This morning I continue our series entitled, “Standing on a Word from God.” This is Part 22. We have been looking at the life of Abraham for weeks. Yesterday we looked at Genesis 22:9-12. Let’s go back to this passage today.
The Bible says:
When they came to the place where God told them to go, Abraham built an altar. He carefully laid the wood on the altar. Then he tied up his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached for his knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord stopped him. The angel called from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” Abraham answered, “Yes?” The angel said, “Don’t kill your son or hurt him in any way. Now I can see that you do respect and obey God. I see that you are ready to kill your son, your only son, for me.”
(Gen 22:9-12 ERV)
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
- After Abraham had walked with God for 42 years, God decided to test his faith. Abraham was living with an expectation of the full manifestation of the promise. While it is true that he and his wife Sarah had their promised son Isaac after 25 years of walking with God, it is also true that Isaac was only part of the promise. He was not the full promise. God promised to bless the entire earth through Abraham’s descendants. Isaac was the only connection Abraham had to that promise coming to pass. Without Isaac there would be no legacy. Without Isaac there would be no lineage. Without Isaac there would be no promise. So when God told Abraham to kill Isaac, to sacrifice him on Mount Moriah, God was testing to see if Abraham truly believed that the promise would come to pass. Abraham was so convinced that he said, “The boy and I are going UP the mountain, and the WE are coming back!” Abraham was so convinced that he was willing to kill his son, because he believed that God would raise him from the dead. That’s faith! This is how we are called to live. My question for you is: are you convinced? Are you so convinced of what God has promised that you are willing to do whatever He tells you to do, even when it puts your dream at risk?
- God will give you a dream. He will plant the dream in your heart. He will work with you to get you to the point where you are fully persuaded that the dream will come to pass. And once you are there, God will lead you to do something that puts the dream at risk. He does this to see if you truly believed him in the first place. If you are “fully persuaded,” you won’t have a problem putting the dream at risk, because you know the one who gave you the dream in the first place. He is more than capable of seeing you through risky situations. God will never allow His Word to fail. If He said it, He will perform it. If God promised it, His Word SHALL come to pass! (Num 23:19).
- God wants to know if you will trust Him with what He blessed you with. God gave Isaac to Abraham as a blessing and God wanted to know if Abraham would trust Him with Isaac. There will be times in your life when God will test you the same way. He will bless you with something and then check your heart concerning the thing He gave you. God wants to know that He can bless you with what you have been dreaming about, WITHOUT the blessing becoming an idol. If you get so caught up in the blessing that you forget The Blessor (the God who gave you the blessing), your priorities will be out of order and your life will fall apart.
- Never get so caught up in something God blessed you with that you fail to honor the God who blessed you with it. While Abraham’s case is obviously extreme, I will make it more relatable to today. There are people today who ask God for a business. But when they get the business, they allow the business to keep them from the God who blessed them with it. Others do the same with a car, or a house, or a boyfriend/girlfriend. Never allow anything God blesses you with to keep you from Him. Period!
- When your priorities are in order and God knows He can trust you with The Blessing there will be nothing God will withhold from you. God will bless you beyond your wildest dreams, if He knows The Blessing will not derail you from your destiny!
Closing Confession:
Father, this is a season of expectation for me. I expect You will do ALL You said You would do in my life. I live with full expectation of the dream You placed in my heart. This is a dream birthed in Your heart. If You ever lead me to put the dream at risk, I will trust You through the risky situation, because You gave me the dream in the first place. My heart is set on YOU, The Blessor, not any blessing You give me. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
