Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez,[a] saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.

Wow! God wants to enlarge our influence. And to do that, there are things that must happen. Notice that Jabez had to shed the word curse label of ‘pain’ over his life. Many of us have damaging labels from our past. Lies and negative life commandments spoken over us that we believe and live into. But not Jabez. He might have caused pain in his birth, but his life would bless others. And God granted His request. Jesus died for us to be free of the word curses and lies. The Bible says He became a curse for us, so that we would have His blessing and salvation.

In order to enlarge your territory, God wants you to shed the labels and move into position. For what? His blessing on your life. Financially, emotionally, and physically. To do what? Advance His kingdom by expanding His influence. At home. At work. At church. In our towns. Receive more to give more. To God and His work in the lives of others.

What are the lies that you believe? Here’s some of the common ones.

Negative Life Commandments

• I will always be broke
• I am a people-pleaser
• I let people down
• I cannot commit to anything
• My past will always haunt me
• I am not a leader
• I am a loner
• I am insecure
• I am inconsistent
• I am forgetful
• I am lazy
• I am a nervous person
• I am worthless
• I am fearful
• I don’t deserve to be healed
• I am cursed
• I am a failure

Jabez asked God to shed the label. You can too. Replace the lies with His truth. You are the OPPOSITE of every lie mentioned above. Now go and EXPAND YOUR TERRITORY!

Status quo. It never stays the same. We either take ground or we lose it. God designed all Christians to enlarge our vision to advance His kingdom, both privately and corporately as a church. In Nehemiah 2, we learned that God used a leader to inspire His people to build Jerusalem’s broken down walls in 52 days. Amazing! But yesterday’s anointing is yesterday’s anointing. In Nehemiah 7:1-5, we see the next chapter. God’s instructions to Nehemiah:

1. Build faithful leaders
2. Bring back the exiles into God’s holy city
3. Fund the vision

God used a few good men and women to rebuild that wall. Now, it was time to take back the city!

As I preached from this text on Sunday, I saw so much of Life Church in this narrative. Last year, our people would ARISE & BUILD a new church facility. We have a permanent church home, but now it’s time to build people, reach the lost, and fund the vision as we TAKE THE CITY! The wall back then in ancient times, as our church is now, provided a shelter from the attacking enemy. Take care of God’s house, and He will protect yours. It’s a great investment of time, talents, and resources. Together, we are stronger. EVERYBODY matters. EVERYBODY is important!

Vision & Goals

In the next 52 weeks, Life Church WILL:

• Witness hundreds of people accept Christ and be healed
• Add a 3rd weekend worship service
• EQUIP you to share CHRIST EFFECTIVELY…
• Baptize people in a new baptistery
• Create INVEST/INVITE weekends
• Expand Community Outreach/Influence
• Grow Catalyst and Family Life ministries
• Build Life Group & Service team leaders to accommodate growth

Life Church, let’s be INTENTIONAL in everything we do to build God’s kingdom. Great days are truly ahead!

Of all the presents I could receive, the best one came on EASTER SUNDAY. Jesus. His death and resurrection for me. For others. There is nothing that turns my crank more than to see lives change.

On THIS particular Easter Sunday, it was incredible to see what God did through our Life Church Worship Team, Staff, and Servant Leaders! Through their tireless efforts to create an atmosphere for the power of God to effectively move, we witnessed an extraordinary moment. At the end of both services, nearly 90 people stood up to engage Christ in a Fresh, Real, & Powerful way. Chains of condemnation broke off of many. Some re-dedicated their lives to Jesus. For others, it was the day they were born again into God’s kingdom.

What a gift! And I’m ready to witness more!

I meditate on what the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:12-14:

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

The beauty of Jesus is His ability to transform our past into an incredible present and future. How he sobered up and cleaned up an ex-drunken, gambling, porn addict like me is beyond me. But it’s not beyond Jesus. My past mistakes inspire me to help encourage others to find Jesus and His resurrection power. We all have a race to run. Yesterday’s losses and victories are over. So, no matter how old you are, the goal is to FINISH STRONG!

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. -1 John 4:18-19

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ demolished fear. Love won! It is finished! God is love and in that love God shows us His awesome power. If God is for us, who or what can be against us? Fear has lost it’s sting. Fear no longer drives you. God does. Your 40 Days of Power journey ends today, but a new adventure with God is about to begin. New revelations are birthed in you. New spiritual disciplines. The Bible says that He Who has begun a good work in you, WILL BRING IT TO COMPLETION!

Action Step

Where has God’s love transformed you? Journal this. How has your quiet moments with God changed? Your study of the Bible changed? Your circumstances changed? See it. Live it. And testify about it to others who need to hear the Good News about Jesus!

The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together! -Matthew 25:23

Jesus rewards those who diligently seek Him and are faithful with what He gives them. The fact that you’ve accomplished 39 days out of your 40 Days of Power journey means something. You’ve been faithful in a small matter. God will bless you for it! No business manager would ever promote someone to organize a department if they can’t even be relied upon to show up on time. In fact, they’d probably be fired. Often, Christians want more stuff and more responsibility without even being faithful to use what they already have. God doesn’t expect perfection from us, but He does expect you to now operate in the light you’ve been given. To much is given, much is required.

Action Step

Examine yourself. Are you late to meetings? To church? Inconsistent on deadlines? Make commitments only to consistently break them? Take 10 minutes out of your day and see what areas God wants you to deal with. Remember, faithfulness leads to promotion in God’s kingdom!

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. -Revelation 12:11

The blood of Jesus defeated sin, sickness, and satan at the cross. His perfect life traded for our sin and imperfection. An incredible exchange. Satan is called the accuser of the brethren. An unholy prosecutor. Imagine in a courtroom, he brings accusation to God about our sin and rattles off the list. Then, our advocate Jesus talks to the Judge, who happens to be His son. Not guilty on all charges, Jesus says, reminding the Judge that He served our sentence already and we are HIS now! The charges are dropped. Paid in full!

Action Step

When satan accuses you about your sin, tell God about it and give it to Jesus. God forgives it. Then forget it. When the devil reminds you of your past, tell him about his future. In Hell. You won’t be there. He will. When demonic oppression or sickness and disease attack you, plead the blood of Jesus and exercise your authority in Christ over your mind, body, and emotions! Not guilty!

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired. -Isaiah 40:31

Patience works together with peace and joy to bring balance to your walk with God. The by-product of fully engaging this 40 Days of Power will be increased patience. With others. With circumstances. With God. With yourself. Patience will always be tested until we get to heaven. It’s not something we are born with, no matter how ‘calm’ someone may appear. Impatience is the child of fear. It’s rooted in fear that the issue won’t happen, or it won’t happen soon enough, or it’s inconvenient. The fact is, we live in a fallen world. We want what we want when we want it. However, things don’t always work out the way we want them to. Patience is an empowerment of God. It’s letting go of the need to control or manipulate people or things.

Action Step

Look back at Day 1 and Day 2 of your 40 Days of Power journal. Are you beginning to see the fruit of your progress? Where is patience still required? Remember, God IS in control.

And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. -Colossians 3:15

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. It means ‘completeness and wholeness, nothing missing or broken.’ What Jesus bought for us on the cross was peace with God. Our soul sickness was healed. It is finished! 17 of the 27 New Testament books open with a greeting of grace and peace to the believer because they needed to know their God-given rights. Jesus IS grace personified and offers us peace. To our mind, our body, and emotions. NOTHING MISSING OR BROKEN. So when sickness threatens you, financial fear attacks you, stress overwhelms you, let the PEACE OF GOD RULE! The Holy Spirit will take care of you!

Action Step

Go online or use a Bible concordance and search out the word ‘peace’ and how it’s used. Chances are, you will see a scripture ‘pop out’ and apply to your situation. This will help you HOLD YOUR PEACE.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. -Romans 15:13

I remember covering the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl 30 working as young sports reporter in Waco, Texas. The hype and hoopla was incredible. The week after the emotions and elation wore off, it was back to the office and the same old grind. I nearly became depressed. This was at a time before I knew Christ. Lesson I learned: Happiness is fleeting. Joy is sustaining! Happiness comes and goes. It’s based on external circumstances. Joy in Christ is steadfast. It’s internal. Joy will get you through the hard times because it works together with God’s peace. The more you experience Jesus, the more you deposit into your ‘joy’ tank. That joy builds faith and hope and confident expectation, which causes you to triumph over the storms of life.

Action Step

Are you up and down in your emotions? Perhaps, you rely on happiness to fulfill you? Add another 5 minutes to your prayer and scripture reading time. If you’ve come this far in the 40 Days journey, your capacity to engage God has increased. May your joy be full!

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. -James 1:19

My wife made it clear one time. She didn’t want me to ‘fix’ her problem. Just listen, Ryan! Whoa. Reality check! We’d often interrupt each other. Not good! That’s rude and tells others that what they are saying isn’t worthy of your time. Listening to people is a foundational spiritual discipline. Jesus often spoke in parables to the people who had ‘ears to hear.’ God is looking for people to operate in this often, under-utilized principle. James 1 cuts it straight. Slow down, and listen. Being a good listener shows others you care about them, not just fixing their problem. Being a good listener can save you from countless mistakes and empower your life. So don’t just listen half-heartedly while loading up your next comment. Slow down. Use your ears, to hear!

Action Step

If you are in the habit of interrupting people, pray about it. Practice immediately on the next person you see. You will have to consciously change this but the Holy Spirit will help you.