The Lord gave him a picture…..


“Then God led Abram outside. God said, “Look at the sky. There are so many stars
you cannot count them. And your descendants will be too many to count.”
Abram believed the Lord. And the Lord accepted Abram’s faith and that faith made
him right with God.
  
Genesis 15:5, 6
The Lord led Abram outside and gave him a picture of his life and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
But as I look back at my life I see how I allowed people to give me a picture. The enemy was in the mix
as well and did everything in his power to enforce the picture he had given me
because I didn’t know better. It took years to break the negative picture I had been
given and thanks to God the healing is still ongoing.
The Lord has a picture for you too. The picture is amazing and glorious but there is so much opposition
from the enemy. he doesn’t want you to walk in the plan God has for your life because that’s what the picture
is about. It’s about where God wants to take you. It’s about what He has in store for you.
But the enemy uses fear, abuse, manipulation and a whole lot of other things to blind you to God’s picture.
Don’t accept the enemy’s pictures. They are all lies.
his pictures get you depressed, fearful, anxious, greedy, and weak.
his pictures are all void of goodness, peace, love, fulfillment, faith, joy and every other good thing
God is.
Reject them at every turn. But you need help. You need the Lord’s help.
The good news is this, the picture you have now can be changed. That’s what happened to me.
My picture was really bad but the Lord came and changed it. He replaced the dark, hopeless,
fearful picture and replaced it with His life-giving, fresh, new, energizing picture!
And that’s what He does for us as His children.
As I end I will leave you with a scripture that sums up what I have been talking about,
“Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, 
which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).”
Jeremiah 33:3
Blessings to you, friends
Rolain

What it means to have a purpose!


Most Christians know God has a plan for their lives.

But when they  are told God has a plan for them, a purpose,

What does that mean? What does that mean for us??

To answer that question I will look at the life of Abraham

the Father of faith!

 

“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your

people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

Genesis 12:1

  • For Abraham, having a purpose meant having to leave

the familiar behind! He didn’t know where he was going but

He trusted God. He took everything he owned and moved!

Could that still apply today? Could God be calling us out of

our comfort zones to a place we have never heard of before,

to a place we have never been to before?

Is he calling us out of the familiar? Is it possible to experience

the new if you haven’t let go of the familiar, if you are in your

comfort zone??

 

 

“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham”!

“Here I am, “he replied.

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.” Genesis 22:1-2

 

Because Abraham had a purpose God tested him!

He told him he was to sacrifice the one thing he loved more than

anything else – his son! God tested with him with something

he held dear to his heart, his son!

Could it be possible that is our story too? Does God want to make

sure He is first in our lives by testing us?? We say we love God and

He is the most important thing in our lives, but is that the truth???

Only He knows!

 

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

Do not be afraid, Abram.

I am your Shield,

your very great reward.

But Abram said, Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I

remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of

Damascus? And Abram said, You have given me no children;

So a servant in my household will be heir.

Then the word of the Lord came to him: This man will not be

Your heir, but a son who is your flesh and blood will be your heir.

He took him outside and said, Look up at the sky and count the

stars – if indeed you can count them. Then he said to him, so shall

your offspring be.

Abram believed the Lord, and He credited to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:1-6

 

Because Abram had a purpose he had to trust God! He had to think

bigger and grander! God’s purpose for our lives is huge but faith

in God is the key. God’s plan for your life will not make sense to

a carnal mind a natural mind! You need faith to see it and accept it!

We know without faith it is impossible to please God. He wants us

trust Him.

Something you need to look out for as you walk in God’s purpose

for your life:

 

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had

an Egyptian slave named Hagar, so she said to Abram, “The Lord

has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave;

perhaps I can build a family through her.” 

Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

Genesis 16:1-5

 

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see what really happened.

Sarai knew what God had promised her along with Abraham but

what really happened? In Genesis 15 it tells us Abraham believed

God and it was counted to him as righteousness but in chapter 16

we read something different. Sarai suggests to Abram that he

sleep with Hagar and he agrees!  Why would Abram agree to that?

He clearly heard from God!

Did he think God had abandoned him?

Had he lost so much hope that he resorted to trying to make things

happen in his own strength?

Was he tired of waiting on God?

Did he focus on his old aged body and Sarah’s deadened womb and

let his carnal mind take over?

We really don’t know but what we do know is he agreed to go

along with Sarah’s plan! They had lost hope in God and set out

to accomplish God’s plan in their own strength!

They were discouraged and dejected!

 

There are things God

will allow and take you through to strengthen you. Like I said before,

it is by faith and faith alone you will accomplish God’s purpose for

your life. Yes, you will need to step out and do things but you will

need faith! If Abraham the Father of Faith could lose hope in God

and rely on his own strength what does that mean for us? It means

we have to be humble and admit we can’t do this alone!

God wants you to walk in the purpose He has for you. Don’t be

afraid.

Trust Him to lead you because He knows the way! He made the way!

Everything He does for you is because He loves you! Your purpose is

amazing and glorious! Be bold and confident as you step into it!

Rolain