ONA IWA MIMO NATIONAL YOUTH CONVENTION: ENLARGE MY TERRITORY

Enlargement comes when you are blessed by God Almighty. Blessing precedes enlargement, those that are blessed by God get enlarged in life.

 Jabez was a well respected man (ancestor in the lineage of the king's tribe of Judah) whose prayer to God for blessing was answered.

The name Jabez, for in distress or pain his mother stated *"I gave birth to him in pain" .

He was labelled with sorrow at birth, but his prayer against contracting sorrow nullified the label. His life contradicted his name.

A name often define a person's future. So perhaps Jabez's mother was predicting her baby's future. Jabez defied his hopeless name and dysfunctional beginning to become a man who believed fervently in the power of God. He discovered himself that things were not good with him, he was in state of stagnancy spiritually, financially, physically, even things were not well at all. He prayed with urgency and vulnerability. He cried out to the Lord with boldness *(Hebrew 4:16)*.

He was honored because of his *relationship* with God (because God want us to be family as it was written that Adam is the son of God (Luke 3:38) , so each son of God must produce another sons for God but Adam missed it in Genesis 5:1, Seth was never an image of God but in the likeness of Adam).

 *The genealogy of Judah was interrupted to bring us the information about his relationship with God*. His relationship with God must have been exceptionally noteworthy to cause the author of Chronicles to stop and elaborate on this one man's life. Due to his relationship with God Almighty, he was the most honorable amidst his brethren which evoked thoughts of respect, prestige, fame, nobility,  he became more famous, more noble and more accomplished. For him to experience enlargement in full, he had a relationship with God Almighty, the enlargement happens that a city was named Jabez (1Chronicles 2:55).

I believe the story of Jabez, taught everyone of us how to pray and depend on God and no condition is permanent because with God nothing is impossible and without Him, we can do nothing.

In conclusion, if your prayer is not answered, you will not be known, Jabez got an answer to his prayer, so he was announced and honored. Enlargement is ours in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen

Come and invite two or more personalities for the convention, tagged Enlargement 2019.

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