Text: Genesis 26:1-5; Luke 21:25-28 and 36
The news that the Nation is officially in a recession was released this week but even before that was made known by the economic team the common man on the street could have told you that because that was where the hardship was felt the most. Times of famine are not new and in the Bible numerous times of famines or times of economic downturns were described.
As Gods people we must know how to respond correctly with prophetic insight to times of famine and this is the purpose of today’s message
We must take cognizance that famine is not a new thing. In the book of Genesis we see that situations of famine or general economic downturn was described.
In Genesis we see 3 different accounts to Famine.
Genesis 12:10 Famine in the days of Abraham
Genesis 26:1-5,12-14 Famine in the days of Isaac
Genesis 41:53-57 Famine in the time of Egypt and all over the world
To describe the word famine in today’s English we will be looking at terminologies like general economic downturn with falling standard of living .It is common knowledge that what N20, 000 could buy in January is not what it can buy in September so if your income remains at the same level your standard of living will dramatically reduce.
We are living in wonderful and interesting times
But let me begin by reassuring you that God has an arrangement of how He takes care of His own in times like this. In Genesis 26:1-5 once the general economic downturn hit Isaac we see God showing up and announcing to Him that by virtue of the covenant He had with Abraham He will take care of Him.
The first thing we must recognize in times like this is that we have a covenant with God and God is committed to take care of us.
Our faith must be rooted and solidly grounded on the fact that we are backed up by a covenant keeping God. In Romans 8:31 Apostle Paul says if God be for us who can be against us.
God’s promises to take care of you and provide for you is still in force.
God’s promises cannot be devalued by the economy. The naira can be devalued but the promises of God to us can’t be devalued by the economy or the present economic hardship. His word to us and His promises is an incorruptible seed. The promises of God to us is an incorruptible seed. 1 Peter 1:23
Our confidence that we will make it through is based on the fact that we are backed up by a Covenant.
God is committed to my matter by an oath. Hebrews 6:13-20
Romans 8:17, 18 we are called heirs of God and Joint heirs with Jesus so God is committed to keeping and taking care of His own in times of economic downturn.
My confidence then stems from the fact that am backed up by the full force of Gods covenant
Am funded from heavens economy
Am abundantly supplied by my father
And the Lord appeared to Isaac and His pronouncement over Isaac was that I will bless you in spite of the famine.
The second thing about the life of a man backed up by the covenant is that is that you are backed up by a God who specializes in providing for his own in difficult places. In the time of economic downturn Isaac from a difficult place sowed in that same land and reaped a hundred fold.
The covenant of God produced result despite how tough the times turned out to be.
God is not limited by the economy of our Nation.
God does not take permission from the State of the economy of the Nation to bless His own.
In Luke 21:25-28 and 36. We see Jesus also speaking about the end-time which will be characterized by a time of general economic downturn when there shall be distress of nations. And most importantly He gave us the Biblical wisdom of how to correctly respond to such situations with the right prophetic insight.
In Luke 21:25-28 and 36 we see that in such times of economic downturn and a distress of the Nations we will see the following symptoms
- Men’s heart will fail them for fear
- And for looking after those things which is coming. It’s not that things will turn around after 1 month more tough times may still be ahead before we turn the corner.
In verse 28 we begin to see how to respond with divine prophetic insight
Look up and Lift up your Heart unto God knowing that you are backed up by a Covenant.
Our response must not be that of fear and desperation it is time to look up to God.
The economy will be shaken but we will look up to God.
Then in verse 36 we still see how to respond correctly
We watch and we pray so that we escape all these things.
We must draw stamina to withstand from a place of Prayer, so that u can be counted worthy to escape all these things. God has a plan of escape. Times may be tough for the world but He will grant us a way of escape.
What does it mean we need to watch? We need to understand wakefulness. Number 1 it means you are not asleep. Your Spiritual senses are not suspended, nothing misses your attention.
Once you pick up a burden you pray it through. You deal with matters decisively with the word of God. You pray through with the word of God until you hit a note of victory and by so doing you are working your covenant.
If you think about a bill down the road and your troubled because of what is down the road don’t ignore it and just assume it will sort out itself. The best times to start praying about an issue is once you pick up the burden. You go into a season of watchfulness and Prayer
You take the matter to God and begin to ask for relevant scriptures to be revealed to you with which you do warfare and enforce the guarantee of the covenant.
The scriptures is loaded with promises upon promises you will always find Gods word for any situation that describes what you are facing. You go to God and inquire of Him and He will reveal His word unto you for that situation. You begin to work the Covenant based on the promises
First God supplies the light and we pray the light of the revelation into manifestation
And the word was made flesh and He dwelt among us and we beheld His Glory as the only begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth. John 1:12.
The Light of God to the Church must increase in times like this. Job said in Job 29 By His light I walked through the darkness
This is the church’s finest hour.
Whatever your passing through in this time of general economic downturn maybe you lost a Job, You have not been paid for 3 months, the dollar rate is affecting your business there are relevant portions of scriptures that covers your area of need. You have to locate those God given promises for a time such as this.
They are scriptures that describes what you are going through and also describing the outcome of that situation if you plug yourself into His covenant. Take those scriptures and pray them into manifestation.
Pray them back to God until your new day breaks out.
In times like this may God light up your destiny.
As times get tougher on the outside the revelation under which you must operate in that business must get stronger on your inside. We are a people of the Covenant.
One of such promises that I have discovered in the scriptures that covers my area of need under this covenant for a time of famine is found in Jeremiah 17:7, 8 This describes what shall be the Condition of the Life of a man and woman who trusts in the Lord and looks up to God and places their Hope on God.
- PLANTED BY THE WATERS-God is my source and He has planted me by the waters
- SHALL NOT SEE WHEN THE HEAT COMES- The financial Heat of an economic downturn will not touch you. It’s there all around but Gods promise is that it shall not come nigh you.
- LEAVES SHALL NOT WHITHER- The heat ordinarily should make the leaves brown/grey but because you are supernaturally sustained our leaves don’t wither.
- MY LEAVES REMAIN GREEN- In times like this I am supernaturally sustained by the force of the Covenant. My business remain green because of my covenant.Times are tough but am making satisfactory progress because am backed by a covenant. My results defy the economy because am backed by the Covenant.
The situation dictates that the color of the leaves should be reflect a downturn but God says my leaves remains green.
- I SHALL NOT BE CAREFUL IN THE YEAR OF DROUGHT- I shall it be troubled in a dry year, my business shall not be troubled in a dry year.
- I SHALL NOT CEASE FROM YIELDING MY FRUIT- I don’t know what people are saying but am holding on to my confession that I shall not cease from bearing fruit.
We need Fresh insights from the scriptures for a time such as this.
Let me tell you revelations are in levels. As it getting darker and tougher in the world the church of Jesus will step up into newer dimensions of divine revelation because it’s by light we win in life.
God told Moses Exodus 3:6, 13, 14-17, I am the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. The God of your father has sent me to you. At this level he had some results when He confronted Pharaoh but when Pharaoh became stubborn and told Moses I don’t know any God and Moses went back to God and God gave him a higher revelation for the need of the Moment
Exodus 6:1-3 You must dive into God and allow Him reveal his promises to you to stand what is coming in these days.
When God revealed Himself at a higher dimension to Moses and introduced a Game changer By my name Jehovah has no man known me. You will Know God in a higher dimension for it is those that Know their God that shall be strong to do exploits.
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