“The Turn Around Prayer” in the “Something is about to happen” series. Preached by Senior Pastor of House on The Rock Church, Pastor Paul Adefarasin.
There are really no disadvantages

When you are a child of grace, there are no disadvantages according to the promise because Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work together for the good of them according to His purpose. So your perceived disadvantages are really advantages because of who you are in Christ.

When a disadvantage happens in your life, God ultimately is going to take it and make it work for your good; he foreknew it, he knew it was going to come before it came, he had already incorporated it into your process and his plan to make you into everything he wants you to be.

Most of the Great people we read about in Scripture were born into disadvantages or came into disadvantage before they found their place in God. Had I not, then, went down into the deep dungeon of addiction and failure and degradation, I may never have seen that God was my Help. Had I always been a good boy that got it all right with goody-two-shoes I may never have recognised my deep need for God.
All things can work together for our good

God can take your disadvantage and make it work to his advantage and yours so that when you look back, it'll make it seem like as if it was God who made you do wrong. God is never the author of sin or wrongdoing or anything negative; he knows how to use it, and he's committed to using everything negative for your benefit.

That’s why Romans 8:31- What shall we then say to these things, if God is for us who can be against us - that means if God is on your side nothing is against you even though it looks or feels like it's against you, ultimately, it's working together for your good.

The Story of Jabez

Jabez was named “Jabez” based on his mother’s opinion of him and the circumstances surrounding the birth. She's gone through a hard and a difficult season of grief and sorrow, and she made a permanent decision over a temporary situation. Whatever you are going through now may be difficult or painful, but this too shall pass. Don’t let it define how you see the rest of your life. Don’t allow it to name your future or circumstances.

Don’t be like Jabez’s mother. Just because something terrible happened to you yesterday doesn't define who you would be tomorrow. Eventually, Jabez became a doctor of the law and a prolific teacher of the law. He raised many disciples and together they came, and they built a town just because they wanted to be near him, and it is from that group of people that the Chronicles wrote and rewrote the Bible

So he started out in terrible circumstances, very disadvantaged but ended up honourable. Jabez was given honour. Where you start is not the determining factor of where you will end. The determining factor of where you will end is that you do believe that God has a purpose and a plan for your life beyond where you are right now.

Jabez did not depend on his family nor did he depend on his great talent or his great ability or the promise of his people. Jabez looked to the blessing of God's grace and called upon the God of covenant in spite of his disadvantage. God turned around his disadvantaged circumstance and made him an honourable man. The Bible declares to us in Proverbs 19 verse 21 that there are many plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purposes that stand.