TOPIC: LOOKING FOR GREENER PASTURES?
MEMORISE:
And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Genesis 26:2
READ: Genesis 26:1-4, 12-17
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;
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.
15. For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.
16. And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.
17. And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
MESSAGE:
It is no longer news that every day, lots of people flock out of developing countries in search of greener pasture in developed nations. It is saddening when we hear of those who are so desperate that they go abroad through boats that are death traps or by walking through the deserts and terrible weather conditions. Thousands have died and many others have been kidnapped and used as sex slaves because they were so desperate to leave their country in search of greener pastures.
The principles of success are as effective in your nation as they are in the developed world, and as a Christian, you have a greater advantage in the word of God and the presence of His Holy Spirit in you.
Now, I am not saying you cannot achieve greatness anywhere aside from your home country, after all, Daniel and Joseph succeeded tremendously in Babylon and Egypt respectively. However, if you cross the borders without an instruction from God, you may be leaving God’s plans for you behind. You are to ask God where you ought to be per time and His direction will keep you on the right path. You may say “oh, but the situation in my country is not favorable at all”; well. Isaac was in such a situation too in Genesis 26, but God told him to stay in that same land in spite of the famine and he eventually prospered so much that he became the envy of the nation. God told him in Genesis 26:3:
“Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee...”
This is all that you should be after: the presence of God with you. It is that same presence that made Joseph succeed, according to Genesis 39:2-3:
“And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.”
Seek God’s face to know His will for your life. His presence will be with you as you obey Him and the works of your hands will prosper greatly in the mighty Name of Jesus.
KEY POINT:
Only go where God has instructed you to go.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 17:1-18:18
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 19: MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS.
1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
o Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
2. When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
3. His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
4. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
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