Our Mission
Bringing Christians closer to Christ Securing our identity in our Father’s love Strengthening our confidence in the Holy Spirit
Bringing Christians closer to Christ Securing our identity in our Father’s love Strengthening our confidence in the Holy Spirit
Keeping it simple so that He can flow through us everywhere that we go!
Summary
We can say that we
trust God in all areas of our lives, but until we learn to trust Him
with our money, we will continue to struggle financially. It is not His
will for us to suffer financial lack or have insufficiency in this area.
The Bible talks about money more often than any other subject because
God knows how important this is for a successful life. If we want to
experience financial breakthrough, we must change the way we think in
this area. God, not us, is the source of our wealth and prosperity; we
are simply stewards of the resources He entrusts to us. The world
teaches that we make our own fortunes and we must hold on tight to our
money or risk losing it, but this is unscriptural. The Bible teaches us
that all good things come from God, including money.
- What we think determines what happens, or does not happen, in our lives.
- Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every
way and that your body may keep well, even as I know your soul keeps
well and prospers (3 John 1:2, AMPC).
- Prosperity simply means being successful in every endeavor in life. This includes in our health, our families, our marriages, and our finances.
- Religion tells us God wants us to be successful in only spiritual things but not in our natural lives.
- Our souls and spirits are already prosperous and
blessed in God. He wants those blessings to also be manifested in our
financial lives.
- The soul and the spirit are not interchangeable. We are spirits living in physical bodies. The soul is the thinker, the feeler, and the chooser. It is composed of the mind, the will, and the emotions. Our success in any area of our lives is based on our soul success.
- When God tells us to renew our minds (Romans 12:2), He is referring to the impact that must take place in the soul.
- We are how we think. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). Therefore, if our heart is wrong then our lives will be wrong, because everything in our lives comes from our hearts.
- We must ask ourselves every day what we are thinking about and how we are thinking about it.
- When we focus on something, we strengthen it. If we focus on our problems, we hinder our progress.
- Prosperity begins with the thinking process. Wrong-thinking leads to wrong-living.
- Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered; and many such like things do ye (Mark 7:13).
- Our traditional way of thinking can nullify the manifestation of God’s power in our lives.
- Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every
way and that your body may keep well, even as I know your soul keeps
well and prospers (3 John 1:2, AMPC).
- God’s plan for us is to experience prosperity in our finances and in our lives.
- The thief comes only in order to steal and kill
and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in
abundance, to the full, till it overflows (John 10:10, AMPC).
- Jesus wants us to have abundance until it overflows. He wants us to enjoy life but He will not force abundance on us. It is up to us to choose it for ourselves.
- We must be careful to discover the path of life. Thou will show me the path of life: in thy presence there is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).
- It is not His will for us to be limited by a lack of money to carry out His plan for our lives.
- For every dream He gives us, He also gives us the means to achieve it.
- He is the God of visions as well as the God of provisions.
- In the New Testament, Jesus talked more about money than any other single topic. Money and how we handle it is extremely important because this determines the impact we can have in the world with the Gospel.
- Jesus said if we cannot be trusted with money we cannot be trusted with anything else (Luke 16:10, 11). We need to demonstrate our faith with money, which Jesus called the least and the little, so that God can trust us with the big things in life.
- God’s rules concerning money are not the same as Wall Street’s rules. Our understanding of Wall Street will not give us an understanding of the kingdom of God.
- Asset management and financial stewardship are two different things.
- As Christians, we should not compartmentalize our lives to let God take care of us in every other area except our finances. When we do this, we divide our life against itself, and a house divided against itself will not stand (Matthew 12:25).
- Money should be a tool in our lives, not our master.
- The thief comes only in order to steal and kill
and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in
abundance, to the full, till it overflows (John 10:10, AMPC).
- God is our source for all good things in life. This includes financial blessings.
- And he said also unto his disciples, There was a
certain rich man which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him
that he had wasted his goods (Luke 16:1).
- We are stewards of what God has given us. Jesus taught the parable of the good steward to teach us that the money we have is ultimately not ours, but His.
- Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17).
- Money is a gift from God, as well as peace, happiness, and a harmonious marriage.
- God gave us dominion. He is responsible for the air in our lungs, and even our very being. He gave us the strength to do what He wants us to do and the wisdom to discern His will. We may work, but He brings the increase.
- And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth (Genesis 1:26).
- And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7).
- For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we also are his offspring (Acts 17:28).
- And he said also unto his disciples, There was a
certain rich man which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him
that he had wasted his goods (Luke 16:1).
- God showed favor toward Abraham because of His grace, not Abraham’s actions.
- Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of
thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a
land that I will shew thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I
will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:
and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed (Genesis
12:1-3).
- We need to be mindful that the source of all our blessings is the great I AM.
- Abraham became wealthy not because of his actions, but because God’s blessing was on his life. God uttered the promise of the blessing and it came to pass.
- For when God made promise to Abraham, because he
could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, saying, Surely blessing I
will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee (Hebrews 6:13,
14).
- Abraham did not always do everything God told him to do, but God blessed him anyway because of His grace. Abraham did not deserve the blessings but God showed him unearned, unmerited favor.
- The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22).
- Wealth is a blessing from God. Our own self-efforts only get in the way.
- Prosperity is something we do not deserve, but receive through grace.
- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
- We should not depend solely on our physical senses. God has already blessed us, whether or not it appears so.
- We must trust and believe it has already happened, even if we did nothing to deserve being blessed.
- Another thing to remember is that our behavior is not responsible for our blessings. We simply must believe and receive them.
- Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of
thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a
land that I will shew thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I
will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:
and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed (Genesis
12:1-3).
- Abraham made plenty of mistakes, but God’s faithfulness never wavered.
- And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went
down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the
land. And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt,
that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a
fair woman to look upon. Therefore it shall come to pass, when the
Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and
they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou
art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul
shall live because of thee. And it came to pass, that, when Abram was
come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair
(Genesis 12:10-14).
- Because of His grace, God blessed Abraham even when Abraham made mistakes.
- The princes also of Pharaoh saw her and commended
her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. And he
entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he
asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. And
the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of
Sarai Abram’s wife. And the Lord called Abram and said, What is this
that thou hast done unto me? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy
wife? Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to
be my wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her and go thy way. And
Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and
his wife, and all that he had (Genesis 12:15-20).
- God did not base His blessings on Abraham’s selfishness.
- Abraham possessed great financial blessings, but they were from God and not because of Sarah or his own works.
- And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold (Genesis 13:2).
- He later made the same mistake again.
- And Abraham journeyed thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; she is a man’s wife. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me, She is my sister? And she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine. Therefore, Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid (Genesis 20:1-8).
- Despite taking Abraham’s wife, the king’s integrity caused God to spare his life.
- Then Abimelech called Abraham and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? And what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou has done this thing? And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake. And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother. And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved. So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife (Genesis 20:9-18).
- Even after all Abraham did, God still blessed him. Religion tells us we must qualify to get answers to our prayers, but God’s blessing is what qualifies us.
- The only thing Abraham did to receive the blessings was simply to trust God as his source.
- And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went
down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the
land. And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt,
that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a
fair woman to look upon. Therefore it shall come to pass, when the
Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and
they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou
art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul
shall live because of thee. And it came to pass, that, when Abram was
come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair
(Genesis 12:10-14).
- God took care of Abraham in all situations because Abraham trusted in Him.
- And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I
pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen;
for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate
thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I
will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will
go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of
Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of
Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of
Jordan; and Lot journeyed east; and they separated themselves the one
from the other. (Genesis 13:8-11).
- Abraham was so confident in God that Lot was also blessed through his connection to Abraham.
- And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was
separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place
where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For
all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed
forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a
man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be
numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the
breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee (Genesis 13:14-17).
- Lot chose for himself the well-watered portion of land that looked good to him. Abraham trusted God so much that he was confident God would make his portion of land prosperous.
- And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, give me the persons, and take thy goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldst say, I have made Abram rich: save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion (Genesis 14:14, 21-24).
- Abraham was blessed again when he received the spoils of war, but he trusted God as his source instead of the great wealth he won in battle.
- After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward (Genesis 15:1).
- God blessed Abram because of the trust he showed.
- God is a far better reward than anything the world could offer.
- God is always our source. Trusting Him over money brings about financial blessings.
- When we hold onto money with a clenched fist, God’s prosperity will not be manifested in our lives. We must be willing to change our mindset and lose any stingy, selfish attitudes we have.
- Although we must work, it is God who gives the increase.
- Our trust in Him causes us to prosper.
- And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I
pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen;
for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate
thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I
will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will
go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of
Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of
Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of
Jordan; and Lot journeyed east; and they separated themselves the one
from the other. (Genesis 13:8-11).
http://bit.ly/FinancialStewardshipDeluxeCombo
Grace for Financial Stewardship
by
Creflo Dollar
|
4 Jan 2020
Summary
We can say that we
trust God in all areas of our lives, but until we learn to trust Him
with our money, we will continue to struggle financially. It is not His
will for us to suffer financial lack or have insufficiency in this area.
The Bible talks about money more often than any other subject because
God knows how important this is for a successful life. If we want to
experience financial breakthrough, we must change the way we think in
this area. God, not us, is the source of our wealth and prosperity; we
are simply stewards of the resources He entrusts to us. The world
teaches that we make our own fortunes and we must hold on tight to our
money or risk losing it, but this is unscriptural. The Bible teaches us
that all good things come from God, including money.
- What we think determines what happens, or does not happen, in our lives.
- Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every
way and that your body may keep well, even as I know your soul keeps
well and prospers (3 John 1:2, AMPC).
- Prosperity simply means being successful in every endeavor in life. This includes in our health, our families, our marriages, and our finances.
- Religion tells us God wants us to be successful in only spiritual things but not in our natural lives.
- Our souls and spirits are already prosperous and
blessed in God. He wants those blessings to also be manifested in our
financial lives.
- The soul and the spirit are not interchangeable. We are spirits living in physical bodies. The soul is the thinker, the feeler, and the chooser. It is composed of the mind, the will, and the emotions. Our success in any area of our lives is based on our soul success.
- When God tells us to renew our minds (Romans 12:2), He is referring to the impact that must take place in the soul.
- We are how we think. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). Therefore, if our heart is wrong then our lives will be wrong, because everything in our lives comes from our hearts.
- We must ask ourselves every day what we are thinking about and how we are thinking about it.
- When we focus on something, we strengthen it. If we focus on our problems, we hinder our progress.
- Prosperity begins with the thinking process. Wrong-thinking leads to wrong-living.
- Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered; and many such like things do ye (Mark 7:13).
- Our traditional way of thinking can nullify the manifestation of God’s power in our lives.
- Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every
way and that your body may keep well, even as I know your soul keeps
well and prospers (3 John 1:2, AMPC).
- God’s plan for us is to experience prosperity in our finances and in our lives.
- The thief comes only in order to steal and kill
and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in
abundance, to the full, till it overflows (John 10:10, AMPC).
- Jesus wants us to have abundance until it overflows. He wants us to enjoy life but He will not force abundance on us. It is up to us to choose it for ourselves.
- We must be careful to discover the path of life. Thou will show me the path of life: in thy presence there is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).
- It is not His will for us to be limited by a lack of money to carry out His plan for our lives.
- For every dream He gives us, He also gives us the means to achieve it.
- He is the God of visions as well as the God of provisions.
- In the New Testament, Jesus talked more about money than any other single topic. Money and how we handle it is extremely important because this determines the impact we can have in the world with the Gospel.
- Jesus said if we cannot be trusted with money we cannot be trusted with anything else (Luke 16:10, 11). We need to demonstrate our faith with money, which Jesus called the least and the little, so that God can trust us with the big things in life.
- God’s rules concerning money are not the same as Wall Street’s rules. Our understanding of Wall Street will not give us an understanding of the kingdom of God.
- Asset management and financial stewardship are two different things.
- As Christians, we should not compartmentalize our lives to let God take care of us in every other area except our finances. When we do this, we divide our life against itself, and a house divided against itself will not stand (Matthew 12:25).
- Money should be a tool in our lives, not our master.
- The thief comes only in order to steal and kill
and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in
abundance, to the full, till it overflows (John 10:10, AMPC).
- God is our source for all good things in life. This includes financial blessings.
- And he said also unto his disciples, There was a
certain rich man which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him
that he had wasted his goods (Luke 16:1).
- We are stewards of what God has given us. Jesus taught the parable of the good steward to teach us that the money we have is ultimately not ours, but His.
- Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17).
- Money is a gift from God, as well as peace, happiness, and a harmonious marriage.
- God gave us dominion. He is responsible for the air in our lungs, and even our very being. He gave us the strength to do what He wants us to do and the wisdom to discern His will. We may work, but He brings the increase.
- And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth (Genesis 1:26).
- And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7).
- For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we also are his offspring (Acts 17:28).
- And he said also unto his disciples, There was a
certain rich man which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him
that he had wasted his goods (Luke 16:1).
- God showed favor toward Abraham because of His grace, not Abraham’s actions.
- Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of
thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a
land that I will shew thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I
will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:
and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed (Genesis
12:1-3).
- We need to be mindful that the source of all our blessings is the great I AM.
- Abraham became wealthy not because of his actions, but because God’s blessing was on his life. God uttered the promise of the blessing and it came to pass.
- For when God made promise to Abraham, because he
could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, saying, Surely blessing I
will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee (Hebrews 6:13,
14).
- Abraham did not always do everything God told him to do, but God blessed him anyway because of His grace. Abraham did not deserve the blessings but God showed him unearned, unmerited favor.
- The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22).
- Wealth is a blessing from God. Our own self-efforts only get in the way.
- Prosperity is something we do not deserve, but receive through grace.
- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
- We should not depend solely on our physical senses. God has already blessed us, whether or not it appears so.
- We must trust and believe it has already happened, even if we did nothing to deserve being blessed.
- Another thing to remember is that our behavior is not responsible for our blessings. We simply must believe and receive them.
- Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of
thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a
land that I will shew thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I
will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:
and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed (Genesis
12:1-3).
- Abraham made plenty of mistakes, but God’s faithfulness never wavered.
- And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went
down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the
land. And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt,
that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a
fair woman to look upon. Therefore it shall come to pass, when the
Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and
they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou
art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul
shall live because of thee. And it came to pass, that, when Abram was
come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair
(Genesis 12:10-14).
- Because of His grace, God blessed Abraham even when Abraham made mistakes.
- The princes also of Pharaoh saw her and commended
her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. And he
entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he
asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. And
the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of
Sarai Abram’s wife. And the Lord called Abram and said, What is this
that thou hast done unto me? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy
wife? Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to
be my wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her and go thy way. And
Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and
his wife, and all that he had (Genesis 12:15-20).
- God did not base His blessings on Abraham’s selfishness.
- Abraham possessed great financial blessings, but they were from God and not because of Sarah or his own works.
- And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold (Genesis 13:2).
- He later made the same mistake again.
- And Abraham journeyed thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; she is a man’s wife. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me, She is my sister? And she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine. Therefore, Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid (Genesis 20:1-8).
- Despite taking Abraham’s wife, the king’s integrity caused God to spare his life.
- Then Abimelech called Abraham and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? And what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou has done this thing? And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake. And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother. And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved. So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife (Genesis 20:9-18).
- Even after all Abraham did, God still blessed him. Religion tells us we must qualify to get answers to our prayers, but God’s blessing is what qualifies us.
- The only thing Abraham did to receive the blessings was simply to trust God as his source.
- And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went
down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the
land. And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt,
that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a
fair woman to look upon. Therefore it shall come to pass, when the
Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and
they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou
art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul
shall live because of thee. And it came to pass, that, when Abram was
come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair
(Genesis 12:10-14).
- God took care of Abraham in all situations because Abraham trusted in Him.
- And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I
pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen;
for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate
thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I
will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will
go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of
Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of
Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of
Jordan; and Lot journeyed east; and they separated themselves the one
from the other. (Genesis 13:8-11).
- Abraham was so confident in God that Lot was also blessed through his connection to Abraham.
- And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was
separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place
where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For
all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed
forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a
man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be
numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the
breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee (Genesis 13:14-17).
- Lot chose for himself the well-watered portion of land that looked good to him. Abraham trusted God so much that he was confident God would make his portion of land prosperous.
- And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, give me the persons, and take thy goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldst say, I have made Abram rich: save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion (Genesis 14:14, 21-24).
- Abraham was blessed again when he received the spoils of war, but he trusted God as his source instead of the great wealth he won in battle.
- After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward (Genesis 15:1).
- God blessed Abram because of the trust he showed.
- God is a far better reward than anything the world could offer.
- God is always our source. Trusting Him over money brings about financial blessings.
- When we hold onto money with a clenched fist, God’s prosperity will not be manifested in our lives. We must be willing to change our mindset and lose any stingy, selfish attitudes we have.
- Although we must work, it is God who gives the increase.
- Our trust in Him causes us to prosper.
- And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I
pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen;
for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate
thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I
will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will
go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of
Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of
Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of
Jordan; and Lot journeyed east; and they separated themselves the one
from the other. (Genesis 13:8-11).
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