A Resource on The Blessings of JabezFrom Free Chapel Small Groups

THIS 5 LESSON STUDY INCLUDES THE TOPICS:

Is It For Me?............................................................................................................... 4

How to Unlock the Blessing – Prayer, Giving and Fasting .................................. 8

Purpose of the Blessing – Let Your Hand Be Upon Me ..................................... 14

Maintaining the Blessing – Enlarge My Territory .............................................. 19

Maintaining the Blessing – Keep Me From Evil ................................................ 22

Excerpts from messages by Pastor Jentezen Franklin:

Praying the Will of God – 2002For !is Cause – 2003Put Away Your Measuring Stick – 2006Life Speakers – 2010

All scripture references are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise stated.

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LESSON 1 :

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“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 4:10

With so much negativity regarding prosperity we must ask ourselves the valid question “Does God really want to bless me financially?” From scripture you will discover that the answer is a resounding “YES!” Jabez prayed for the Lord to “bless him indeed” and God did just that.

DISCUSSION POINT: IT IS GOD’S WILL

“14 Now this is the con!dence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” 1 John 5:14-15

!e Apostle John makes it very clear that God only answers requests that are in line with His will. Since God answered the request of Jabez, what does this say about His will concerning our finances?

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“2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

3 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testi!ed of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” 3 John 3:2-4

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Why is it so di"cult for believers to walk in the truth that God’s will is to prosper us?

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If you do not believe you cannot receive. John says that nothing gave him more joy than knowing believers were walking in the truth. How do you think the Father feels when we reject the truth that He wants to prosper us?

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DISCUSSION POINT: TAKE THE LIMITS OFF

Jabez’s prayer was for the Lord to bless him “indeed.” If the enemy cannot get us to deny the fact that God wants to bless us, then he will attempt to get us to put limi-tations on how much the Lord can bless us. In Zechariah 2:1-4 the story is told of a young man who was attempting to measure Jerusalem with a measuring stick. An angel replied in verse 4 by saying, “… Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it.” In other words the angel was saying that God’s will was for Jerusalem to be so vast that you might as well not try to measure it.

“God intended for Jerusalem to be so big and so vast, so unlimited, that if you go around putting your measuring stick on it, you will limit God. !e limitations and boundaries that we set can hinder what God is able to accomplish in our lives. He might do so much more if we would put away our measuring sticks”. Pastor Jentezen Franklin

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What are ways and areas that you want to stop limiting God’s ability in your life? Share with the group and ask someone to help keep you accountable in those areas.

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Write the name and phone number of your accountability partner:

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In John 12:1-8 Mary was sent by the Father to anoint and bless Jesus prior to His burial. A religious mindset saw this as waste instead of it being an act of worship and the will of God. Why do you think people get so upset when the Father blesses His children abundantly without limitation?

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“Bless Me Indeed” speaks of us having overflow and more than enough. Due to negative teaching, thinking and preaching, many Christians are afraid to pray for this type of overflow. However, we serve a big God and He is not afraid of our big requests. So why are we afraid to ask?

What are some things that you feel God is stretching your faith to believe Him for? Spend time as a group to pray over those areas for each other.

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LESSON 2 :

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Now that we understand God’s will concerning us, we need to understand how to access His blessing and unleash miracle provision in our lives. Scripture gives us specific keys to releasing the fullness of this blessing.

Matthew 6 says that giving, praying and fasting are all vital to living a life of abundance. Jesus begins His discourse on each one of these spiritual disciplines with the phrase “when you.” !at means these disciplines should be a part of every believer’s life. Why? It is because through these disciplines, He intends for His blessing to be released in the life of every child of God.

“"ough one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12

When we link these three disciplines together they become a threefold cord that is not broken by a bad economy, life’s circumstances or Satan himself.

DISCUSSION POINT: GIVING

“"at your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” Matthew 6:4

Jesus clearly says that there is an open/public reward for giving. Receiving is not the motivation for giving, but it is a by-product of giving. Faith and love are to be the motivation for giving.

When we are willing to trust God enough to obey His word through tithing and giving, we open the door for Heaven’s resources. It is only when we let go of what we have that we can receive what God wants to give us.

“What does it pro!t, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” James 2:14

Works motivated by faith bring salvation and deliverance in our lives. Giving is the work connected to faith for financial increase. Now that you believe God’s will is to bless you indeed, how do we get that blessing? Is it through selfishness and

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hoarding everything we have? !at would make sense to the natural mind, but in God’s kingdom generosity leads to abundance.

“He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.” Proverbs 22:9

What does it mean to have a generous eye?

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In Malachi 3, the Lord declares that blessing will be the reward for those who are faithful with tithes and o#ering.

“ Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘ In what way have we robbed You? In tithes and o#erings.” Malachi 3:8

When we choose to give, we are giving our Father the opportunity to pour out His blessings on us.

Who is a#ected by our decision to be faithful with tithes and o#ering?

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DISCUSSION POINT: PRAYING

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:6

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Prayer is a vital key for us to experience the same type of blessing that Jabez received. For the believer, miracles or supernatural occurrences do not take place until we ask in prayer. Blessing is not the result of chance but rather the result of faith.

God’s plan was to bless and keep Jabez from evil, but he never would have experienced that blessing without prayer. !e Father does not force His will on us, He simply declares His will through His Word and expects us to believe, ask and receive His promises through faith.

“We need to revisit what prayer really is. In many ministries and in many churches, prayer has been perverted. We have turned prayer into a tool whereby we can get something from God, and that’s basically most people’s concept of prayer. It is a means or a tool whereby we get stu" from God. Prayer in its highest form is not a tool through which you get something from God, but rather it is a way that we align ourselves with the perfect will of God.” Pastor Jentezen Franklin

Read 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 as a group.

How might Jabez’s future been di#erent if he had not prayed this prayer?

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Ask yourself the question “How will my future look if I do not begin to boldly ask for God’s His will concerning my life?” Discuss this with the group.

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DISCUSSION POINT: FASTING

“…so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:18

Jesus states that there is an open reward that is the result of fasting. Fasting positions you to receive the promises of God and helps you overcome spiritual attacks and strongholds in every area of your life. Satan wants nothing more than to hinder you from experiencing the blessing of God in your life. Fasting breaks the enemy’s power and opens the door of God’s blessing.

“21 "en I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.

22 For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, ‘"e hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.’

23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.” Ezra 8:21-23

!e people of Israel faced an enemy that would have taken all of their possessions, so they responded by proclaiming a fast. We too have an enemy who is breathing out threats that he will take our possessions. We constantly hear these threats through the news, media, unemployment statistics and the world around us. However, we do not have to sit back and allow the enemy to make good on his threat. We can thwart his plans to steal, kill and destroy through fasting.

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Have you ever seen breakthrough as a result of fasting? Share this testimony with the group.

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Jesus teaches in Matthew 17:21 that some demonic strongholds are only overcome “…by prayer and fasting.”

What are times and reasons that we should fast for our finances?

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LESSON 3 :

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“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 4:10

We must understand that God blesses us indeed and enlarges our territory for a purpose. Jabez understood this as he also prayed for God’s hand to be upon him. God’s hand always comes on our lives to accomplish a purpose in His kingdom.

“… anytime the hand of the Lord comes upon you, it is to do a speci#c thing. Now when the hand of the Lord comes upon you to do a thing, it is because He is going to give you the power to do it. I’ve had times when the hand of the Lord just came on me to ful#ll an assignment that other people would fail at. But because the hand of the Lord was on me, I would succeed. When the hand of the Lord is on you, you can do things that other people can’t do. When the hand of the Lord is upon you, nothing can stop you. When the hand of the Lord is upon you devils can’t stop you, critics can’t stop you and a lack of money can’t stop you…” Pastor Jentezen Franklin

Several things are important for us to understand concerning this topic:

• !e blessing is always connected to an assignment• His hand comes upon us to speak life to people in low places• We cannot fail when His hand is upon us

DISCUSSION POINT: THE BLESSING IS CONNECTED TO AN ASSIGNMENT

“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” Deuteronomy 8:18

It is very important for each believer, family and church to fulfill their God-given assignment. God has empowered us to obtain wealth so that the kingdom of God can continue to advance. Never think that God’s overall intention is to make you comfortable. We are to be channels through which God can impact the world.

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What is the di#erence between the prayer of Jabez and the so called “American Dream?”

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“9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But you, O man of God, $ee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.” 1 Timothy 6:9-11

We should not desire to be rich, but rather to fulfill our assignment. It is the assignment of EVERY believer to give to the work of the ministry and aid in the preaching of the gospel.

Winning souls is not just the responsibility of pastors, but of every believer. We are to share our faith whenever the door opens and also financially give towards the gospel being shared throughout the whole world.

What do these scriptures say about our responsibility to financially support sending out the gospel?

• Matthew 10:5-15• Romans 10:14-15• Matthew 10:40-44

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DISCUSSION POINT: HIS HAND COMES UPON US TO SPEAK LIFE TO PEOPLE IN LOW PLACES

“…when the hand of the Lord comes upon you to do something, you can do it.”

Don’t try to do everything, ask God to give you the one thing that He’s called you to do. Ezekiel said the hand of the Lord came upon me and He set me down in a valley. When the hand of the Lord came upon Paul, he got called up in the third Heaven. John had the hand of the Lord come upon him and he was caught up into New Jerusalem, but not Ezekiel. !e hand of the Lord came on him and set him down in a valley. What happens when the hand of God comes on you and rather than taking you to a mountain top, He takes you to a valley; a low place…

He’s saying, ‘I want you to focus and see the people who are living in low places... People who are in the low places of life…” Pastor Jentezen Franklin

If we allow God’s hand to be upon us in such a way that He can give us a burden for people in low places, then the resources will flow into our lives to help meet those needs.

What are some burdens that God has pressed upon your heart for people in low places? Share these with the group.

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Are there times in your life when the Lord has revealed to you that your motives for desiring blessing and increase were wrong? How did you handle that?

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“You’re not fasting and praying for nothing! We’re punching holes in the demonic clouds! Now, you’ve got to get lined up with God’s purpose. You’ve got to quit doing your own thing! You’ve got to get your thinking right! You’ve got to get into this Book and say, ‘Now you know, I’ve been too sel#sh; it’s all been about me, but I want my cause and my purpose to be in line with You.’ !en God can bless that thing! Exceeding abundantly above anything you can ask or imagine!” Pastor Jentezen Franklin

We can pray in confidence knowing that He will bless us indeed and enlarge our territory, so that His hand can be upon us to reach people in low places.

If we will allow His hand to be upon us, then God will continually enlarge our territory and sphere of influence.

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LESSON 4 :

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Desires for God to enlarge our territory and to keep us from evil are essential for the believer to maintain the blessing that the Lord pours out on us.

Our cry should always be for the Lord to enlarge our territory. We are never to become satisfied with our current level of influence and blessing. Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

When we start losing our zeal for God to do more through us, we will eventually give up the territory we have already gained.

Why does it seem so easy to lose passion and direction concerning our territory and influence?

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According to Proverbs 29:18, what happens when people lose their vision?

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Read 1 Corinthians 2:8-10 and John 16:12-15

What is the Holy Spirit’s role in helping enlarge our territory?

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LESSON 5 :

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“And then lastly Jabez prayed, ‘keep me from evil.’ We don’t always have to get in evil and overcome temptation. I think if we PRAY, God will keep us out of stu#!! If we’ll pray, He’ll keep us away from some stu#!” Pastor Jentezen Franklin

It is important that we live holy lives to constantly live in God’s purpose and blessing. Sin allows Satan the opportunity to wreak havoc in our lives. Disobedience a#ords the enemy the opportunity to steal, kill and destroy what the Father has blessed us with.

DISCUSSION POINT 2: PRAYING TO BE KEPT FROM EVIL

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:13

“Do not incline my heart to any evil thing to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies.” Psalms 141:4

“And he [Rehoboam] did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD.” 2 Chronicles 12:14

!ere were positive results when Jabez, David and Jesus all asked God to keep them from evil. We can also clearly see negative results in Rehoboam’s life when he did not ask God to be kept this way.

We should not allow thoughts of failure, temptation and evil to dominate our thoughts. If we turn those fears into a matter of prayer then God will be faithful to keep us.

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,” Jude 1:24

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God is able to keep us from evil if we will pray. Why don’t you think more Christians pray to be kept from evil and sin?

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How has sin prevented the Church’s ability to “enlarge its territory” and walk in the blessing that Jabez walked in?

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DISCUSSION POINT 2: DOOR OF ESCAPE

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

Many times God answers our prayer to be kept from evil through sermons, friends and circumstances. Are there times when you have seen the Lord keep you from evil as a result of your prayers? Share with the group.

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Close your group time with this prayer:

“Keep me from evil. Keep my eyes from evil, my ears from evil, my tongue from speaking guile! Oh, Lord, purify me, keep me from evil. Keep me from evil men and evil people! Keep my thought life pure and sacred, and holy unto You, O GOD! Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable unto You O God, my Strength and my Redeemer. In Jesus’ Name.” – Pastor Jentezen Franklin

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Prayer For Salvation

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If you have never entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and asked Him to forgive you of your sins, then we want to invite you to make that decision today. !e Bible says that in order to receive salvation, you must be willing to turn from a life of sin, confess that Jesus’ death on the cross was a substitute for your sins and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. If you believe that, then all you have to do is ask God and He will save you. If you would like to receive Jesus as your Savior please pray this prayer out loud:

God, I acknowledge that I have rebelled and sinned against You. I am a sinner and deserve death. I choose to turn from my sel#sh way of living and I ask You to forgive me in Jesus’ name. Jesus, I thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I believe You are the Son of God and that God raised You from the dead. I receive You Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. I surrender my life to You and ask that You now live in me and through me. I receive forgiveness of all my sins and peace with You Father. I am now forgiven. I am now saved. I am now a child of God. I now have eternal life. Continue to make me the kind of person You want me to be. In Jesus’ Name I ask, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, then we want to celebrate with you and allow you to participate in our next baptism service. We would also like to give you some material to help you grow in your relationship with the Lord. Please notify your small group leader or contact Free Chapel at (678) 677-8300 and ask for Discipleship Ministries. Welcome to the family!

In a world where depression, fear and financial disaster are every where, we need to be reminded of God’s will for our lives.

Based on timely messages from Pastor Jentezen Franklin, this 5 lesson small group study on the Blessings of Jabez, will transform your life and thinking. You will discover God’s desire to bless you, how to unlock that blessing, why God wants to bless you and how to maintain His blessing in your life.

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ISBN 978-0-9833264-1-0

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