The Blessings of Abraham

Scripture: Genesis 20 v 4 - 5:  "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: because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, 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 we do and have. The key is to know the voice of God and obey it. If we 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 our favour day after day, year after year, somehow we 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 dangers we cannot see.

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 we have already been given. It's a lack of unrealised desires that creates restlessness, covetousness, lusts, which cause us to rush headlong into that minefield. When we have the peace of Jesus we hunger and thirst no more for unreachable dreams. Our life unfolds as He intends, and if dreams coming true is His desire for us, they will. 

When we feel  driven or compelled to achieve certain goals, then we should pause and pray for God's will to be revealed.  We may achieve our goal but it may not bring the expected reward. 

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 we do things God's way we receive the promises of God. If we choose our way over His way, sudden calamity may be necessary to bring us 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. 

Matthew 5 v 30: "And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."

We have a free will to make our own choices. Sometimes that freedom needs to be examined more closely so we 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.