ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB

 

"Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'" - Genesis 50:24 I was boarding the airplane in Frankfurt, Germany, when a mentor of mine asked me this question, "Would you consider why God referred to Himself as the 'God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob'? Why didn't He simply say, 'the God of Jacob'?" What a strange question, I thought to myself, said Hillman. For the next hour I racked my brain trying to discover the meaning to this question. I had never read it in a commentary, and the Scriptures do not really say why this is so. It became a good exercise with the Holy Spirit that led to some interesting observations - one from my mentor, one from my own insight. First, could it be that the Lord has given us a "type of trinity" in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Abraham was considered a father figure to the nation of Israel. Isaac was the son who had to be sacrificed on the altar. Jacob was the man who had to learn to walk according to the Holy Spirit instead of his flesh. Each of these patriarchs had a particular relationship with God to fulfill. My friend asked about an hour into the flight, "So, what did you discover?" I told him of my observation. "Hmm...that is interesting. I believe that what we also see in the patriarchs are examples of three distinct types of personalities. If the Lord had cited only one of the patriarchs, we would tend to seek to model that leader. However, the Lord has given us three distinct personalities in whom He performed His work. Abraham was the pioneer who ventured out into unknown territory and was considered righteous for his faith. Isaac was faithful to follow in his inheritance with few ups and downs in his life. He had the fewest calamities among the three. He was called simply to be faithful to what had been already given. Jacob had extreme conflict in his life. He suffered more pit experiences than either of his predecessors. He had much conflict in relationships that became the source of his inheritance. Each of us can identify with one of these men in how God has related to them." God works in each person's life uniquely, and He has provided examples of lives for us to identify with from the Scriptures. Who do you identify with most in your Christian pilgrimage? Discover this for yourself. You will find encouragement as you seek to learn from someone who has gone before you.

FOSTERING THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT

 Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herd (Prov 27:23).

Janice was a high level executive who required excellence and exceptional performance from those under her leadership. She was the general manager of a credit card unit when five of her 2,000 employees were found to have deliberately hidden $24 million in losses that she was accountable for. Her "no failure" policy brought great pressure upon her employees and she failed to recognize how this leadership style affected others. It discouraged employees from bringing problems to her. She was an intense perfectionist whom others saw as intimidating and confrontational. She was extremely opinionated. Her subordinates were fearful of reporting any bad news so they lied about it.
Do you feel like what you accomplish is never quite good enough? Do projects have to be just right? Do you feel you must give more than 100 percent on everything you do or else you will be mediocre or even a failure?
Perfectionism refers to a set of self-defeating thoughts and behaviors aimed at reaching excessively high unrealistic goals. Perfectionism is often mistakenly seen in our society as desirable or even necessary for success. However, studies show that perfectionist attitudes actually interfere with success. The desire to be perfect can both rob you of a sense of personal satisfaction and cause you and others to fail to achieve as much as people who have more realistic strivings.
Janice lost her job over this situation but was later offered another chance to salvage one of the company’s smaller businesses. She realized that she needed to be much more understanding of people around her. She learned from her experience and succeeded in her next assignment with the company. The solution to becoming a transparent person is to get feedback from those around us. This is the only way we will avoid perfectionism. We must ask for the feedback and be willing to respond to input.
What would others say about your management style? Do you foster dialogue and encourage others to bring issues to your attention? Are you willing to work with your team to solve problems together?

SEVEN NEEDS

 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds (2 Cor 10:3-5).

Jerry had grown up with a father who was a successful workaholic. Although he lacked for nothing materially, he never sensed much warmth or compassion from
his parents. Then, when Jerry was still in his early teens, his father died very suddenly. His large family was left with little support, and insecurity and fear became the dominating factors in the young man’s life. Vowing to himself that he would never lack financial need again, Jerry worked hard at his business. A stronghold of idolatry brought reliance on the wealth he had accumulated rather than a prayerful dependency on God.
Arguments over money dominated his marriage. Distrust and greed permeated his home and business relationships. No one could "stand in his face" and tell him what to do. Finally, as his marriage disintegrated and his business gave signs of going under, Jerry renounced the strongholds of insecurity and fear that had made money his idol and had shaped his disbelieving view of God’s ability to meet his need.
As the Holy Spirit brought conviction of the sins he had committed against so many people, he purposed to approach each one to seek forgiveness and make restitution wherever appropriate. His priorities shifted to God and family, then to close friends and business. God began to restore balance and intimacy with God and others as a result.
God created human beings with seven primary needs as represented in Genesis 1&2. Each of us has a need for:

1. Dignity
2. Authority
3. Blessing & Provision
4. Security
5. Purpose & Meaning
6. Freedom & Boundary
7. Intimate Love & Companionship
   
   

Whenever we seek to meet one or more of these basic needs outside God’s design we have set the stage for the development of a generational stronghold. As in the case of Jerry, who in this case is the author, he needed to discover the needs he was attempting to meet through a demonic stronghold of insecurity and fear.
Generational strongholds can impact our relationship with God and others. Today, why not begin to investigate root issues that may be impacting you or your family.

TRAINED FOR WAR

 Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle (Psalm 144:1)

You’ll never experience God in powerful ways by acquiring Bible knowledge alone. It is only when that knowledge is used in the heat of battle that you will know the reality of what you’ve learned intellectually. Otherwise, it remains only an exercise in spiritual gymnastics that yields little fruit.
David became a great warrior and leader of a nation at an early age. His training ground was his job as a shepherd in the open fields. When bears and lions sought to take his sheep, he personally fought them. This was his early preparation for future battles. Goliath was the real competition amongst a discerning audience to reveal how well his training prepared him.
Today, our local churches often look more like luxury cruise liners designed to tickle the ears, entertain its members and make them feel good instead of a battleship designed to train an army for war. The average member still watches from the sideline.
In sports you discover how well you handle pressure by competing. You can practice all you want but never know how you will do until you enter the game and test what you’ve learned and practiced when there is pressure added to the equation. In battle you discover how well you are trained by what you actually do on the battlefield.
Have you ever prayed with someone in public? Have you ever personally led someone to Christ? Have you ever served others for the sake of the Gospel? Have you ever taught a Bible study? If you said no to these questions—you are not engaged in the game. Today, why not ask God to give you the grace to step onto the battlefield.

DAVID FULFILLED HIS PURPOSE

 For David . . . served the purpose of God in his own generation" (Acts 13:36 NASB)

Imagine for a moment that you have just died and you are about to come before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Jesus is speaking to his angel about you. He then says these words: "You served the purpose of my Heavenly Father for her generation."
Will God be able to say you served your purpose in your generation? Imagine being able to say that. God was able to say this about the life of David, even though David made some incredibly bad choices in his life that led to long term consequences. However, because David repented each time he erred, his purpose was accomplished on earth as God had designed it.
One of the prayers I often pray for people whenever I’m asked to pray for them is this; "Lord, may you fulfill every purpose for which you made them. May there be no inheritance left on the table that he/she is entitled to."
That is really the definition of success. Success is fulfilling the complete purpose for which God made you. It has nothing to do with wealth, accomplishments, stature in life, or standard of living. It has to do with living a life of obedience to the Father. And when we live a life of obedience to the Father, we will fulfill the purposes that God had in mind when he made you and me.
In 1924, Eric Liddle, a Scottish Olympic runner who’s life was chronicled in a movie entitled the Chariots of Fire, was challenged by his missionary sister to forego running in the Olympics in lieu of going to China with her as a missionary. He responded by saying, "When I run I feel His (God’s) pleasure. I was made to run and I was made to be a missionary too." Eric understood his complete purpose for his generation. As a result, he brought glory to the Father through his running and his missionary service.
Today, ask God to fulfill His purposes for your life in your generation.

SPIRIT-LED CREATIVITY

 

He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the LORD and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things (1 Chron 28:12). It is said of George Washington Carver that he got up early in the morning each day to walk alone and pray. He asked God how he was to spend his day and what He wanted to teach him that day. Carver grew up at the close of the Civil War in a one-room shanty on the home of Moses Carver—the man who owned his mother. The Ku Klux Klan had abducted him and his mother, selling her to new owners. He was later found and returned to his owner, but his mother was never seen again. Carver grew up at the height of racial discrimination, yet he had overcome all these obstacles to become one of the most influential men in the history of the United States. He made many discoveries with the use of peanuts and sweet potatoes. However, after he recommended farmers to plant peanuts and sweet potatoes instead of cotton, he was led into his greatest trial. The farmers lost even more money due to the lack of market demand for peanuts and sweet potatoes. Carver cried out to the Lord, "Mr. Creator, why did You make the peanut?" Many years later, he shared that God led him back to his lab and worked with him to discover some 300 marketable products from the peanut. Likewise, he made over 100 discoveries from the sweet potato. These new products created a demand for peanuts and sweet potatoes, and they were major contributors to rejuvenating the Southern economy. As he made new discoveries, he never became successful monetarily. But during his lifetime, he overcame great rejection for being black. He was offered six-figure income opportunities from Henry Ford, and he became friends with presidents of his day, yet he knew what God had called him to do. His epitaph read: "He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world." [1] Like Carver, each of us must connect with our primary purpose in life. Pray that God allows you to fully fulfill your purpose. [1] [John Woodbridge, More Than Conquerors (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1992), 312.]

ENTITLEMENTS

 

"And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross!" - Philippians 2:8 Society today has duped many of us into believing that the world owes us. It owes us a good living, a loving spouse, good health throughout our whole life, sexual pleasure when we want it, and paid vacations the rest of our lives. The world has told us if we work hard and do right, we are entitled to these things. This is the Esau perspective on life. For a mere meal, he sold his own birthright for a simple pleasure to which he felt entitled. Society, and even the Church, is more pleasure-focused than ever before. George Barna, the Christian researcher, cites: We are not a society that simply enjoys its time off. Our leisure appetites drive us. It is increasingly common to hear people turning down job offers because the hours or other responsibilities would interfere with their hobbies, fitness regimens and other free time activities. Even our spending habits show that playing has become a major priority. The average household spends more money on entertainment than it does clothing, health care, furniture or gasoline. Recreational activities have jumped more than 10 percent in the amount of time given to them. [George Barna, Frog In The Kettle (Ventura, California: Regal Books, 1990), 82.] What are the motives for our work life? Is it only to gain increased pleasure and leisure time? Jesus said He came only to do the work of the Father. I am sure that Jesus had times of refreshment in His life that allowed Him to get recharged for the mission God called Him to. However, He understood the balance of maintaining mission and play. When we view life with an attitude of entitlements, we are susceptible to becoming disappointed, resentful, and even bitter when our expectations go unmet. Ask the Lord if you need to relinquish any rights that may be hindering your freedom to experience His love and grace.