ENLARGE YOUR COAST BY YOURSELF
ENLARGE YOUR COAST BY YOURSELF
The coast is the border, territory, neighbourhood and access area. It sets an edge around you and defines your limits.
Everybody has a border, every town, country and village has boundaries. One of the causes of conflicts among people, nations, and communities is transgression of borders. When you encroach into another person’s properties, you have become a transgressor.
You have enlargement of coast when you get married, get a job, open a new business, receive an open door, ministerial increase, new babies, open another branch of your business, when you have more customers, experiencing spiritual growth-you can pray in tongues, read Bible, preach the gospel, etc. In all these your coast is enlarging.
Num 26:51-56 KJV 51 These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty. 52 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 53 Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names. 54 To many thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to few thou shalt give the less inheritance: to every one shall his inheritance be given according to those that were numbered of him. 55 Notwithstanding the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. 56 According to the lot shall the possession thereof be divided between many and few.
Num 33:51-55 KJV 51 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; 52 Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: 53 And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it. 54 And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man’s inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit. 55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.
Boundary is the real or imaginary line that marks the edge of a state, country etc, or the edge of an area of land that belongs to someone.
Synonyms for boundary
barrier.
border.
borderline.
bounds.
confines.
edge.
frontier.
horizon.
In the text we read, the Lord gave the children of Israel the land of Cannan and its neighborhoods. However the principle is that they shared the land by lot. Wherever the lot falls automatically becomes your portion. Some were satisfied and some expressed grievances about what was given to them.
It was their responsibility to drive out the original inhabitants and then possessed their lands
The consequence of not doing that was also stated.
Num 17: 14 tells us about the tribe of Joseph that expressed their sadness and disatisfaction over what Joshua gave them.
Jos 17:14-18 KJV 14 And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto? 15 And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee. 16 And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of Bethshean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel. 17 And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only: 18 But the mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.
They complained to Joshua that the place given to them would not be enough for them because they were numerous. Joshua agreed with them that they were numerous but he told them what they ought to do rather than sitting down there and start complaining and murmuring, Jos 17:15 KJV
They came back again with another excuse that the people that were dwelling in the land had chariots of iron and they can’t defeat them, Jos 17:16.
Joshua was very firm, he told them what they ought to do again and that they should believe in themselves
Many Christians are like the tribe of Joseph. We keep complaining about things around us and we will not do anything about it.
Look at what Caleb said unto Joshua
Jos 14:12-13 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said. 13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.
Here is another tribe that the same problem
Jos 19:47 KJV And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.
They discovered that what was given to them was too little as KJV added that portion though it was not in the original. They did something, they went on an expedition. They fought their neighbours and took their land thereby enlarging the little they had before.
Another instance
The sons of the prophets living with Elisha in the school of prophets discovered that where they were occupying was too small and no longer convenient. Rather than complaining, they did something:
2Ki 6:1-2 KJV 1 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. 2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.
They went into the bush and cut woods with which they will use to enlarge their borders.
UNDER THE NEW COVENANT
The Lord has brought us into our Canaan land. It is our responsibility to possess it, drive out illegal occupants and refuse to be contained or locked up.
The Lord Jesus said out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water
Joh 7:38 KJV He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Isaiah instructed us
Is 53 talks about the passion of Christ whereas Is 54 talks about the benefits that will accrue until the church calls Zion. This is what Zion was asked to do
Isa 54:2-3 KJV 2 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; 3 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.
The promise is in verse 3, however before the promise will be realized, they need to do something; they must enlarge their place of their habitation.
Many Christians believe or act the other way round. They want to see the increase then they will enlarge their tent.
The instructions of God many times do not make sense or logical because it is always based on faith. God is a faith God. 2Cor 5: 7 says we walk by faith and not by appearances.
How do you enlarge your coast or border
- Enlarge your mental capability (the power or ability to generate an outcome) and capacity(The ability to hold, receive or absorb
- When the brain or mind is trained and exercised, it has the ability to generate ideas. That is why God told Joshua to meditate. In meditation, you are exercising the power of your mind and imagination. Whatever you imagine can be attracted to you.
- Whatever anyone will become will first become it in your heart and mind before it will be manifested in reality. As a man thinketh in his heart so is he, Prov 23:
- Think big because your God is big. Many of us think too little or little. We based our thinking on prevailing economic or financial reports of our nations. But the last time I checked, Phil 4:19 says that God will supply your needs according to the riches of His glory and not according to your efforts or directly proportional to the price of crude oil in the international markets. If your income or salary can attend to that project then your thinking is small. Get rid of that stinking thinking brother.
- Renew your mind with the word of God. Re-programme, re-install, reset your mind to what is already a reality in your spirit man, that is when the life and power of God can flow ceaselessly and effortlessly into your body to heal you and into your life to change your circumstances. Rom 12:1-2 KJV 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
- Act on the word. Don’t just pray, James said it is not the hearer that will be blessed but the doer of the word. Step out like those sons of the prophets and like the tribe of Dan.
- Set a target and goal: Look at Paul’s targets: 2Co 10:16 KJV To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s line of things made ready to our hand. Phi 3:13-14 KJV 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Rom 15:20-23 KJV 20 Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation: 21 But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand. 22 For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you. 23 But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you;
- Change your view: when you are in a confined place, your view is limited. God told Abraham, come out of the tent. Gen 15: 5 You get what you can see, Gen 14:13. But when you come out, your horizon is widened. Change your perception about yourself. You are the image of God and not a mediocre or an average. 1Jn 4: 17 as He is so we are in this world.
10. Diversify your investment. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Gen 26:13-14 KJV 13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: 14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him. Gen 24:35 KJV And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
Lay claim on what God has given unto you. Refuse to be confined and limited. Spread forth. Determine to receive what is already yours. The Lord said out of your belly shall flow rivers of living waters. He used the word “rivers” which is plural. May the rivers begin to flow now.
What will bless many of us are already inside of us; they are in your mind and in your spirit. Call them out. This will make you have an enlargement of coast.