Life-Giving Words of Hope & Encouragement

The God we serve is not little, but when we dwell on our problems or limitations, that’s what we make Him. As I write this, I am dealing with multiple situations out of my control; however, I believe God’s plan for our lives is not to reach one level, get stuck, and stay there. God plans to increase you, open new doors, and take you to places you’ve never imagined. He has something big for your future, and you may have seen God’s goodness in the past, but you have not yet touched the surface of what God has for your future. Your best days are still ahead.

Isaiah 54:2 says, “Enlarge the place of your tent and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. God is saying to prepare for more, to make room for an increase, and to start expecting God’s favor. The next verse says you will break forth when you think like this. Then you will take new ground. Then you will see an increase. But it implies that if we don’t enlarge, if we don’t stretch, and if we think we’ve reached our limits, we get stuck in a rut and won’t break into these new levels.

We must have a bigger vision. We should pray for things that stretch our faith. “God, help me reach new levels I never imagined possible.” If you could accomplish all your goals and dreams through your ability and strength, you wouldn’t need God’s help. We serve an amazing God, and we should be praying bold prayers. I want you to get your hopes up, going out each day expecting God to do something big in your life.

There’s a man named Jabez in Scripture. His name means trouble, sorrow, and heartache. We don’t know much about Jabez, only that he has endured many disappointments. Life hasn’t turned out the way he hoped. But instead of sitting around feeling sorry for himself, Jabez understood this principle. He knew God had something big coming his way despite all the odds against him. He knew one touch of God’s favor could turn any situation around. What made Jabez stand out is that he was bold enough to ask God to do something big. He said, “God, I’m asking you to enlarge my territory and bless me.” He said, “I’ve been through many disappointments and endured a lot of hurt and pain. But God, I’m not going to get stuck here. I’m expecting your favor. I’m expecting you to turn it around and bless me.” Scripture says God granted him his request.

My question for today is: have you ever asked God to expand your territory? Have you ever said, “God, bless me and do something monumental in my life?” Our lack arises from not asking. When you broaden your faith, when you seek increase and expansion—that’s how God accomplishes incredible things. Sometimes, we hold a restricted view of God. We act as if we’re bothering God by hoping for big things, which leads us to pray small prayers. By doing this, you’re underestimating yourself and Him. God is omnipotent; He has no limits!

We are not doing God a favor by being small-minded. If you want to make God happy, believe, expect, and ask big. God created the whole universe. He doesn’t want us to live small lives. Think about how expansive the universe is. There are millions of stars and planets. When I was younger, we believed our solar system was so large. But now, scientists have discovered stars like Stephenson 2–18, whose radius is ten times the distance between the Earth and the Sun. It can fit 8 billion suns or 13 quadrillion Earths inside it! Everything about God is big.

If you think small, believe small, and expect small, your thinking will keep you from the big things God has in store. I encourage you to wake up daily and say, “Father, thank you for doing something great in my life today.” You might currently think, “I don’t have enough income or can’t pay my bills,” but that’s okay; God can provide. He owns everything. If you honor Him with your life, you will witness God doing more than you can ask or imagine.

We all face the battle of containment; the enemy doesn’t want you to progress. He is powerless over the ground you’ve already gained and will allow that, but he aims to prevent your advancement. This is why pushing through to a new level can feel challenging, as forces work tirelessly to keep us stagnant. Scripture says the path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter. We are not supposed to reach one level and get stuck there.

The enemy wants to contain us. God wants to expand us. No matter how long you’ve been at a certain level, you must dig your heels in and say, “I will not stay here. I will keep pressing forward, believing in big things, praying boldly, and expecting God’s favor. I will not be contained.” You have to have a made-up mind that where you are is not where you will stay. It may not change overnight; it may take months, maybe even years, but deep down, you’ve got to know that in your future, God has promotion, increase, and new levels.

At times, we all feel stuck. We pray, believe, and try our best but make no progress. This is the trial of our faith—a period of testing. God wants to see our resilience. Instead of getting discouraged and saying, “This doesn’t work for me. I’ve tried for two months,” commit to the long haul. Don’t get trapped in negative thinking. The first loss of victory always occurs in our minds, where we start believing lies like, “My situation will never change.” You may not see a way in the natural, but we serve a supernatural God. He has extraordinary blessings to elevate you, as God loves to do the unusual.

One thing I’ve learned is you can’t out-dream God. Any dream He plants in your heart will surpass your imagination. It’ll be bigger, better, and more rewarding. God’s going to enhance your dream. Your dream might be to get well and walk without pain, but God thinks bigger: you’ll walk and run. You won’t just feel okay; you’ll feel better than ever. Your dream might be to save your marriage, but God’s vision is for a happier, more fulfilling relationship. You might aim to pay your bills, but God wants to bless you with abundance, ensuring you have enough to help others.

Whatever dream God has put in your heart, supersize it and expect big; you’ll see God open doors you never thought possible. God will bring talent out of you that you never knew you had. You’ll see these explosive blessings that thrust you to a whole new level. Don’t let life contain you; let God increase you. He has something big in your future. God has already lined up the right people. He’s got opportunities, ideas, and breakthroughs.

You may think your dream is big today, but when God supersizes it, it will be greater than you ever imagined. Get up every morning like I do and dare to say, like Jabez, “God, enlarge my territory and bless me.” When you do, something big will come your way: new opportunities, breakthroughs in your health and finances, explosive blessings, and favor like you’ve never seen before. I hope this message speaks to you, and I pray you have a blessed day.