ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB

by Os Hillman

"Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'" - Genesis 50:24

I was boarding the airplane in Frankfurt, Germany, when a mentor of mine asked me this question, "Would you consider why God referred to Himself as the 'God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob'? Why didn't He simply say, 'the God of Jacob'?" What a strange question, I thought to myself.

For the next hour I racked my brain trying to discover the meaning to this question. I had never read it in a commentary, and the Scriptures do not really say why this is so. It became a good exercise with the Holy Spirit that led to some interesting observations - one from my mentor, one from my own insight.

First, could it be that the Lord has given us a "type of trinity" in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Abraham was considered a father figure to the nation of Israel. Isaac was the son who had to be sacrificed on the altar. Jacob was the man who had to learn to walk according to the Holy Spirit instead of his flesh. Each of these patriarchs had a particular relationship with God to fulfill.
My friend asked about an hour into the flight, "So, what did you discover?"
I told him of my observation.

"Hmm...that is interesting. I believe that what we also see in the patriarchs are examples of three distinct types of personalities. If the Lord had cited only one of the patriarchs, we would tend to seek to model that leader. However, the Lord has given us three distinct personalities in whom He performed His work. Abraham was the pioneer who ventured out into unknown territory and was considered righteous for his faith. Isaac was faithful to follow in his inheritance with few ups and downs in his life. He had the fewest calamities among the three. He was called simply to be faithful to what had been already given. Jacob had extreme conflict in his life. He suffered more pit experiences than either of his predecessors. He had much conflict in relationships that became the source of his inheritance. Each of us can identify with one of these men in how God has related to them."

God works in each person's life uniquely, and He has provided examples of lives for us to identify with from the Scriptures. Who do you identify with most in your Christian pilgrimage? Discover this for yourself. You will find encouragement as you seek to learn from someone who has gone before you.

GOD WILL NOT FULFILL YOUR DREAM IMMEDIATELY

by Rick Warren

"But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" Habakkuk 2:3 (LB)

"We all have to go through these waiting periods. Even Jesus waited for thirty years in the carpenter's shop before setting out on his public ministry. "
Even as you make a decision to follow the dream God places in your heart, you can expect a delay. God will not fulfill your dream immediately because this is another step toward building your faith.

In Habakkuk 2, God says, "These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled."
In this step of faith-building you will most likely start asking the question, "When, Lord? When are you going to answer my prayer?"

And we hate to wait. We don't like to wait in a doctor's office, or in traffic jams, or at restaurants, or for Christmas presents, or for anything else. But what we hate worst of all is waiting on God.

Have you ever been in a hurry when God wasn't? It's so irritating! You're ready, but God isn't. God wants to work on you before he works on the project. Every believer must go through the University of Learning to Wait (ULW). Some of us are still working on our degrees from ULW!

- Noah waited 120 years from the time he started building the ark until it began to rain.

- Abraham was told he would be the father of a great nation and didn't have a child until he was ninety-nine.

- God told Moses he would be the leader to lead his people out of four hundred years of slavery, but then made him wait in the desert forty years.

- Joseph spent years in prison before God raised him up and he became the ruler God wanted him to be.

- God had David anointed as king, but then David waited for years until he actually got to be king.

We all have to go through these waiting periods. Even Jesus waited for thirty years in the carpenter's shop before setting out on his public ministry.
Why do we wait? It teaches us to trust in God. We learn that his timing is perfect. One of the facts we have to learn is this: God's delay never destroys his purpose.

A delay is not a denial. Children must learn the difference between "no" and "not yet," and so must we. Many times we think God is saying, "No," but he is saying, "Not yet."

GOD CARES FOR YOU

by Joseph Prince

Do you know why there are many believers today who don't cast
their cares upon the Lord? It is because they don't have a
revelation that He cares for them. Look at what His Word says:
"[Cast] all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Pet. 5:7, NKJV). Unless you have absolute confidence that Jesus cares for you, you will not cast your cares upon Him.

Just think: Would you call upon the help of a relative or friend in your time of need if you were not confident that the person would respond to your call? Jesus cares for you! When you call upon Him, you can know that you have His fullest attention with all of heaven's resources backing you up.

Maybe you are thinking right now, "Well, I am sure that Jesus has more important things to do than to bother with my problems." Hang on! By saying that, you have just shown that you don't really believe that Jesus cares for you. Now, let's see what the Bible says: "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows" (Matt. 10:30).

I love and care for my sweet daughter, Jessica. But as much as I adore her and care for her well-being, I have never, not once, counted the number of strands of hair on her head! She does not know how great a blessing she has been to me. I love to kiss her, smell her hair and hug her tightly. Yet, in all my great love for her, I have never taken the time to count the hairs on her head.

But do you know that your heavenly Father numbers the hairs on your head? That's how much He cares for you! Not one strand can fall to the ground without His being aware of it.

I really hope you are beginning to catch the heart of Jesus and have stopped putting limits on His love. His love for you is all-encompassing. If He cares enough to keep track of the hairs on your head, is there anything so small or insignificant that you cannot talk to Him about it?

God's love for you is infinitely detailed. Jesus said that not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father's will. Are you not of more value than a sparrow?

Is God a God who winds the clock and then leaves it alone to tick until Jesus comes back? Is He involved only with major events in the world? Is He involved only in significant events in our lives—such as our salvation—or is He vitally and intensely involved in the day-to-day minute details?

What do you think? The Bible says that He calls His own sheep by name (see John 10:3). My friend, His love for you is personal, detailed and in-depth!

Knowing this, you can begin to see the Lord in the midst of every situation and concern in your life. When you learn to bring Him into the picture, He makes everything beautiful.

I'm sure your life hasn't been perfect. The scars of yesterday may still be throbbing in your memory. Perhaps you were sexually abused as a child or emotionally hurt by someone you trusted.

As you look back now, you may still feel angry, frustrated and disappointed all at the same time, and the hurt may still pierce your heart. But in the midst of your pain, I want to challenge you to start involving Jesus. See the Lord holding you, gently healing your wounds. Jesus is right there restoring you, putting courage into your heart and taking away all sense of shame and guilt.

Beloved, He wants you to know that your past will not determine the future that He has for you. Once you involve the Lord and put Him into your bitter waters, He will turn the bitterness into sweetness.

That is what the Lord did for the children of Israel. When they came to a place called Marah, they could not drink its waters because they were bitter. Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree, which Moses cast into the waters. When he did that, the Bible says that "the waters were made sweet" (Ex. 15:25).

Why did the foul-tasting, undrinkable waters become refreshing and sweet? The answer lies in the tree that was cast into them. The tree is a picture of the cross on which our Lord Jesus hung, bearing every broken heart and every sting of betrayal. When you bring Jesus into your situation, He can cause every bitter experience to become sweet! Cast your cares on Him and allow His presence to restore you today!


About the author: Joseph Prince is the senior pastor of New Creation Church (newcreation.org.sg), a vibrant, dynamic and fast-growing church in Singapore, which has a congregation of more than 19,000 members. He separately heads Joseph Prince Ministries, Inc. (josephprince.org), an international, non-profit organization that seeks to build, encourage and inspire people with the gospel of Jesus Christ through television broadcasting as well as new media technology. Prince is the author of several books, including his most recent, Unmerited Favor (Charisma House), from which this message is adapted. For information about resources by Joseph Prince, log on to destined2reign.com.

LORD, DISTURB ME

by Pastor Marvin Williams

I follow the Radical Rabbi named Jesus, but I am too safe, too comfortable, too undisturbed.

I hang the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door of my life because I don't like my comfort, safety and status-quo living being interrupted by the turbulence of big dreams, the deep waters of radical obedience, the rough seas of suffering, and the dark nights of uncertain adventures.

The other day, I ran across a prayer, written by Sir Frances Drake (explorer and naval pioneer during the Elizabethan era), that disturbed me. This prayer affected my spiritual equilibrium so much, that I want to share it with you, in hopes that it will disturb you like it did me.

Don't just gloss over the words; sit with it for a minute and then spend some time, dissecting and parsing its content. Then ask God to help you identify "smooth sailing" areas of your life. Next, ask him to disturb the places in your life where you are safe, comfortable, undisturbed.

Here's the prayer:

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push us into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.

I know I have been sailing too close to the shore lately and I am asking Jesus to disturb me to action.

In what areas have you become too comfortable and need to pray: "Lord, disturb me?" In what areas in your life have you been traveling too close to shore and need to pray: "Lord, disturb me?"

Scripture Of The Day: "You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him." - Deuteronomy 13:4

OVERCOMING OUR PAST

by Os Hillman

"Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah." - Judges 11:29a

We've all heard stories of individuals who have overcome extreme hardship during their childhood years. Children of alcoholics, orphans who never have parents, loss of parents to a fatal crash, childhood disease - these are all difficult circumstances to overcome.

Jephthah was a man who overcame his obstacles and refused to allow his circumstances to prevent him from becoming great in God's sight. He was born to Gilead, a result of his father's adulterous encounter with a prostitute. Jephthah's half-brothers decided to reject Jephthah, and drove him away from their home saying, "You are not going to get any inheritance in our family because you are the son of another woman." Imagine the rejection this young man felt as he was cast away from his own family.

This experience taught Jephthah to become a hardened warrior. Today he probably would have been part of a street gang. As he got older, his reputation as a warrior became known to those in his country, so much so that when the Ammonites made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah and asked him to be their commander. Jephthah had to fight off those feelings of rejection from previous years.

"Didn't you hate me and drive me from my father's house?" he responded. He overcame his hurt and pain, and responded to the call God had on his life.

It is said that if we were to help the butterfly remove itself from the cocoon, the butterfly would not be strong enough to survive. It is the struggle that prepares the butterfly to become strong enough to fly. Without the struggle in the cocoon, it could not survive as a butterfly.

The Lord prepares each of us in similar ways. Some of our childhoods seem to have been harsh and born from a seemingly unloving God. However, the Lord knows our struggle and will make our life an instrument in His hand if we will follow Him with an upright heart. He does make all things beautiful in His time if we are willing to be patient.

A MOTHER'S LETTER

by Pastor Marquis Boone

Late one night my mother sent out an e-mail that captured my attention. In this email she began to pour out wisdom; and in the email I could hear and feel her heart. In this letter, she began by saying this:

"As a mother, sister, daughter, auntie, cousin, friend and woman, I'm asking and praying that you all find peace with any situation that is bringing unnecessary stress into your life. Sometimes the situation is just what it is. There is nothing you can do about it. Burger King's slogan doesn't work on everything -- you can't always "have it your way." You have to free your mind, heart and body, or you could internally cause your body to develop an illness you really don't want. I challenge you all to take better care of your bodies. Sit down, learn to do less and relax, or your body will shut you down and you will have no choice in the matter!"

My mother continued on in the email to say..."your job does not dictate your happiness. A failed relationship does not dictate your happiness. You have to make life what you want as God leads, but also remember nothing comes easy. Make the best of a situation, but if it becomes too much, it's time to let go."You solve nothing by sending yourself in circles for someone or something that is not reciprocating your worth. Something better is bound to happen, remember when you learn to close a door another one is ready to be opened. Be willing to open that door, it may be the one that sets everything in order!

There is nothing like a mother; wisdom drips from her lips, and kings and queens are birthed from her womb. Mothers are blessed by God and without them we would not be here. I challenge you today -- regardless of the problem or issue -- make an effort to call your mother and say thank you or I love you. Life is too short. Close a door and get ready to open a new one. I leave you with this poem:

My Tears Don't Come Cheap Anymore (By: C. `Tillery Banks)

I don't want to cry anymore about something that ain't nothing
The price of my tears comes high now;
They come from a deeper well than before.
A well filled with knowledge I didn't have before
Filled with visions I have never seen before
Filled with emotions I have never felt before
secrets I've never known before.
Filled with children I have yet to birth
Joys I have yet to live and give
Magic I have yet to perform
Dreams yet to dream
Songs to sing that have not been sung
Dances to danceAnd words to rhyme.
The well is deep.
No, my tears don't come cheap anymore

Scripture Of The Day: "And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her." - Genesis 17:16 (NJKV)

AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD

by Os Hillman
05-11-2010

"So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision, I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless." - Daniel 10:8

Daniel received a vision that troubled him greatly. He wanted understanding of this vision. He set himself out to understand the vision by fasting for three weeks. Three days after his three weeks of fasting, a messenger of God appeared to Daniel. The messenger explained that Heaven had heard his prayer from the first day, but the angel was temporarily prevented from coming by the prince of Persia, a demon angel, who sought to thwart God's messenger from coming to Daniel.

There are times in our lives when we must set ourselves to seeking God with all our hearts. It is in these times that we hear from Heaven in ways we may never have experienced before. Daniel's perseverance in prayer was rewarded with a personal encounter with Heaven. However, in order to receive from God, Daniel had to be left alone, have his strength removed, and be placed in a helpless condition. When we have no ability in our own strength to move Heaven or the events around us, we are in position to hear from Heaven. It is the acknowledgment of our humanity and our frailness that places us in a position to have a personal encounter with the living God.

Do you need a personal encounter with God today? Do you need God to intervene on your behalf? Seek Him with all your heart. Demonstrate to Him you are serious. Get alone and acknowledge your helpless condition before Him. He will reward you with His presence.