Today is the 8th Day of New Life Covenant’s 21-Day Fast. We are fasting and praying for many things…one of them is self-control and discipline in our financial lives. To that end, members of the church and its pastors are writing daily encouragements. Thought we’d share them with you. Be blessed!
PROSPERITY – The Covenant Blessing
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Gen 12:1-3)
The Covenant Blessing is the promise God made to Abram in Genesis Chapter 12. The theme is that once we follow the commands of God, He will bless us. God told Abram to get up and go to a land He would show Him. We all know this required faith on Abram’s part, but what was more important was obedience. We always want to justify, rationalize, analyze, and question the command. Instead of remembering God and His promise, we focus on what we might miss out on. I believe we must begin to believe in The Covenantal Blessing and act now on God’s commands.
“Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors.” (Deuteronomy 8:1)
Right now we are turning the corner as individuals, families, and a church body. God has promised us some things and we must exercise our faith with obedience.
God is NOT to be forgotten. In my mind, I don’t forget God…in my actions, I do! My money, time and words will tell on me every time. “You may say to yourself, my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me. But remember the Lord Your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His Covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.” (Deuteronomy 28:17-18) Did you know that you had just about nothing to do with how you acquired wealth? It is true, God gave you the ability to acquire it, more important to know is why He did it:
“…and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.”
The focal point of the Covenantal Blessing is that you be a blessing to others. He says that all the people of the earth will be blessed by us. Let’s make sure remember to God with our time, money, and other resources!
We are to be diligent in acquiring wisdom, knowledge, and Godly discernment in daily walk on this earth. Proverbs 8:11-12 says that these things are more precious than rubies. That means I need to be that person who delights in the Law of The Lord and meditates in it day and night. (Psalms 1:2) For in doing this I gain wisdom and understanding. When it comes to financial stewardship, it is important to understand the need for Godly wisdom and discernment; like when to purchase a vehicle, whether to rent an apartment or buy a home, etc. When we make these decisions with prudence, we position ourselves to have the ability to give more to God. The more we obey the better God’s Covenant promise can be a reality. Remember, The Covenantal Blessing required activation from Abram. God basically is saying “Do this, and I promise you this.”
We must begin to position ourselves so we can actually look like the people God called us to be. Stop being afraid of not having enough, but instead looking forward to handling what God will bless us with if we obey the way He intends. We will see and experience ourselves as wealthy people, while remembering God in everything as we continue to turn the corner. As we seek and utilize our creativity and gifts, we will see that God has freely given to us as power to produce wealth.
We give/sow seeds in the ground out of obedience, knowing that rain will come. RAIN ONLY MATTERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SEED IN THE GROUND. RAIN IS COMING, WILL IT MATTER TO YOU?
Robert
