PRAYER - "Receiving Instructions"
Prayer is a two-way street. We pray today. God may speak tomorrow. After Jacob spent twenty years in Laban's household, things went sour. Laban became adversarial. God spoke to Jacob and instructed him to leave. It was a defining moment of Jacob's life. If we want to receive instructions of that kind, we need a heart that desires to hear His voice. We need God's point of view.
Genesis 31:3 - "And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee."
PRINCIPALS - "God of Nahor"
We have heard the phrase, "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," but how about the "God of Nahor"? Nahor was Abraham's grandfather. Nahor was 99 years old when Abraham was born, and died when Abraham was 49. Nahor believed in the one true God, so certainly must have influenced Abraham's faith and calling. Eliezer found Rebekah for Isaac in Nahor's hometown. This scarcely-known grandfather surely had far greater impact than we have realized. Never underestimate your impact on others!
Genesis 31:53 - "The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor..."
PRINCIPLES - "God has been with me"
Jacob had many problems with Laban. After serving seven years to marry Rachel, Laban gave him Leah instead, and made him serve seven more for Rachel. Then Jacob negotiated to take the "ring-straked and spotted" livestock, and leave the rest to Laban. Laban was enraged when the herds multiplied in Jacob's favor. But trouble makers in our lives can't win when God is with us.
Genesis 31:5 - "...I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me."
PROPHECIES - "Manifest Destiny"
When Jacob began to leave Laban, after twenty years of service, Laban would have forbid it, and would have kept everything, including his daughters. But when God pronounces certain destiny over a life, such as Jacob's, nothing and nobody can stop it. Blessing and cursing are sovereign irresistible powers of God.
Genesis 31:42 - "Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight."
Weekend Miracle Revival
Her health was restored
Never Fall
Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.
– 2 Timothy 2:15
A lot of people have been playing games when it comes to the Word. They claim to be faith people in public. But, in private, they never open the Bible at all. Then, when a time of trouble comes and they try to stand on the Word, they fall flat on their spiritual faces.
Well, the time for playing games is over. It’s time for us to realize that real faith involves action. James 2:20 says faith without works [or corresponding action] is dead.
If you want the kind of faith that will keep you on your feet when others are falling around you, you need to take some action where the Word is concerned.
First, you need to study. You can study the Word in many ways. Not only can you read it, you can dig deeply into it with concordances, Greek/Hebrew dictionaries and other study guides. What’s more, if you have a media player, you can walk around half the day listening to teaching. It’s only one way of study, but it is a powerful one.
The second thing you need to do is go where the Word is being preached. When Romans 10:17 says “faith cometh by hearing,” it’s talking about the preached Word.
Whenever I start feeling surrounded by problems and I’m having trouble hearing from God, I drop everything and find some place where I can hear the Word preached. I’ve received more answers from God that way than I can count. Even though the preacher may not have been preaching about anything even remotely connected with the issue I was struggling with, some word of Scripture would suddenly start my thoughts in a certain direction. Then I’d realize, That’s the answer to that problem I’ve been dealing with for the past six weeks!
Third, you need to start confessing the Word you’ve heard. Find the promise of God that covers your situation and then declare it out loud as if it had already come to pass in your life.
Get serious about the Word of God. Study it. Go hear it preached. Confess it. Become such a diligent workman that the devil himself will look at you with fear and say, “There’s one believer who’s not playing games anymore.”
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