We've gone by half of 2010 too quickly. Gone are the days of the Tax Credit, if your business depended on the stimulus. So, how are you preparing the 2nd half of 2010 and beyond?
I find this Sunday God First post just perfect for a time such as this.
The Prayer of Jabez is found on 1 Chronicles 4:10:
Jabez cried out to the God, "Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from harm!" And God granted him his request.
A simple yet bold prayer that we all can use in our lives...
4 simple requests and granted by God.
Blessing me: Pray about your personal needs. Pray through good and bad times. Pray for the little things and the big ones. All He wants is your trust in Him shown through your actions and perseverant prayers. Ask God to give you an abundant life. He planted the desires of your heart anyways. You must now just utter it back wholly.
Enlarging my territory: Territory can mean many things. It can mean expanding your business area, increasing your finances, cultivating more relationships, enlarging your wisdom and understanding for the business and influencing you to help others.
On a personal note, it could mean teaching you more about humility and patience. Giving you more physical strength to face the challenges for the day and having good health.
Keeping me safe: Pray about protection. Protection while you travel and protection while you are away from home. Protection about handling a transaction ethically and honorably.
Keeping harm out: Ask God to keep you from harm: physical pain, anxieties, fears, sickness, suffering, slander, problems at home and struggles at work.
Although it may seem that this post is written for the self-employed, it doesn't have to be received that way. Even if you were an employee of an organization, or even a home buyer or a home seller, the Prayer of Jabez may apply to you too. Ask God for opportunities in your life. Ask God for provisions and expansion. God hears them all!
God desires that we ask. He is not afraid of your requests. He knows ALL about them. In Matthew 7:7-8, it says to ask, seek, and knock. It will be given to you!
Have you prayed the Prayer of Jabez recently? Try it, it might just change your life.
In addition to all our human planning, we must submit our plans to Him. He will grant them in His timing according to our needs (not our wants).
I begin my week here on Active Rain with my God First posts, written every Sunday once a week. My promise to you is that the messages I share will be day-to-day related, often times related to real estate. If these topics are important to you also, I'd love for you to subscribe to my blog.
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Loreena Yeo - Realtor(R) in Frisco TX
Realtor®/ Broker of 3:16 team REALTY
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loreena@loreenayeo.com
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Copyright © 2010 by Loreena Yeo (3:16 team REALTY)
Enlarging Your Territory & Influence
Loreena - Beautiful post ! There is so much one can take away from this after reading it for introspective.
Loreena, "God First" says it all. Ultimately God plants prayers in our hearts and minds. But to pray knowing that God has placed it on your heart IS an answer to prayer in itself. When we pray about what God has placed on our hearts and minds, we already know that "that" prayer will be answered because the prayer is already in alignment with what God wants for us. Why is that? Because God only wants the best for us and he wants us to want it to.
Thanks Loreena for starting the week off for all of us thinking ahead and with some soul searching....
Good morning Loreena. It's good to see faith at work. Because without it, nothing else even matters, including our real estate practices.
Excellent post Loreena, well written, great message and clearly from the heart, thanks for sharing
Loreena, good morning. A great post for a Sunday morning.
Hi Loreena. Blessings to you this day and all week long. I love your posts so very much.
Loreena,
Unfortunately many in the church are so filled with an doctrine of unworthiness that they feel guilty or selfish about praying for their own business. If we are in business to serve then we are actually praying for the opportunity to give that service. Also unfortunately some of us who have been Christians for a while forget the basics and stop praying for the things you mentioned. I've just recently gotten back into that habit. Your post is a great encouragement. God bless you sister.
Loreena,
This is from Wikipedia:
The name Jabez Hebrew (ya bes) for 'he makes sorrowful'[2] [3]His Mother stated 'I gave birth to him in pain'.[4] It is speculated that, because Jabez was named by his mother, that there was no father in his life. Therefore, such birth out of wedlock would have been the source of pain and shame in Hebrew culture of the time. Hence the name. Whatever the interpretation, the prayer of Jabez has served both as a puzzle and also as an inspiration and model for some Christians. Jabez quite probably overcame adverse circumstances of birth to achieve a place of honor in his ancient society.
Jabez' name was something he did not like. How would you like to be named "She who gives pain" ?? He was litteraly asking that he NOT live according to what his name said he was like.
The end of the original verse in Hebrew says, ".... that I might not cause pain....."
God answered him because he was MORE HONORABLE than his relatives.
I pray the answers to YOUR prayers are because of the same principle operating in your life.
May you be blessed because YOU are more honorable than those around you, sis......
=-)
great blog here I hope you had a great weekend have a wonderful week ahead it's hot here in Dallas Texas !
Loreena, it's been a long time since I've prayed this prayer. Thanks for the reminder.
Loreena ... Thanks for your post and reminder that Jabez cried out to the God, "Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from harm!" And God granted him his request.
I pray to the Lord for wisdom.
Loreena, Thank you for this post reminding me of the prayer of Jabez. Expanding our territory allows us to give back more to others.
Thank you for my weekly inspiration. I have the Prayer of Jabez book at my bedside. I think its time to catch up on some reading.
Loreena, I have always used "the Lord will provide" for my business. I was just reading the Old Testament and learned that the verse goes along with the Lord providing a substitute; which is exactly what he did with our Savior Jesus Christ. The reference went back to Abraham when the Lord asked him to sacrifice Isaac. I'm so glad we live on this side of the cross and Jesus died once and for all for our sins. Wow did I go on. Knowing that the Lord is in control gives me a peace that goes beyond understanding.
Loreena, Thanks for the reminder of the Jabez prayer. I have prayed that prayer over my life before, but I think it's time to re-visit this for a time and really pray it through! (My territory NEEDS expanding!)
Loreena, our success does not come from our plan alone, but rather we are the branches of the vine :) thank you for this post, I have the prayer of Jabez in a little book and have always loved it.
Loreena.....another great post.....you do such a great job of all your posts...
Loreena- I love your Sunday God First posts. They are full of grace and wisdom from our Heavenly Father. I love Jabez' prayer.
Loreena, I'm glad that Patricia featured this in her weekly roundup. I missed this last week due to a heavy schedule at church. But it is oh so true...we need to pray this prayer with sincerity, often...
As a catholic, I too feel it is God who controls all we do. GOD FIRST!