Jabez - Bless Me Indeed

Bless me indeed

This may seem a small task, but coming to God, humbling yourself and asking God to bless you is the beginning of your breakthrough! This means you are seeking God’s favour and grace on your life while submitting to the scriptural structure of authority, and that makes all the difference!
God, in the form of a Man wrestled with Jacob to the point of dislocating Jacob’s hip joint. When Jacob recognised that this ‘Man’ was stronger than he was, he clung to Him asking for His blessing.

Genesis 32:26 (NKJV)
And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!"

That was the point of breakthrough in Jacob’s life as he received a name-change from Jacob (Deceiver) to Israel (Prince with God). It is interesting that Jabez called on this same God - The God Of Israel -  for His blessing!

1 Peter 5:5-6 (NKJV)
Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
From this point a person receives salvation and every good gift that comes from God.
This is the place where you are born again and faith enters your heart.
Here you are set free from law as you walk into a life governed by grace.
This is the step up from the old covenant to the new.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NKJV)
"Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah--
not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

2 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NKJV)
Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Romans 6:14 (NKJV)
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Nahum 1:13 (NKJV)
For now I will break off his yoke from you, And burst your bonds apart."

Imagine enlarging your property. The first thing you do is bring down the old boundary.
You have to put away the clothing that you outgrow.
God’s grace is revealed to us in Jesus, His Son. Because Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets, in Him, we overcome the narrow boundaries of the law.
The Spirit of the Living God enters the human heart. No more do we live under an outward law that is restrictive but according to the conviction of the Holy Spirit within.
The law of love has entered the heart!
Such a person may seem at times to be breaking the law. For example, David and his men ate the holy bread, the disciples of Jesus plucked and ate grains of corn on the sabbath, Jesus touched the unclean leper and He healed on the sabbath. I am set free to go beyond ‘laws and traditions’ to follow the ‘law of love.’

Galatians 5:14 (NKJV)
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Romans 8:1-2 (NKJV)
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

The Spirit-led life is one not only of freedom but also of power and victory! It is similar to a huge, heavy aircraft laden with passengers and cargo, taking off and becoming airborne, seemingly defying the law of gravity, operating under an aerodynamic law!

Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV)
So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the Lord of hosts.

Jabez Called on God

Called on the God of Israel

There comes a time when the boundaries set by those who have authority over our lives seem restrictive. It could be the strict discipline at home or the lack of opportunity for promotion at work. It is like having a garment  on, that is too tight! Imagine being put in a compartment or cell that hardly has room for you to stretch yourself!  It is frustrating! In such a situation we need to beware of our natural reaction.

Jealousy towards those who seem to be free.
Self pity towards myself.
Rebellion against those who have authority over me.

If we continue to gaze on our situation and others and give way to anger, it would lead us to break the boundary impulsively and forcibly. This could be a child rebelling against a parent. Although this may seem to give temporary relief, the end result would be confusion and guilt. Parents are also asked not to provoke their children to anger by setting unreasonable boundaries. The only correct solution in such a situation therefore is to pray.

In every situation, it is necessary for us to understand three important points.

1. God has set for me a structure of authority with other people in this world and commands me to keep to that order.      
2. God has overall authority and is able to change any situation in my life if I let Him.
3. I receive the blessings He has planned for me by asking Him.

God has the authority and the ability to enlarge my territory!
In his frustration, Jabez did not fight with his mother but did the right thing by going to the right Person and praying the right prayer.

Jeremiah 32:27 (NKJV)
"Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV)
'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

Romans 10:13 (NKJV)
For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

1 John 5:14 (NKJV)
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Jabez called on the God of Israel, Who is the Creator and Sustain-er of the universe, the Almighty God. He has revealed Himself to us through His Son Jesus and given Him a name that is above every name. Jesus said,


John 14:14 (NKJV)
If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

Call on the name of Jesus in sincerity and in truth if you want to change the course of your life on earth and your eternal destiny.