You have probably read Mark 11:23 ten times and over, I have. You may have also probably written out Word-based faith confessions from this scripture, I have. You also may have taken bold faith steps inspired by Mark 11:23, I have.

Question; ‘what’s it again about Mark 11:23 then?’…… ‘Say WHAT You Want‘….

Let’s look at this scripture again…

“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”
Mark 11:23 NKJV

Mark 11:23 NKJV

We see the mechanics of faith explained in Mark 11:22-23….Say…..Believe….Receive (have).

Notice also, how Jesus said we are to handle the mountain; we are to SPEAK DIRECTLY to it… “be removed and cast into the sea”..

While this may seem like nothing, it is actually important and can be easily neglected. Christians often prefer to go ’round’ a ‘mountain’ rather than speak directly to it.

For example…: “by His Stripes I am healed” is a Word-based faith confession informed by Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24.  This confession is a foundation on which to declare; ’I declare to you my brain cells that you function perfectly well, I read, understand, retain and remember the things I read in Jesus name, because I believe that surely He bore my griefs, He carried my sorrows, He was wounded for my transgressions and bruised for my iniquities and by His stripes I am healed.”

Jesus said we should Say (talk directly) to the mountain “be removed and be cast into the sea“. If we only keep saying ‘this too shall pass’, ‘God is my healer’ ‘I know that God is faithful’, we have not spoken directly to any mountain (selah).

Let’s see what Jesus did about a ‘mountain’….

John 11:41-44….

“So they took away the stone. Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. Yes, I know You always hear and listen to Me, but I have said this on account of and for the benefit of the people standing around, so that they may believe that You did send Me [that You have made Me Your Messenger]. When He had said this, He shouted with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! And out walked the man who had been dead, his hands and feet wrapped in burial cloths (linen strips), and with a [burial] napkin bound around his face. Jesus said to them, Free him of the burial wrappings and let him go.“
John 11:41‭-‬44 AMPC

I believe that if Jesus stopped at recognizing and thanking the Father without calling forth Lazarus, dead Lazarus would not have as much as turned in his grave….

Here’s the thing, the authority and confidence to say “be removed and be cast into the sea“ is backed by the Word (which you know already). That’s what the Word does for us- builds our knowledge about our identity, rights and privileges in Christ so that we can boldly claim them. Jesus’s confidence was that the Father ALWAYS heard Him, so surely dead Lazarus came back to life when He called out to him.

So the next time you need say $100 based on your knowledge of II Corinthians 8:9; Christ became poor that I might be rich”, boldly declare in faith that you receive and thank the Father for it. In my experience, one of 2 things will happen to get that money into your hands; 1. God will show you or expose you to an opportunity that will deliver $100 to you. 2. Someone/people will be led to give you exactly $100 gift. We just need to understand how God works with us.

Philippians 4:6 says, ‘do not be anxious, just say what you want‘…

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” Philippians 4:6 NKJV

When we are not specific about what we want or about our declarations, we seem like a young man who goes before his wealthy father, showering him with encomiums.. “daddy, I know that you are very wealthy, you own company ABC, you own a fleet of cars, you are rich, generous and kind, blablabla“. I believe that at some point, this rich, generous and kind father will interrupt his son with a ‘what do you want?, say it’.

Today, based on the Word of God, Say WHAT you want. And do not doubt in your heart, only believe, and you shall have what you Say.

“And WHATever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Matthew 21:22 NKJV

What if I told you that ‘God already knew about whatever it is you are experiencing right now, whether pleasant or unpleasant? ‘ He knew about them long before they happened, before you were even born.

Below, are 4 different translations of Psalm 139:16..

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.“
Psalms 139:16 NLT

“Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were appointed for me, When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape].”
Psalms 139:16 AMP

“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.’
Psalms 139:16 NKJV

“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.”
Psalm 139:13‭-‬16 MSG

Anyhow we choose to read this verse of Psalms, there are at least 4 things it tells us…

1. God knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb.

2. He had a definite plan and Purpose for your Life, before proceeding to forming you in your mother’s womb.

3. There is a Number of days apportioned to you in this life by God. Nobody should tell you how much longer you have to live if they haven’t discussed with God (selah).

4. Your daily experiences (good or bad) do not surprise God because He knew about them long before you were born. He saw your days afar off even before they came to be.

I don’t know how reading this makes you feel, but for me I am reassured that every Stage of my life, every Day of my life and every Moment of my life are continually before God. He knew about them before they came to be. And being that God is Good, and He only has good in Him, then I choose to believe that God’s plans for me are good.

Irrespective of what you are experiencing today, God already planned an expected end for you….in Him.

So, look beyond today, see beyond your unpleasant or bad experiences of today. There’s a tomorrow coming after today and it’s coming with good….in Christ..for you. Your story will end well because God already planned a good end for you, plans of good, not of evil…

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV

Friends, God’s got your back! His thoughts towards you are of peace, they are good, they have no evil in them, they will lead you to the beautiful future He’s planned for you…in Him.

The temptations (and troubles) of life which come to derail you from God’s good plan and purpose will fail if you stay with God, walk with God and trust God, He will make a way of escape for you (1 Corinthians 10:13).

What stage, day or moment of life are you currently at? Pleasant? Praise God! Unpleasant? Praise God, trust God, He’s got you. Your times and seasons are in His hands (Psalms 31:15).

I love John 17:23….

“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.“
John 17:23 NKJV

If Christ is in Us and the Father is in Christ, then we are kept safe in the Father through Christ.

Halleluyah!

Prayer

Father, I trust your good thoughts, plans and purpose for my life. I will stay with You, walk with You and trust You to lead me to my glorious destiny in You.

Abraham entrusted his life to God and His Word…..when you trust someone, you believe them even when you don’t fully understand…… So even without understanding where God was leading him to, Abraham trusted and obeyed. He didn’t know where God was leading him to, he didn’t fully understand what God was doing, however, he submitted himself and his life to God’s control and leading. He accepted/believed the Word of God as true in his spirit (faith) and he judged God as capable and reliable in his mind and thinking (trust). Abraham had faith in God’s Word and he trusted God to fulfill His promise.

Thank You for Your Grace; the display of your love and kindness, the daily manifestation of your glory and power.

Thank You for Your Grace; Your graciousness and Gift of grace freely given to us. Grace bought us, grace keeps us and we glory in Your grace.

Thank You for Your Grace; washing away sins, saving lives, filling to overflow with rivers of living waters.

Thank You for Your Grace; Divine enablement by Your Spirit to do the seemingly impossible even today.

Thank You for Your Grace; Your divine ability, to physically create, build and establish your purpose.

Thank You for Your Grace; Your divine and boundless favour, bringing in overflowing measures of goodness from wherever life exists, extending same from us to wherever life exists.

Thank You for Your Grace; divine strength and sustenance to remain undaunted, unflinching, persuaded and fully committed.

Thank You for Your Grace; The force of Your power, neutralizing every opposition and contrary force.

Thank You for Your Grace; my confidence, my boldness, my assurance.

Lord, thank You for Your Grace today.

Considering the above truths, we shouldn’t have believers struggling to make ends meet. Every follower of Jesus Christ should naturally exhibit the hallmarks of the blessing; increase, expansion, influence, dominion, and enjoy security/protection. Statutorily, every Christian possessed all these things from the new-birth, unfortunately not every Christian fully expresses them as should. 

The Blessing of Abraham

If you have been with me on this study, remember that we took a side journey from the sub-topic “Victory Through Faith” in order to find out how Abraham became the ‘Father of Faith’. You can read a bit more about that here.

Today we conclude our brief study on Abraham by looking at ‘The Blessing of Abraham’.

What is the blessing?

God pronounced the blessing on man immediately after creating him (Genesis 1:28). However Adam’s sin and fall introduced the curse which brought in spiritual death, sickness and poverty. Through His death, burial and resurrection, the Lord Jesus settled the curse forever, did away with it and re-established the blessing (Galatians 3:13‭-‬14).

When we look at the first mention of the blessing, we gain an understanding of what the blessing means….

“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:28 NKJV

……be fruitful, multiply, increase, expand, dominate…

I find that the blessing is often mentioned alongside fruitfulness, expansion, increase, abundance, or influence in the scripture. Sometimes we find a combination of these mentioned.

From Proverbs 10:22, we see the value of the blessing….

“The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.”
Proverbs 10:22 NKJV

The Blessing Makes Rich! The Blessing Makes Rich!! The Blessing Makes Rich!!!

So the blessing is an empowerment to prosper.

What is the Blessing of Abraham?

We find the answer to this in Genesis 12:1-3….

“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.”
Genesis 12:1‭-‬3 NKJV

If we want to line-list the Blessing of Abraham, we will have;

• I will make you into a great nation.
  • I will bless you.
  • I will make your name great.
  • You shall be a blessing.
  • I will bless/curse those who bless/curse you (I will personally fight your battles).

So, what do we see here? We see;

• Increase
• Expansion
• Influence
• Dominion/Authority
• Security/Protection

This is ‘The Blessing of Abraham’ and it pretty much covers everything anyone would want in life to feel successful, doesn’t it?

So did Abraham become all that God promised? Sure!

Genesis 24:1-2, summarizes for us that God blessed Abraham in all things….

“Now Abraham was old, [well] advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.” Genesis 24:1 AMP.

What exactly can fall under ‘all things‘?

Genesis 24:35 mentions some of them;

“The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great (wealthy, powerful); He has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and servants and maids, and camels and donkeys.
Genesis 24:35 AMP

So Abraham put his hands to work and the blessing manifested.

Genesis 24:35 is actually a testimony from Abraham’s servant (as he went seeking a wife for Isaac from the house of Bethuel). According to his testimony, Abraham had become; greatly blessed, wealthy, powerful, an owner of flocks and herds, silver and gold, camels and donkeys and master servants and maids. I love the way Abraham’s possessions are mentioned in multiples- flocks, herds, camels, donkeys, etc. And talking about Abraham’s servants, I found it almost ‘mind-blowing’ that Abraham went to war (to rescue his nephew Lot) with 318 trained men born in his household! So how big was Abraham’s household? If he went with 318 men, how many were left behind? How many wives, children, mothers were not counted? So how exactly big was Abraham’s household? Talk about being blessed! In modern day, Abraham would have been described as a very powerful and influential person.

Abraham experienced the blessing through faith, obedience and patience.

I love the blessing of Abraham and I am so glad that I am an heir of Abraham. I am a partaker of this blessing.

Heir of Abraham

Yes, I am an heir of Abraham and the Blessing of Abraham is mine.

Someone says ‘Grace, how did you come about that?’

First, Abraham became the father of faith because he believed God’s promises and he was counted righteous through faith. Therefore because I believe God’s Word by faith also, I am an heir of Abraham. Abraham is my father.

I am a daughter of Abraham….and you are a son/daughter of Abraham.

“In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God,” Galatians 3:6-7 NLT

I am an heir of Abraham….and you are an heir of Abraham.

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Galatians 3:26-29 NKJV

Who is an heir? Someone legally entitled to the property or rank of another on that person’s death. A person who inherits and continues the work of a predecessor. A beneficiary, grantee, inheritor, successor.

I am an heir of Abraham and an inheritor of the blessing of Abraham….and so are you.

Yes, I share in the same Blessing of Abraham..

“What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.” Galatians 3:8-9 NLT

I am an heir of Abraham and I have the blessing of Abraham. I have the Blessing! God has empowered me to prosper. And just as God blessed the handworks of Abraham causing increase and expansion leading up to wealth, influence and dominion, even so the blessing causes the works of my hands to prosper, leading up to wealth, influence and dominion. I walk by faith, I walk in-step with the Spirit, I live by the Word and I inherit the blessing. I am blessed, my name is blessed, and I am a blessing to nations…..and so are you!

When God entered into a covenant with Abraham, it was to assure him that the promise will be fulfilled, that the blessing will not fail. As Christians we stay confident that the blessing will prevail because of the covenant made by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. The blessing will not fail.

Thank You Jesus!

Remember that you can access previous parts of this study as follows; Part 1: Study Background. Part 2: The Scope of the Christian Victory. Part 3: How Christians Gained Victory. Part 4: How Faith, Love and Hope Mix Together for Victorious Christian Living. Part 5: The Nature of God’s Love. Part 6: Characteristics of God Kind of Love. Parts 7 and 8:  Winning Through Love. Part 9: How to develop our love nature. Part 10: Giving Is Not (always) Love. Part 11:Victory Through Faith: Understanding Faith. Part 12: Victory Through Faith: The Righteousness of God. Part 13: The Stimulus for Faith. Part 14: The Faith of Abraham (A). Part 15: The Faith of Abraham (B).

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Blessings & Love Always!

We’ve probably all heard or read about the Bible story of Esau and Jacob, the twin sons of Isaac. May I ask your perspective on the story; did Esau sell his birthright or did Jacob seize it from him? ?

By virtue of his birth position as the firstborn twin, Esau was naturally positioned to receive the birthright blessing from his father Isaac. So God gave Esau an advantage from birth; an opportunity to inherit the birthright blessing.

However on this particular day, somewhere in his teenage days, Esau didn’t see his birth position as a privileged position, he didn’t think it was worth more than a bowl of pottage… Esau thought he needed food more than a future birthright blessing….

“Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”
Genesis 25:29‭-‬34 NKJV

Esau had just returned from an exhaustive and not very successful hunting session. He was weary (hungry and weak) and just needed something to eat. On returning home, his brother had a ready meal of pottage waiting to be consumed.

Esau only asked for some of Jacob’s pottage, as would any hungry brother who’d smelt food from far off.

Esau had a legitimate reason to want food; he had labour out in the fields and was exhausted. Are there believers today whose experiences can be likened to Esau’s on this particular day- working hard and having nothing to show for it? What options do people in this situation have? How should they handle the pressures of life-rent, fees, food, clothing, etc, etc? How should they meet family obligations and responsibilities? Like Esau, do these people have any advantage by virtue of being Christians or are they thrown daily into the same rat race as the people of the world?

In Hebrews 12: 14-16, the writer draws a spiritual lesson from Esau’s response to his pressures;

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.” Hebrews 12:14-16 NKJV.

Esau is used here as an example of a godless person because he did not recognize his birth position as being worth more than a bowl of pottage, and believers are admonished to place high value on their spiritual inheritance; to consider it as precious; never to trade it for anything else.

Let’s think about Esau for a bit; why did he easily give up his birthright?

Do you think he understood the spiritual implications of his birth position? Did he link his birth position to a blessing? Do you think he believed in this blessing? Or was Esau just an impatient person driven more by his desires than reasoning?

Here are my thoughts……

One, It seems to me that essentially, Esau lacked good knowledge and understanding of both natural and spiritual things/processes. Yes, Jacob may be described as a schemer, ‘supplanter’, tricky and deceitful person, yet, I still think Esau was naïve; he neither understood how the world works nor how to make it work to his benefit. Additionally (and most importantly) he was also unspiritual/godless and so could not understand the spiritual implication of his birth position, so he had little or no regard for it. Naivety and godlessness are obviously 2 dangerous combinations. If Esau at least had one of these, Jacob would have had a very hard time taking advantage of him. You don’t sign a letter of agreement (or swear even casually) to forgo your birthright blessing for the rest of your life! That is not smart; spiritually or naturally.

Two, I think that Esau allowed fear to dominate him, fear of the unknown, fear of what his future would be like. And fear is always a reflection of unbelief. So Esau had slipped into unbelief (even without realizing it). I daresay, this didn’t all happen in one day. It’s likely a subconscious response to seeming to be unsuccessful despite putting in a lot of efforts at becoming successful. One thing Esau did not realise though was that all along he had something worth more than a bowl of pottage.

Esau had the Blessing Advantage but didn’t place a high value on it. He did not value his birth position, did not value the blessing that comes with it, and he had no regard (anymore) for the source of the blessing-God! If he did, he would have probably known to endure a temporary hardship, to be patient through a transient pain/discomfort, he would have most likely known to choose and safeguard/preserve something with a long-term value/benefit over a bowl of pottage.

Dearly beloved, Esau had the blessing, you have the Blessing! By virtue of your rebirth and position in Christ, you have the Blessing (Galatians 3:14b). Do you know it? Do you recognize it?

The blessing is worth more than any temporary gain because the Blessing always brings increase and multiplication.

The blood of Jesus that bought your salvation is worth more than a bowl of pottage. The call of God upon your life is worth more than that attractive but illegal agreement you are considering signing. The anointing on your head is worth more than the transient satisfaction of sexual sin. The plans and purpose of God for your life is worth more than that temptation to cut corners and indulge in dirty deals.

Esau needed to exercise just a little more control, a little more patience, if only he had some more regard for his privileged position, he would have endured a temporary hardship, pain, discomfort, distress.

How do you lose a life-long advantage over a transient discomfort? How do you trade the Blessing for a Bowl of Pottage?

Do not step out of God’s will, stay with God, stay with His Word. Stay in the blessing. Do not seek alternative routes to success, walk in-step with the Spirit, stay with God, stay in the Word, stay in the blessing. Do not go to the fortunetellers (those claiming to see into your future), do not consult the spiritualists (those falsely claiming to reach God on your behalf), do not sign misleading agreements. Stay with the Word (Isaiah 8:19-22 MSG).

The Blessing will continually speak for you. Shalom!

clothed in righteousness, I stand by the blood of Jesus

Contrary to hope, Abraham believed in hope; that is,  when there was nothing to hope for, Abraham had hope God’s promise would come through. Abraham had absolutely no reason to hope; he was old, his body was weak, his sexuality and sexual drive was as good as gone. Sarah was also weak, have you imagined how the womb of an 89year old woman could hold a baby?