1 Chronicles 4:10 (NIV) says, "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." This is the prayer of Jabez. What is in your heart, What passion, skills, talent has God blessed you with? What is your prayer to God to enlarge your territory in? Everyone has a passion. When I see artwork(graffiti) on the walls, that is talent that just needs to be redirected to the right venue; for example art studio, art class, media careers, web designing, etc. See where I am going with this. I have been writing in diary's now called Journal's since I was in elementary school. Who knew years later my writing/passion would turn me into an author and would open up my world to greater(enlarged) opportunities. My daughter who is grown and on her own, passion is fashion. She loved it since she was small. I love clothes but I am not passionate about it. I am still in the all the same color styling-when I wear brown everything is brown, brown blouse with a hint of off white, brown pants, brown shoes, brown earrings (so I guess I can use her help). It goes the same way for her as she loves to read, but that doesn't mean she wants to write a book or poetry. She wants to style, as well as create. I want to write, write and write some more blogs, books, songs and then some.
Everyone has a passion, say it with me, "I have a passion and my passion is my gift" and I am going to pray to God for guidance on what that is if you don't know already and then for God to enlarge my territory. Pray the prayer of Jabez. My blog, my book, my website is on the worldwide web. That in itself is enlargement. Jabez' mother named him Jabez because she said she gave birth to him in pain (1 Chronicles 4:9). Jabez prayed to God to turn his situation/life around regardless of the meaning of his name(what he is going through which is a current label on him), and he cried out to God (1 Chronicles 4:10) to make him more than what his name is. He is crying out to God saying that he knows God has more in store for him that what it looks like now. It is going to take going through some pain to achieve greatness. The pain of not being successful right away, it may take months, it may take years but, having faith that God is going to enlarge your territory is worth not giving up. The income you hope to generate may come in here and there, but believing that God is going to bless you gives you hope (while still working that day job) So, don't say that Ms.Dot said to quit your day job please(a side of humor).
Jabez prayed to God to keep him free from pain in his enlarged territory. To me, that means when you go through the labor pains of growing your passion and God enlarges your territory you will not be premature in your skills/talents/gifts. You won't be in pain not knowing what to do and doubting yourself. You will know what to do and how to do it. It will be natural to you with the help of the supernatural. Yes, what God does for us and through us is super to our natural. When you hone your passion you will be able to create and do things without blinking(second guessing yourself). Okay, a gifted piano player can play that piano by ear-you heard that saying, "playing by ear". That gifted person can just hear a tune and play it. They don't necessarily need the music sheet (although they trained on how to use the sheet). But, it was a gift already inside of them that blossomed. Same goes for a business-You will make a business plan and know how to execute it. And make a successful and huge business to pass down to generations. However big or small the business, you are asking God for enlarging your territory more than where you are currently.
Jabez' prayer was for God to let His hand be with him. That means to me letting God guide you and direct your paths. When you try to do things in your own strength you can cause yourself physically(tiredness and headaches for example) and mental(you can no longer focus on the prize because your overwhelmed) harm. That is what I believe Jabez was saying when he prayed to God. He said that he can't accomplish all the greatness he is asking for by himself; and that he needs God to do it with him and through him. A person who had the idea(passion) in any area of talent had to have faith in God that they could achieve such greatness with His help.
I cannot leave out the part of the Jabez story where in 1 Chronicles 4:9 says, "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers." Are you respectable to others? Are you a honest person? Have you searched within your heart and asked God to remove things that aren't honorable and respectable within you as well as around you? Relationships that aren't working out, people who mean you no good. Things that have been nagging at you to change within yourself.....Search within. Blessing come from being honorable and obedient. You have to be in tune to God to know how to tap into the blessings for you. You do not want to miss your blessings by not adhering to Gods' Word. I am talking about blessing here. When you become saved, God already blessed you. Okay(I'm going somewhere with this), getting saved by Jesus comes by "Faith" and "God's Grace". In getting saved you are already blessed. You are blessed because God gave a gift freely to you--salvation. It is given freely if you ask God to come into your heart, repenting of your sins (mercy) and believing and confessing that the Son of God is Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9(KJV) says,"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Being saved is a free gift from God for all who ask. The plans (blessings) God has for you though, you have to work toward it daily.You cannot plant a seed and not water it. It won't grow! You have to embrace your God given gifts and talents and go for it and watch it grow. Jeremiah 29:11(NIV) says, "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."God has a plan for you. God has blessed you and stored gifts in you already. 1 Peter 4:10 says, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in it's various form. So, whatever gift God gave you from the time you were created, he gave TO YOU. Now, as Jabez prayed, you have to pray to God for your territory to be enlarged. Whatever gift God gave to me, he gave to me(writing--can't you tell by my blogs). How and when He enlarges my territory may not be in the same season or timing that He blesses you in your season and visa versa. We cannot compare ourselves to anybody else's gift. Even with two singer's for example-what God has for one singer is for them.What God has for the other singer is for the other singer. And, as it has been said many of times-you don't know what that person's pain was to get them to the level they are at now.
I will go to another extreme, where I go get my hair done, The women at the shop who do hair are entrepreneurs, who work for themselves. Making women feel beautiful with a beautiful hair style is their passion and gift. They pay their own booth rent and then there is the business owner-- and they are awesome women of God. They love what they do. When I go to the salon, I come out feeling refreshed and I can often talk to my hairdresser about certain things and she listens and gives helpful advice. She is actually in school getting a degree in the business side of doing hair to enlarge her territory. Yes, she is licensed but she wants to go further. She is going through the pain of more schooling and long hours; but she will ultimately be blessed with what she is passionate in which is the hair styling business beyond the flat iron.
When you have a passion, a skill, a talent, a gift, there is so much more to branch out in than just doing one thing. You can take that one passion and next thing you know you have many businesses generating income and lets not leave out the volunteering and serving of others less fortunate(pay it forward). Let me encourage you to not let the past or even the present discourage you from what God can do for you within your passion. He already has a plan for you----you must first push through the pain and know it's not all about a name.
May you be abundantly blessed,
Ms. Dot
copyright 2013
go to: www.dorotheabarrow.com (to learn more about me and my book)
