said, I need your presence. 420 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:28,000 I need to stay in your presence. 421 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:34,000 I need to walk with you like the children of Israel did with the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. 422 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:38,000 They dare not get ahead of the cloud. 423 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:40,000 Oh, are you hearing what I'm saying today? 424 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:42,000 Are you all still tracking with me right now? 425 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:43,000 Hallelujah. 426 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:47,000 They dare not get ahead of the pillar of fire. 427 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:51,000 I need you, God, your hand to be with me. 428 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:56,000 I need you, Lord, I need your presence, God, to guide me. 429 00:31:56,000 --> 00:32:08,000 What happens a lot of times is that people taste success and then they forget who opened the door. 430 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:09,000 Oh, Jesus. 431 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:13,000 You know, remember the story of the butler? 432 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:18,000 The butler in Pharaoh's palace, the one that Joseph interpreted his dream. 433 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:19,000 Remember that story? 434 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:20,000 Remember? 435 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:21,000 Remember he interpreted his dream? 436 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:22,000 He blessed him. 437 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:23,000 He ministered to him. 438 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:24,000 Right. 439 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:25,000 That was all God. 440 00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:27,000 Then the butler gets his life is preserved. 441 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:30,000 He's back in the palace. 442 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:34,000 I mean, that boy's living the life. 443 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:35,000 He made it. 444 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:38,000 Let everybody know I'm back. 445 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:41,000 Oh, man, the butler is back. 446 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:43,000 He's enjoying the blessings, right? 447 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:47,000 Sitting at the king's table, sipping wine with everybody else. 448 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:50,000 And he's just going about his life, just enjoying the goodness. 449 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:55,000 And the whole time, Joseph said, look, when you get there, remember me. 450 00:32:55,000 --> 00:33:01,000 Remember that it was God that opened that door? 451 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:03,000 And the butler forgot. 452 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:05,000 He forgot about him. 453 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,000 And a lot of Christians are blessed. 454 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:08,000 But you know what? 455 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:13,000 They left their Josephs in prison. 456 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:16,000 They forgot to go back. 457 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:21,000 They forgot the spiritual gifts, their passions, their abilities are in prison. 458 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:29,000 Now they've tasted success and they forgot the remedy and the keys that got them to where they are. 459 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:31,000 Oh, shee-haw-la-ma-ka. 460 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:33,000 I feel something right now. 461 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:35,000 You know what the Holy Ghost told me? 462 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:37,000 I'm going to wrap it up here soon. 463 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:45,000 The Holy Ghost told me that God's about to cast some checks on promises that you made him that if he blessed you the way he did, you said you would do. 464 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:47,000 And some of us haven't. 465 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:50,000 God hasn't yet cast the check on some of the things. 466 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:58,000 God, if you bless me with this, I'm going to use it for your glory. 467 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:01,000 Well, he's waiting. 468 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:07,000 You said some of you prayed for a house and you said, God, if you give me a house, I'll make this house a sanctuary. 469 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:08,000 I'll open it up for souls. 470 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:10,000 You gave God that condition. 471 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:11,000 God didn't tell you to say that. 472 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:16,000 You said, if you bless me with a house, you bless me with it, then people are going to be saved here. 473 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:17,000 We're going to have Bible study here. 474 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:23,000 You haven't opened up your home for Bible study once. 475 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:29,000 If you bless me with this car, I'm going to use it to bring souls to church. 476 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:33,000 Some of us can't even get ourselves to church. 477 00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:41,000 I'm here to tell you, God is about to start cashing some checks on some things that we said, Lord, if you would expand my territory. 478 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:43,000 You know how it is in prayer. 479 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:47,000 You start saying, God, if you bless me, I promise you. 480 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:48,000 Huh? 481 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:50,000 I promise you, God, I'm going to do this. 482 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:51,000 I'm going to serve you. 483 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:53,000 I'm going to give more. 484 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:58,000 God didn't bless you with more so that you can give less. 485 00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:04,000 He blessed you with more so that you would always know that he is the source of your blessing. 486 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:06,000 He is the source of your life. 487 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:11,000 He is the source and he can give it and he can take it away. 488 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:15,000 So this is the mindset that I have in prayer. 489 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:23,000 God, bless me, enlarge my territory, but not at the expense of your presence. 490 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:25,000 Would you stand with me today? 491 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:31,000 Not at the expense of your hand, God. 492 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:49,000 The only way to keep the hand of God, the only way to keeping God's hand is to stay under his hand. 493 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:54,000 The only way to keep God's hand in his presence is you got to stay under it. 494 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:56,000 You got to humble yourself. 495 00:35:56,000 --> 00:36:05,000 You got to humble yourself and get under, not above, under, under. 496 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:07,000 Someone say under. 497 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:18,000 Under his hand, under authority, under his rule and reign, under. 498 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:26,000 And when we stay under, we are ensuring that the hand of God will be with us. 499 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:27,000 But I've got to stay under it. 500 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:29,000 I can't get ahead of it. 501 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:31,000 I can't fall behind it. 502 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:33,000 I can't get above it. 503 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:35,000 I've got to stay under it. 504 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:40,000 And then, and with this, I'm not going to say everything I wanted to say on this point because of time, 505 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:43,000 but the last thing that he prayed was keep me. 506 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:47,000 He said keep me from evil so I don't cause pain. 507 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:52,000 He said keep me because what's the use of, what's the use of being blessed, 508 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:59,000 having more territory and having all these things if I don't change as a person? 509 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:03,000 Let me tell you the priority of prayer. 510 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:10,000 The main purpose of prayer, listen, the main priority of prayer is not to get God to change your circumstances, 511 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:13,000 but for God to change you. 512 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:19,000 And to she all of my come now, J.B. says, God, I want you to bless me. 513 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:21,000 I want you to increase me. 514 00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:28,000 But at the end of the day, God, I want you to change and transform who I am as a person, 515 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:34,000 God, so that I don't cause pain and that I get beyond my flesh and my soul. 516 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:39,000 I believe that there is somebody today that's got an O in your spirit, 517 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:42,000 somebody today that's got an indeed in your spirit, 518 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:47,000 somebody today that needs to call on God and begin to pray a big prayer. 519 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:49,000 Pray for the impossible. 520 00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:52,000 Pray for the miracle. 521 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:56,000 Pray for the thing that only God can do. 522 00:37:56,000 --> 00:38:02,000 Pray for the thing that only, if God don't do it, then it won't happen. 523 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:05,000 If God don't do it, then it won't take place. 524 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:12,000 You've got to pray a God-sized prayer today.