Invitation
All prophecy is an invitation. You have to respond in faith. Prophecy is an invitation... a vision from heaven... to move closer to God. Trying to make the promise happen is evil. You have your part and God has his. You need to understand the roles, because you have to contend for the promise to apply to you in the right way:
Genesis 15:3-11 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the Lord , and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Then He said to him, “I am the Lord , who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” And he said, “Lord God , how shall I know that I will inherit it?” So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
Abram contended in three ways:
1. He stayed in the conversation with God. He didn't believe it was polite to think something and not say it to God.
2. He believed the promise when God encouraged him, despite what seemed like the reality of his situation. He didn't let his lack of faith become an accusation against God's faithfulness.
3. He resisted the enemy's attempts to steal the promises.
Abram's weak faith qualified him to receive the promise. He simply let God remind him of the promise and overcome his doubt, and it was accounted to Abram! Simply trusting God's correction of his doubt was accounted as righteousness to Abram! God's accounting system is really good!
Weak faith is still real faith...and God accounted it to him as righteousness. Then, when obeying God and bringing Him the articles of the covenant and cutting them in half, Abram could have taken the vultures as a sign God wasn't "in this thing", but he didn't...he chased off the vultures.
We need to be the same way. I hear the Lord saying many have let the prophetic promises given to them become a stumbling block. The waiting has hardened many hearts. If this is you, you need help in stirring up the excitement of the promises! That is the point of the whole exercise!
When a parent and a child go on a trip together, the kid is always most interested in the destination, but the parent is most interested in the CONVERSATION!
Don't remove the promise from the "promiser". Tell God about it, let Him convince you again, and then chase off the vultures as you follow God deeper and further towards the promise. You don't need another person to prophecy it to you, you need God to stir you up again. If you are faithful with a little, the Giver will give more.
Don't let the promise become a discouragement. Stir yourself up in it again by drawing God back in to the conversation. They are certain IF you respond like Abram, like David... and every other person in the Bible who knew they had a part in contending for the promise made.
Empowered, engaged, and entrusted are much different than entitled.
Psalms 107:8-9 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
Genesis 15:3-11 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the Lord , and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Then He said to him, “I am the Lord , who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” And he said, “Lord God , how shall I know that I will inherit it?” So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
Abram contended in three ways:
1. He stayed in the conversation with God. He didn't believe it was polite to think something and not say it to God.
2. He believed the promise when God encouraged him, despite what seemed like the reality of his situation. He didn't let his lack of faith become an accusation against God's faithfulness.
3. He resisted the enemy's attempts to steal the promises.
Abram's weak faith qualified him to receive the promise. He simply let God remind him of the promise and overcome his doubt, and it was accounted to Abram! Simply trusting God's correction of his doubt was accounted as righteousness to Abram! God's accounting system is really good!
Weak faith is still real faith...and God accounted it to him as righteousness. Then, when obeying God and bringing Him the articles of the covenant and cutting them in half, Abram could have taken the vultures as a sign God wasn't "in this thing", but he didn't...he chased off the vultures.
We need to be the same way. I hear the Lord saying many have let the prophetic promises given to them become a stumbling block. The waiting has hardened many hearts. If this is you, you need help in stirring up the excitement of the promises! That is the point of the whole exercise!
When a parent and a child go on a trip together, the kid is always most interested in the destination, but the parent is most interested in the CONVERSATION!
Don't remove the promise from the "promiser". Tell God about it, let Him convince you again, and then chase off the vultures as you follow God deeper and further towards the promise. You don't need another person to prophecy it to you, you need God to stir you up again. If you are faithful with a little, the Giver will give more.
Don't let the promise become a discouragement. Stir yourself up in it again by drawing God back in to the conversation. They are certain IF you respond like Abram, like David... and every other person in the Bible who knew they had a part in contending for the promise made.
Empowered, engaged, and entrusted are much different than entitled.
Psalms 107:8-9 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
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