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The Enemies of Expansion (Is. 54:1-11)
By Rev. Harold Gutierrez
The beginning of calendar years is characterized by a desire to change, try new things, and explore new territories in life. Is it coincidence that, at the turn of the year, everyone seems to want to change something about their lifestyle or habits, something often known as New Year’s resolutions? Both you and I have, at some time between the last days of December and the first of January, developed our own resolution. We often want change, or more specifically, we want something new, fresh, and exciting that will make our current year better than the last.
In our spiritual walks we can’t settle for the norm, or else we’ll stall our spiritual growth, or even worse, we’ll end up regressing in our walk with the Lord. It is accepted and encouraged that we ask for more in our relationship with God, and in our ministries. The Lord expects us to desire an increase of expansion of His touch, anointing and favor in our lives. He says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9)
In Isaiah 54:1-2 we find the following scripture: |
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.
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.
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From this passage I’ve seen 3 enemies that keep us from expanding in our lives the way God intends us to: |
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I. Lack of Vision
The Lord is explicit in His command to us: Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child!” (v. 1, emphasis mine). This command to unending celebration comes before we see the fruit that expansion brings. Expansion does not occur when we see the results around us. It happens when we see the fruit with the eyes of faith and become sure that the Lord will bring it to pass, because He has promised. A barren woman can’t sing or cry aloud when there is no baby in her womb.
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If we feel barren in our ministry, the first step to expansion is to rejoice in the vision and calling God has already placed in us. He says of Jeremiah, and us, that “Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5). The promises of God are not limited to natural laws, adverse circumstances, or attacks from the outside. We need to envision the fruit of expansion in our lives, and break forth into singing, because if He showed it, He’ll do it. |
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II. Lack of Faith
He says in verse 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” (Is. 54:2, emphasis mine). The Bible gives us a warning in the midst of such a great promise of expansion. The Lord knows that in our hearts there is always a propensity to “play it safe.” God Himself is telling us to enlarge and expand as much as we want! And yet, at times, we limit Him because we choose to lack faith and spare, so that we don’t set ourselves up for a “greater failure.” If there is something that will thwart the process of expansion the Lord wants to bring into our lives it is our lack of faith.
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If the Lord has called us to do great things in this year, then we should believe for an expansion in the scope of our ministry, and become more firmly rooted and grounded in Him. The cords and the stakes of a tent help support the weight of it. He wants to pour more in your personal ministry, but we must first make sure that we have enough faith and expectation to support and stay in position to receive the great blessings God has for us, which often exceed our own expectations (Is. 54:3; Eph. 3:20) |
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III. Lack of Trust
The last enemy of expansion is a lack of trust in the unconditional love of our Heavenly Father. When we don’t trust in His Word and Its promises, we are enslaved by failure of the past. Isaiah 54:4 tells us, “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.” The failures and the what-ifs of the past have no power over us when we choose to trust in God. A failed attempt at expansion last year or the year before should not keep us from trying it again today.
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God is more than able to erase the effects of any negative episode in your life. The skeletons in our closet, as we like to call them, have no power over the promise of expansion, because God in His mercy has power to turn any dry bones into living ones again (cf. Ez. 37). As you stand on the brink of a greater year in your life and ministry, do not be restricted by anything. Let’s believe for an overwhelming expansion in our spiritual life and ministry!
May God bless you!
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