This morning I continue our series entitled, “Standing on a Word from God.” This is Part 7. The Bible says:
(Gen 17:5 KJV)
“Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.”
I felt led to stick with verse 5 of chapter 17 this morning. We discussed the name change yesterday. Today I want to cover the latter part of the fifth verse. God said, “For a father of many nations have I made thee.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
- In Genesis 17:5 God told Abram that He had ALREADY made him a father of many nations. For God it was already done. For Abraham it was only a matter of time. It’s the same with us today.
- God speaks to us from the position of the ETERNAL NOW. We live in time. God can operate in time, but He is not confined by it. He is outside of time. God’s natural realm is eternity. When He looks at us He sees the entire span of our lives. He sees what is and what has yet to be (see Ecc 3:15). So when God speaks, He never speaks in future tense. For God, what is future to us is always NOW to Him. When He says it, He tells us it is already done, even though for us it may not happen for years. It requires faith to receive and actively believe what God said UNTIL it manifests in the earth.
- Paul talked about Abraham in the New Testament. This is what he said: “As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed.” (Romans 4:17 AMP). God speaks of nonexistent things that He has promised as though they already exist. They DO exist in God’s realm (eternity). But they may not manifest in our realm (time) for years.
- If God promised something and He cannot lie (Titus 1:2), then in His realm (eternity) whatever He promised is actually ALREADY DONE! This is why God spoke to Abram in past tense, calling him the father of many nations. We serve a God who speaks BEFOREHAND in PAST TENSE. Because for Him, it’s already done, even though it has not happened yet in the earth.
- Paul tells us that a 99 yr. old Abraham had to look past his old age and the deadness of Sarah’s womb in order to believe a seemingly unbelievable thing. It’s the same with us. We often have to look past earthly evidence that contradicts what God is saying in order to believe and receive what He promised. If we can’t get past the natural, we will never receive the spiritual.
- It had been 24 years since he received the promise, he still did not have any children, his wife was 90 yrs. Old (and she could not have children when she was 18), and Abraham still believed God. This is how we are supposed to be.
- We are called to believe God and to release our faith for Him to do what He said He would do, even when all the sense-realm evidence is telling us the contrary. We are not called to live by SIGHT (what we see in the natural). We are called to live by faith (what we see in the spirit). We live by what God said and we are not moved by what we see.
- Cross over from hope to faith. Hope says, “I will have it some day.” Faith says, “I have it right now, because I believe what God said!” Abram had to receive this promise in his heart so strong that he would literally go around introducing himself to people as Abraham. He had to say, “Hello, my name is no longer Abram, but Abraham.” By doing this he was introducing himself as the “Father of many nations,” even though everyone knew that he and Sarah did not have any children yet. This is how we are called to live!
Closing Confession:
Father, this is a season of expectation for me. I expect the manifestation of everything You have spoken over me. When You said it, it sounded like it was already done. For You, looking from eternity, it actually already is. For me, living in time, it has not happened yet. But I choose to live by what You reveal OVER what I see in the natural. I walk by faith and not by sight. I say what I SEE in the spirit and I refuse to allow what I see in the natural to cause me to change what I said. I am the just and I LIVE BY FAITH! I live every day with an expectation that Your promises shall be manifested in my life, in the earth. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
