“I’m getting ready to stretch all borders of your tent.”
Over a year ago God spoke these words into my life. At that time I vaguely remembered reading in the bible about “tent expansion.” Desiring greater clarity, I performed a search, one in which caused me to apprehend the depth and truth of Godly “tent expansion”.
Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. (Isaiah 54:2)
I received this word (and verse) with great excitement and anticipation. It seemed to be a promise of prosperity and joy bottled up all in one.Sadly it took me several months of painful aimlessly waiting before I realized the depth of this message. Re-approaching the verse I took a second look.
“…Spread out! Think big! Use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep.” (Isaiah 42:2)
This time I could see that expansion wasn’t merely an action performed; it included preparation (mentally and materially) along with hard work. When I first heard this message from God I was skipping to the joy of the end result, completely forgetting that most “good things” from God come with learning periods of change in order to prepare us.
Since receiving that revelation I have began to cling tightly to the understanding that expansion of my life’s tent borders cannot happen without stretching all sides of the tent. Everything about the tent (my life) will most defiantly feel the tension of the growth. Furthermore, I have identified that only one thing should remain unchanged, and that is the central pole.
Before discussing the action of expansion it is vital to first understand what the central pole is and how it affects the tent (your life). In context to our individual lives, the central pole consists of the “material” in which we shape our identity around. It is the foundational security of our life structure. If it is weak, the tent is weak.
By being a Christian and loving follower of God, our true identity should be created from the truth of being a daughter/son of God. This should automatically bring us to Christ, seeing that he is the perfect example of what it means to not only be a “Son of God” but to walk in complete obedience as a “son of God.”
I have met many a Christian who – when asked how they live their life out as sons or daughters of God – respond by giving examples of pursing their “Godly calling”. It excites me to hear and see their obedience to the calling, but they have sadly missed the point. There is a distinctive separation between a calling and an identity. Let me explain…
Luke 15:11-32 speaks of two sons. One who is sole caught up in self-identity; he is a self-discoverer, one who lives the way he wants in hopes of finding who he really is. The older brother- being a morality seeker- is quite the opposite. Instead of breaking the rules when he sees fit, he lives religiously by the rules of the house. His actions are consumed by the identity found in the calling of being the only heir to the family inheritance. In short, both sons are consumed with a false understanding of what it truly means to be a son. Yet, it is the eldest whose sin originates from hidden motives.
You see, the longer you search for your identity and strength from your calling the more you will become as the eldest son.Take a moment, have you ever heard someone criticize a fellow Christian who finds themselves blessed even though they have openly struggled with sin?
Think hard and deep, have you ever thought to yourself, “They have been unfaithful. Why do you God love them more, give them more, and speak to them more? I have been faithful! Where is my prize and feast? Where is my success?”
If you were to be honest with yourself, you probably have felt this way at some point. And if this be true, the inheritance of your calling has overtaken your understanding of family. You are a Morality-Seeker living out of a religious mindset – which is just as bad as being a Self-Discoverer who seeks to find true-self through living careless.
Stop and realize, “YOU DON’T JUST REPENT OF YOUR SINS, BUT FOR THE REASON YOU DID ANY GOOD AT ALL.” (Tim Keeler)
Wither you are a Self-Discovery or a Morality-Seeking, you still are treating your identity as though it is separate from being a son/daughter of God. You will find that when the expansion comes, your central pole will not be strong enough to withstand the strain of the pull.
Christ on the other hand knew where his identity lay. He knew his calling was merely apart of whom he was to be. Instead of being self consumed he continually re-emphasized that he was “the son of God” and was solely about “his Father’s business.” Because of this he stayed focused and his central pole withstood every obstacle that befell him. In the beginning of Luke 4 we see that Satan attempts to destroy Christ through three forms of testing.
First he comes at him hoping to tear down what seems to be the most commonly designed central pole: provision. He reminds Christ that he is lacking the daily necessity of food. In his tricky way, he speaks half-truths from the Bible, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread” (Luke 4:3). Satan was tempting Jesus to take care of His own needs, to provide His own food miraculously because he was hungry rather than allowing God to supply Christ’s needs in God’s own time and in God’s own way. Satan was tempting Christ to doubt His Father’s sufficiency just like Adam – and the Israelites – doubted God’s sufficiency. Satan was attempting to trick Christ into believing that he could become his own god.
Christ responds with point out that God is the only true provider by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3
And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Christ’s response should stand to remind us that the things we see as needs are already taken care of through God. Notice what Matthew 6:26 states, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” We have a promise from God; all life’s necessities (i.e. clothes, daily financiers and food) are going to be provided for.
The second attempt was aimed at Christ’s pride as Satan dangled success and worldly authority in front of him. “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” (Luke 4:6-7). He was offering Christ a “quick fix” to saving the world, a far less humiliating way than death on a cross. The only catch, he had to worshiping Satan. He was to remove God and replace him with the idols of success, worldly authority and long life.
Today we are no longer tempted by stone or wooden idols. Instead our idols resemble Christ’s second temptation. Lorriane Day describes an idol as the following. “Anything in this life that takes our central interest away from God – is a god/idol. What people spend their lives doing can be their god. Money can be a god. Sex and pleasure can be a god. Fame and success can be a god. Self-defense is a god, because God has promised to take care of us. When we decide we will be responsible for our own safety, we no longer leave it to God – and we become our own god.
Does any of that sound familiar? It should. We are like the Israelites in the wilderness declaring the golden calf as our god. (Exodus 32:4) We have taken the praise from God and directed it to our hard work, good education, nice bodies, strong personalities, ext. Clearly we have chosen worldly idols over the blessing of God. Yet through God’s mercy and Christ sacrifice we have forgiveness. We have the opportunity to return to Christ’s example and follow it.
“It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him alone shall you serve.’” (Luke 4:8)
Satan, furious in his defeat, decides to discredit the world of God through a “doubting spirit”. By tempting Jesus to jump he would force God into preceding Him. Thus Satan would succeed in controlling and manipulating God.
Recently my husband, Nima Duncan, shared a message at church in regards to the fall of Ahab. I can’t help but notice the similarities with the “spirit of doubt” and the “lying spirit” in 1 Kings 22.
Here we find Ahab, a terrible and ungodly king, who desires to go into battle to claim what is rightfully his. Yet because he is an ungodly man, he would not yield to a god who would not yield to him. In short, Ahab had to have it his way, no matter what God said. So much so that he would surround himself with 400 false prophets, “Yes-men”/personal cheerleaders, who told him what he wanted to hear. Yet we see God’s word come clear as day to Ahab through the prophet Micaiah, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.” (1 Kings 22:17) Micaiah is the third profit to Ahab of his ungodliness, and the second to proclaim his death.
Furious at Micaiah’s remarks Ahab throws him in jail and heads out to battle Syria. It seems that this ‘lying spirit’ had deluded him, for now Ahab thought he can deceive the Lord in battle.
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. (1 Kings 22:30)
“The plan was that Jehoshaphat would be mistakenly killed while Ahab battled in disguise. But lo and behold, a ‘random arrow’ from a no-name Syrian soldier perfectly strikes Ahab at a weak point in his armor. The arrow caught his armor just right to strike him with a mortal wound. He spends the rest of the battle on the side-lines slowly dying while watching his people lose the battle… Ahab’s struggle for power against the Lord was in vein.” – Nima Duncan
This goes to show us that you can run, but you cannot hide from the word of God. God’s Word prevails even over the defiant. Within the third temptation Satan was attempts to put doubt in the heart of Jesus that He really is the son of God. Instead of defying God by jumping, Christ proved his trust in the Father by demonstrating trust in God’s word.
It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ (Luke 4:12)
Christ understood that his calling to save the world was not separate from being the son of God. When the expansion of his ministry approached and he was tempted by Satan, his central focus on God withstood the strain of the pull.
How many times do Christians test the Lord by saying, “Lord, if you do this for me, then I’ll know that you love me.” This comes from a manipulative heart that doubts the word of God. If we are not careful we too will be as Ahab, becoming defiant unto God’s word.
The true Christian believes that God will do what He has already promised to do. The true Christian stands strong on the identity of being a son/daughter of the All Mighty.
This is a truth that does not come easily. It does not exist without going through the tension of growth in God. Like Christ we are continually tempted to doubt that we really are the sons/daughters of God tempted. And like Christ we must emerge with a deeper understanding of our identity in God. He must be the center of our lives, the central pole of our tents. If not, we will surely watch our lives continually fall apart.
After realizing this truth, I have spent the last few months continually checking my motives. Do I doubt God’s word? Do I place other things before God? Are my plans more important than God’s?
As my husband and I let go of our expectations on life and our struggle to build our own tents we experienced a shift fully directed by God. Giving up our east coast lives and push to be near family, we accepted a church position in Washington state. Leaving behind all that we knew we embraced the adventure God laid out for us. Our lives (tents) had to go through quiet a lot of tension, yet here we are experiencing the expansion that God had promised.
Spilt-Ink 