From His Heart

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Today we want to talk about the attitude of holy audacity, the attitude of asking God for big things in life. God is a big God. God wants you to ask for big things. Now we’re going to look at Jabez’s prayer, and we’re going to be encouraged to pray big, to take our prayers, whatever they are, and expand them and enlarge them, because God likes big prayers. He’s a big God who likes big prayers.

Larry Nobles: Welcome to From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Schreve, and thank you for joining us today as we continue the lesson exploring the benefits of praying big. One of Pastor Jeff’s favorite poems goes like this: You are coming to a King, large petitions with you bring, for His grace and power are such, no one can ever ask too much.

Well, that's so true. Too often we pray little prayers. We forget we're coming to the King of Kings, the great King, but yet we still ask God for the crumbs. But God really does want His children to pray big, enormous, massive, gigantic, colossal prayers. Pastor Jeff shows us the motivation we have for doing just that in today’s lesson called Praying Big, from the series Attitude for Altitude that we’re in for the rest of this month. Now if you can't be with us for the whole broadcast today or you missed part one from last time, you can go to the listen link at fromhisheart.org. Open to the Old Testament book of 1 Chronicles chapter 4. Here’s Pastor Jeff, who has personally learned about the power of praying big.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Now we're going to look at Jabez's prayer, and we’re going to be encouraged to pray big, to take our prayers, whatever they are, and expand them and enlarge them, because God likes big prayers. He’s a big God who likes big prayers.

Encouragement number one: God wants you to pray for big blessings. Verse 10 again: "Now Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that You would bless me indeed!'" God, I want You to bless me. How do I want You to bless me? Bless me indeed. Bless me big time. Not only does God want you to pray for big blessings, God wants you to pray for big impact. Big impact.

"Oh, that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, enlarge my territory," as some translations put it, "enlarge my coast," as other translations put it. Enlarge my border, my boundary. This is so true and so many of us miss it. God wants to use your life and He wants to use my life to make a big difference for the Kingdom. Quit serving Him in your own little way. Start serving Him in a big way.

Recently there's been a reprise of the movie The Lion King. I’ve always liked the movie The Lion King, and I always had one part in The Lion King that was my favorite part in the whole movie. You remember the story of The Lion King. Here’s the great King Mufasa and he’s got his little son Simba. Then he’s got his evil brother Uncle Scar. Remember Scar? He wasn't a nice guy.

Here is Scar, and Scar masterminds the death of Mufasa, and then he tries to kill little Simba, the soon-to-be King, the Prince. Simba runs away and he goes and he’s living on the backside of nowhere. He grows up with Pumbaa and the Siskumbaa, whoever the guy's name was that he grew up with. He’s just a little cub and all of a sudden he grows up and he’s eating worms, living on the backside of nowhere, hanging out with the pigs.

All of a sudden, he comes one day face-to-face with an image of his father. Rafiki, the little monkey, shows him this water. Just look. He touches the water and all of a sudden he sees his dad, a vision of his dad. He says, "Father?" Mufasa had that big voice. James Earl Jones has a great voice. "Simba!" "Father? Is that really you?" He says, "Simba, you have forgotten me." "Oh no, Dad, I would never forget you."

He says, "Yes, you've forgotten me. Look around you. Look how you're living. You are so much more than what you've become. You are my son, and you have forgotten me." Every time that would come on our video player, VHS, it was so old. That part would come on and the tears would well up in my eyes as I thought how God looks at His children, how God so often looks at me and says, "You’re so much more than what you’ve become. You’ve forgotten me."

You’ve forgotten that you’re My child. You’re the King’s kid and you’re living so far below what I have for you. You're not saying enlarge my border. You’re fine with this little impact, this little plot right here for your life. God says, "I want to do so much more, but you're not trusting Me for anything. You're not believing Me for anything. You're not praying big."

You know who you are? Let me remind you. 1 Peter chapter 2, verses 9 and 10: "But you," speaking to those who have given their heart and life to Jesus Christ, "but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

Man, you’re somebody special! And so you need to say with Jabez and I need to say with Jabez, "Hey, hold on a minute. I was made for more than what I’m seeing right now. Lord, bless me indeed and enlarge my territory." Why? So I can make a bigger impact for the Kingdom of God. So God wants you to pray for big impact. Lord, enlarge my border.

Encouragement number three: God wants you to pray for His power. "Now Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me.'" Lord, I need Your touch. This is right on the heels of, "God, I was made for more than this. Lord, give me more. Lord, expand my influence and my territory."

Right on the heels of that is, "But God, I can't do this without You. God, I need Your hand upon me because there's no way I can do this. There's no way I can have big impact without You, Lord. And so put Your hand upon me. I need Your power." Jabez saw something in this prayer, it's revealed in this prayer, that you and I so often lose sight of.

Here’s what he saw: that he desperately needed God. You and I need to remind ourselves constantly that we desperately need God. We need His hand, we need His touch. We can't do this without God. We can't live the Christian life without God. That's one of the biggest struggles that so many of us have.

The reason that so many live the Christian life and they're always broken down and there's no power and there's no joy and where's the fruit of the spirit? I don't know. It's because you're trying to live the Christian life yourself. You can't do it. Jesus said in John 15 and verse 5, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." Nothing.

Say, "Well, what does that mean I can do nothing? I mean, can I not sing? Can I not teach? Can I not preach apart from Him? I mean, do the words not come out apart from Him?" No. Apart from God, you can do nothing that lasts, nothing that matters on eternity's clock. Apart from Him, all you can produce, all I can produce is wood, hay, and straw.

Wood, hay, and straw at the judgment seat of Christ when it's tested by fire is consumed. Apart from Me, you can do nothing. But with Me, the Lord says, you can do all things and you can produce gold, silver, precious stone. When gold, silver, and precious stone are brought to the judgment seat of Christ, they last and stand the test of the fire. And if you want to live a life that matters, you have to depend upon the Lord. You have to say with Jabez, "God, put Your hand upon me. I cannot do this without You."

Larry Nobles: Isn't it ironic that sometimes the very success with which God blesses is what can trip us up and zap the power out of our own personal ministry? Pastor Jeff returns on From His Heart in just a moment with an Old Testament example of this that you'll surely relate to.

There are a bazillion reasons why we at From His Heart are reaching the world for Jesus after 21 years of broadcast ministry, and one of those is that because of your continuously generous partnership, more and more people city in towns across the country and around the world are hearing the real truth of God's word in their hardest moments, every single day, every week on TV and every moment online.

The reach of this ministry is truly incredible to ponder. Every day, men and women facing uncertainty and grief and hardship are finding encouragement through From His Heart ministries. And we are a listener-supported broadcast outreach from which Pastor Jeff receives no income, and we're thankful beyond words for those who have come alongside us over the years to allow that to happen.

Now this month for your treasured gift to From His Heart, we'd love to say thank you by sending you two exciting and practical resources for you, especially if like life is hard and you need a reset. This month our thank you gift is the five-lesson series, "Life Goes On: How to Face a New Normal," and the companion full-length book, "Life Interrupted," from Pastor Jeff. You can get these practical resources by going to fromhisheart.org or simply calling 866-40-BIBLE. Now let's get back to the conclusion to the lesson called Praying Big. Here's Pastor Jeff.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: There's man in the Bible, Book of Judges, his name was Samson. Everybody's heard about Samson. Everybody gravitates toward that story when they read in the Old Testament about Samson. Samson’s in all the little kids’ Bible books. He’s just this big, strong, burly guy and we think Samson, boy, I want to be Samson.

When I was in Kenya, when the Africans in Kenya would come to Christ, they would take a Bible name. Almost all the guys said "Samson. I want to be Samson" because they thought strength. We picture him as this big, strong Arnold Schwarzenegger-looking guy. I don't think Samson looked like that.

You know what Samson looked like really? I mean, really? Probably like Barney Fife. That’s Samson. We don't think of Barney Fife as really a guy to be feared. But you know he didn't look just big and burly because the Philistines, the guys that he’s always whipping up on, they're always scratching their heads saying, "What is the secret to this guy's great strength?"

You watch Conan the Barbarian, no one's ever saying, "How's Conan so strong? I can't figure it out." It's like, well, he's got a 40-inch bicep, that might trigger some kind of understanding. The guy's huge, he’s really strong, he can bench press a house. Barney Fife can't bench press the house, right? Unless God is inside of him doing it through him.

That's what was happening in Samson's situation. Everywhere he went and every battle he was in, he always won. He killed a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. His first battle was against the lion. He tore the lion apart with his bare hands. The scripture says like one would tear apart a little goat. Wow! This guy's something else.

But success led to his downfall because if you remember the story in Judges chapter 16, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah. She was working in cahoots with the Philistines trying to figure out what is the source of his great strength. Well, the source of his great strength was God.

But God had given him a Nazarite vow, and the Nazarite vow was this: you don't touch anything dead, you don't drink alcohol, and you don't cut your hair. You read the story of Samson. You know what he did? When he killed the lion, he dug and the honey went into the carcass of the lion. He dug that out. He touched something dead, broke the first strand of his Nazarite vow.

He had a big drinking party when he was going to get married, and he broke the second strand of his Nazarite vow. The only strand left of his three-strand Nazarite vow was his hair. Delilah’s trying to figure out what is the source of your great strength? He is playing games with her. He says, "Well, you know, if you tie me up in ropes that have never been dried out, and cords that have never been dried out, I'll be weak as any man."

So she does that and then she says, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And he goes and breaks them like a thread and whips the Philistines. Then she said, "Well, you lied to me." He said, "Well, I didn't really lie. Here's the deal. If you bind me with new ropes, not cords that have never been dried, but just brand new ropes, then I'm weak as any man. I'll just be bound."

So she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" She bound him with the ropes and he just broke them like a thread. She said, "Well, you lied to me! Tell me what is the source of your great strength?" He said, "You know, if you take my hair and put it in a bun, then I'll be weak as any man."

So she took his hair, she put it in a bun, and she put a little pin through it. She said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" The Philistines came out to get him and he just shook that free and he whipped those guys. Finally, she is whining, she's griping, she's complaining, she's nagging. He can't take it anymore.

"Tell me the secret of your great strength." He said, "A razor has not come upon my head, and if you shave the seven locks of my hair, you will find me weak as any man." And so as he slept on her lap, she had his hair shaved. And then she woke him up and she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!"

And look what it said: "And he awoke from his sleep and said, 'I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.'" But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. He did not know that the Lord had left him. And here is Barney Fife, and now he’s just Barney Fife, and there's no power of God on his life.

The Philistines grab him, and they seize him, and they gouge out his eyes, and they bind him, and they take him off as a slave. He’s grinding at the mill like a dumb animal. Wow. What happened to Samson the strong man? He forgot that all the strength comes from God. He wasn't dependent upon God. He didn't realize how desperately he needed God.

Hey, you and I have to always remember, Lord, unless Your hand is upon me, I can't do it. Every day I wake up and say, "God, I need Your strength and I need Your power. I spit on my own strength and my own power, and I trust Your strength and Your power. I can't make it without You, God." That Your hand might be with me, Jabez prayed.

Encouragement number four: "And that You would keep me from harm, that it may not pain me." God wants you to pray for His protection. To pray for His protection. When Jabez prayed that God would keep him from harm, that it wouldn't hurt him, in the Amplified it said this: "And You would keep me from evil so that it might not hurt me."

It’s not that Jabez is saying, "God, keep me on Easy Street." He’s saying, "God, keep me from evil. Protect me." It's kind of like the Lord's Prayer: deliver us from evil. And he prayed that. He wanted God to protect him so he wouldn't pain himself, so he wouldn't hurt himself, so he wouldn't "Jabez" himself, wouldn’t create sorrow for himself.

Have you ever done that? Have you ever walked into something, said no to what the Lord wants you to do and said yes to what your flesh wants you to do and you Jabezed yourself? You created sorrow for yourself and for your family? It happens all the time.

So we pray, Lord, keep me from hurting myself. Keep me from bringing sorrow and pain and grief to myself and to those who love me. We need to remind ourselves every single day that sin always brings hurt and pain and destruction. No one is immune from that. I'm not, you're not, Billy Graham's not, no one is. The Apostle Paul wasn't. No one.

Galatians 6:8 in the Amplified says this: "For he who sows to his own flesh, his lower nature, his sensuality, will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction. But the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." If you're spending your time satisfying the cravings of your flesh, you will reap decay and destruction and sorrow and pain.

You need to remind yourself of that. You know why? Because when you're tempted to do that which is wrong, that you know is wrong, when you're tempted at that moment, it just seems like that is going to really float your boat, that is going to meet your needs, that is going to fill you and thrill you, and that is going to be worth it.

That's what David thought when he saw Bathsheba bathing and his heart just began to pump like this, and he was just like, "I have got to have that woman. She is so beautiful. She is so gorgeous." He didn't think past what happens if I have sex with her. What does that set in motion in my life? How does that affect my family?

So David didn't take the long look. He plunged headlong into sin with Bathsheba, and it wrecked and ruined his life and his family. No one is immune from that. Lord, keep me from evil that it might not harm me. Sin always brings hurt and pain and destruction.

Here’s the thing about sin: God wants us to live in victory over sin. God wants us to rise above sin. "Do not be overcome by evil," the Lord says, "but overcome evil with good." God wants us to be overcomers. How do you do that? And you're saying, "Hey, I'm listening to you, but I'm struggling with sin in my life. I'm struggling with lust, I'm struggling with sexual immorality, I'm struggling with drugs, I'm struggling with alcohol, I'm struggling with worry, I'm struggling with bitterness because of things that people have done to me. And man, I want to get out of this pit that I'm in, but I'm having such trouble because it just keeps pulling me and pulling me."

As Paul said, "The things that I don't want to do, the things that I want to do, I don't do, and the things I don't want to do, I find myself doing. Wretched man that I am, who will set me free from the body of this death?" Ever feel like that? How do I rise above that? Good question.

We desperately need to pray big and believe big and see God do big things in our life. You see, the prayer of Jabez is a prayer that God wants you to pray and God wants you to believe. Pray big and believe. This passage ends with this verse, the end of verse 10: "And God granted him what he requested."

Larry Nobles: Maybe you have needs in your life that you'd really like to petition God for. Well, don't settle for breadcrumbs. Give God room to surprise you in your requests. At From His Heart, we strive to touch hearts and change lives each and every day. And yes, we're on your local radio station and on many hundreds around the nation and around the world, including on television in 180 countries.

Here's the truth to remember from today's message: God is big, He is present, He hears, and He is glorified. Again, go to fromhisheart.org, click the prayer link to leave a request and then take the time to pray for others as well. Well, we've run out of time for today's broadcast. I'm Larry Nobles inviting you to be right back here next time when Pastor Jeff will continue the series, Attitude for Altitude, with a message about humility called "The Lowdown on the High Road." Here's a little bit of the truth we'll be taught.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Today we want to talk about the attitude that so many people forget about. It's the attitude that Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, had. You say what attitude is that? It's the attitude of humility. How well are you doing with an attitude of humility? Well, God has something to say to us today in a message I've entitled "The Lowdown on the High Road."

Larry Nobles: Join us next time when Pastor Jeff Schreve will share real truth, real love, and real hope from God's heart, here on From His Heart. From His Heart is the listener-supported broadcast outreach of Dr. Jeff Schreve. If you’ve been blessed by this ministry, would you help us share the real truth of God’s love with more people? You can make a gift online at fromhisheart.org, or mail your gift to From His Heart, P.O. Box 6310, Texarkana, Texas, 75505. Thank you for your support and for joining us today for From His Heart.