Expansion Is Your Portion – A Word by Jennifer Butler

“Jabez! Jabez! Don’t you see what I am doing?”

This is what I heard as I stared out of the window watching the fresh snow blanket the land. As far as I could see, the white snow came down and softly landed on the ground. It covered the dry dead grass.

Enjoying the peace in the quietness of the morning. It was time for coffee and Jesus. The aroma of fresh brewing toasted almond coffee filled the atmosphere. The coffee finished and I grabbed my Bible to cozy up in my blanket on the couch and dive into the Word.

I prayed, asking God to reveal what it is He wanted me to receive in order to share it with others later. Again, I heard “Jabez, look out of the window!” Jabez? I thought to myself. I know the prayer of Jabez; however, I believe there was something more that God was wanting to reveal.

AMPLIFIED VERSION – “Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 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.” – 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

With keys raining down as I watched the snow, I began to pray into what was the real meaning behind this prayer. What was God showing us about this man named Jabez? There were keys being revealed and quite often we can miss out on the bigger picture until we ask God to show us the deeper meanings behind the black and white text that we read. On today, God did just that. He shared three keys. These three keys are the very things we need as Children of God.

The first was to be humble. The second is to keep our faith in all matters. The third was to come to the point where we know that everything that has success in our lives is birthed through prayer. Making our requests known to God and asking in combination with the prayer of Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:9-10, Matthew 7:7, James 1:9) and making the declarations of the Scriptures straight from the Word of God, will take the keys received and unlock the doors that before seemed impossible to open.

I got up from my comfortable spot on the couch and went to the door. There was a sound coming from the front porch that sounded like a knock. I went to answer it thinking it was the neighborhood Children wanting to play with the boys. Opening the door, there was no one there. I stared outside and took a deep breath. Then I heard these words, “Blow the shofar!” Immediately, I grabbed the shofar and blew it out over the cleansed land. One long blast, 9 short blasts and one long blast. Unsure why this combination of blasts I knew I needed to look it up to see what it was that the Holy Spirit had prompted me to do.

Tekiah

Tekiah is a single blow. It’s a long, loud blast. If you’ve ever seen a knight or court messenger play a horn or blow a long sound to call attention to a king in a movie, tekiah, is kind of like that. When tekiah sounds, it brings everyone to attention.

It is a grand sound that was used for proclamation and coronation. The generations past interpreted this sound to represent joy, hope and trust in the future!

T’ruah

Pronounced tih-ROO-ahh, the t’ruah blast is a series of very short, staccato sounds that have been compared to an urgent alarm, calling us to rouse from our spiritual slumber.

This sound resounding across the land is released to awaken those that are yet to be awakened in the Spirit. An announcement to walk the walk.

By the time I came in and settled back into my seat to start the study that I am doing for the year, I could feel the tangible presence of God. Again, starting to pray and ask God what all of this means to share the word of encouragement with you, this is what came.

As you stay in a position of prayer, God will increase you. He is enlarging your territory as you take small steps of obedience. He is knocking at the door and desires to use you all to expand His Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. Those things that were once dead will be resurrected into new life and have been washed by the Word. You have been cleansed and are now as white as snow. God will use you to make the announcement that His Glory will wash over the earth and will be seen tangibly. This is the time to blow the trumpet in Zion for the King desires our attention. This is the year of the greater Awakening where you will walk from glory to glory pouring out the oil of gladness over the territories God has assigned to you. Many will come together in Unity and the movement has already been established. As trumpets for the Lord, you will pray under an open Heaven and the Lord will hear your prayers. From this day forward praying the prayers from the Word of God and declaring them just as they were already written, you will see an acceleration on the forward progress of what once took years to accomplish. The season of suddenly is upon us and as we are renewed by the transforming of our minds, we will taste and see that the Lord is good and walk in His good and pleasing and perfect will.

Matthew 6:9-13

9 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”

10 “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

11 “Give us this day our daily bread.”

12 “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

I had just finished writing this piece and thought it was complete until a sister in Christ sent me a message saying “Oooohhhh what’s the word of the Lord this morning”. Linda Blue and I were on the phone and I read to her this piece that was laid on my heart this morning. As I read it to her I asked her to look up “almond” while I was tying my son’s shoes to go outside in the snow.

The word almond is SHAKEID in Hebrew and the root of the word means to watch or to wake. As researching the almond tree I kept hearing “the almond branch”. It was reminding me of Aaron’s rod. There is a great significance to this because the almond tree is the first to awaken from it’s winter sleep.

5782 is the year we are in according to the Hebrew calendar and it means to awaken, awakening, awakened.

Back to the almond tree, as I continued typing out the download received I heard “Look up the date!” At first unsure of what date I was looking up, I went back to the piece she had sent about the almonds. On the informational piece it explained about the Tu B’Shevat. To my amazement the date of this celebration of the almond tree was TODAY! From January 16-January 17. I stand in awe of how intentional God is.

Jeremiah 1:11-12

11 “Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.”

12 “Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.”

I am in hopes that encourages you to always stay humble, keep the faith and to stay praying in Jesus name. Don’t forget to eat your almonds!