02/03/2022
*MARCH: OUR MONTH OF TAKING NEW TERRITORIES*
Text: Psalms 2:8; Hebrews 5:6-7; 1 Chronicles 4:10; Joshua 1:3; Isaiah 54:2-3
Key Verse: Mark 3:27, “No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.” (KJV).
*“Taking New Territories”* means Breaking into New Frontiers; taking your environment for Christ; growing spiritually; advancing from one level to another level; promotion; taking new business initiatives and developing new business opportunities.
*Why Take New Territories?*
• You have accepted some things as normal and adjusted your way of life to accommodate something that was never meant to be. It is time to challenge status quo and take new territories.
• In life, there will always be constant demand on us from God, our family members, friends, the Church, peer group, association/group we belong to, etc. To be able to meet up with these demands, there is need to expand your capacity, influence, finances, etc., because your present status may not be able to cater for the demands placed on you. In 2 Kings 6, the School of Prophets realised the need to expand the size of their school, so as to be able to accommodate the teeming population at the School of Prophets. Thus, they felt the need to take new territory and they came to Elisha, the Head of the School with a Proposal of Expansion. They said to Elisha, “As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small. Let’s go down to the River Jordan, where there are plenty of logs (woods). There we can build a new place for us to meet. “All right, he told them, go ahead” – (2 Kings 6: 1-2).
• This generation needs “Proof” beyond religion.
• You must establish the Kingdom of God on earth through the Grace and gifts God Has given to you.
• There are souls perishing and you must go win them for Christ.
• Your rightful place is riches in Christ, but you are still battling with poverty.
• Your place is victory, but you are still living in defeat
• The Church is sleeping and need to awake unto their full responsibilities (Great Commission). It is a natural desire inherent in man to expand in his career, business, ministry, profession and whatever he does. A pastor of a church would love to see his Church grow in all dimensions. The hard truth here is that you cannot achieve all these things without prayer. In Hebrews 5, it was recorded that Jesus, during His earthly days in ministry, offered prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto God. Jesus conquered through prayer. You cannot take any city, until you have cast down principalities in charge of that territory. You break forth and take charge of a city through violent prayers. The salvation of man’s soul is an act of God – born of the Spirit. You cannot save a soul through flesh. You do the persuasion, but God does the conversion and that is why prayer is important.
Jabez understood this principle of prayer, when he asked God to give him new territories. He knew absolutely that he couldn’t expand his influence without prayer. When he did pray, the Bible said, God granted his request. In the presence of God, you breathe in and go out to breathe out. No prayer – no success; little prayer – little success and much prayer – much success. God is faithful to His words, and He answers prayers. Pastoral ministry is classical spiritual warfare. You cannot take the city you are operating from for Christ without prayer and fasting. A prayerless pastor cannot produce a prayerful church. You can only reproduce after your kind.
Jesus prayed in tears and with passion. Revelation, direction and instruction are given in the place of prayer. In Psalms 2:8, the Bible says “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.”
