*Please email reachus@peterwyns with questions Earning The Covenant Blessing I know the title sounds strange, so let me clear the air; the eternal covenants of God cannot be earned. Salvation and eternal life are a free gift from God through grace and faith. The New Cove-nant is received when we repent and believe in Christ for salvation. It is available to everyone. There is another covenant however, that is not free. This covenant is not general, but specific; it is personally designed for you. Your personal covenant is established as you pass tests and embrace your calling. The Bible gives us examples of this personal covenant and the challenges one must face before receiving their personal covenantal blessings. God’s personal covenant with you completes His sovereign purpose and favor over your life. Many Christians are on this path. Some however, are unaware that there is a road of personal blessings and still others overreach and find themselves on a path of there own design; a path that yields no extraordinary blessings. Abram is the father of the faithful. His example of obeying God is one that we aspire to follow. There are 8 steps that Abram climbed before his covenant bless-ings were established. If you are looking for God’s special covenant blessings, there will be steps that you must climb before you realize all of your rewards. You must earn the covenant blessings. Many people are confused; they think a prophecy or a conditional promise of blessings will come to them regardless of what they do. It was not so with Abram. He received a call, and as he obeyed, he received a prophecy and special promises for blessings. Still, the covenant that sealed these prophecies and promises did not come to Abram until after he had passed his tests. In Genesis 12 he was called by God. Afterward he received a prophecy and was promised blessings, but many years passed before God made a covenant with him. The covenant came in Ge. 15:18. It says, “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram.” You might have received a prophecy and powerful promises but you must pass the tests and fulfill the prophecy before you receive the covenant blessings. The 8 tests that Abram had to pass are as follows. 1. The test to receive the call. 2. The test to step out in obedience. 3. The test to wrestle with God in prayer. 4. The test of generosity. 5. The test of courage and rescue. 6. The money test. 7. The faith test. 8. The test of total sacrifice. 1. Receiving the Call “God … appeared to … Abraham … in Mesopotamia before Haran. ‘Leave your country and your people ... go to the land I will show you.’” Acts 7:2,3 Abram heard the word of God and received it. After your salvation you may also begin your journey of purpose. The first test is to receive the word of God so that you will start to know your path of destiny. This directive must not be your good idea or someone else’s good idea, it must be a word from God. It is a special moment when you hear the word of God. Then you take the word into your spirit and receive it. The call will not be convenient and obeying it will be costly. 2. Obedience to the Call “So Abram left, as the Lord had told him … Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran … for Canaan.” Ge. 12:4-5 This is not easy, pride will misdi-rect you and lead you down the wrong path. Even when you are on the right path, the journey can take so long that one is tempted to quit. Moses was in the wilderness for 40 years before he got his marching orders. Still, there are no shortcuts, judge the matter harshly before stepping out. When you are abso-lutely sure, then step out and hold nothing back, even if you are 75. 3. Wrestling in Prayer “He went on toward Bethel … There he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.” Ge. 12:8 Abram’s journey was hard. Like you, he was not sure where he was to go or when he should take the next step. He wrestled with the Lord in prayer to get his answers. Everyone who accomplishes great things in God will wrestle in prayer. 4. The Generosity Test “So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan.” Ge. 13:11 A stingy Christian will not receiveall of God’s blessings. Abram’s shep-herds were fighting with Lot’s shep-herds over grazing rights for their sheep, so Abram offered Lot the land of his choice. Even though the land was promised to Abram, he gave Lot first pick and Lot chose the fertile land by the river Jordan. Abram passed the generosity test. Only then did God say to Abraham. “Lift up your eyes … all the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. Ge. 13:15 5. The Courage and Rescue Test “When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his house-hold and went in pursuit.” Ge. 14:14 Abram was almost 90, when he gath-ered courage, got on a horse and led an army to rescue Lot, his nephew. He rode more then 160 miles in pursuit of the 4 kings of Kedorlaomer. Beside Lot, he rescued women and children and the rich possessions of the kings of Sodom. You also will be called to serve in a courageous and sacrificial manner. In someway you must play a part in God’s rescue mission to human-ity and your service may last for years. Will you pass the test of courage and rescue, and serve in the face of peril? 6. The Money Test “After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer … the king of Sodom came out to meet him … Then Mel-chizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God … he blessed Abram … Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” Ge. 14:17-20 After his victory, 2 people came to Abram. The King of Sodom (Satan) asked for the people but offered his riches to Abram. Abram refused to receive riches from this wicked king. He would not become wealthy through compromise. Then, Melchizedek, (Christ) came and pronounced blessings over Abram and Abram paid tithes to him. You cannot have the wealth of Christ if you compromise because of money. 7. The Ultimate Faith Test “Abram believed ... he credited it to him as righteousness.” Ge. 15:6 All along the way, Abram’s faith was constantly tested. Further in Ge. 22, Abram trusted the Lord to the point of offering Isaac on the altar. Step by step he passed the faith test and God made him a righteous man. 8. The Test of Total Sacrifice “The Lord said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer, a goat, and a ram … a dove and a young pigeon.” Ge. 15:9 Abraham sacrificed so many types of sacrificial animals to the Lord. This represented the total sacrifice of his life and journey. Until we ma-ture, we do not even know all of the sacrifices God requires. During this sacrifice God established a covenant of amazing blessings with Abram. It was so powerful that it became gen-erational. That is one of the reasons why the Jews are loved and will receive every prophecy and promise that God has spoken over them.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 13:02:28 +0000
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