Are you willing to sacrifice what you think is your most prized possession for the cause of Christ? Are you willing to sacrifice that prized possession in obedience to the directions God has given you?
Lets Read Genesis 22:1-19 (NIV)
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lordit will be provided.”
15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring[b] all nations on earth will be blessed,[c]because you have obeyed me.”
19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.
Now my thoughts while reading this was, what was going through his mind? He had been promised this son by God and look at where he's at. Knowing what we know about God and that he can not lie, Abraham did not doubt what he was told and started the journey towards that place.
We must be obedient to the place that God has spoken to us about, the very thing we know that he has spoken and directed us to do we must do it. In order for you know and distinguish His voice you have to be spending quality time with him so that you will, without a shadow of a doubt, know that it is He who speaks.
If I am spending time with someone, at a certain point they will be talking to me and I won't even have to ask who it is, I will automatically know. On the other hand if I'm not spending time with them it will be harder for me to know who is speaking to me therefore I'll be asking, "Who's talking to me?" We MUST spend time with God in order to hear his voice.
As we read on in Genesis 22, we know that he went up the mountain. When he arrived at the designated place he places down the wood, bound his son up and begins to bring the knife down. The Angel of the Lord stopped him and the ram in the thicket behind him was used as the sacrificial offering symbolizing the complete surrender of self to cover sins committed. If Abraham hadn't heard the voice of God and if he would have become distracted by everything else going on, I'm not sure what would have happened. If he would have gone to another place to do it, or would have gotten tired and given up during the journey that ram may not have been there for him to replace his son. The place on the mountain was called by Abraham, 'The Lord Will Provide' because it is at the place when we've been completely obedient to the voice of God that he provides and makes a way.
It's amazing to me how merciful and patient God is with us even when we do things the way we want to. I thank God that through my mistakes and selfish moments he is still there for me but I want to get to the place where I hear his voice clearly and I undoubtedbly believe and do what he says. That is what I also want for you. I want you to know his voice clearly and accept his directions knowing that he has a purpose for you all in mind that he is the Lord who will provide. Hear, Do, and the provision will be there! Be deligent, be courageous for God is with us!
Joshua 1:6-8
"Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be stong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
Lets Read Genesis 22:1-19 (NIV)
1Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lordit will be provided.”
15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring[b] all nations on earth will be blessed,[c]because you have obeyed me.”
19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.
Abraham was told by God to take his son to a specific place to give as a burnt offering. If you know anything about Abraham you know that in Chapter 18, he and his wife Sarah were given a promise by God that they would have a son and that he was to have countless descendants that would come through this son Isaac, that he was now faced to kill.
Now my thoughts while reading this was, what was going through his mind? He had been promised this son by God and look at where he's at. Knowing what we know about God and that he can not lie, Abraham did not doubt what he was told and started the journey towards that place.
We must be obedient to the place that God has spoken to us about, the very thing we know that he has spoken and directed us to do we must do it. In order for you know and distinguish His voice you have to be spending quality time with him so that you will, without a shadow of a doubt, know that it is He who speaks.
If I am spending time with someone, at a certain point they will be talking to me and I won't even have to ask who it is, I will automatically know. On the other hand if I'm not spending time with them it will be harder for me to know who is speaking to me therefore I'll be asking, "Who's talking to me?" We MUST spend time with God in order to hear his voice.
John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. As we read on in Genesis 22, we know that he went up the mountain. When he arrived at the designated place he places down the wood, bound his son up and begins to bring the knife down. The Angel of the Lord stopped him and the ram in the thicket behind him was used as the sacrificial offering symbolizing the complete surrender of self to cover sins committed. If Abraham hadn't heard the voice of God and if he would have become distracted by everything else going on, I'm not sure what would have happened. If he would have gone to another place to do it, or would have gotten tired and given up during the journey that ram may not have been there for him to replace his son. The place on the mountain was called by Abraham, 'The Lord Will Provide' because it is at the place when we've been completely obedient to the voice of God that he provides and makes a way.
It's amazing to me how merciful and patient God is with us even when we do things the way we want to. I thank God that through my mistakes and selfish moments he is still there for me but I want to get to the place where I hear his voice clearly and I undoubtedbly believe and do what he says. That is what I also want for you. I want you to know his voice clearly and accept his directions knowing that he has a purpose for you all in mind that he is the Lord who will provide. Hear, Do, and the provision will be there! Be deligent, be courageous for God is with us!
Joshua 1:6-8
"Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be stong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
