Posts Tagged ‘Abraham’

EMBRACE GOD’S PROMISES

Posted: December 28, 2012 in Art, Books, Christianity, Education, Encouragement, Faith, Family, History, Hope, Inspiration, Life, Lifestyle, News, Parenting, Photography, Politics, Quotes, Success, Travel, Uncategorized
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“The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'”

– Genesis 12:1-3 NIV

At the beginning of the 2012 calendar year, I listened to a sermon preached on TBN with the title Excel in 2012. It resonated with me and I encouraged my sister and mother to embrace it as the new theme for our ongoing bible study (5 years running). Our theme became Excel in 2012 and Beyond! As the 2012 year comes to a close, I rejoice in knowing God has exceeded our expectations and extended us beyond ourselves to experience change in real, relevant ways that confirm for us God’s person, presence and power at work in us and through us for His glory! Though it was not always easy, the journey has been well worth the encounter!

Before Abram could experience the fulfillment of the promise God spoke to him in Genesis 12, Abram had to embrace and accept the commandment for change God required. Abram had to be willing to leave a place of familiarity and comfort in order to experience the fullness of blessing God had in store for him. Faith requires change and a transition from something old into something new. Change requires a transition, or paradigm shift, from the way things were to the way things God intends in order to encounter fulfillment, success and prosperity.

God wants to make us new and experience a new life that includes an intimate personal relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ. Careful inspection of the promise God speaks to Abram reveals that what God intends to do for us is not intended to be solely beneficial exclusively to the recipient of the promise, but also to everyone who comes into contact with the recipient. The world becomes a better place for the one who embraces and accepts what God requires in association with the promise of being a follower of Christ.

May God bless you and help you to embrace and accept His promises so you may experience the fullness of life Christ came for us to have.

THE POWER FOR CHANGE

Posted: December 15, 2012 in Art, Books, Christianity, Education, Encouragement, Faith, Family, History, Hope, Inspiration, Life, Lifestyle, News, Parenting, Photography, Politics, Quotes, Success, Travel, Uncategorized
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“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”

– 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 NIV

The power for change begins when I am willing to embrace enacting the principles required in association with the promise. For Abraham, it began by being willing to follow God’s word by leaving his family and place of comfort for a better place God had planned for him, but Abraham did not know where he was going. In the same way, change in our circumstances begins when we are willing to operate within the divine plan of God to do what He requires in order to experience the fulfillment of His promises.

God promised Solomon that His eyes and ears would be open and attentive to the prayers offered by His people and His heart would always be with them in the book of 2 Chronicles, but God proclaimed a requirement by which His people’s prayers would be answered. God promises to always listen, but if our desire is for Him to respond to our prayers, to experience the power for change in our circumstances, we must apply the principles associated with the promise.

Healing, restoration, revival, and change begins with emulating the posture of a sincere seeker. The posture of a sincere seeker is fueled by their faith in the One who promises power for change for the one who comes believing He can and will act on their behalf. Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah and Lott’s life was spared. God may not act in the way or time we desire, but it does not mean that God is not listening and will not act. Through faith in Christ, we are God’s temple, and God promised that the temple He chose and consecrated for His name to be there forever, His eyes and heart will always be there too! (see 2 Chronicles 7:16) Continue to believe and pray to experience God’s power for change!

May God help you and bless you to continue to believe and pray to experience His promises and encounter His power for change and the fullness of life Christ came for us to have.

MIGHTY WARRIOR

Posted: February 29, 2012 in Books, Christianity, Education, Family, History, Life, News, Parenting, Quotes, Uncategorized
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“The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” – Judges 6:12

What excites me about the promise of Abraham is its accessibility to any and everyone who receives the promise. No matter what state I find myself in at the time I receive and accept God’s promise to Abraham I become an heir. No matter how far away I may feel from God, I become an heir and experience His intimacy the moment I embrace the promise. No matter my status in life, my value or worth in the eyes of others, the moment I believe the promise of Abraham is mine too, God accepts me, embraces me and expresses to me my significance in Him through Christ. No matter how difficult my circumstances, or dark the moment, when I embrace and believe I am a beneficiary of God’s promise to Abraham that’s when the process of change begins.

Romans 4:16-21 indicates that the promise comes by faith and provides an illustration of who God is and Abraham’s response to the promise in light of the reality of his circumstances. Abraham faced the fact that his circumstances suggested that he would not be a good candidate for what God promised He would do for Abraham, but the bible declares that against all hope in hope Abraham believed and was strengthened in his faith being persuaded God had the power to do what He promised. Abraham’s circusmtances, according to scripture, suggested he and his wife were beyond the possibility of bearing children and there was no possibility of life coming from them. But, Abraham believed God; described as the One who gives life from death and calls those things that are not as they ought to be. The One who makes all things beautiful in His time brought life from within them because with Him all things are possible!

Gideon also discovered the One who calls those things that are not as they ought to be. Gideon felt he was the least likely to be significant, capable or influential in his circumstances to affect positive change, but he desired it. When he and God encountered each other in the scripture in the book of Judges chapter 6, Gideon described himself as the least in his family whom he regarded as the weakest of the clans in the 12 tribes of Israel. In the sight of his circumstances and the reality of the world around him, Gideon did not see how his person and presence had any significance in being able to make a difference. yet when the angel of the LORD visited Gideon, He declared Gideon to be a mighty warrior. The one who saw himself as the least of his family was seen by God as a mighty warrior! One encounter with God will change the disposition and direction of anyone who sincerely seeks change and allows the One who gives life to make use of them to bless them, be a blessing to others and make the world around them a better place.

May the God who gives life and speaks with power to transform declare from the throne of His sanctuary power, peace, joy, love and wisdom to you that will bless you, inspire you to bless others and influence you to affect positive change in the world around you to make it better.

THE PROMISE PT. 2

Posted: February 28, 2012 in Books, Christianity, Education, Family, History, Life, News, Parenting, Quotes, Uncategorized
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“Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring.” – Romans 4:16a

It is through the revelation of scripture God makes known to us His plan to make use of those who trust Him and acknowledge His Son Jesus Christ to help make this world a better place. For the past 3 years God’s promise to Abraham has meant more to me personally and a phone conversation had with a dear colleague and friend last night reinforced the value of believing myself to be an heir of the promise of Abraham. 3 years ago I was led to collaborate aspirations of establishing a non-profit program to help youth with my friend and colleague and I enlisted myself to help her make progress in getting her program, Community Tutoring,Inc.,  moving forward. The summer of 2010 I worked within her program all summer for free believing God had moved me to support her in establishing her program to help close the achievement gap for african-american children through tutoring in math, reading and writing. Dream it, Believe it, Do it is her slogan. I believed intensely in our connection as children of faith, her mission and passion in serving the greater community of Prince George’s County Public Schools by empowering african-american youth through education, working for free was an act of faith believing God will bless what He initiated through us to come together to fulfill the promise of being a blessing to others and making the world around us a better place. Our prayer was for the program to become established as a viable program to benefit the youth of our community of Prince George’s County.

3 years later she has since received funding to establish her summer program, Summit Summer Camp. She has a staff of 4 employees to help her serve now Prince George’s and Dorchester County with a vision to expand to a year round program. She left the field of education, by faith, to trust God and follow Him as an heir of the promise. She has received support from Maryland University’s graduate program to receive graduate staff employees to serve in her summer program that offers technology engineering and support from NASA through another professional colleague. The second year after we started up the summer program she received support from a local church who allowed her program to operate out of their church house/school center in return for tutorial service for the children of their congregation. I am in awe of God fulfilling the promise of Abraham and I rejoice in watching Him perform His deeds to bless my friend and colleague, make her a blessing to others and make the world around her a better place!

The promise of Abraham comes by faith and grace, because it is accomplished by the One who brings life from death and calls things that are not as they ought to be! Like Abraham, all I have to do is believe what God says and follow what He requires of me to make use of me to bless me, be a blessing to others and make the world around me a better place. Faith in Christ allows me to be blessed with the intimate presence, person and power of God through His Holy Spirit living in me to work through me to be a light to the world!

May God arouse within you the passion to believe and follow through to take action in being used by Him to be blessed to bless others and affect positive change! Be the change you want to see!

THE PROMISE

Posted: February 27, 2012 in Books, Christianity, Education, Family, History, Life, News, Parenting, Quotes, Uncategorized
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“The LORD said to Abram, ‘I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'” – Genesis 12:1a, 2-3

Question. Is what God said to Abraham in Genesis 12 meant for you and I too? According to the bible it is, if you believe. “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” – Galatians 3:29 Faith in Jesus Christ affords me a great privilege to be part of a great proclamation of blessing God promised would be inherited by anyone and all who believe in God’s word as Abraham did when God spoke the blessing of promise to him so many centuries ago. 19 years into my faith walk with Christ, I am in awe, humbled and my soul rejoices in watching how God has been generous towards me to confer the blessing and promise of Abraham to me. As I recall and reflect upon moments in my life where I can see the providential hand of God bestow upon me favor, grace and mercy to keep me going, help me to live and be victorious my soul rejoices!

God seeks to speak His blessings and promises into the hearts and souls of everyone whose heart is open to believe Him and receive His Son Jesus Christ. He wants to bless us to be a blessing to others and make this world a better place. I have discovered embracing the promise of Genesis 12 to Abraham strengthens my assurance and confidence in God to fulfill His promises and performs what He speaks in  His word and enables me to experience the closeness of His presence intimately as one He loves. How great is the knowledge of God wanting to reciprocate in the life of every believer the promise conferred upon Abraham to spread His message of love and empowerment  from one generation to another! Reflection upon God’s promise to Abraham causes me to consider the time period of the Civil Rights Movement and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A movement spawned by faith that changed a nation and impacted the world.

Each of us has been invited by God to be used by Him to affect change and isnpire others. God told Joshua He would give him every place he set his foot if he obeyed God’s commands and remained strong and courageous. Where has God placed you and in what environments has He set you over He would like to use you to make it a better place? Let God work His love, joy and peace in you and through you in your family, at work, with colleagues and friends and even amongst your enemies and watch the promise of Abraham be fulfilled, as you believe, to be blessed, bless others and make the environment around you a better place. I believe this is what will make our name great in the eyes of God and amongst others!

May God strengthen you to act upon what He speaks in your heart to receive His blessings, bless others and make the world around you a better place.