This morning I continue our series entitled, “Standing on a Word from God.” This is Part 14.
We have been looking at the life of Abraham. Since I am teaching on standing on a Word from God, you could think that I would move on from Abraham after his promised son was born. But remember, the promise was not just to have a son. The promise was to give birth to nations. In chapter 17 the Lord said, “I will change your name from Abram to Abraham, because I am making you the father of many nations. I will give you many descendants. New nations and kings will come from you.” (Gen 17:5,6).
In chapter 21 the promised son, Isaac, was finally born. Chapter 22 opens about 17 years later. By this point Abraham is 117 years old and his boy is a teenager. After 42 years of walking with God and passing many tests, Abraham’s faith was tested again. This is what the Bible says:
After these things God decided to test Abraham’s faith. God said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Yes!” Then God said, “Take your son to the land of Moriah and kill your son there as a sacrifice for me. This must be Isaac, your only son, the one you love. Use him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains there. I will tell you which mountain.” In the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took Isaac and two servants with him. He cut the wood for the sacrifice. Then they went to the place where God told them to go. After they traveled three days, Abraham looked up, and in the distance he saw the place where they were going. Then he said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go to that place and worship. Then we will come back to you later.” (Gen 22:1-5 ERV)
So what does this mean to you today? I will deal with this passage for a few days. Here are few quick golden nuggets for you this morning.
1. When God promises you something you must never settle for anything less than the full manifestation of what He said. If you lower your expectation when you receive partial manifestation you will no longer be in-faith for the full promise.
2. God gave Abraham and Sarah the baby He promised them. But that was not the full manifestation. God had promised to give them nations. Isaac was supposed to give birth to kings. His descendants were supposed to bless the entire planet. So while receiving Isaac was a blessing, Abraham and Sarah had to keep their faith engaged for the full promise. We can learn from Abraham. Never settle for anything less than God’s best.
3. Abraham and Sarah were so locked-in for the full manifestation of what God said that when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham said, “The boy and I will go to that place and worship. Then WE will come back to you later.” Abraham did not know what was going to happen on Mount Moriah, but what he did know was that the dream was not going to die on that mountain. Even if Isaac died, he believed that God would raise him back to life again. Without knowing the specifics, he knew his son was coming back with him. He said, “WE will come back!” This is the type of faith we must have.
4. Faith requires you to believe God, even when you do not have the specifics.
a) When Abraham started his journey with God in Genesis 12 he had to leave the known for the unknown. He had to do this by faith. He had to launch out to a place God would reveal to him AS HE WENT! This is how God does us many times. He will not tell us UNTIL we get started! That’s faith.
b) God won’t give you all the answers. There is a certain level of mystery involved in walking with God. Sometimes He will speak to you clearly, other times He won’t say a word. You must learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable if you are going to live by faith.
c) If God gave you all the answers you would not need faith. The life of faith requires you to go, believe and do, without knowing the specifics.
We will stop here for today.
Closing Confession:
Father, this is a season of expectation for me. I believe You. I believe every Promise You have ever spoken over me shall come to pass! And I will not settle for anything less than Your best. Sometimes Your promises are manifested in stages. When I receive partial manifestation, I declare that I will THANK YOU for it. But I will not lower my expectations for the FULL manifestation of Your promise. I want everything You want for me. I refuse to die with my best still inside of me. I declare that I shall die empty. I will pour out everything You poured INTO me before I die. I will leave a mark in this world that will not easily be erased. I will do this by Your amazing grace. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
