God’s Plans for Your Life Have Not Been Canceled!
Photo by Jukan Tateisi on Unsplash
By Tom Shanklin
“Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.” (Isaiah 54:1-3, AV)
I would like to share some words of encouragement with you that may run completely contrary to your current situation. You may feel isolated, confined, hemmed in, bound, and even defeated, but I’ve come to tell you that God has a bright future and a glorious plan for your life.
God’s plans have not been canceled or altered due to a worldwide pandemic, social unrest, or any personal trial you may be facing today. Jesus is still on the throne and is still speaking peace and victory to his people.
So often, the Word of God speaks to us in this way. It almost seems like a contradiction. But it is the God who sees the end from the beginning speaking to us from the realm of eternity and dominion and saying, “Fear not, for I am with you, says the Lord.”
In the above passage from Isaiah, we see Almighty God speaking to Israel while they were in captivity in Babylon. They were unproductive, like a barren woman. They were inconsequential, like a small tent. But God says, “You are going to break out of your limitations. You are going to have a great inheritance.” It’s time to expand your vision!
When Jesus Gets Involved in Your Life
“Why?” you may ask. Because when Jesus gets involved in your life, great things are going to happen. Limitations are broken, and expansion takes place.
Now, this may not come as a great revelation to you, but Isaiah chapter 54 comes right after chapter 53. Isaiah 53 is called the great redemptive chapter of the Bible. It is the prediction of Jesus’ death on the cross 700 years before it happened. “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Jesus died to give us life. He came to give us a new beginning, and a part in His eternal Kingdom.
Once you give your life to Jesus and come into His kingdom, you can get rid of your small thinking. Everything you do, even in the midst of a pandemic, has eternal purpose and meaning. What God is doing in you is always big, though it may seem small at the time. He said the Kingdom of God is like a tiny mustard seed, which becomes a great tree. He said the meek shall inherit the earth. The least, He said, shall be the greatest. God takes the foolish things to confound the wise and the weak to confound the mighty.
Think of it this way: little people + a big God = powerful results. That is why He says expand your curtains, strengthen your stakes. Get ready! You’re going to inherit the nations.
When we see little, God sees big! Expand your vision!
God Speaks Expansion to Abraham
When Abraham was separated from his nephew, Lot, he became discouraged. The future looked bleak. He had lost half of his tribe and the best grazing land. But notice what God says! ”And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.” (Genesis 13:14-17, AV)
This is what we need to do. We need to lift up our eyes and look from the place where we are. We need to look north, south, east, and west, and see the expansive vision that God has for our lives. “I will multiply your seed,” God says. “Arise, walk, and see all that I have for you, says the Lord.” Abraham’s seed (both natural and spiritual) are still multiplying, and so will yours.
So I believe the Lord wants me to encourage you. Even though you may be facing limitations and adversity, it’s not time to crawl in a hole and die. You have a future and a hope. There are things that you may do in this season that could yield greater fruit than you have ever seen before.
You see, the worse limitation we can face is the limitation in our thinking. If we think we are bound, then we are. If we think life is over, then it is.
Consider this—Paul did some of his best work when he was confined in prison. Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon were all written while Paul was under house arrest in Rome. These letters are still ministering to countless multitudes around the globe today.
Paul could have easily become discouraged during that season of his life. He could have thought, “Here I am, stuck in my house. I can’t do anything. I have no future, no hope.” But no, he made use of the time. He turned a bad situation into good by following the leading of the Holy Spirit. He got under the anointing and wrote four letters that are still ministering to multitudes today. In the same way, you can do something today that will change the eternal destiny of someone. It’s not time to think small and give up. It’s time to think Kingdom thoughts from an eternal perspective.
It’s time to expand! Expand your prayer life. Expand your relationship with God. Expand your love for God and people. Expand your ministry to your family. Expand your praises. Expand your giving. Expand your vision for the future.
The Scripture says, “The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.” (Psalms 115:14, AV) He didn’t say He would increase you more and more as long as the winds are blowing your way. No, God is greater than the wind … bigger than the storm. It’s time to call on the Lord for a release of creativity in your life. Begin to think outside the box. Use this time to bring forth new strategies, new alliances, and to find new avenues for success in the Kingdom of God.
The God of Multiplication
You don’t have to have a megachurch to do something for God. God makes the small things big. You may be a pastor of a little church on the corner of Podunk Avenue and Myrtle Street, but if you’re faithful to God, He can take your little and make it much. He can use you to raise up the next generation of evangelists, pastors, business leaders, and faithful mothers and fathers to bring forth the Kingdom of God in the earth. Take the limits off. Expand your horizons. You have a purpose and a destiny right where you are.
We have personally seen limitations during this season. Our travel has been limited. Overseas travel is out of the picture for now. The same is true for all the missionaries we support. But God has given all of us ways to serve and be effective in this hour. We have seen that God is not asleep. He has not changed is mind about His plan for our lives … or yours. His gifts and callings remain the same.
This is also a season of preparation. A time to dig deep in the Word of God. A time to pray and align our hearts with God, a time to hear from the Holy Spirit and to be sure that we are in step with Him. Preparation time is not wasted time, but if we allow ourselves to become dishearted during this season, we could miss the opportunities that are before us and be out of step with His plans for the future. It’s time to tune in, tune-up, and ready ourselves for the next season. We must be sensitive, for the time will come when the doors will be open, and we will move forward in a greater anointing than ever before.
The worst thing that could happen during this season is that we become stagnant in our thinking and lose hope. We must retain our hope (confident expectation for the future) because our hope is the basis for our faith. If we lose hope, we cannot have faith, and without faith, it is impossible to please God. But if we walk in faith, we will be able to seize the opportunities of today and ready ourselves for the opportunities of the future.
So think big. Expand your vision. You are not a dried-up river. You have a future and a hope. You have many more spiritual children to bring to the birth. You have more territory to take for the Kingdom. God wants to do new things in your life, your family, and your ministry. Seize the moment. Unite yourself with the Lord. See the potential rather than fixing your eyes on the limitations of the natural world. Put on the mind of Christ, and you will see much fruit in the Kingdom of God.