Genuine Prayer Leads to an Above Average Life

In Ephesians 3:20 I read, “[God] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." (NIV)

God wants me to live my life to the fullest. He doesn’t want me to live an average life, without any dreams and goals. As I read yesterday, God wants me to have great ambition and a growing faith. He also wants me to have a genuine prayer life.

Jabez had a genuine prayer life. And it was the real secret to accomplishing his dreams. He prayed, “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” (1 Chronicles 4:10 NIV). And then the verse continues, “God granted his request.”

It’s not possible to out-ask or out-dream God. The Bible says, “[God] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20 NIV). So it’s ok to go ahead and stretch my imagination to the greatest thing that could possibly happen, and then realize that God can go beyond that.

Jabez knew this about God, so he prayed three things:

First, Jabez prayed for God’s power in his life. He prayed, “Oh, that you would bless me.” It seems a bit self-serving to ask God to bless me. It seems selfish.” But according to God, asking for blessings is absolutely fine. He’s not some big policeman up in the sky waiting for me to make one wrong move so he can pounce on me. He wants to bless my life.

Secondly, Jabez prayed for God’s presence in his life. He prayed, “Let Your hand be with me.” He asked for God’s presence. Jabez knew that if he got more land and a larger territory, he would have greater demands and more responsibilities. He knew he’d need God’s help with it all.

Lastly, Jabez prayed for God’s protection over his life. He prayed, “Keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” Why does Jabez ask for God’s protection? Because he knew this: The more successful I am, the more critics I’ll have. The same thing is true in the Christian life: The closer I grow to the Lord, the stronger I become as a Christian and the more the Devil will hassle me.

What do you want God to do in your life? Help you with a problem? Ask him to help you with some goals? Ask him. First, get the motive behind my goals and dreams in alignment with God. Next, pray the three things Jabez prayed; for God’s power, for God’s presence, and for God’s protection. And then watch how God answers your prayers!

In summary, God is able to do immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within me. God wants me to live my life to the fullest. He doesn’t want me to live an average life, without any dreams and goals. God wants me to have great ambition and a growing faith. He also wants me to have a genuine prayer life. Jabez had a genuine prayer life. And it was the real secret to accomplishing his dreams. It’s not possible to out-ask or out-dream God. It’s ok to go ahead and stretch my imagination to the greatest thing that could possibly happen, and then realize that God can go beyond that. Jabez knew this about God, so he prayed three things: First, Jabez prayed for God’s power in his life. It seems a bit self-serving to ask God to bless me. It seems selfish.” But according to God, asking for blessings is absolutely fine. He wants to bless my life. Secondly, Jabez prayed for God’s presence in his life. Jabez knew that if he got more land and a larger territory, he would have greater demands and more responsibilities. He knew he’d need God’s help with it all. Lastly, Jabez prayed for God’s protection over his life. He knew that the more successful he beame, the more critics he would have. Likewise, the closer I grow to the Lord, the stronger I become as a Christian and the more the Devil will hassle me. What do you want God to do in your life? Ask him to help me. First, get the motive behind my goals and dreams in alignment with God. Next, pray the three things Jabez prayed; for God’s power, for God’s presence, and for God’s protection. And then watch how God answers your prayers!

Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in me. By this power he can do infinitely more than I could ever ask or imagine. Faith starts with stretching my imagination. It begins with a concept, vision or a mental picture. It always starts with an idea. As an example, God gave Abraham a picture. Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Abraham has something he could visualize. God will grow my faith by stretching my imagination, by giving me a dream. What I can dream and believe in faith, I can achieve.

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Today, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in others lives. I pray all these things through your Son Jesus’ name, Amen.

How to Live a Life of Significance

In 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 I read, “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers . . . Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘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." (NIV)

Everyone is designed for excellence. I may feel ordinary, but God created me to live a life of significance.

The Bible is filled with ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives because they believed God would work in and through them. They believed God made them for a purpose and intended for them to successfully fulfill their mission.

One example is a man named Jabez. God gave him an honorable mention in 1 Chronicles, a Bible book that includes nine chapters of genealogies. Right in the middle of that long list of names, God singles out Jabez, an ordinary guy, in two verses.

The Bible says, “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers . . . Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘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” (1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NIV).

Those two verses give all the information we have about Jabez, but they reveal that he lived a life that was anything but average.

Jabez stands out because of three secrets to his success. We’ll look at the first two today.

He had great ambition. While many people are content with being average, Jabez wanted God to do something significant through him. He didn’t want to live half-heartedly; he wanted a full and meaningful life.

Jabez was ambitious, but, just as importantly, he was motivated by the right things. How do we know Jabez’s motives were genuine and not selfish? Because we read, “And God granted his request.” God will never honor an unworthy request.

Many people just drift through life. They have no goals, no master plan, and no overall purpose. As a result, they never go anywhere. If I want to live above average, dream big! I’m not meant to go through life wondering, “What am I doing? Where am I going?” God wants me to have a great ambition, fueled by the desire to serve him.

He had a growing faith. Jabez had a deep trust and belief in God. There’s no mention of him having any special ability or talent. The Bible doesn’t say he was wealthy or educated. He was just a common man with an uncommon faith.

There is something in life that is more important than ability and talent. It’s faith. Faith is believing God will work through me.

How do you break out of mediocrity? Like Jabez, I need to have a great ambition and a growing faith, and dependence on God to do the impossible. Missionary William Carey once said, “Attempt great things for God and then expect great things from God.”

Tomorrow we’ll look at the third secret that made Jabez really stand out: his genuine prayer life.  

In summary, everyone is designed for excellence. I may feel ordinary, but God created me to live a life of significance. The Bible is filled with ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives because they believed God would work in and through them. They believed God made them for a purpose and intended for them to successfully fulfill their mission. One example is a man named Jabez. “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers . . . Jabez cried out that God would bless him and enlarge his territory! Let God’s hand be with him, and keep him from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request." In fact God gave him an honorable mention in 1 Chronicles, God singles out Jabez, an ordinary guy, in two verses. Those two verses give all the information we have about Jabez, but they reveal that he lived a life that was anything but average. Jabez stands out because He had great ambition. While many are content with being average, Jabez wanted God to do something significant through him. He wanted a full and meaningful life. Jabez was ambitious, motivated by the right things. How do I know Jabez’s motives were genuine and not selfish? Because I read that God granted his request. God will never honor an unworthy request. Many will just drift through life. They have no goals, no master plan, and no overall purpose. As a result, they never go anywhere. If I want to live above average, dream big, God wants me to have a great ambition, fueled by the desire to serve him. Jabez had a growing faith and a deep trust and belief in God. There’s no mention of him having any special ability or talent. He was just a common man with an uncommon faith.  In life there is something more important than ability and talent. It’s faith. Faith is believing God will work through me. Like Jabez, I need to have a great ambition, growing faith, and dependence on God to do the impossible. 

Jabez is remembered for a prayer request rather than a heroic act. In his prayer, he asked God to bless him, help him work, be with him in all he did and keep him from trouble and pain. Jabez acknowledged God as the true center of his life. When I pray for God's blessing, I should also pray that he will take his rightful position as Lord over my work, family and recreation. Obeying him in daily responsibilities is heroic living.  I live in a fallen world filled with sin, and it is important to ask God to keep me safe from the unavoidable evil that comes my way. But I must also avoid evil motives, desires, and actions that begin within me. Therefore, not only must I seek God's protection from evil, but I must also ask God to guard my thoughts and actions. I can begin to utilize his protection by filling my mind with positive thoughts and attitudes. 

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Today, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in others lives. I pray all these things through your Son Jesus’ name, Amen. 

For a Breakthrough, Stay Focused on God

In 2 Chronicles 20:3 I read, “Jehoshaphat was frightened and prayed to the LORD for guidance." (GNT)

In a crisis, it’s natural to start explaining to God what’s going on and asking him for help. He wants me to talk to him and pour out my heart to him. But don’t start my prayer by telling God what I need. First, he wants me to focus on him.

When three enemy nations decided to team up against King Jehoshaphat and Israel, the king knew there was no way he could overcome those odds, and so he prayed. His prayer shows me how to start my prayers by focusing on God.

First, remind myself of God’s greatness.

Jehoshaphat prayed, “O LORD God of our ancestors, you rule in heaven over all the nations of the world. You are powerful and mighty, and no one can oppose you” (2 Chronicles 20:6 GNT).

When praying for something I can’t control, don’t focus on the problem. Focus on God’s greatness. The bigger God gets in my mind, the smaller the problem becomes.

Next, remind myself of God’s unlimited power.

“When your people Israel moved into this land, you drove out the people who were living here and gave the land to the descendants of Abraham, your friend, to be theirs forever” (2 Chronicles 20:7 GNT).

When I realize that God has all the power in the world, I can just trust him. As I pray, think of all the ways God has helped me, others I know, and people in the Bible.

Then, remind God of his promises.

Jehoshaphat reminded God he promised Israel that the land would be theirs forever. God has made promises to me as well. In fact, there are thousands of promises for me in the Bible. When my daughter and grandsons remind me of the promises I’ve made to them, it can be frustrating. But God loves to have his Word quoted back to him.

Finally, ask God for a breakthrough.

Jehoshaphat said of the attacking forces, “Punish them, for we are helpless in the face of this large army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you for help” (2 Chronicles 20:12 GNT).

I shouldn’t just ask God to bless my life. Focus on him and then tell him the specific thing I need for my breakthrough. Then I’ll see him provide as I pray like Jehoshaphat.

In summary, when frightened and not sure what to do, pray to the Lord for guidance. In a crisis, it’s natural to start explaining to God what’s going on and asking him for help. However, He wants me to talk to him and pour out my heart to him. So don’t start prayers by telling God what I need. First, start my prayers by focusing on him. King Jehoshaphat’s prayer shows me how to start my prayers by focusing on God. I need to remind myself of God’s greatness. When praying for something I can’t control, don’t focus on the problem. Focus on God’s greatness. The bigger God gets in my mind, the smaller the problem becomes. Next, remind myself of God’s unlimited power. When I realize that God has all the power in the world, I can just trust him. As I pray, think of all the ways God has helped me, others I know, and people in the Bible. Then, remind God of his promises. Jehoshaphat reminded God he promised Israel that the land would be theirs forever. God has made promises to me as well. God loves to have his Word quoted back to him. Finally, ask God for a breakthrough. I shouldn’t just ask God to bless my life. Focus on him and then tell him the specific thing I need for my breakthrough. Then I’ll see how he provides.

In this passage, when the nation was faced with disaster, King Jehoshaphat called upon the people to get serious with God by going without food (fasting) for a designated time. By separating themselves from the daily routine of food preparation and eating, they could devote that extra time to considering their sin and praying to God for help. Hunger pangs would help to reinforce their feelings of penitence and remind them of their weakness and their dependence upon God. 

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Today, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in others lives. I pray all these things through your Son Jesus’ name, Amen.