Deut. 1:2-3 tells us that it took the Israelites 40 years to take an 11 year journey. Is the fulfillment of what God has told you stretched out? Genesis reveals how God operates: He spoke and His words created (Gen. 1). In Gen. 2:7, 19 God formed man and animals. It was a two-step process: 1- creating by the spoken Word and 2- forming the final product. What God has spoken to you has already been created. Then we wait for the formation. Ps. 139:16; Eph. 1:4; Ps. 139:13; Jer. 1:5 tells us that God knew, saw, formed, and chose us before the foundation of the world and before our birth. How does faith work? It works the same way: God spoke and created, and God formed what He told us He would do and what He provided for. Faith has those two steps: God speaks and when we line up with Him, we see the fulfillment of what He said. So what hinders and delays that fulfillment? As we see in Abram’s life, there is required integrity and obedience. It took 24 years for the manifestation of the word of God to Abram and Sarai to come. In Gen. 17:1 God told Abram to walk before Him blameless. But Abram didn’t. In what ways? 1) Incomplete obedience (Gen. 12:1-2). 2) Lack of truth and integrity (in the way he gave his wife into other men’s harems. 3) His trying by the works of the flesh to form the promises of God (Gen. 16; he created an Ishmael. Ishmaels are created whenever we do things by the flesh instead of by the Holy Spirit. 4) Abram operated in unbelief (Gen. 17:4-18; he laughed when he was told that he would be the father of many nations- his name changed to Abraham). It wasn’t until God had Abraham circumcised in flesh and in his heart that the fulfillment of Isaac could come. Col. 2:11, 12; James 3:2-4; Rom. 4:19-21. It was during the 3 months after the circumcision and name change that Abraham was a man of unwavering faith. Allow God to deal with the issues in your life. What has God destined for you? Be obedient (immediately), be truthful and full of integrity, allow God to cut off the fleshly things, and operate in faith, not unbelief.
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Lancaster, PA
Saturday – 6:00 PM