Scripture: Genesis 26 v 3 - 5: "Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I swear unto Abraham thy father;
4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."
Deuteronomy 28 v 2: "And all these blessings shall
come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the
Lord thy God."
Our deepest heart's desire is to be a blessing to others
and to receive God's blessing and favour for ourselves and our children. It is the desire of our God that we receive
His continual goodness which He bestows on us all.
There is a key to being blessed in the city, and field,
and storehouse, and in everything you do and have. The key is to know the voice
of God and obey it. If you are not hearing from God nor receiving His blessing
the fault does not lie with Him.
Everyone who obeys God like Abraham did; trusts God to
direct their lives; knows His voice and walks in His steps by faith, will be
able to say 'the blessings of Abraham are mine!' So if things are not working
out in your favour day after day, year after year, somehow you have missed the
voice of God.
Abraham walked by faith, not by sight. When God said turn
right, he turned right without arguing that it was more logical to go left. We
tend to second guess God, convincing ourselves that our minds are clever enough
to work out our own life directions. However, God knows every pitfall, every
challenge, every disaster that will block us from achieving our goal. If we
illogically follow His directions by faith we will be steered clear of danger.
We were shown a vision from the Lord in prayer one day.
It was of a minefield, so the sign said, and through this field was a red line.
Jesus told us to follow the line and we would not step on the mines. The line
was the Holy Bible. If we strayed away from its precepts and directions our own
plans and lives would be in jeopardy.
It has proven true over the years. Whenever we have tried
to do something that was not God's will for us, trouble and problems and delays
and loss would create a complete mess. It just became so much easier to do it
God's way. The wealth He has given us is not visible in material things but in
our wonderful family and friends; our good health; our ministry and the
blessing or sharing, praying, caring with His abundant love.
The true blessing of Abraham is to be completely
satisfied with what you have already been given. It's a lack of unrealised
desires that creates restlessness, covetousness, lusts, which cause one to rush
headlong into that minefield. When you have the peace of Jesus you hunger and
thirst no more for unreachable dreams. Your life unfolds as He intends, and if
dreams coming true is His desire for you, they will.
When you feel
driven or compelled to achieve certain goals, then you should pause and
pray for God's will to be revealed. You
may achieve your goal but it may not bring the expected reward. We are praying
for a friend who had, to the visible eye, achieved real success in life,
without God's help. Last week while on
holiday with his family, a rogue wave broke a small bone in his neck. The
outcome is still uncertain.
He is in hospital being kept immobilised as any sudden
movement could cause permanent damage to the rest of his life. He is now
talking to God again to find His direction. He stepped on one of those unseen
landmines and it has blown self-sufficiency, complacency, and independence from
God out of the window.
We never know when we choose to ignore our Saviour's
voice, if we are going to lose the blessings His love gives us. Every blessing
from God comes with that condition attached: if you do things God's way you get
the promises of God. If you choose your way over His way, sudden calamity may
be necessary to bring you back to His way.
Jesus said that it is better to arrive blind or lame in His Kingdom than
stay whole but be in the only other alternative.
You have a free will to make your own choices. Sometimes
that freedom needs to be examined more closely so you see the fine print. The
fine print, in this case, is every word that comes out of the mouth of God. The
Holy Bible is the Manufacturer's Handbook without which we cannot navigate the
minefields.
Prayer: Father God, Thank You for causing Your Word to be
written down for all to know Your precepts and commands. Even more we are
grateful that we can hear Your voice directing us day by day through the
dangers of this world. Your love is mighty O Lord and Your protection is
awesome, as long as we obey You and stay close to Your heart. Help us never to
stray. In Jesus' name. Amen.