{"id":21,"date":"2008-07-01T16:34:57","date_gmt":"2008-07-01T20:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.42ndgenerationfoundation.com\/achieversfaithdigest\/?p=21"},"modified":"2012-04-30T14:15:08","modified_gmt":"2012-04-30T13:15:08","slug":"21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.42ndgenerationfoundation.com\/achieversfaithdigest\/21\/","title":{"rendered":"AFD July 2008 EDITION"},"content":{"rendered":"

ENHANCING your FAITH to BECOME what you BELIEVE<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

(Matthew 9:27-31; Genesis 26:1-25)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This month is a very crucial month for all who by reasons of grace have been sharing in the Ministry of the AFD. It\u2019s crucial because it is the <\/span>seventh month of the year and seven signifies maturity, completeness, wholeness, fulfilment et<\/span><\/em>c.<\/span><\/em> God is indicating strongly in my spirit, His intention to make His people <\/span>\u2018BE\u2019. <\/span><\/strong>Make them <\/span>Become what<\/span><\/strong> they <\/span>BELIEVE<\/span><\/strong> to <\/span>ACHIEVE<\/span><\/strong>, according to His plans and purposes for their lives.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If we are to \u2018BE<\/strong>\u2019, we need to \u2018COME<\/strong>\u2019 into His grace in order to \u2018BECOME<\/strong>\u2019. My mandate through the AFD is to ensure that you become what you believe; this is God\u2019s great cry for you. Jesus came, died and rose again for your daily triumph and victories <\/span>(2 Corinthians 2:14, 1 Corinthians 15:57, Romans 8:37<\/span><\/strong>). <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You may say, \u2018Yea, I have become\u2019<\/em><\/strong>, but are you complete and in the fullness of it. How many lives is your \u2018becoming\u2019 influencing positively towards God and not self. In this time of famine of the truth of God\u2019s Word, God has also promise the knowledge of His Word to His people <\/span>(2 Timothy 4:1-4, Amos 8:11-14; Daniel 12:4, Habakkuk 2:14)<\/span><\/strong>. We need words of grace spoken into our lives so that we can become what we believe. It may be a fact<\/em> that we are at present in an economic and financial crunch leading to political unrest, family breakdown, career mishaps and business setbacks etc, <\/span>but by God\u2019s spoken Word, it is possible to BECOME, only believe<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Genesis 26:1-25<\/span><\/strong> \u2018\u2019<\/em><\/span><\/strong> And there was a <\/span><\/em>famine in the land<\/span><\/em><\/strong>, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham.\u00a0 And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.\u00a0 <\/span><\/em>And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt<\/strong>; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee<\/strong>;<\/span><\/em> for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father; 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; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice,<\/strong> and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span><\/em>And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon<\/span><\/em><\/strong>.<\/span><\/em><\/strong> And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.\u00a0 And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her. And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lain with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us. And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death. <\/strong><\/span><\/em>Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year a hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him<\/span><\/em><\/strong>.<\/span><\/em> 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.\u00a0 And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.\u00a0 And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. And the herdsmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him. And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.\u00a0 And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba. And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake. And he built an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well<\/span><\/em>\u2019\u2019<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Matthew 9:27-31<\/span><\/strong> \u2019<\/em><\/span><\/strong>\u2019And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.\u00a0 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: <\/span><\/em>and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this?<\/span><\/em> They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, <\/span><\/em>According to your faith be it unto you<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it<\/span><\/em>. <\/span><\/em>But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country\u2019\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong>In Genesis 26:1-11<\/strong>, there was famine in the land. One option was to escape and search for greener pastures \u2013 as sense knowledge would have led people do in difficult times. The other was to stay against all odds in obedience to God\u2019s Word with the eye of faith and subdue it to become what you are made to BE<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Isaac was almost led astray, but thanks to God\u2019s spoken Word and a reminder of his covenant rights as Abraham seed which we too are through what Christ did for us. (Genesis 26:1-5, Galatians 3:26-29)<\/strong>.The famine was so bad that he was about to leave and go down the way of the Egyptians (unbelievers). At some point he presented his wife, Rebecca, as his sister to the Philistines in order to protect himself \u2013 according to him<\/em> \u2013 from harm. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

God spoke to Isaac reminding him of his covenant rights and privileges. Today we have the Bible, the written word of God \u2013referred to as LOGOS. We also have the revealed or spoken Word of God \u2013 referred to as RHEMA. To become great is an attitude of obedience<\/em><\/strong>. Isaac obeyed the voice of the Lord, took the instructions in spite of the FACTS <\/strong>of life surrounding him \u2013 economic and social breakdown. He made a deliberate choice to obey the TRUTH that came from the Word of God not the fact of what he was experiencing. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0In Genesis 26:12-14<\/strong>, we see that Isaac\u2019s obedience helped him to reap a hundred fold and God blessed him: that is, he BECAME great and went FORWARD until he BECAME very great.<\/strong> He enhanced his faith by obeying God\u2019s Word. He chose obedience over sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22-23)<\/strong>. Listen, as important as sacrifices of worship, of finances, prayer and fasting are, we cannot use them to get God\u2019s attention. They are only valuable when we walk in obedience to God\u2019s Word. Especially when you know what it is that God has instructed you to do in a particular situation. In that Isaac acted on God\u2019s Word, even in the midst of his prosperity being challenged by the enemy, he found grace in God who had been involved from the start (Genesis 26:15-25).<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0As an achiever in the Lord, your faith attitude will go a long way to determine your altitude<\/em>. <\/strong>In Matthew 9:27-31<\/strong> Jesus spoke to two blind men who need to \u2018BE\u2019<\/strong> in their sight saying vs. 29 \u201c\u2026be it unto you according to your faith.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> In other words BECOME<\/strong> what you BELIEVE. <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The big issue at the moment is for you to ENHANCE YOUR FAITH<\/strong> to enable you to BE <\/strong>what you want to become, be it health, financial freedom or prosperity, marital fulfilment, entrepreneurship, career stability etc. You have the right to succeed in all areas of life. Jesus paid for the salvation of your total being<\/em><\/strong> (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12).<\/strong> You can stop focusing on the facts working against you, stop complaining and living in wishful thinking \u2013 and rise up in FAITH<\/strong> to become the person that God has purposed you to BE (Romans 8:28-30).<\/strong> This is the choice that we have to make, but my mandate is to see you BECOME by BELIEVING<\/strong> the truth of the Word of God. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Guidelines To Enhance Your Faith<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n