243-Expand Your Horizons#
243-Expand Your Horizons
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
The topic of sharing is called: Expand Your Horizons
1 Chronicles 4:9-10,
9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory, and that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.
Let us pray together
Heavenly Father, thank You and praise You! This is a new week and the beginning of a new year. Lord! We come with Your grace and Your power, through this new beginning, You expand everyone's horizons, so that we can receive Your greater blessings with a broader perspective. Holy Spirit, help every brother and sister to enjoy the supply in You, to go out with Your power, and to live a different life. Thank You and praise the Lord! Bless every brother and sister who seeks You. In Jesus Christ's name, we pray, Amen!
Look at today's topic: Expand Your Horizons. We will encounter many unexpected events; unexpected does not mean bad things. Is grace unexpected? Yes, it is also unexpected. Because beyond your expectations, what God wants to give you is absolutely beyond what you ask or think. In the world, there are many unexpected events and many injustices. When many people encounter these unexpected events, they become bitter and complain. Jabez had every reason to complain. Do you know what kind of existence Jabez was?
Jabez's mother faced a problem when she gave birth to him; it might have been a difficult labor, or perhaps the time of delivery was too long. A couple of days ago, a sister just gave birth, and the baby was a bit big, and the labor took nearly four hours. As a mother, she knows that giving birth is not easy; she almost told the nurse: "You handle it; I don't want to give birth anymore." Perhaps it was a difficult birth, or perhaps it took too long; in the past, without today's advanced technology, one could only endure the pain. His mother named him Jabez, meaning "I bore you in pain." Every time she saw this child, she thought: "You brought me pain; I suffered greatly when I gave birth to you."
A child with such a background carries a lifelong shame. Can he hold his head high in front of his brothers? When others mention his name, they will say: "Your mother suffered too much pain when she gave birth to you; you brought her no joy, only pain." Naturally, his brothers looked down on him. Every time outsiders called his name, they would mock him as an ominous existence, and the child felt deep pain inside. Was it his fault? If he had the choice, he could have made himself smaller and been born smoothly; it was not his fault. However, his mother blamed all the wrong on him and gave him a symbolic name: Jabez.
This means that Jabez received no comfort from people; in the eyes of his brothers, he was an ominous existence. But what about in God's eyes? The Bible says: Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. We need to change our perspective; if we are always concerned about how others see you and how others judge you, you will live in pain. There is no way to change your birth, no way to change the contemptuous gaze of your brothers. He prayed to God, putting all his focus on God, and God saw him as incredibly honorable.
Although his prayer, in the eyes of many, was considered a worldly prayer, a fleshly prayer, it shows that these people do not understand the kind of pain Jabez endured. God knew his situation, so God granted his request. We do not ask: "Lord! Remove all these bad things and unpleasant things; I don't want to see them anymore." Jabez's prayer was that he asked God to expand his territory, meaning he had the ability to overcome all problems and difficulties. This is something everyone should seek. Many people, when encountering problems, ask: "Lord! Don't let me see difficulties anymore; I believe in You..." We need to pray like Jabez: "Bless me, expand my territory. Let me see God's grace and power above all problems, grant me wisdom and strength, so that I can face everything with a joyful heart."
This passage is actually about genealogical records. There is not much introduction in the genealogy; many people may not like to read genealogies, but in fact, genealogies are very meaningful. At least you know you did not just pop out of a rock; you have very honorable ancestors. In the spiritual realm, we also have a genealogy. Who are our ancestors? Abraham, definitely not Lazarus.
You need to know who your ancestors are, where your goals lie, and know that we are people with a genealogy. Genealogical records are generally very short, summarizing a lifetime. The genealogies in the Bible mostly record who gave birth to whom and then it ends. To have your name recorded in the Bible is already remarkable. I mean, if your name is fortunate enough to be written in the Bible, do you know how glorious that is? Don't say what I have done; just the fact that God remembers my name is enough.
How many people wish to enter the genealogy of Jesus Christ, but effort is useless because servants have no right to enter; they must be the legitimate wife. You are fortunate; you were not in the genealogy before, but because you believed in Jesus, you are now in God's genealogy, and God has recorded your entire life in detail. I mean the parts of your life where you relied on God, believed in God, and did things for God; He has recorded all of it.
Did Jabez ever do wrong? Certainly, but does the Bible record it? It only records the most glorious prayer of his life. So brothers and sisters, God no longer remembers your sins; He will remember what you have done relying on God, and He will record it all. Do not underestimate this simple record; it shows that these people have helped the gospel, and God has not forgotten them; they are all recorded in the book.
Although Jabez has only two short verses, there is no introduction to Jabez's life experiences, and it does not commemorate his life like the many chapters in Genesis that record Joseph, but God recorded his prayer, and such a prayer was granted by God. Brothers and sisters, do not say this is a fleshly prayer; in God's eyes, as long as you pray from the heart, regarding Him as God, God will accomplish it in His way.
As mentioned earlier, Jabez means "I bore you in pain." His mother did not like him, and others did not like him either. In God's eyes, Jabez was seen as more honorable than his brothers. This means that today, do not focus your gaze on people; focus on our Lord. You need to know how God evaluates you and how He sees you. When he knows he is more honorable than his brothers in God's eyes, he will no longer fear in the face of difficulties and will no longer complain. When he knows God loves him, he will pray to God in all difficulties and weaknesses, which is his secret to victory. Each of us has dreams and goals that we strive to achieve, but God wants you to first expand your horizons.
The Bible records a story: there was a widow whose husband had died; her husband was a prophet and had owed a lot of debt while alive, and there was no money to pay it back. The man of God, Elisha, said to her: "Go and borrow empty vessels from your neighbors, as many as you can; do not borrow a few. Then you and your children shut the door and pour oil from the one jar you have into all those vessels."
Isn't this God's blessing? The amount of oil poured out depends on her vessels, not on how much faith you have or how hard you pray: "Lord! Fill my whole house with oil." No, this is not God's way of blessing; God's way is for you to borrow vessels and then pour oil into all those vessels, and God will fill them. When her son said, "Mother, there are no more vessels," the oil stopped immediately. It was not that God lost His power; it was that they had no vessels to hold it. Do you know what this means? Many times, we choke our own dreams and give up the blessed path that God has designated for us.
This is not God's fault. If the woman had borrowed all the vessels in the village and brought them home, could God have filled them? Yes, He could. Do not easily give up on your dreams and goals. Many people always believe that as long as I work hard enough, as long as I have a chance, one day I can achieve that big thing in my heart; I want to do great things. But what does God want you to do? First, God wants you to expand your horizons. You need to know what kind of God we have; He is the God who governs the universe. He says, and it is done; He commands, and it stands. God's plan for your life is completely beyond your personal dreams. Many times we say: "Lord! As long as I can pay off my mortgage, I will be content."
God says to expand your horizons; I want to bless you, not only so you can pay off your mortgage but also so you can help others. Many people find it hard to think this way: "Lord! Just let me pay off this little loan." Your goal is too small; you need to expand your horizons. Many people always think: "Lord! I want a promotion; if I can be the CEO of our company, I will be content." Do you know what God will do? God says: "Expand your horizons; I want to give you the whole company, not just to make you the CEO, but to make you the president."
Many times, we always say this is enough. God says: "Expand your horizons." People say: "Lord! You want to bless me by making my physical illness completely disappear, and if I can stand up again, I will be content." God says: "You are asking too small; I can not only make you stand up, but I can also make you run, so that your latter life will be healthy relying on Me."
Many people do not dare to ask like this: "Lord! Just let this illness be healed, and if I get sick again, I will pray again." Many times, we unconsciously limit God's power; we only think of ordinary things and set our goals very small, actually saying that it is too big and probably God cannot do it. But you need to expand your horizons; you need to know that our God is full of love and grace. Hallelujah!
Ephesians 3:20, God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.
What does the great power in your heart refer to? The power of the Holy Spirit. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly according to the great power that works in our hearts, which is the power of the Holy Spirit, and it is limitless. The key is how much you can recognize the Holy Spirit; whatever part you recognize, God can only accomplish that part for you. He wants to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, which proves that God does not accomplish things according to your original state; what He gives you is beyond what you ask or think, which proves it is very likely different from what we are currently asking for, but it is definitely better than this. You cannot say: "Lord! I just want a broken bicycle."
God wants to give you the best, so do not limit God's ability; expand your horizons. God commanded the people of Israel, saying: "I will bring you into a land flowing with milk and honey, a wide land." God has prepared for them a place of greater, better, and more beautiful blessings, and what the people of Israel need to do is expand their horizons.
Isaiah 54:1-4,
1 "Sing, O barren, you who have not borne; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman," says the Lord. 2 "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; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore."
This is a verse from the prophetic books. I have told you before that prophetic books have a characteristic: the reason the people of Israel fell into such a state is absolutely not because God gave it to them, but because they went the wrong way. When we are not on God's path and go down another path, we will find it difficult to walk. But at this time, God still did not abandon them but gave them a promise: the barren and unfruitful are to sing. Why sing? Some say: "Give me a child first, and then I will sing."
God's method is to sing first, and then there will be children. We say: "I can't sing." "You who have not labored with child, break forth into singing." Some say giving birth is painful. Those who have not gone through labor may have fears, but God's method for you is to break forth into singing, giving the sisters who have not given birth a chance to sing before having children. Because more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman, this should not be misunderstood; this is a spiritual blessing, not saying that if you do not have a husband now, you will have a hundred husbands later. It means that God says: What you have lost in the past, God will repay you double.
Verse 2 says to enlarge the place of your tent, to stretch out the curtains of your dwellings.
Why enlarge your tent? Don't you want to accommodate God's blessings? It may seem desolate now, full of suffering, but God says the inner vision must first be opened. You need to first enlarge the place of your tent, which is your dwelling place. Why lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes? It is because God wants to give you more blessings. The reason has already been stated: because you will expand to the right and to the left. It is not just about problems; many times, the reason we lack faith in God is that we focus on the little things in our homes. Today, I lost a hair; today, my child has a fever; this month, we spent a few more dollars on electricity. We always focus on these trivial matters.
I have told you before why people see trivial matters. It is because you are too close to the ground. If you take the elevator to the twentieth floor and look down, can you still see the trivial matters on the ground? What you see is a very orderly street plan. You may have thought this city was not good, but when you stand at a high place to look, you will find it very interesting because your horizons have expanded. If you are always crouched down, you will only see those trivial matters. It is not about the trivial matters; it is that you are too close to the ground, and your eyes are often focused downwards.
God says, "Get up." At the beginning of this new year, I hope everyone will no longer focus on those trivial matters. Like Abraham, like the blessing God gave to the people of Israel, you need to expand to the right and to the left; your descendants will inherit many nations. Although you may not see it now, God's promise has already arrived. Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; God is your protection, and He will accomplish this. In the past, you always felt that many people owed you, but now looking back, those are all small matters. I now have two children and understand this principle. When I only had one child, I did not understand it.
The jealousy and sinful psychology of people are fully expressed in small children. The first thing in the morning, the older sister hides her favorite things so that her younger brother cannot find them, while her younger brother just wants to find that thing. Before going to school, the older sister tells me to put her things high up, where her brother cannot reach them, and not let him take them. When we reach this age and look back, what is that matter? But at that time, when she saw her brother with her things, she cried out: "Buy me another one; I don't want it anymore."
Will you cry over this matter today? Will you cry over a teddy bear? No, because your horizons have already expanded. Hallelujah! Do you know what kind of blessings God has prepared for you in heaven? Today's gains and losses are no longer important. When you look back, the little things you argued about with others, do they still count as matters? They really do not count as anything. Think about it; one day when we return to heaven and look back, we will see how many people we were angry with every day, how many people we were jealous of, wanting to step on them. We wasted all our time, and many people overlooked this matter. These are all small matters, but the appearance of these matters is what God wants to use to bless you and build your perfect character.
The Bible records that Joseph was falsely accused. Did he not pray in prison to get out? He certainly did, because that was not a place of enjoyment. He may have prayed year after year, asking God to let him out of prison. He might have said to God: "I really did nothing wrong; I just had a dream. What is my fault?" His fault was that he told a correct thing to a group of incorrect people at the wrong time. Was that vision wrong? No, but at that time, Joseph did not understand; he told his brothers: "I had a dream; you will bow down to me." Could his brothers not be angry? The dream itself was not wrong; it was just the timing.
How many people had dreams when they were young, only to say in the end: "What dream? I don't want it anymore; it is impossible to achieve." They think it is a joke and give up. God never gives up; as long as you do not give up, God will absolutely not give up, unless you say: "I am done; do whatever you want." Joseph had a dream; he hoped God would expand his tent, not only to let him out of prison but also to have freedom and be able to return to his father's side. Would Joseph think in prison, "I want to become the prime minister of Egypt"? No, he just said: "Lord! If You let me out of prison and return to my father's house, that is the greatest grace You have given me in this life."
But how did God do it? We need to know that in the spiritual realm, God said to Joseph: "Wait a little longer, my child; I want to let you rise to the highest place at the most suitable time. The only thing you need to do now is to expand your inner horizons. Can we first learn economics and management? Do not just think about managing your few brothers; that is too small; I want you to manage people all over the world." Is that expanding his horizons? At that time, Joseph learned everything in prison, and when he became the prime minister of Egypt, he understood everything in an instant.
Years later, Joseph managed all of Egypt. You can imagine that when he looked up at the starry sky at night, he must have thought: "Lord! I never imagined that the dream You gave me would be like this; I just wanted to go home, but You made me realize my childhood dream." God's arrangement for him must have made him incredibly grateful. Now when Joseph looks back at the past grievances, are they still grievances? Did his brothers deliberately make things difficult for him? No, all of this became God's grace, and the purpose was to expand Joseph's horizons. If he had not gone through this series of life-expanding experiences, if he had become the prime minister, it would have been a complete disaster, and countless people would have died under his resentment. How many emperors in the past became extremely strange and cruel after being treated unfairly in the palace? The reason is that they did not have that life inside them. But under the shaping of those people, Joseph already possessed that life.
No matter what you are currently praying for, no matter how your environment is, perhaps you think that is a big deal, but I want to tell you: there is nothing difficult for God. You need to first expand your horizons. Do not say: "Lord! Just let me pay off my mortgage and get through this month." God wants to say: "Expand your horizons; believe in My promise. I can change everything for you and make your cup overflow. You are not going to borrow money; instead, you will supply more people." Some say: "God! I am very lonely; I need a spouse." Do you know what this means? Just give me anyone; let me get married. But God wants to say: "Do not pray like this; what I want to give you is absolutely not just to settle; you are not someone without hope, just settling for a lifetime."
He wants to prepare for you a spouse that far exceeds what you ask or think, someone who loves God very much and loves you, is witty and talented, and you love her very much too. Pray like this; do not fix your gaze on people. Last week, I talked about the turtle and the mung bean: I only see mung beans; I do not like yellow beans; I only like mung beans. In fact, you have many beans; God gives you many choices, but what God gives you will definitely be the most suitable, so expand your horizons. For those who have already married, when you were in love for the first time, you thought: "If I lose you in this life, I lose everything!" You felt like the sky was falling, and the world turned black and white. Many people have experienced this; now looking back, what is that? At that time, our perspective was too narrow; our horizons were insufficient.
Do not use negative words to deny yourself. Do not say: "Lord! You do not understand my situation; you do not know what kind of environment I am in; I have experienced too much disappointment; my dreams cannot come true." I tell you again, do not define yourself with these negative words; define yourself with God's words. You need to say to God: "Lord! This is what You have given me." What you need to do is step out; when you step out, you will see miracles.
Many sisters tell me: "Introduce me to someone; there is not a single man around me." I say: "Impossible." She says: "There is only one brother in our church, and he is married." I say: "Can't you go to other churches to see?" Isn't this a matter of vision? A matter of horizons? Why focus your whole life only on this one church? "Lord! Hurry up and send a brother to our church." Can't you step out? Some say I cannot step out; will I not go online? Aren't there many ways? What you need to do is expand your horizons. You need to believe that God has prepared for you a bright future; do not set limits on God's promises.
When the people of Israel were slaves, they worked all day making bricks for Pharaoh of Egypt. When they heard that Moses was coming to save them, they were very happy, thinking they had finally endured to the end, but Pharaoh did not want them to leave. Pharaoh issued a decree: "These people seem too idle; from today on, do not give them straw, yet they must still make bricks." Did the people of Israel have to give up their previous survival rules? At this time, they turned around and complained to Moses: "You are a disaster; if you had not appeared, Pharaoh would not have treated us so cruelly. Because you appeared, we are suffering even more." They did not realize that God's will was to save them; it did not matter whether they made bricks with straw or without straw; from then on, they would no longer have to make bricks. They did not think about this, so when they encountered suffering, they gave up and began to complain.
When Moses saved them and did not see results, they began to complain about the current situation. In a fit of rage, Pharaoh ordered the taskmasters not to provide them with straw for making bricks; they had to gather straw themselves while still completing the same workload. It seemed that after praying, the environment became worse. At this time, do not lose heart; salvation is coming soon. The devil is afraid; it fears that once you understand the truth, you will become a great threat to it, so it will try its best to hold you back, knowing that once you step out, the waters of the Jordan will part. So it tries to hold you back: "Don't step out; that is a lie; no one walks this path; why do you want to walk it? You will die."
But once you step out, you will see that the devil is a liar, and God's words are true. **God wants to completely save them from Egypt, not let them live as slaves, living without purpose every day; God wants to bring them into a place of freedom, a land flowing with milk and honey. So you need to expand your horizons; God's plan for you is not small; it is not to let you just get by, enduring all kinds of hardships, only eating scraps.
Some time ago, a sister posted a message online: "Lord! I do not ask for the bread on the table; just a few crumbs will be enough." Do you want to pray like this? God does not want to give you crumbs; He wants to give you the best blessings. God does not want you to be a second-class citizen; He wants you to be His beloved child, and through faith in Jesus, you already are. Hallelujah! Expand your horizons and recognize what God's promises truly are. God does not want you to be a slave anymore; He wants to completely free you from the identity of a slave, letting you be completely free from various addictions, diseases, poverty, and lack. God wants to save you and let you live a new life, so no matter what your current situation is, please receive it with your heart, expand your horizons, and set a goal for yourself.
This year has passed, and a new beginning is about to arrive. This is a transition; God has prepared something better for you. Do not say this year has been terrible; next year will be worse. Do not set goals like this: "This year has been bad; next year will definitely be better." It has already been this bad; how much worse can it get? You must not say, "There is no worst, only worse..." If you declare this, you will be worse off. God's grace is grace upon grace; when this grace ends, the next grace will come. You need to expect that God will give you greater influence, more imagination, and more resources to accomplish God's dreams. God wants to release His grace through you. Let your life enter a new level, and at that time, you will feel in your heart: "Lord! Thank You! I have come out; I am living better than before."
Genesis 13:14-18,
14 And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. 16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you." 18 Then Abram moved his tent and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord.
This passage is very familiar to everyone, right? What happened before? Because of the grass, Lot's herdsmen quarreled with Abram's herdsmen, and in the end, Abram yielded and said: "Lot, you choose." In today's terms, we are Christians, people of God, and we cannot let unbelievers laugh at us. "You choose; if you choose east, I will choose west; you go first." At that time, Lot relied on sight; he looked at the plain of Sodom, which was well-watered and suitable for living and shepherding. "Great! I will choose that." The remaining land was mountainous.
Have you thought about another matter? After Lot left, did the environment seem worse than before? Because Lot had taken the good part away. If you have been treated unfairly, do not say: "Why? What ability does he have? Why does he hold this position? Why does he get so much? He has taken away what I wanted." Do not worry; what is behind is yours. After Lot left, God said to Abram: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward." God did not set limits on him.
Some may say that Genghis Khan is the greatest leader in our country to date. Genghis Khan confidently said: "All the land my iron hooves tread upon is my territory." Isn't this a powerful statement? But do you know what God said to Abraham? "All the land which you see I give to you." Genghis Khan could not reach the Himalayas with his horse, so that could not be his, but he could see it. Sometimes we feel that this person is too great; he has already obtained a lot, but what God wants to give you is more. When God gives you this promise, what should you do?
Look at what God says to him in verse 17: "Arise!"
You say: "Lord, I see it; I can see it even with my eyes closed..." This will not work; you need to go out. Do not stay in your tent; step out of your house and look at the world, and your heart will naturally broaden. Many families are in chaos; one day they say, "The world is big; I need to go out and see." When they look, it is different because their horizons have been opened. At that time, many things seem to make sense. So brothers and sisters, this is an advice for you: Regarding God's promises, you need to step out. Do not stay at home all day thinking: "Lord, bless me..." God's promises have already been given to you: "All the land which you tread upon, I give to you and your descendants." Including you.
In verse 17, "Arise, walk in the land through its length and width, for I give it to you."
Isn't this a promise? What Abram needed to do in his lifetime was to go out. Wherever your foot treads, perhaps you are riding a camel or whatever, it does not matter; the land you can see is yours... Just think about how wonderful that is! All the places your eyes can see belong to Abraham. This is the task God gives to Abraham on earth. Do you think this task is painful? What God gives you is actually this task. We think going to work is a terrible thing; in fact, every day God wants you to see: In different days, He gives you new grace to overcome all environments. Every day may seem similar, but in God's eyes, every day is different; you will experience different people, different environments, and different things that shape you and let you know more of God's grace. So you need to arise and walk in the land, for He has already given it to you.
At that time, Abram moved his tent and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord. Building an altar represents offering sacrifices, and offering sacrifices proves: I know this grace is not earned by my efforts, not because I am good, but because of this offering; through this offering, you and I have made a covenant. Later, God made this matter clearer: He established a covenant, cutting animals in half. God's blessing to you is not because you performed well enough; God says He blesses you because there is a covenant between you and God, which is the covenant Jesus made for you on the cross. This covenant has already been given to you, which means this land has already been given to you. Now what you need to do is step out and see which land God has given you, then declare with God's promises: "This is mine; it is the blessing God has given me." Then take it back.
God not only wants to bless you but also wants to make you a blessing to others. You need to go from being an employee to a boss, from being a teacher to a principal, from sponsoring one child to being someone who sponsors many children. But first, you need to have a broad vision, which is what we call expanding your horizons. You need to give God some space to do something, okay? Do not always let your heart be filled with various garbage, complaints, and bitterness. You do not believe God's words because you are filled with other things; now you need to pour out this garbage.
In the morning, I posted a message on social media, saying: "This is the last day of the year. No matter what happened this year, today, if you can remember who offended you, let it go; if you remember who you offended, apologize to them and let it go. Starting tomorrow, do not mention all the negative things from this year; keep God's grace and keep what others have helped you with. Every time you recall these things, you will be very joyful." So let those negative and hurtful things become the past. Just like I posted a picture: there is hurt, but no scars.
May you cherish the last day of this year; although there have been hurts, do not bring the scars into tomorrow. You need to be ready to welcome God's greater blessings; do not give up on your goals. Set a good goal for yourself and let God accomplish greater things for you. Perhaps it may deviate slightly from what you set, but that is okay; what God gives you will definitely be the best.
Deuteronomy 1:10-11,
10 The Lord your God has multiplied you; look, today you are as numerous as the stars of heaven. 11 May the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you.
This is a blessing God gave to the people of Israel. Initially, God said to Abraham, "I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sand by the sea." Two million people, in that era, was already a superpower. In just four hundred years, from seventy people to two million, it was already a large nation at that time. Brothers and sisters, think about it; at that time, they were already two million people, and the number was very, very large. In the end, God said to Moses, "Today you are as numerous as the stars of heaven, but that is not enough."
God's blessing is: "May the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you." So two million is not God's ultimate goal; two million plus a thousand times, what about today, a thousand times more? This is the blessing God wants to give you; we call this grace upon grace. Hallelujah!
So this year, I hope every brother and sister will not bring up past failures, but will set a new goal, keep God's promises in your hearts, and live according to those promises. The most important point: After receiving God's promises, step out and take steps of faith; the matters of faith will become your beautiful testimony. First, expand your inner horizons. Amen!
Let us pray before God, each person for the words received today, and for a new beginning in the new year, pray to God. The important thing is that you have already received God's promises; now the only thing to do is step out and take your steps. Do not care how others see you; what you need to believe is God's promises. Through this song, let us step out and pray before God together! You can raise your hands to pray to God; the past matters are no longer important; what matters is that new grace is about to begin.
Step out, to the south and to the north
Step out, to the east and to the west
Stretch out the curtains of your dwelling
Enlarge the place of your tent
You must deny yourself; the Lord wants to use you
You must deny yourself and step out
The fertile land is before you
The land you tread upon belongs to you
The Lord says, "You must step out"
Do not just stay there
Believe in the promises God has established
He will give that land to you
Hallelujah! Thank You and praise the Lord! I believe that when we take steps of faith, God will surely give us what He has promised. At the beginning of this new week, let me receive this abundant message again. I believe in Your promises upon me; I know these promises are for me. The promises of God in the Bible are for me. I want to enter a life of faith and take steps of faith.
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for keeping us through this year's journey. There have been laughter and tears along the way, but looking back, there has been Your grace this year. I will no longer complain about the unfair treatment of the past because I know You will use these matters to give me greater blessings. In the new year, You have greater blessings waiting for me. I am ready and looking forward to better things happening to me, just like Joseph, just like the people of Israel looking forward to the land of Canaan.
Lord! Today I also expect the blessings flowing with milk and honey to be upon me. In the name of the Lord Jesus, I bless your mouths, let your mouths become the mouths that build others up, becoming a blessing to many. In the name of the Lord Jesus, I bless your hands; when you raise your hands to pray for others, you will see God's glory manifested through you. I bless your feet; wherever your feet tread, it is a blessed land. I bless each of your families; your families are filled with God's grace. Do not let negative, doubtful, and pessimistic words appear in your homes; you are children of God, and your words are filled with power. Thank You and praise the Lord! Step out in faith, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen!