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.

I Chronicles 4:10 NKJV

Many people have picked up the Word of God looking for a Word from God and skipped over this powerful word from God because it is found amid a line of Geneology with a bunch of names we could never pronounce. Most of us never really got the who beget who stuff and when we get to that part tend to skip right over it. And in doing so we missed a valuable piece of information...how to pray to God for a blessing.

I admit, I am not very faithful in my reading of the Word because too many days go by when I allow life to interfere. But a woman of God whom I recently met gave the the book "The Prayer of Jabez" because she said God told her to. She had bought several books some time ago because God told her to buy them and He would tell her who to give them to. With the book she gave me a Word from God, prayed for me and became my new friend in Christ.

When I first read this book I have to say I really felt it was kind of selfish to ask God to bless me. I felt there were people out there who were less fortunate than I who needed a blessing or better yet more deserving than I. To increase my terrritory got me thinking I can barely keep what little I have mowed much less something more, but then as you read on it is really His territory increasing so that you have more room to do his work. Well that makes it easier and the plans to buy that new John Deere mower grow to a dim memory.

As you continue through the prayer you do see that Jabez asked God to put His hand with him. Many times in our lives we as Christians do ask this very same type of thing when we tell Him to put His hand on us to guide us, keep us safe, heal us, fill us, etc. But then as you read a little further you see that not only does he ask God to put His hand on him, but that God keep him from evil so that he will not cause harm. So many times we as Christians are looked upon and scrutinized by our actions. And many times we turn people from God because our actions are speaking far louder than our words which will be potentially harmful to a non-believer.

It is okay to ask God to bless us because through the blessings He bestows upon us we can be a blessing to others by increasing the territory for Him, using our hands as an insturment of God to help pull them out of the evil of the world, and the everlasting pain they would endure in the end if they do not believe. Be a Jabez and you will be blessed.

I Chronicles 4:10 NKJV

"CATCH UP CB!"

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