Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense [Prov 19:11]

Loving others is one of the most important and difficult commands Jesus gave us. We are a messy, broken, needy, and sinful people. We constantly deal with our own wounds and those of others. When someone wrongs me, I instantly feel a need for justice and fairness rise within me. I feel as if I have the right to be angry or even to exact revenge for the wrong they committed. Offense stirs up feelings of insecurity, pride, anger and frustration. But God can transform us into those who live without offense. Read more

Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. [Isa 54:2]

As we reflect on what God would have us do as we look to the future, we need to believe God to enlarge and expand our horizons. The word “enlarge” as used in Isa 54:2 means “to grow large, to go beyond, to make more room, to increase capacity; to breakthrough; to expand, go further, occupy new territories, think big, without boundaries”. God wants us to increase our capacity so we can receive his ever-increasing flow of blessing. Here are three keys to increase our capacity:

1. PRAYER: Ask God to increase your capacity – Jabez cried [prayed] to the God of Israel, saying, Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and You would keep me from evil so it might not hurt me! And God granted his request [1 Chron 4:10]
2. VISION: Begin to see the future as God sees it – We must stopping looking at life through our rear view mirror at successes or failures in the past. To believe God is to see things as he sees them -to grasp from deep within our spirits that he is the God of limitless possibilities.
3. FAITH: Seeing things that are not as though they are – If we want God to enlarge our borders we will need to leave our comfort zone behind, so he can increase our capacity to believe and receive beyond our previous expectations. Faith increases our capacity to receive: stretch your thinking – do something you’ve never done – believe God for something you previously thought impossible.

A `Breakthrough’ is: a sudden burst of faith that will take you beyond all previous points of past resistance. A `breakthrough’ often comes when you give generously to a cause bigger than yourself: our capacity to receive is expanded when our capacity to give grows. We all want our lives to grow and increase, but growth can be uncomfortable, even painful. It stretches us and puts our faith to the test. But enlarging our tent – extending our reach for the kingdom of God is not a suggestion or option – it is a command! Let’s ask God to stretch us today as we begin a new journey toward the exciting things he has waiting for us!