PROGRESSIVE PROSPERITY: OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL, 30 APRIL 2018

MEMORISE:

And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: Genesis 26:13 

READ: Genesis 26:1-14 

1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

6 And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:

7 And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.

8 And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.

9 And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife; and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.

10 And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.

11 And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:

14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

MESSAGE:

When the Bible says that we should study to show ourselves approved unto God, it means that we should study the successful heroes of faith who have gone ahead of us and learn their ways (2 Timothy 2:15, 1 Corinthians 10:11). 

A very good example of someone who experienced steady and progressive prosperity is Isaac. If you want to have steady and progressive prosperity like Isaac did, wisdom demands that you learn his ways. How did Isaac manage to become so prosperous in the time of famine, so much so that the king and natives of the land in which he sojourned envied him? 

The first thing Isaac did to experience steady and progressive prosperity was to enquire of the Lord on where to go during an austere time. Genesis 26:2-6 reveals the outcome of Isaac’s enquiry. The Lord told him not to move an inch from Gerar. This is a great lesson to all those who plan to prosper by the hand of the Lord. some people would say to you, “Follow your heart”, but based on God’s word, that is folly. Jeremiah 17:9 says, 

 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

Isaac did not follow his heart; rather he followed God’s command. He stayed in Gerar. Proverb 3:5-7 also says, 

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.”

What else did Isaac do that earned him steady and progressive prosperity? He sowed in the land (Genesis 26:12) if you don’t engage your hands in something the Lord can multiply, your expectation of steady and progressive prosperity will end in disappointment. 

The Almighty God knows the appropriate time for whatever a man puts fort his hand to do. It is counterintuitive to sow in the time of famine, but God knew this was the best time for Isaac to cash in the demand created by scarcity. This is the reason why God is telling you to seek His face before you embark on that project at hand. Isaac prospered progressively because God was in his business. 

Have you invited God into your business as the Senior Partner? Does God call the shots in your business transactions or you don’t even involve Him at all? Do you pay your tithes? Do you give offering? Dod you honor God you’re your first fruits? Learn from the life of Isaac today.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, please open my eyes to the opportunities around me, and teach my heart to yield to the wisdom of Your own timing in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 6-7;

Hebrews 8:1-9:10

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 4:  TRUST AND OBEY.

1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

o Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

4. But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

5. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.