It's All About Me

Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left...Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. ~ Isaiah 54:2-4

Am I the cause of my current situation? Why don't I have more, give more, live more? Why am I stuck in a $10, $15, $50 per hour job? What holds me back? What keeps me locked in this place?

The answer, I discovered, was simple. The answer is me. God says, "[You] enlarge the place of your tent, [you] stretch your tent curtains wide, [you] do not hold back; [you] lengthen your cords, [you] strengthen your stakes...[you] do not be afraid...[you] do not fear disgrace." God says it's all about and up to you. God has provided it all, but I have to be the one to take the initiative to go after it. I can't wait for it to be done for me; I can't blame someone else. I need to trust God and go for it.

So what holds me back? I think it comes down to what Joyce Meyer refers to as "stinkin' thinkin'." God knew we would struggle with this and that is why He tells us to take our every thought captive, (see 2 Corinthians 10:5). What does that look like? How do you do that?
1) Get familiar with God's Word. If we're not reading, studying, and thinking about God's Word, how will we know if something is found in His Word?
2) Get familiar with God's voice. When you're praying and spending alone time with God, are you doing all the talking, or are you listening, too? Practice listening to God's voice; He's always talking to us, but are we listening?
3) Visualize taking your thoughts captive. Imagine every thought as a piece of paper. When one tries to enter your mind, grab hold of it. Examine it. This is where knowing God's Word and His voice come in handy. As you examine the thought, ask yourself, "Does this sound like something God has said in His Word or has spoken to me?" If so, then allow the thought. If not, throw the paper (thought) down and stomp on it!

So how does this help me to enlarge the place of my tent? Studying God's Word is a double blessing: it teaches you what not to allow and fills your mind with good stuff. As you go deeper and deeper into God's Word, you begin to believe that His promises are true...even for you...even for today! As you begin to believe, you can begin to open up to all that God has for you and when He calls you to enlarge the place of your tent, you will, without question, simply because He said so.

Lord, I pray that you would help us all to fill our minds with your words--help it to be unmistakable and unforgettable, always at the forefront of our minds. Father, I pray that as we study your word, that we would be doubly blessed: that you would both fill our minds and build up our defenses against the enemy's attacks. We know that he comes only to take from us, but you have promised us abundant life. Lord, I pray that all (including me) who read this today would put it into practice, that we'd be filled with your word and we'd begin to enlarge our borders, that we'd begin to see beyond what our physical eyes can see. Lord, I pray these things in Jesus' Name, Amen.