Good Morning Brothers in Christ,
I pray you are continually increasing in grace and peace through the knowledge of God and of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is through the knowledge you learn from the study of the Word of God that you will gain great wisdom and knowledge which leads you to fulfill God’s will for your life:
III John 2
Beloved, I wish [My will is] above all things that thou mayest prosper [materially] and be in health [physically], even as thy soul [spiritual] prospereth [through the knowledge of God and of Jesus, our Lord].
Are you famine proof? According to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, the version based on the Bible, a famine is “Scarcity of food; dearth; a general want of provisions sufficient for the inhabitants of a country or besieged place.” In other words, a famine is not having enough, just barely scraping by, living hand to mouth. While a famine is foreign to us in the United States because of the country’s overall wealth and land mass, one thing that does occur is an economic downturn which creates lack, just getting by, losing it all, etc. It is a famine of economic proportions.
As a Believer in Jesus Christ, you are famine proof. Economic downturns, famines, etc., part of the curse ushered into the earth with the sin of Adam, is to have NO effect on a Believer. I know, I have raised eyebrows already and skeptical looks. If you don’t believe what I’m stating, then you either don’t know the Word of God and His promises to you, or you have heard this and rejected it because it doesn’t line up with your denomination, your believing. With all love, I say to you that God doesn’t care about your opinions or preferences. His Word is His Word, and it never changes, and it never will change (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8).
As a Believer, you are blessed with the “material” Promise and Blessing given to Abraham. When Jesus Christ redeemed us, or purchased us, at the cross and resurrection, we received both the material Promise and Blessing of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3) and the spiritual Blessings from Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:3, Revelation 5:12). God’s Word tells us that Believers today have a better covenant than Abraham did. Abraham had the material blessings, but we receive both the material blessings and the spiritual blessings due to the redemptive acts of Jesus Christ. So, we are better off today than Abraham was in his day.
In Genesis 26:1-3, Isaac, the son of Abraham, was experiencing a famine in the land of Canaan, the land God gave to Abraham, his father. As with most Believers, Isaac initially resorted to the wisdom of the world and his five senses and was going to pick up and head into Egypt [picture of the carnal world] to escape the famine. God told Isaac that if Isaac would remain in the land and trust His Word, God would perform the oath He swore to Abraham: to bless him and make his name great (Genesis 12:2-3). Isaac chose to remain in the land and listen to God’s direction. In Genesis 26:12-14, we see what happens. Isaac plowed the fields and planted his seed, even though there was NO rain and NO water to speak of for irrigating crops. Can you imagine how the world and carnal [worldly} Believers were making fun of him, ridiculing him, and calling him crazy. Here’s the crazy, awesome thing: God blessed Isaac’s willingness and obedience by having each seed planted produce a hundredfold each – WITHOUT ANY WATER!!! Look at verse 13-14. Isaac grew great and continued to grow in material possessions until he became very great. So great the Philistines asked him to leave the area because they were scared of him. A nation was scared of Isaac because he had become so great. When was the last time a municipality, a county, a state were afraid of you because of your great possessions, influence, and name?
In conclusion, Believers are the seed of Abraham through Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:29). As the seed, we inherit the same Promise and Blessing given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. So, yes, you are famine and economic downturn proof, if you believe it. God can only do that which you believe. God can only work with faith. If you’re not walking in faith, you are walking in fear [doubt, unbelief]. What we learn from Isaac is NOT to trust your five senses or the wisdom of the world. God mocks the natural man’s wisdom. We learn to trust and believe [have faith] in the Word of God and His promises to you.
II Corinthians 5:7
(For we walk by faith, and not by sight:).
If Isaac had chosen to walk by what he could see, he would have left Canaan and gone into Egypt. And, in doing so, he would have missed out on the Blessing of God. But, Isaac chose to walk by faith – belief in the Word of Almighty God, his spiritual Father. When you meet Isaac, ask him if he’s happy he made the decision to go against the wisdom of the world and his senses and trust in the Word of the Almighty.
II Corinthians 1:20
For all the promises of God in Him [Christ] are yea, and in Him [Christ] Amen [so be it], unto the glory of God by us.
Choose to believe [soul prospereth] and prosper materially and live with great health, which is the will of your Father Yahweh.
For those that can make it, we are having our next meeting of Caleb’s Promise this Thursday at 1PM in the University Club of Tampa, Ybor Room. The meeting is from 1 – 4:30PM. We will be studying Redemption from Poverty. In our next meeting, we’ll be studying Redemption from Sickness and from Death. The church today is largely ignorant of what Redemption really is and what all it entails. Much of the church has been deceived by Satan who doesn’t want Believers to know the Truth. As he did with Eve, Satan gives only some of the Truth, but not all of it, or he twists the Truth into another gospel, but NOT the Gospel of Truth. He keeps Believers in the very bondage our King Jesus Christ went through mocking, beating, scourging, the cross, into hell, and resurrected to bring us out of it – to set us free. He redeemed or purchased us from death and hell. However, God is calling Mighty Men and Women, who will stand in the gap, and through the Word of His Power defeat Satan step by step on this earth and bring God’s Kingdom into every step taken. You can’t be Mighty without having knowledge of Him and Jesus Christ. You can ONLY get this knowledge through His Word – The Truth.
Have a wonderful and blessed day full of expectation of your Father God and full of His Promise and Blessing to Abraham.
In Christ,
Larry