Now the Lord had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
We are living in a time of great distraction and division. It has even oozed its way into the church to the point that many are "infected" with the same issues as the world. This is a disease of the mind that is robbing us of the power and blessings of the Kingdom of God! It is as if the church has ADHD. Look at some of the symptoms of adult ADHD and see if it doesn't look like today's believers: Impulsiveness, disorganization and problems prioritizing, problems focusing on a task, excessive activity or restlessness, poor planning and the most obvious of all--low frustration tolerance. We are drifting from God's plan and promises for our lives.
The Holy Spirit keeps bringing me back to Genesis 12 to teach me about our covenant life in the Kingdom of God. It's all about priorities and who or what is first in your life. NOTHING and no one should come before King Jesus, our Lord and Savior; and nothing should cause you to act like the world!
What God told Abram he must do to be blessed is our covenant for the blessings of the Kingdom also. There were just three things God asked Abram to do:
First, “Get out of your country"--Your political allegiances to your country. As a Kingdom citizen, you are an ambassador, sent to a foreign country to represent your King, Jesus. You obey all their laws and responsibilities and are honorable guests, but getting angry and caught up in political arguments--especially with fellow believers--is getting your priorities out of order. Nothing should come before God. Would you say and do things the same if Jesus were physically standing next to you?
I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
Second, "get out from your family"--Not even your family can come before God. When division comes through the family to separate you from God and living a Kingdom life, remember that God is first in your life. Do you abandon family relationships? No, but they must know that God comes first in your life and your decisions and lifestyle comes from Him and no other.
You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
Last, "Get out of your father's house"--That is your cultural heritage. In recent years, this one has done the most to damage and divide the church. It has reared up, proudly, to exalt itself above God and sees nothing wrong with that. Your confidence, your "pride" and power comes from being a blood-bought believer in Jesus Christ, a citizen of the Kingdom of God. If you have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, your confidence and self worth comes from the Holy Spirit and has nothing to do with your heritage or your skin tone. The only race is the human race. Nothing takes priority above God. Please change your focus and perspective! If this cultural heritage pride within you causes you to get angry and hateful and show any characteristics that don't line up with God's Word, it has taken priority above God.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
That is what He was telling Abram. If he wanted all that God was promising him, he only had to do those three things; all of which make God the highest priority in Abram's life:
Get out of your country
Get out from your family
Get out from your father's house
That is all we must do. The Kingdom of God is a mighty nation. We will live in the blessings of His promises: I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.
If you don't feel you are walking in those covenant blessings, check those three requirements in your life and whether God is your 1st priority. All of your behaviors and decisions are decided on your 1st priority!
It is time to evaluate our lives, make adjustments and go forward into a new season of blessing and favor in God's Kingdom...and never look back!
Galatians 12:1-3 John 17:15-18 Exodus 20:3-6 Galatians 5:22-23
Be a Kingdom light shining in the darkness,
Deborah Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
The Holy Spirit keeps bringing me back to Genesis 12 to teach me about our covenant life in the Kingdom of God. It's all about priorities and who or what is first in your life. NOTHING and no one should come before King Jesus, our Lord and Savior; and nothing should cause you to act like the world!
What God told Abram he must do to be blessed is our covenant for the blessings of the Kingdom also. There were just three things God asked Abram to do:
First, “Get out of your country"--Your political allegiances to your country. As a Kingdom citizen, you are an ambassador, sent to a foreign country to represent your King, Jesus. You obey all their laws and responsibilities and are honorable guests, but getting angry and caught up in political arguments--especially with fellow believers--is getting your priorities out of order. Nothing should come before God. Would you say and do things the same if Jesus were physically standing next to you?
I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
Second, "get out from your family"--Not even your family can come before God. When division comes through the family to separate you from God and living a Kingdom life, remember that God is first in your life. Do you abandon family relationships? No, but they must know that God comes first in your life and your decisions and lifestyle comes from Him and no other.
You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
Last, "Get out of your father's house"--That is your cultural heritage. In recent years, this one has done the most to damage and divide the church. It has reared up, proudly, to exalt itself above God and sees nothing wrong with that. Your confidence, your "pride" and power comes from being a blood-bought believer in Jesus Christ, a citizen of the Kingdom of God. If you have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, your confidence and self worth comes from the Holy Spirit and has nothing to do with your heritage or your skin tone. The only race is the human race. Nothing takes priority above God. Please change your focus and perspective! If this cultural heritage pride within you causes you to get angry and hateful and show any characteristics that don't line up with God's Word, it has taken priority above God.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
That is what He was telling Abram. If he wanted all that God was promising him, he only had to do those three things; all of which make God the highest priority in Abram's life:
Get out of your country
Get out from your family
Get out from your father's house
That is all we must do. The Kingdom of God is a mighty nation. We will live in the blessings of His promises: I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.
If you don't feel you are walking in those covenant blessings, check those three requirements in your life and whether God is your 1st priority. All of your behaviors and decisions are decided on your 1st priority!
It is time to evaluate our lives, make adjustments and go forward into a new season of blessing and favor in God's Kingdom...and never look back!
Galatians 12:1-3 John 17:15-18 Exodus 20:3-6 Galatians 5:22-23
Be a Kingdom light shining in the darkness,
Deborah Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
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