Promise 109 Gen. 50:1-20

Gen. 50:19-20 - "But Joseph said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place? As for you, you meant it for good in order to bring this present result, to preserve many people alive." Joseph's brothers were living in the fear of an orphan, where Joseph was living in the security of His Heavenly Father as a son. When we live in the midst of the Father with a kingdom mentality, we live out of its peace. God gives us the ability to see a larger picture of what He is doing even in the most difficult situations. We can know that God wants the very best for us and even though it seems like He has turned His care away from our situation, we can be assured that He would never do that. He will bring peace and comfort after the pain.

Promise 108 Gen. 49:25-26a

Gen. 49: 25-26a - "From the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you with blessings of heaven above. Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors." Jacob is continuing his blessing on Joseph. What he is actually doing is revealing the character of the Almighty to him. The Almighty God desires to pour out His blessings on us. Blessings from on high, blessings that He has made available to us through things on earth and people for whom He puts in our path. Because of His unique love for us individually, His blessings are unique for us as well. His blessings surpass those that we've seen before. We are a new generation who God is giving us greater blessing than what the generations prior have received as we press into Him more. His blessing are given in uniqueness as we see and understand and grasp His heart that is poured out to us.

Promise 108 Gen. 49:23-24

Gen. 49: 23-24 - "The archers bitterly attacked him, and shot at him and harassed him; But his bow remained firm, from the hand of the mighty one of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel)." Jacob is blessing Joseph, how many times have we found ourselves in the same place as Joseph; looking straight in the the heads of arrows coming right toward us. Arrows shot at us by those who don't understand us or who just plainly don't care. Arrows of circumstances gone wrong, arrows of hurt and pain? Yet Joseph's bow stood strong and his arms agile. The Mighty One of Jacob put Joseph on Him like a glove, and it was His hands that gave Joseph the strength to dodge the arrows and to stand firm. When we have Jesus in us and we in Him, its as though He wears us like a glove, He gives us the strength we need to stand firm and to become victors over life's hurts. Let Him try you on for size today!

Promise 107 Gen. 49:18

Gen. 49:18 - "For Your salvation I wait, O Lord." I just thought that this was so random that in the middle of prophecying his son's futures and blessing those deserving of it, and while on his death bed, Jacob says, "for your salvation I wait, O Lord." It was after telling Dan that he would judge his people, after the 7th son. Was this the same as "Oh Lord, have mercry!" as he reflects on the character of his boys, or is he declaring what will come, but he knows its not in the time of his son's lives, nor those of his grandchildren? The wait for salvation, that will surely come one day?Maybe he was waiting in anticipation that within his last days he would see a turn around in his sons and they would turn their eyes toward Jacob's God, there would be salvation for their family in their hearts. The promise for us is; we can wait in anticipation for the salvation of the Lord in whatever circumstance we are in, in whatever way it is needed. Salvation is on its way!

Promise 106 Gen. 48:21

Gen. 48:21 - "Then Israel said to Joseph, 'Behold I am about to die, but God will be with you, and bring you back to the land of your fathers.'" Before Jacob died he told Joseph that God will bless him and he will return him back to the land of the fathers. He said this with full confidence and assurance, but we will find that, yes, Joseph does get blessed by God, but he himself stays in Egypt. Jacob is passing on the promise to Joseph so that Joseph can pass it on to his sons. It wont be till many years later that they actually arrive back to the land of their fathers. Sometimes when we hear very confident and assured blessings, promises or prophesies about the future, we don't know if we will be the one's who actually will receive the promise or if we will be the one's to pave the way for others after us to receive it. Either way, God will bless us and we will be able to reap the promise regardless if we receive it or not, as we walk faithfully toward it.

Promise 105 Gen. 48:15

Gen. 48:15 - "He blessed Joseph, and said, 'The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day....'" While Jacob is blessing Joseph's boys he is explaining to them how God has been with him. I never really caught this before, but it wasn't David, who wrote Psalm 23, that was the the first to make the comparison of the Lord being a Shepherd. Usually when we think of Ps. 23 we see pictures of Jesus tending sheep, but look what Jacob is saying, "The God who is before time has been MY Shepherd my whole life" (all 147 years of it). The awesome God Almighty, the Creator of Heavens and Earth, the One powerful enough to breathe all things, the whole universe into existence lovingly walks with us, cares for us, guides us, carries us, finds us when we are lost, sheers the old self away and makes us new. The Almighty Holy Creator is our intimate, very good and loving shepherd who is with us every moment of the day. Thank You Lord!

Promise 104 Gen. 48:4

Gen. 48:4 - "and He said to me, 'Behold I will make you fruitfula nad numerous, and I will make you a company of peopl, and will give this land to your descendants after you for an everlasting possession.'" Jacob is passing on the message of the promise to Joseph and his boys. It originated with Abraham and it continues down the line. We must always continue passing on the promises and blessings of God to the next generation. One, so that it is remembered and two, so it is received. One of the problems in many churches is that they have forgotten the promises and the blessings of the past. They think growth, prosperity and personal encounters of the power of God died after the time of scriptures. So now, they are not choosing to accept the inheritance that was meant for them to have. They are not seeing growth, prosperity and are not asking for great encounters because they don't know that they can. They aren't seeing God's super natural, Holy Spirit work in them and through them because they aren't asking. They aren't asking because somewhere down the line, someone dropped the ball and forgot to pass on the blessing by not passing on the promise. It's so sad! Go back and claim the promise and ask the big things of God, claim your rightful inheritance. If you don't understand what this means, ask the Holy Spirit, He'll tell you what it means.

Promise 103 Gen. 47:31

Gen. 47:31 - "He (Jacob) said (to Joseph) 'Swear to me.' So he swore to him. Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed." Jacob wanted nothing more than to be buried with his other family members. When Joseph promised him that it would happen the internal joy and peace he felt collapsed him into worship. At age 147 Jacob worshipped God once again for the blessings He has provided. How many times do we just breathe a "Thank God" after we feel some relief over something, but then it just stays there? I confess that I so quickly move on to the next thing instead of taking the time to really worship God for His blessings. Lord forgive us for just moving on. I want to be like Jacob who lays his head down to meet his Heavenly Father and say a proper "Thank you, Daddy" to Him.

Promise 102 Gen. 46:33-34; 47:7

Gen. 46:33-34; 47:7 - "When Pharaoh calls you and says, 'What is your occupation?' you shall say, 'Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers.' that you may live in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is loathsome to the Egyptians.' Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him to Pharaoh and Jacob blessed Pharaoh." Here Jacob is supposed to be from the most loathsome group of people in all of Egypt and he approaches the Pharaoh, who is supposed to be "untouchable" by any person, and Jacob blesses him. God's favour in the eyes of man! Jacob really didn't have too much to fear because of Joseph's position in the house. But what about the Pharaoh? Here he allowed that man who is supposed to stay quite a distance from him, in that culture, to be drawn near to him. He even speaks with Jacob, then let's him bless him. He obviously wasn't bothered about what other people were thinking at the time. God gives us favour to fearlessly approach those who do not care for us, and bless them. Not only that, He can soften their hearts to us so that they will receive it.

Promise 101 Gen. 45:28; 46:3-4

Gen. 45:28; 46:3-4 - "Then Israel said, 'It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.' He said, 'I am God, the God of your fathers do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes'." Israel had a very difficult decision to make in his old age, and that was to uproot his whole household and to move out of the place that God had sent him to. Yet he was willing to take that step of faith . It was after that decision to go that God showed up and assured him that He would be with him. God assures him that he is still on the right track concerning the covenant promise that he will become a great nation. Too often we wait to hear God's voice before we take any action. We hold back on stepping out because we riddle ourselves with the "what ifs." What if it isn't God's will for me? But what if it is God's will and you are too chicken to test it and see? God doesn't put dreams and desires in our hearts just to tease us. If our dreams and desires are aligned with scriptures and within God's character, then I say "God for it!" God loves it when we step out in faith, trusting Him. The promise here is that He will show up and either confirm His presence in it or will stray you away, but either way He will make it clear to you.

Promise 100 Gen. 46:1-2

Gen. 46:1-2 - "So Israel had set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, 'Jacob, Jacob!' and he said 'Here am I'." God seems to speak to us most, not when we are crying out to Him, but when we are worshipping Him. The very act of offering sacrifices at Beersheba, by stopping along the journey, taking time out to remember God, was a form of worship during the day. When we too, stop what we are doing, take time out and turn our eyes on Him and worship Him, that's when He usually meets us. That's when we feel the Holy Spirit presence. Whenever I end the day in either worship or listening to a powerful sermon combined with worship. I can never sleep afterwards, the Lord just stays with me and keeps me up wanting to talk. He so desires to talk with us, He's just waiting for us to come to Him with a sacrifice of attention, a planned time out with Him so that He can share what's on His heart for us. Put God on your diary or schedule today and see what He has to say!

Promise 99 Gen. 45:7

Gen. 45:7 - "God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance." You never know what God is going to do in you and through you, or through the people He puts in our lives. God has used specific people in my life to speak new revelation of Him and new life into me the past couple of years that will change the direction of my spiritual walk forever. I will always be grateful to them for their unreserved approach to bringing out the areas of growth I needed to address. Just as God has put transforming people into my life, I'm mindful that God might be putting me in someone else's life for that same purpose; to deliver them into the arms of the Heavenly Father. The key to those people encounters is through a clear communication with the Lord. To hear His voice giving our assignments where others are concerned. This doesn't mean we are to go and preach to people, but we are to make ourselves available for God to use us, at His choosing, in their lives. I don't ever want to fall asleep on my watch and miss what God is wanting to do to me and through me for others.

Promise 98 Gen. 45:5

Gen. 45:5 - "Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life." Confrontation is a difficult thing. Sometimes we unintentionally bring offence to others. Maybe someone will get offended by something we say or do and we can become oblivious to it. So how do we handle those moments? God gives us a picture of graciousness through Joseph. When we are stuck in a position of conflict with a brother or sister, it is our opportunity to be life preservers. We can speak life into that other person, we can build them up and share God's love with them, we can 'be' love to them because Christ who is love, is in us. Its not always easy, I know, but it is a choice we have the privilege of making. God gave us life, lets do the same for others!

Promise 97 Gen. 43:14

Gen. 43:14 - "And may God Almighty grant you compassion in the sight of man, so that he will release to you your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.'" Israel is in a tough place, Jacob was pushed to a point of surrendering the last thing he loved the most, and that was Benjamin. He held on to him until he couldn't anymore for the risk of his whole family dying. He finally said, "here take him!' Even though he was releasing him to his other sons, he was really releasing him to God. He was also prepared to suffer the harsh consequences if anything were to happen to Benjamin. What he was missing though in the midst of this decision was that he wasn't recognizing Who he was releasing them to. He prayed that the God of compassion would grant favor for his sons but He didn't accept that prayer for himself. Instead of desperate hope, he should have known that God IS a compassionate God and that his sons would return to him. I know it looked like all the cards were stacked against him; thinking Joseph was dead, they were two years into a famine and now he had to send his youngest beloved son away. But Jacob forgot, he forgot to look at the character of God, of whom he knows Him to be. The God who keeps His promises. He will soon be reminded once again that God is the faithful, compassionate God. Let US never forget!

Promise 96 Gen. 42:28

Gen. 42:28 - "Then he said to his brothers, 'My money has been returned, and behold, it is even in my sack.' and their hearts sank, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, 'What is this that God has done to us?'" How often do we think God is punishing us for something? More often than we would like to admit I'm sure. Sadly, many many people actually believe that every time something tragic happens, its God's wrath pouring down. It is simply not so, we get to see the full picture of what is going on in Joseph's brother's lives because through God's word He is allowing us to see what He sees. We get to see that it was Joseph who put the money back into their bags and that this story has a good ending because it is God who is orchestrating the events that happen. I believe that if we open our eyes and ears more, then we can see more of the bigger picture of what is going on around us than what we think. We already know the outcome of our lives, we already know that God loves us, we know that He desires to give us a future of hope and not of calamity. So attribute the things of God within that framework and look for other things He is doing that is according to His character and not out of it.

Promise 95 Gen. 41:52

Gen. 41:52 - "He named the second Ephraim, 'For' he said, 'God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.'" Now Joseph remembers his recent pain, being locked up for years as an innocent man. But he doesn't name his son to be a scar of his pain, but as a memory stone of God's presence and provision during the difficult times, and through how God brought him out of that. God does show us blessings even in the midst of difficult times. We need to either write those down or have something symbolic that will remind us of His presence during those times. I have various rocks that I've picked up at pivotal God encounter times to remind me of what He said or of what He's done. If we don't keep things to remind us that God is good all the time, then we so quickly forget when life gets so incredibly difficult and we don't see Him immediately in front of us. So go gather some memory stones today, because He is with you, look for the blessings.

Promise 94 Gen. 41:51

Gen. 41:51 - "Joseph named the first born Manasseh, 'For' he said, 'God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household.'" Joseph could have named his 1st born based on God's deliverance or work in something more recent like getting him out of prison or granting him favour in the eyes of Pharaoh but he didn't. His 1st born has a name that address' the long, deep wounds and pain of his past. Joseph felt it was from God that he has forgotten his family. But the very fact that he is naming his son on the rememberance of the forgotten shows that the family isn't really forgotten but the healing has begun and he is no longer affected by the pain of his family. God brings healing to deep wounds, deep pain. He can take away the feelings that the perpetrator owes something or needs to make their wrongs right, God can redeem time lost to sorrow and can restore joy. He can and He will!

Promise 93 Gen. 41:16

Gen. 41:16 - "Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying 'It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.'" When Joseph speaks to Pharaoh there is no indication of any doubt or begging of God to come through for him. There is no worry that he'll misinterpret the dream, then be put back in jail. Joseph is confident in who he knows his God to be. He had full confidence that God would interpret the dream. He knew His God. When Joseph heard the dream he didn't take time to analyse the words, he spoke the exact words that God gave him to speak, not only the interpretation but the solution to the problem as well. Have you spent enough time with your God to know that you can be confident in the presence, confident in hearing His voice and seeing where He is working? Do you trust your God, trust that He will give you the words and wisdom you will need at the right moment? We should all know our God that well.

Promise 92 Gen. 40:8

Gen. 40:8 - "Then they said to him, 'We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it.' Then Joseph said to them, 'Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me please.'" Dreams are such random things, some are so bizarre and others are ones that you just never want to wake up from. God created us to dream. I don't know why, I don't know what purpose they serve, but I do know that God can give meaning to them. Friends have said it would be good to write down my dreams and see what God says about it. Maybe I'll begin that sometime and see what plans God wants to reveal to me through them.

Promise 91 Gen. 39:21,23

Gen. 39:21,13 - "But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favour in the sight of the chief jailer.... The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph's charge because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper." Joseph was put in jail as an innocent man. Even though it looked like a terrible thing for Joseph, God still showed him that He was with him by granting favour in the eyes of the jailer. God just moved Joseph on closer to the bigger blessing that He wants to give him. The scripture doesn't say if Joseph held a grudge or was angry at the Potipher's wife for what she did, but we do know that there was no offence in the eyes of God, which I'm going to suggest that, because Joseph knew God was with Him, he held no offence against the woman, therefore none against God, and God blessed him. God is a just God, He will act on our behalf and will work in the hearts of those around us, just to remind us He is with us.

Promise 90 Gen. 39:9

Gen. 39:9 - "There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has witheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?" Joseph began this sentence talking about Potiphar and how Potiphar has withheld nothing from him but he doesn't end it asking how he could possibly sin against Potiphar but against God. Any wrong we do against man, whether it be to gossip, lie, cheat, curse or have bad thoughts about someone, we are not just sinning against that person but we are more so sinning against God. And the reverse is true as well, when we bless man by our word and deeds we bless God and give Him glory, because it is only through God that we can bless others purely and unselfishly, It's our choice how we treat man, we just need to remember we are treating God in like manner.

Promise 89 Gen. 39:5

Gen. 39:5 - "It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house on account of Joseph; thus the Lord's blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field." When the Lord is in us, we are blessed and we carry that blessing everywhere we go. When we reflect Christ, people see Him in us and are drawn to Him. So go and carry that blessing today and watch how He is blessing your work, home and travels!

Promise 88 Gen. 39:3

Gen. 39:3 - Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand." I love this! Joseph's Egyptian master SAW that the Lord was with Joseph. What frame of reference did the master have to know that it was "The Lord" that caused Joseph's success? Joseph must've given God the glory openly each time God gave him wisdom and he saw his tasks and activities prosper. This is how the Egyptian knew it was the Lord, and not just thinking Joseph was a brilliant lad. Here is the promise: When we give God the glory due His name, other's lives will be touched. Eyes will be opened to see the Lord in you. Proclaim His name today?

Promise 87 Gen. 39:2

Gen. 29:2 - "The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian." I wonder at what point in Joseph's journey did he know that God was with him? Did God show up while he was in the pit and tell him that everything would be ok? Maybe it was along the road to Egypt as he was tied up and dragged behind the camel caravan? Was it when he was on the slave platform being auctioned off to the highest bidder? At what point did he know? The scripture says that "The Lord was with Joseph" so WE know that He was, but at what point did Joseph know? God had given Joseph a couple of dreams, he was given a heads-up of what was to take place in the future. So did Joseph brush those dreams off during his lowest point or did he find strength in them as his hope for the future and that's how he knew that God was with him? God tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us. We are told many times that our God is with us. We need to write that down, so that during times when it seems as though He isn't with us we can look back at His promise and say, "Oh yes Lord, even though I didn't feel your presence I KNOW you are with me because you had told me and promised me You would be." Remember this promise!

Promise 86 Gen. 38:10

Gen. 38:10 - "But what he (Onan) did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord; so He took his life also." I'm not sure what was worse what Onan did, to rebel against what his father asked him to do or to waste the seed that would give life. I think both are equally bad. Onan dishonored both his earthly father and his heavenly one. It's God's choice whether to give life or take it. Onan purposefully denied Tamar children because he was selfish, this also hindered God's promise to Jacob that his descendants would be many. Anytime we knowingly fight against what God has promised and go against His plan there are consequences. God is not One you want to mess with and knowingly make mad. Onan withheld life and so did God by taking his.

Promise 85 Gen. 38:7

Gen. 38:7 "But Er, Judah's first born, was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord took his life." This isn't the first time we read of people being"evil" in the sight of God and then death followed. Remember the flood? Sodom and Gomorah? Generational seeds of badness have been planted among Israel's kids, the very fact that his sons had considered killing their own brother was a big indication. Even though Judah thought to spare his brother from death, it was still his idea to sell Joseph off as a slave. Even though God had a plan for that, Judah still carried out the action that brought pain to his father which resulted in years of sorrow as Israel mourned. But God's plan was not for Er, Judah's eldest to do wrong. The word doesn't specify what he did, but he was "evil" in God's sight and therefore killed him. Does it go back to the blessing over Jacob that God would be with him? It's God's choice to give and to take them away too. God promised that Jacob would multiply into a great nation, yet His intent isn't to raise up a great nation of evil men, so He wont allow it. All those living outside of the covenant with God will not be able to inherit fruits of the covenant. God still wants to bless Israel, having evil grandchildren will not be a blessing, so God protects the blessing. He will protect the blessings He has given to us as well.

Promise 84 Gen. 36:24

Gen. 36:24 - "These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah - he is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness when he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon." This is another one of those random verses that stick out from the norm within its context. Here the list of the descendants of Esau, now Edom, is being read out, or stated, then suddenly Anah is mentioned as the one who found the hot springs, in the wilderness. There wasn't a mention of "and God appeared" or an angel of the Lord showing up, but "he is the Anah who found the hot springs.", as if we were all supposed to know the place and say "awe, yeah, that guy!" Finding those springs must've been important. The Springs must've been significant to get special recognition, or is it that "Anah" is a common name like "John" and the Lord wanted him to be identified for which Anah it is? Regardless, whatever we do does not go unnoticed by the Lord. He notices our achievements and those things we are associated with. He wants us to know that He is right there with us in the mundane hour too, whether that be while pasturing our Father's donkeys or inputting numerical data into a computer, He is with you and with me, nothing goes unnoticed because He cares, He watches us and loves us. Thank you Lord!

Promise 83 Gen. 35:11

Gen. 35:11 - "God also said to him, I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you." God states to Jacob, now Israel, who He is; He says, "I am God Almighty" meaning, there is "no one or nothing greater than Me, nothing too powerful, no army stronger, no situation too complicated, I can make things happen." So when He tells Israel to go, be fruitful and multiply He isn't telling him to do it in his own strength. God is telling Jacob what He is going to do in him and through him. Because He is God - who makes things happen. What do you want multiplied in your life today? He is God Almighty, trust Him with your request and desire and even more radical, trust Him with your life and see what He multiplies in it that is beyond what you can ever hope or imagine.

Promise 82 Gen. 35:9

Gen. 35:9 - "Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him." God loved Jacob, He pursued him. I'm glad that the scripture doesn't give the details of Jacob's daily spirituality. I love it that so many times it just says, "and the Lord appeared to him", because if there were more detail, then people may think that they need to copy Jacob, do what he does and that would be the key that unlocks God's appearance. Too many people already believe that there is some formula out there to earning God's affections, that is so wrong. God loves Jacob simply because, he is Jacob. Just like He loves you and me simply because of who we are. There are no formulas. Not only does He love us, He loves to bless us. He just showed up and blessed Jacob. He does that for us too. Thank you Lord!

Promise 81 Gen. 35:1,5

Gen. 35:1,5 - "Then God said to Jacob, 'Arise, go up to Bethel and live there....' As they journeyed, there was a great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob." Once again we see where God "should have" or we would "think" it would be the character of God, let the natural consequences for bad behaviour happen (let Haman's people kill or attack Simeon and Levi for killing the men) but He doesn't. God shows up once again to Jacob and tells him to move his camp to Bethel and to stake that land for God by putting up an alter. After doing some house cleaning they took off. Now this is the fun part, as they were passing through the land, even though they were few in number, those all around them were terrified so they didn't pursue them. What is it that caused this terror? It doesn't say, but I would imagine that they saw a great army surrounding Jacob's lot. They were walking in the center of what God asked them to do therefore they were also walking under God's protection. God wont lead us into a snare, He is our protector. He also does not act as we believe He should, even though those men deserved death for killing so many people, God has his own plans for them.

Promise 80 Gen. 33:10

Gen. 33:10 - "Jacob said, 'No, please, if now I have found favour in your sight, then take my present from my hand, for I see your face as one sees the face of God and you have received me favourably." Jacob expected Esau to treat him unfavourably but the opposite was true, his brother hugged and kissed him in welcome. Esau demonstrated grace and love for his brother. Jacob knew that his brother was acting in this way only because God was working through Esau. God is a gracious, loving God. He also puts those qualities in us. They are in there to be used and to pour out onto others. Others will see God's face as well when we act out of His grace and love. Show someone the face of God today!

Promise 79 Gen. 32:30

Gen. 32:30 - "So Jacob named the place Peniel for he said, 'I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.'" Jacob had a rumble with God. I'm not exactly all that sure why that happened, why that specific timing; just as He was going to meet his brother. Maybe God wanted to knock some sense into Jacob's head. God had promised him over and over again that he would prosper, his descendants would be many and that God would be with him, yet he was still terrified that his brother would kill him and his family. Maybe God just wanted to thump him for being so silly. Or maybe, by dislocating his hip, God wanted to take away any possible strength and pride that goes along with it, to show that when Jacob is saved, its not by his own doing but all will be done by God and there wont be any doubt about it. God did meet Jacob face to face, and Jacob survived. We can meet Him face to face too, in all our weaknesses and guilt and shame and feelings of unworthiness and fear, and we will survive too. God invites us to meet Him face to face, and maybe we do need a thumpin' every now and then so that sins in our lives are broken and we yield to the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. But we will survive. We will not be the same. We might even have a new name, a new identity after it. So go to Him, meet Him!

Promise 78 Gen. 32:1

Gen. 32:1 - "Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him." This is such a random verse. Its at the beginning of chapter 32 and in a clear transition of thought; Jacob begins to head home. In most literature this would demand a build up or more expansion, but the Bible doesn't do that. Angels met Jacob, Jacob said, "Hey God showed up!" (Di's version) and that was it. I just love that about God. He just "shows up" out of the blue. He just randomly puts His angels around us. It's kind of like when you're walking with a good mate and there is a long pause in conversation, because you really don't "need" to be talking, then he/she just taps you or gently slaps you or throws something your way without saying anything, and you keep going on as before. That's what this is, its just a friendly tap from the loving Daddy to say "hey, I love being with you!" I don't think angels always have to be on intense guard duty, I think they like to go walking and camping too.

Promise 77 Gen. 31:49

Gen. 31:49 - "And Mizpah, for he said, 'May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other." As a missionary, being separated from family and beloved friends is a normal part of life. But that separation, even though its always there, doesn't mean its easy. I praise God for modern communication technology that allows me to call family and friends from my computer. I think of those missionaries who had to go to their fields by boat and wouldn't see their families or have verbal contact for four years at a time (Even though that still happens today not due to distance but because of the 'out of sight, out of mind mentality'). Its difficult to wonder all the time how those friends and family are, especially when we hear someone has been sick or injured, we could drive ourselves crazy with worry, but we don't have to. God's promise to us is that He will watch over our loved ones and give us peace in the midst of separation. We must do our bit in trusting them to His care. Thank you Lord for watching over my family and friends who scattered all over the globe. Bless them right where they are at, amen!

Promise 76 Gen. 31:24

Gen. 31:24 - "God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night and said to him, 'Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.'" Even though Laban did not act in righteous ways toward Jacob, he was still from the family of Abraham. God gave him a gentle warning to not do or say anything dumb to Jacob. Laban listened and it all turned out well. Even though we deserve harsh punishment or warnings from God sometimes, He is not one who will act harshly toward His children, like a loving Father does, He gently warns us to keep our thoughts and actions in check, this is how He guides us and grows us up into sanctification. Thank you Father!

Promise 75 Gen. 31:2-3

Gen. 31:2-3 - "Jacob saw the attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as formerly. Then the Lord said to Jacob, 'Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you'." God is right on top of things when we are about to head into a difficult situation. 1st, He gives us discernment of other people's character, then He confirms it. In this case He tells Jacob to go back home to his own land and promises to be with him. God takes care of his own. Thank you Lord!

Promise 74 Gen. 30:22-23

"Then God remembered Rachel and God gave heed to her and opened her womb. So she conceived and bore a son and said, 'God has taken away my reproach.'" The whole story of Rachel and Leah's competition to win or keep Jacob's affection is a crazy one. Leah didn't end her campaign for Jacob with the birth of Judah, she gave her maid to him after Rachel gave hers to Jacob, then she bore a couple more kids. Not once in this story did it mention any of the women or Jacob going to God first and petitioning their concerns to Him, Rachel even blamed Jacob for not coming through for her. It's no wonder it took a while for God to remember Rachel and give her a child, they didn't pursue Him so that they would be on the foremost of His mind. But here is the blessing; No matter how many times we mess up and try to find solutions to our problems on our own, we aren't forgotten by God. Even if we don't immediately go to Him that doesn't mean He will withhold His blessings from us. Because there is nothing we can do to win His love or take it away, He gives it freely. But don't wait for Him to have to "remember" you, go to Him first.

Promise 73 Gen. 29:35

Gen. 29:35 - "And she conceived again and bore a son and said, 'This time I will praise the Lord.' therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing." Up until Judah's birth Leah had hoped that the child she bore will cause Jacob to love her. When Judah was born she just said, "This time, I will praise the Lord." She realized that God didn't give her children just so her husband would love her, but it was out of His love for her that He blessed her with children. So this time she thanked Him properly by praising Him. It is interesting too that it is from the line of Judah that Jesus comes. He comes from the line of praise to God, that is so cool. With every breath that we have, praise the Lord!

Promise 72 Gen. 28:31

Gen. 28:31 - "Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren." Most people who feel like they are unloved, lonely and abandoned by others tend to think it is the Lord that doesn't love them and that's why nobody else does. But that is so not true. God had compassion on Leah because it seemed as though no one loved her. Her eyesight was poor so I'm guessing she was not as productive as her sister, the shepherdess, plus she wasn't as beautiful as her sister so she was always being compared to her and didn't receive the healthy attention that her sister got. But she wasn't second class to God. He gave her many children for which she would love and in return they would love her as their mother. God is a compassionate God, He does not leave anyone off on their own. His love is equal for all.

Promise 71 Gen. 28:13

Gen. 28:13 - "And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, 'I am the Lord God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.'" Ownership of territory seems to be an important thing to the Lord. I know that God likes to see his people prosper but the land is not given for status or just for prosperity sake. God's plan is to dwell with His people, so when He promises to give territory, He also plans to reside there. He plans to be the God of that land. He says, "If you see it, I will give it and you will have it because I'm in your midst." What a great promise! What territory has the Lord given you? Whatever He has promised; where ever He has put you to lay your head, He is there, claim it for His glory!

Promise 70 Gen. 28:12-16

Gen. 28:12-16 - "He had a dream and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven..... then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "surely The Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.'" I'm sure Jacob would normally think this dream was a weird one, but it was clear and vivid and God was in it speaking to him and referring to his father and grandfather. He saw that God was revealing Himself to him and confirming the promises that come with the blessing that he had just received from his father. God uses dreams to communicate with us, we need to be tuned into our dreams to see if He might be revealing something special to us. They may seem strange like angels climbing up and down a ladder between heaven and earth, but write them down and then ask God if this is something that you need to pay closer attention to.

Promise 69 Gen. 26:24

Gen. 26:24 - "The Lord appeared to him the same night and said, 'I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, for the sake of my servant Abraham." I love this promise to Isaac, "do not fear, for I am with you!" We as Christians have a tendency to fear so unnecessarily. We know that God is in us, we know that He is with us, yet we still fear. Just as He told Isaac over and over again that He will bless him, maybe we need to be reminded over and over again to not fear. I'm glad He takes delight in letting us know that He is with us.

Promise 68 Gen. 26:4-5

Gen. 26:4-5 - "I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed Me and kept my charge, My commandments, My statues and My laws.'". I must admit, as I usually think life revolves around me, I don't usually think about the impact that my actions have on the next generation. God tells Isaac that He is blessing him because his father, Abraham obeyed Him by keeping close to Him and adhering to the laws and rules. Now, I can read this and think this really doesn't apply to me because I don't have children that will reap that blessing, but the verses totally make sense in talking about a new spiritual generation. If I'm obedient to what God is asking me to do and if the private battles are won just as much as the public ones, through obedience then those whom I have a part in their lives will be blessed because of my obedience in what I feel God is calling me to do; To "do as Jesus did yet more!" (Jn.14:12). As it seems there is a lot of pressure in this because my obedience effects many more people other than myself, it is freeing too because I know that I can share God's blessing with so many more people. Thank you Lord!

Promise 67 Gen. 26:2-3a.

Gen. 26:2-3a. - "The Lord appeared to Him and said, 'Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you....!" When I grew up, I was taught if God said to do something it was a 'Do it, or else!' But this has not been the case so far as God has been appearing to His chosen ones. He tells Isaac, "Stop here, don't go to Egypt and I will BLESS you." There are no negative consequences. I think most people live their lives making choices in order to avoid the consequences or punishment, in other words they live under a fear of God rather than making choices in order to catch the blessing God has for them. There is freedom in living for the blessing. If we are always living in fear that we might displease God it will also cause us to live in fear of displeasing man. Soon displeasing man somehow becomes more important to us than the fear of displeasing God. We see this mind set permeating our societies. The important truth that we are not taught in life, not even in most of our churches is that God gives us choices because He wants to please us! He doesn't dangle us over a consequence, He wants to bless us. He doesn't play hide and seek with the blessings either; hiding them and waiting to see if we will find them. No, He is very clear, 'Hey look over there, see that? Go over there and you'll be blessed!" He is more pleased when we obey His voice so that we'll find the blessings rather than obeying by avoiding the sin out of fear.

Promise 66 Gen. 25:22-23

Gen. 25:22-23 - "But the children struggled together within her, and she said, "if it is so, why then am I this way?' So she went to inquire of the Lord. The Lord said to her, 'Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples will be separated from your body; and one people shall be stronger than the other; and the older shall serve the younger'." Rebekah was bothered about how the twins were struggling in her womb. She basically went to the Lord and said, "What's up with this?" I love that! Most women would think the babies were responding to something she ate and just put up with it, but Rebekah had sense to ask the Lord what was up. I wonder if she really expected to get an answer, a reply back? God cares about everything that we care about and He's happy to answer our questions. Often times His responses are different from what we expected to hear. The main point is: God is always up for a good chat!

Promise 65 Gen. 24:60

Gen. 24:60 - "They blessed Rebekah and said to her, 'May you, our sister, become thousands of ten thousands, and may your descendants possess the gate of those who hate them'." Rebekah's brothers said a word of blessing over her before she set out with Abraham's servant. I must admit I don't speak words of blessings over people near as much as I ought to. God gives people those words as they speak them out. What a blessing to give someone; "May you become thousands of ten thousands," I love that. I'm going to hop on that blessing too and believe that from my existence in God's kingdom here on earth, God will expand that kingdom by thousands upon thousands through the generations of those who will sing out Halleluia to their Heavenly Daddy! Amen! Bring it on Lord!

Promise 64 Gen. 24:26-27

Gen. 24:26-27 - "Then the man bowed low and worshipped the Lord. He said, 'Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His loving kindness and His truth toward my master; as for me, the Lord has guided me in the way to the house of my master's brothers'." The very first thing the servant does after Rebekah invites him to the house is fall on his face and worship God. It's a God thing that Rebekah didn't think he had lost his marbles and didn't withdraw the invitation. Then after worshipping the Lord, the servant gave testimony. He gave God the glory for what He had done..... the worship continued. Giving testimony about God's great work is a part of worship. Worshipping God isn't confined to a church pew, it happens each time we proclaim His name to others. Keep testifying and of the great things God is doing in you and through you, then watch what else He does because you chose to worship Him.

Promise 63 Gen. 24:12, 50-51

Gen. 24:12, 50-51 - "He said, 'Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show loving kindness to my master Abraham... Then Laban and Bethuel replied, 'The matter comes from the Lord; so we cannot speak to you bad or good, here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master's son, as the Lord has spoken.'" Abraham's servant is interceding in prayer for Abraham. Its kind of funny really because God has totally been right in the middle of this whole thing; the promises to Abraham, Abraham believing that there will be success in this, but blesses that servant any way, and he loves his master and knows that God loves him too. Sure enough, God did His bit and Rebekah was found. I love the servant's heart in this though, he worked out of compassion for his master and his God. All through this story he is interacting with God, speaking to Him and about Him. That's what intercessors do. God loves those who love spending time with Him and telling others about Him. God did bless this servant, but I don't think it was just because God was blessing Abraham and the servant got the leftovers. It was because God also cared for and had compassion on this wonderful servant. God does hear those who call out to Him on behalf of others.

Promise 62 Gen. 24:7

Gen. 24:7 - "The Lord, God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, 'To your descendants I will give this land; He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there." As Abraham was telling his servant to go back to the land and find a wife for Isaac, the servant was full of "but, what if's" Abraham knew the outcome already because God promised him that the land given to him would be his. He had no doubt in his mind that a daughter-in-law would come from the land of his birth. But to assure the servant, he said, "God will send His angel to go before you." How did Abraham know God would do that? Because God gave him the outcome already through His promise. Because Abraham received what was given, he knew God would send His angel ahead to prepare the way for all this to take place. When God gives you something verbally, when He promises you something, He will send His angels to see to it that you get what was promised. If you don't believe in angels, then you better start sorting that one out right now before God. It's a good thing He sends them to help us regardless if we believe in them or not. I'm proud to say that I am an angel believer, because I'm a Daddy believer and what He says, goes!

Promise 61 Gen. 22:17-18

Gen. 22:17-18 - "Indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." The key words here are "I will bless.... because you have obeyed my voice." I think most people truly believe they are good, and maybe they are good in that they don't purposely sin or have sinful patterns. But on the whole, it's not "enough" to just be passively "good." Even in our goodness we miss hearing and obeying God's voice. Scriptures are packed full of commands that we ignore for one reason or another and even though we are not "sinning" by ignoring them, we are missing out on some huge blessings. I'm not going to get into details, I'll let you search the scriptures yourself to find out which blessings you are missing out on in not listening and obeying, for its in there you will find most of them and its in the relationship with the Blessing Giver that you will find the rest.

Promise 60 Gen. 22:14

Gen. 22:14 - "Abraham called the name of that place 'The Lord will provide', as it is said to this day. 'In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.'" There are many people in this world who have mountains that need to be moved. Some are debt mountains, others are mountains of broken relationships, there are mountains of addictions, mountains of terminal illnesses and then there is the mountain of lonliness that just can't seem to go away or to be toppled. There are many more mountains such as these. A promise has been given to us long ago. "in the mount of the Lord it will be provided." When we give our mountains over to Him, so that they no longer "belong" to us, then God has His way with them, He is the provider! No matter what He does with them, whether it be a total removal of the mountain or just a buffing. He will always make them more manageable to climb and to conquer. His is the Provider!

Promise 59 Gen. 22:8

Gen. 22:8 - "Abraham said, 'God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.' So the two of them walked on together. " We know this whole passage is prophetic associating the sacrificial lamb with Jesus. God said He will provide a lamb, and He did. He also provided a ram to take the place of Isaac. God is the provider, He will provide all things and people which will lead us to salvation, when He clearly directs us into the path of potential danger, He will provide, Himself, that which will keep us safe and keeps us into His arms. He is our provider.

Promise 58 Gen. 22:1

Gen. 22:1 - "Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, 'Abraham!' and he said, "Here I am,' God calls us out at times to do a "passion check." Because He is a jealous God, He's jealous to spend time with us, He doesn't want to share our devotion, He will test to see where our passions lie. It is so easy to live a life that is passionate about doing things for God that we forget about being passionate about Him. We have a tendency to put so many other things before Him such as our jobs, education, family, leisure activities and things. For most people in the western world and beyond the TV gets to much more attention than God does. Sometimes God needs to go to drastic measures in order to get our attention back on Him and to re-direct our devotion and passion toward Him. Maybe we need to offer up and sacrifice those things that are difficult to give up, so as to have the time to focus on Him.

Promise 57 Gen. 21:22

Gen. 21:22 - "Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, 'God is with you in all that you do!" Even though we know God is with us in all we do, sometimes we just need to hear someone tell us those words, to encourage us. And maybe we need that reminder to refresh us, to re-set our focus so to speak. When we see the hand of God on someone, we should tell them! Encourage someone today and I pray someone will encourage you too.

Promise 56 Gen. 21:19

Gen. 21:19 - "Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink." god opened Hagar's eyes, so she could see the blessing that was sitting right in front of her. That well was there the whole time but she couldn't see it because she was so focused on the desperateness of her situation; on her problems, Often times the solution and relief to our problems is right in front of us, we just need to shift our focus to the Lord and say, "Lord, where is the blessing in all of this?" He will open our eyes to see it. Where God is, blessings are, so we know they are there. Lord show us the blessings in our day today! Thank you!

Promise 55 Gen. 21:17-18

Gen. 21: 17-18 - "God hear the lad crying ; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, 'What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.'" God hears the cries of those we cry for. He is a compassionate God. Sometimes we feel we have to beg God to attend to the needs of others, God knows exactly what is going on in their hearts too. The angel told Hagar that God heard him right where he is at. He will meet people right where they are and right where we are. We just need to continue crying out to Him on behalf of those who can not cry out to Him on their own.

Promise 54 Gen. 21:13

Gen. 21:13 - "And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant." God has assured Abraham that he wouldn't have to worry about Ismael, a year before Isaac was born, but at this time of difficult decisions, he needed to hear that assurance again. Sometimes we forget the assurances God gives us. When stress arises it's easy to get caught up in the moment. But God is faithful, He will remind us of His promises, presence and provision in the midst of those stressful times, we just need to make sure we quiet our hearts long enough to receive those comforting words from Him.

Promise 53 Gen. 21:12

Gen. 21:12 - "But God said to Abraham, 'Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named." Abraham was distressed, his wife was telling him to send away his first born son and his maid, He didn't know what to do. God spoke to Him in the midst of his stressful time. He gave the solution to the problem. The solution wasn't an easy one, but it was the right one. God will help us when we are stuck and don't know what to do. He may ask us to follow through with the most uncomfortable choice but it will be the right one if God says to do it. Guaranteed, there were those around Abraham that thought he was crazy sending away the first born and probably thought that to be cruel of him. This will happen, people wont understand, but we must choose to take God's guidance and even though they are tough choices we can rest assure that He has all the details sorted.

Promise 52 Gen. 21:1

Gen. 21:1 - "Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised." We knew Sarah was going to have a baby because God said, a couple of times, that she would. But its so exciting to see it happen. I know I'm not going to be able to articulate this in the way I want to but here goes the try. Often times I'll be given a promise by God or know something about God that I know He'll work in a way that is true of His character and of who He is, and I can get excited about that promise, or the anticipation of His work, but for some reason I'm still amazingly surprised when the promise happens or when God does a miracle. For example, just last night (written April 17, 2010), my computer froze so I shut it down for a couple of hours. When I went to boot it up it wouldn't let me type in the 9's that I needed for my password. All keys worked except the 9's. I took the 9 cap off, maked sure there was no dust or hair blocking the connection, tried everything, it didn't work. My friend called, I said, "pray for my computer, I can't log in." She said, "just pray healing over it, computer be healed right now in Jesus' name!" So I tried the 9 again, nothing. Now I knew that God could touch my computer and make it work, I knew He would touch it, there was no doubt in my mind. So when it didn't work, I knew I just needed to pray over it again, because I knew God was going to fix it. I put my hand over the 9, said "9 work right now" in my mind I was thinking, "You (meaning the 9) have no authority over this computer, God has. And, Lord bring this computer into order." I tapped the 9 twice, nothing! Then suddenly those two wonderful dots (meaning in the password) after a two second delay, popped up on their own and I was able to log on. The 9's were back into submission for the rest of the work I needed to do. I texted my friend back, "Hey, it worked! PTL!" Even though I knew God would to it, it still surprised me when it happened. I don't think its because I have an underlying doubt, it's because God is so great that when I see Him fulfill His promises or perform miracles its an AWESOME surprise. Nothing He does ever grows old or gets stale, He just always amazes me. The promise is! He will keep His promises. So..... Stand on them, anticipate them, expect them to happen then enjoy the awe of it when it does.

Promise 51 Gen. 20:17-18

Gen. 20:17-18 - "Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so that they bore children. For the Lord had closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife." There is a lot going on here in these two verses. Abraham prayed and God answered; God healed closed wombs; God had closed wombs because of Sarah. Let's do a backward chain here. It appears cruel that God would close the wombs of women so that they can't bear children, however if you look at the big story here, If Abimelech could have had children then he would not have taken Sarah for another wife and Abraham and all who were with him would have just passed on through the place, but because of this encounter, and God is working His plan in Abraham's life, Abraham gained favour in Abimelech's eyes and was given open passage to settle wherever he wanted, was given more livestock and lots of money. This all factors into the covenant that God made with Abraham. Now, God healed the closed wombs, I know many women who live in silent despair because they are not able to conceive children. God healed Abimelech's women, every singe one of them, in the household. Is He not the same God today as He was then and will be tomorrow? He can, is and will continue to heal closed wombs. We must NEVER give up praying for this to happen and believing that it will happen. The third promise here is that when we pray, God answers. Abraham prayed for Abimelech and the women. He was the intercessor on their behalf. There is power in prayer. Because He loves us, He will listen to us. He will move in other's lives when His beloved children go to Him. So keep speaking to Him, keep the communication lines open with Him. He knows what's going on in our lives and what we are concerned about, but He wants to hear it straight from us, not through the angel grapevine. Pray!

Promise 50 Gen. 20:6

Gen. 20:6 - "Then God said to him (Abimelech) in the dream, 'Yes I know that In the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her." There are many things in this world we can be tempted by. The enemy seems to know those areas where we are most vulnerable and he doesn't hold back alluring us toward those things. Its different sin triggers for different people, for some they are drawn to over eating, over drinking, gossip, for others pornography or sexual promiscuity or maybe frivolous spending or gambling. Most, if not everyone has an area or two of "weakness". There is a promise however that gives hope to those who frequently cave into their temptation. This verse ways that God knows our hearts. He knows the struggle, the pain, the guilt and the remorse we feel when we do those things we don't desire to do. He hears us and knows our desires. And just like what He did for Abimelech, He can do for us, He can "keep us from sinning against Him." He can do that and He will do that for us. But we need to do our part. God came to Abimelech, they were engaged in conversation; while in the situation, talk to God, Abimelech pleaded his case. Plead your case to Him, "Lord I don't want to do this, yet it's pulling me." God will listen and intervene. There is also a warning too; God told Abimelech if he didn't restore Sarah to Abraham, (if he sinned anyway) then there will be harsh consequences. It is true for us too, if we go to Him, hear His voice and yet continue to sin, then we suffer the consequence of that. Those consequences are different depending on the sin and person. So stand firm on God's promise to you and to me that He will keep us from sinning against Him. and act accordingly.

Promise 49 Gen. 19:17a, 18, 19b., 21a, 23, 30

Gen. 19: 17a, 18, 19b., 21a., 23, 30 - "One (an angel of the Lord) said, 'escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.' But Lot said to them, 'Oh no, my lords! But I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die.' He said to him, 'Behold I grant you this request also.' The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Lot went up from Zoar, and stayed in the mountains, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to stay in Zoar; and he stayed in a cave, he and his two daughters." God is a patient God. He saves Lot's life and tells him exactly where he should take his family, where it would be best for him and Lot says, "no" to Him. At this point, Lot deserved to join his wife as a salt pillar, but God didn't give him what he deserved. God let Lot find out for himself that the mountains would be the best place for him. And that's just what happened. We don't know if God allowed Lot to go to Zoar for a specific purpose, nor why he was afraid to stay there. My guess is that the people weren't much better there than they were in Sodom and Gomorrah, but God let him find that out himself. Maybe the Lord just knew that Lot would eventually get to where He wanted him to be so He let him have his way. The promise is, God is not going to lead us astray. He knows what is best for us, and even though it looks very scary to us and looks as though we would never survive through it, God knows that we will. We need to listen to what He is telling us to do, then go there. Life is too short to waste time in the Zoars of our choosing.

Promise 48 Gen. 19:15-16

Gen. 19:15-16 - "When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot saying, "Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city." But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city." I just love this! The angels of the Lord warned Lot what would happen to the city and that He should get away with his family. I don't know if it was fear, or doubt or sadness for his daughters, because the future son-in-laws wouldn't join them, maybe he wanted to try to persuade them to come with them, but he hesitated. The angels could have just left the whole lot (ok... pun intended) but they didn't, they grabbed him and his family and led them out of the city. No matter if it was fear or stubbornness or doubt that caused Lot to hesitate, because of God's compassion for them, He took them by the hand and lead them to safety. We often times find ourselves in positions that require action, a step of faith. I think it's our nature to hesitate, to question and even to fear stepping into the unknown, but our great compassionate God is right there to take us by the hand and to lead us to where we need to go. Have no fear, He is here, can you feel His hand? Just grab it!

Promise 47 Gen. 19:10

Gen. 19:10 - "But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with (to) them and shut the door." This account is just like something you would see in a "Heroes" episode. The angels, and it was probably just one of them, reached out their hand (the literal says) and the door flew open, Lot flew to them and the door was shut again in a split second. It doesn't say, "they got up, opened the door, pulled Lot back into the house and then managed to shut the door with the crowd of men pressing in to get through." What happened, happened by the powerful hand of God to save Lot. Now this would seem like such a far fetched story and most people (even me until now) think they just got up and opened the door, but I had a similar incident. While leaning over a railing from a 2nd floor balcony to hand a heavy ladder down to a girl, the railing gave way from the wall and I started falling toward the ground below. As I released the ladder, a hand grabbed me from behind and pulling me (from a horizontal position) straight up to my feet. I turned around and there was nobody there. Then the voice of the Lord said, "Now, this would have been too much for you to handle." Lot found himself in an impossible situation, one that he couldn't get out of himself, the Lord intervened, by just an outstretched hand. If God could create the heavens, earth, all the animals and man by the breath of a word and can save Lot and myself with just an outstretched hand, just think what He can do for you!

Promise 46 Gen. 18:32

Gen. 18:32 - "Then he said, 'Oh may the Lord not be angry and I shall speak only this one; suppose ten are found there?' and He said, 'I will not destroy it in account of the ten.'" God is a just God. Abraham was concerned about his family living in Sodom and Gomorrah, he was afraid that God will wipe out those two towns with his family in them. He didn't plead specifically for his family but did ask if the Lord would smite the righteous too. He said he would spare the city if even ten righteous were found there. I've often wondered why God doesn't just rain down His wrath on some of the cities of the world who are just so corrupt, but He promises, for the sake of the righteous, He would spare them. I believe it's because the righteous carry the hope of salvation to the unrighteous so that they may have the opportunity to turn away from their sin and become "right". Not only that, God loves the righteous and He is a just God. He does as He knows is right for each individual where eternity is concerned.

Promise 45 Gen. 18:13-14

Gen. 18: 13-14 - "And the Lord said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?' is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son'." That is the big question we need to consider isn't it? "Is anything too difficult for the Lord?" Life often times brings things that seem so enormous and even impossible to be resolved, such as cancer or other long term illness' such as chronic Fatique Syndrome. These illnesses are those that cause people to question God's ability very quickly. God has such a simple answer to such a complicated question. There is nothing too difficult for the Lord! So why does He 'allow' then these terrible things to happen? Because He loves these people too much to let them stay as they are. Every single person in this world will suffer pain at some point in their lives, some suffer longer and more intense than others, but God is working with and in each individual person in a unique way. Yes, it's not fun to suffer, and it is not the way that most people would choose to live this life (and to be honest, it isn't God's "choice" for people to suffer either), in pain or in a wheelchair or whatever, but this life is but a glimpse of what our true lives are, this is nothing compared to eternity, where there is no pain. Maybe, just maybe, the endurance demanded of people now will have some bearing on what they will be like for all eternity. ONLY God knows that. But the main point, is, 'there is NOTHING that God can't handle or remedy here on earth.' Its a fact, the Lord Himself said it, we MUST believe it.

Promise 44 Gen. 18:1-2

Gen. 18:1-2 - "Now the Lord appeared to him by the oak of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth." How did Abraham know that it was the Lord? They didn't present themselves, He didn't ask them, were they glowing with that Glory glow? Scripture doesn't say, but Abraham KNEW it was His Lord, He knew immediately and he jumped up and put his face to the ground before them. God is such a personal God. He doesn't play "peek-a-boo" games with us. He comes to us and meets us right where we are at and reveals Himself in a way where we have no doubt, whatsoever that it is Him. What should our response be? Just like Abraham, we need to take notice, worship Him and celebrate His presence with us. Halleluia, He is alive and longs to spend time with us! Yay Jesus, Yay Father, Yay Holy Spirit!

Promise 43 Gen. 17:20

Gen. 17:20 - "As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation." I'm sure that Ishamael thought he had a bum wrap, to be the eldest son of Abraham, the one with all the attention for the 1st 14 years of his life, just to be bumped off the "favor" wagon by his brother Isaac. But even though Ismael did not receive the covenant of God, God still loved him enough to promise blessings; he will have a big family and will be a great nation. Even though some people have more, or seem to be blessed with greater giftings or it "seems" that God's hand is on others more, God's love is still the same. He loves those who have had to struggle and strive their whole lives, who stumble and fall over and over again, just as much as He loves those whose lives always seem to be "together." God blesses us all equally, anytime God's hand is on us we are blessed. Each day brings a blessing from God we just need to look for it.

Promise 42 Gen. 17:16

Gen. 17:16 - "I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people will come from her." God is in the blessing business. He likes to throw unexpected surprises at us. He doesn't like us to get too settled into the predictable, that's too boring for Him. He loves to see that look of surprise on our faces, and our eyes light up when great things happen. He created us to laugh and smile, that's why we have so many muscles in our faces. Don't get too comfy in the mundane, wait with anticipation for the surprise, for the blessing.

Promise 41 Gen. 17:8

Gen. 17:8 - "I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." There is a purpose in that emphasis. The land of Canaan does not belong to the Canaanites or to anyone else, the land belongs to God. When God says that He will be the God of the Israelites, He is saying, "You have no reason to worry because the land is not theirs (Canaanites) to choose what to do with, it is not in their power to have a say in this, the land belongs to Me." All of what we have belongs to Him. We have no need to fret about holding onto or losing possessions or land, because it all belongs to Him. Because we belong to Him too, it is not our say what happens to us, because we belong to Him. By belonging, I'm not saying we should live in helplessness at the mercy of an angry God. Not at all, belonging to God means, we belong to His family, we are under His care, He takes responsibility for our wellbeing. He doesn't exercise His right to us for His own gain, He sovereignly exercises His right to us for ours; so that we may gain the Father's love. He is our God, hold on loosely to what you believe is yours and tightly to the One who you KNOW is yours.

Promise 40 Gen. 17:7

Gen. 17:7 - "I will establish my covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you." Abraham didn't ask for or seek for this covenant with God. God, on His own accord reached out to Abraham. The Almighty God, Himself chose to attach Himself to Abraham and his descendants. Often times people think God shows up only if we beg or plead for Him to, that's not the case at all. God chose us, so that He may dwell in us, through Jesus. He chose us so that He can be our God, so that He can watch over us and provide for us. He chose us! PTL!

Promise 39 Gen. 17:1-2

Gen. 17:1-2 - "Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to Him, 'I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly'." When God appeared to Abram, He made Himself clear as to Who He is. The first thing He wanted Abram to hear was, "I am God Almighty" He wanted Abram to know that there is nothing that is impossible for Him to do, before He declared that the impossible will be done. But it wasn't Him that said this thing would be impossible, it was Abram that said (or at least eluded to the fact) that Sarah's giving birth at 90 years old would be impossible. The great promise and truth here is that, even before we utter the words, or even think them, "this is impossible!" or "Hopeless", God has already said, "nothing, absolutely, nothing is impossible for Me to sort out." God doesn't keep us from impossible situations, He doesn't need to because He has already declared the victory over it by stating His part in it. He is the Almighty - no one and nothing is mightier than He. Amen!

Promise 38 Gen. 16:13

Gen. 16:13 - "Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, 'You are a God who sees': for she said, 'Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?'" This verse tells more of a fact than a promise, but it can be taken as a promise as well. God sees us! He sees when we get up and when we lie down, He sees our outward actions and our inward thoughts. It scares me sometimes, that thought of having to stand face to face with the Almighty God who knows absolutely every thing about me. Sometimes I would like to bury my head in the sand and pretend He didn't see that action or hear this thought. I would love to reverse many of my thoughts and actions at the awareness that He saw me and He heard me. But I can't! It's amazing that He does allow me to stand up right and to contiune in this life, that He hasn't struck me dead. Just like Hagar says, "I've seen Him and yet I still live?" I am alive and healthy only by the grace of God and Him alone. I'm alive only because of His love that brings Him to forgive me over and over again. (I see you Lord and yet I still live?)

Promise 37 Gen. 16:9-10

Gen. 16:9-10 - "Then the angel of the Lord said to her, 'Return to your mistress and submit yourself to her authority.' Moreover the angel of the Lord said to her, 'I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count'." Hagar had treated Sarai poorly, and therefore was treated poorly herself to a point where she couldn't stand to stay even among the security of Abram's wealth and provision for her and her child. So here she was, out in the desert, I would suppose she was trying to find her way back to Egypt, and the Lord met her right where she was at. In her heart, she was broken, scared, tired and lonely. God met her in that place. She didn't seek Him out or call after Him, He just came. When He showed up, He gave her instruction as to what she should do and what her reward would be if she obeyed; A promise that her descendants would be too many to count. God knows right where we are and He meets us there. He may tell us things we don't want to hear like, 'Go back to the one who mistreated you', but He will always leave us with a blessing in obedience. Even if Hagar didn't "deserve" an encounter with God, He sought after her, to have an encounter with her. What a great God He is!

Promise 36 Gen. 15:18

Gen. 15:18 - "On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying, 'To your descendants I have given this land, from the river to Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates'." God has shown me visions and given me words of knowledge concerning my life, all of which are future plans and promises. Some of them seem absolutely impossible to be received. I've had to struggle through what I do with these visions, promises. When they happened I was very sure they were from God. So do I sit in anxiousness to receive these promises? No, because He made it clear they are for my future. Do I sit and try to figure out how they are going to come to pass? or even worse, see what I can do to help them come along? Well, we know what happens when that is done, just by reading ahead in Abraham's story. I need to just rest and trust that what is from God belongs to God, He'll give it to me when He chooses. Mine is not to wonder if He will give it or how or when, because it's not mine to own such questions over it. It is His and His alone until the time He releases it from His hands. The fun promise here is that He does give dreams, visions, promises and great hopes for the future. We don't need to embrace those as much as we need to embrace Him.

Promise 35 Gen. 15:15

Gen. 15:15 - "As for you (Abram), you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good ole age." I'm sure that was quite re-assuring for Abram that he would have a long life and that it would end in peace. Now, I know this was a promise specifically for Abram straight from God, but there is a promise here that we can stand on too. The promise is that we can end in peace. We can go to our "Father" in peace. I've heard many parents say that they don't fear death for themselves but they fear it for their children, knowing that their death will cause pain for their children and those they leave behind. The Lord is saying here, "No worries, no need to fret, I've got it all sorted, just come to Me." We can have peace in our present and future and even in our death because God has it all covered.

Promise 34 Gen. 15:13-14

Gen. 15:13-14 - "God said to Abram, 'Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.'" This is a difficult passage because we know that God is a "good" God and that He loves His people, yet there will be 4-5 generations of people who will question that fact as they will be stuck in slavery and living under harsh conditions. I'm sure they will feel as though God has deserted them. What is seemingly worse, is that He knew way before it is to happen that it will happen. It's times like this that God just doesn't make sense to us. It brings up the age ole' question, "Why does God allow His people to suffer?" The difference we see between man (who of course would not let anyone suffer) and God, is that man's plan for man is only 70-100 years long, God's plan for man is for all eternity. He sees the big picture. He knows that the journey His people will take that will lead them to the cross of Jesus needs to be a difficult one, or else they wont go. My initial thought was to write, "It's not about man, but it's all about God." But that's wrong, it's all about man because of the love of God. If man did not see their need for a Saviour, then they would not accept the gift of salvation when it's offered. If man does not receive the gift of salvation then they will be eternally separate from God and that would break His heart. So those 400 years of captivity were sacrificial years by God's people so that generations upon generations will live in freedom for all eternity. It's like our soldiers who risk their lives and fight in the trenches so that so many others can live in freedom. God has a plan, He knows what He is doing, and He knows what we need that will draw us and those after us into His Kingdom and into His arms.

Promise 33 Gen. 15:7-8

Gen. 15:7-8 - "And He said to Him, 'I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.' He (Abram) said, 'O Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?'" Now you would think that God would be frustrated at Abram at this point. He has already seen God be true to His word, yet he still isn't believing that He is going to do what He says He will do. Abram wants more proof, more information, more details of how God is going to secure the land He has promised. How many times do we do that? Do we question God? All the time! We can't seem to take God at His word so we challenge it or push Him to prove Himself. God didn't leave Abram sitting in wonder though, because of His love, He revealed to Him what will take place, and even the timelines. He didn't have to do that, but He did, because He cared. God meets us right where we are at. Even though He is good on His word "always", He will go the extra mile to give us whatever information we need that will cause us to trust Him and believe in Him even more, why? Because He desires that we be close to Him. That's what a loving Father does.

Promise 32 Gen. 15:4-5

Gen. 15:4-5 - "Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying. 'This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.' And He took him outside and said, 'Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.'" Have you ever found yourself grumbling at God, thinking that He wasn't really listening, or in response to a remark in your mind, not realizing it was God? We all do it! We all talk to ourselves, our minds go almost non-stop, full of conversation and interaction; either re-living past conversations with people, or trying to change these conversations to what they should've been, or we are thinking of future interactions with people or we are simply thinking on whatever pops into our minds. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time shutting that off. So here is Abram, a thought comes in his head 'Do not fear Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great." (vs.1) Does he really realize that this is God speaking to him or does he "daydream God in a vision?" Kind of like he is congratulating himself for being obedient (earlier), but thinking this is what he would hope that God would say to him. So here's his grumble; 'Yeah right God, what could you possibly give me? You haven't given me what I really want, and that's children. What could you possibly want to give me that is better than that?" Then suddenly God snaps him to attention and responds to him. The verse says, "Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him..." It's the same as "Then what d'ya know, then God spoke back". God responded to his grumblings, but He didn't say, "Ah Abram, stop your whining, get a grip, stop dreaming, get back to your work and focus on your task at hand." No, God heard the cries of Abram's heart, his longing. It doesn't matter if Abram really intended for God to hear it or not, but God did, and because of His great love for Abram, He promised him that he would dry the tears of his heart and will give him the children that he so desires to have. God does hear the cries of our heart, He will respond to them. The greatest point in this is not in the message of His response but in the heart of the Responder.

Promise 31 Gen. 15:1

Gen. 15:1 - "After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, 'Do not fear, Abram I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great!" It was after Abram's obedience that the word of the Lord came to him. When we are in tuned with God, He is in tuned with us. He will reward our faithfulness to Him. Not only that, we don't have to guess what that reward will be, He will reveal it to us, but we need to be listening to Him and watching for Him. When God gives us a word from Him, or a picture/vision, we can't brush it off as indigestion, we need to take note, write it down and then test it; ie. ask ourselves, 'Is this consistent with what I know the character of God is?" God said to Abram, "Do not fear!" and called him by name, then said "I am a shield to you." Abram had no question in his mind that this was God. He recognized the voice, he heard it many times before. The message is consistent with what God has been telling Him, "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you." (12:3). In other words "No worries mate, I've go your back!" We can stand on this promise too, God is watching over us, He is our Shield, our Protector, He's got our back. Praise the Lord!

Promise 30 Gen. 16:21-24

Gen. 16:21-24 - "The king of Sodom said to Abram, 'Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself.' Abram said to the king of Sodom, ' I have sworn to the Lord God most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, 'I have made Abram rich. I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me....'" The Lord God most High is the possessor of heaven and earth. All that we see, He owns. It saddens me to think of how many times I've promised things to God and took back that promise. How many times I've offered myself to Him and all that I have and then did what pleased me or was selfish with my time and my things. I keep forgetting that all I have is His. We should not look to others or to other means, in order to gain wealth, thereby robbing God of the pleasure of blessing us Himself. He is a jealous God, He loves us so much, He doesn't want anyone to take His place in being our provider. That is His role as our Heavenly Daddy to provide for and to bless His children. May we all become like Abram and not settle for anything less than what God wants to provide for us!

Promise 29 Gen. 13:17

Gen. 13:17 - "Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you." I used to wake up early in the morning, before anyone was up in town and the sun was just breaking light over this city in Kosova, my dog and I would walk through the residential areas. With each step I took I would claim that piece of ground for Jesus and every house I could cast my eyes on, it was claimed for Jesus. The Lord gave me that land, for it was there that He sent me, just like Abram. I know, that God is going to do a great work there in that city, because He gave me (and my team) that land to establish His kingdom. What land has He given you? Have you claimed it yet?

Promise 28 Gen. 13:16

Gen. 13:16 - "I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered." Have you ever noticed how dust never really goes away? It's a constant presence, sure it can be wiped away for a moment, but then the next day it's back. Abram's descendants were going to be as dust. Because God's hand and favour was on him, His descendants were the physical sign of God's blessing on Abraham. Not only was it His promise to him, but the reality. When God favours us, His blessings are like dust ever present. On occasion it may seem like they've been wiped away, but then, there they are again, very evident and all around us. Thank you Lord for Your many blessings!

Promise 27 Gen. 13:14-15

Gen. 13:14-15 - "The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, 'Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and your descendants forever.'" One c an just imagine how Abram felt when Lot chose the choicest land, the land well-watered and lush, and he was left with the drier land, harder soil, not much for his animals to graze on. I'm sure he was hanging his head low for a while, wondering how he was going to provide for his family in that rough environment. Then, God came to him and said, "Now, lift your eyes..... pick your head up, cheer up, cause I have great things in store for you." He didn't say, "Don't worry Abram, I've given you everything else that Lot hasn't taken, I'll be with you in your difficult time, helping you get by."No, God is the God of abundance. He is the One who works beyond our beliefs, our hopes, our understanding and gives it all. He doesn't hold back on us. He doesn't want us to "just get by" or to strive. He lifts our heads up and says, "Here, I'm giving you the whole lot." We have been blessed with access to the full riches of His glory, He hasn't held anything back from us, so lift up your heads all you people of God and receive from the abundance of your God today!

Promise 26 Gen. 12:7

Gen. 12:7 - "The Lord appeared to Abram and said, 'To your descendants I will give this land.' So he built a altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him." How often does the Lord appear to You? I've just recently been challenged to write down every encounter I have with God that is in the form of "vocal" appearances or word pictures or prophecy or a new revelation of who God is, because I NEED to remember what God is telling me. Just like Abram, we have a lot of ground to cover and there are certain points along the journey that need to be remembered because they will be significant in the future. For Abram, his journey is not going to be an easy one, but he's laying the remembrance markers for what God is promising him. When the Canaanite armies look too big, he has that altar that reminds him, "O but my God is bigger and He promised me victory in this land." When we are in our journeys and times get difficult, what markers have been laid to remind you, "O but, my God is bigger, He promised me victory in this land."?

Promise 25 Gen. 12:1-3

Gen. 12:1-3 - "Now the Lord said to Abram, "God forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." God told Abram to "Go" then He said, "And I will...." There will always be great things that happen when God tells us to stop what we're doing and go to where He tells us. When we are obedient to Him, He blesses us. Not only are other people effected by our obedience but, God personally gifts us with His blessings not just by caring for our needs, but by gifting some of our desires too. He doesn't ask us to step out of our comfort zones without reward.

Promise 24 Gen. 11:6-8

Gen. 11: 6-8 - "The Lord said, 'Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down there and confuse their language so that they will not understand one another's speech.' So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city." I can't help but think of the church when I read this. Many of our western churches can get so focused on their projects that get them closer to heaven, they get so inward focused. They have their plan and their goal and their strategies, all packaged. It's a church growth package to build it high up to heaven. What they miss is the "Us" factor. God said, "Look at what the people are doing, once they get their minds together to do something, nothing will stop them, so let US go down and scatter them, shake them up, remind them of who WE are." The church gets too focused on the stuff they have control over, that they forget to factor in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They get so set on their will they forget to consider God's will. God never intended the church to be contained in one tower, the church was always meant to "go", to be scattered, to cover all the lands. They are to look to the Spirit and allow Him to spread them to where God wants them to be. God wants them to take Jesus into all the world with them. May the Lord break down the towers of our day and promise to spread the church throughout the nations!

Promise 23 Gen. 9:16

Gen. 9:16 - "When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the ever lasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." God was speaking to Noah and telling Him how He is establishing His covenant with him by placing the rainbow in the clouds. Noah responds, it is so very subtle and easy to miss because it doesn't say "and Noah said,", but his response is in quotations marks and the person is changed; "Then I will look... between God and every...." When God gives us a promise we need to respond to that promise. We can't just say, "Oh, Ok God, thanks!" What did Noah do? He said, "When the bow is in the cloud, I WILL look upon it, I will remember this promise, this covenant between God and all living things. What is this saying? 1 - He will remember the promise, 2 - He will pursue it, 3 - He will stand on it, trust it, put his hope and faith in it. God's promises to us are not given just so we can have warm fuzzy feelings, to feel better. His promises are there for us to pursue and to embrace. Which promises of God have you put on the shelf, ignored or need to pursue more? Have a good think, and then respond!

Promise 22 Gen. 9:12-13

Gen. 9:12-13 - "God said, 'this is the sign of the covenant which I am making between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth'." The previous verse explains the covenant, "I establish my covenant with you; and all flesh never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth." When I read this I think, "But Lord, what about all the people who have died in floods?" There have been many people who have died in floods, what this promise says, is, "I will assure that there will always be a way of escape." He will not wipe out everyone on the earth again with a flood, that is reassuring, So why do so many people die in floods? It's simple really, (for some but not for all of course, especially those who live on islands and can't escape the terrible storms) we build our homes in gullies, in flood zones, we are sometimes more motivated to live in beautiful areas then by safety. People are willing to "risk it" to have a good view. Lake, river and ocean front properties are money making schemes. It's not God's fault when people are swept away by floods that were not intended to destroy. He gave us His promise, we should live within the safety of it.

Promise 21 Gen. 8:21-22

Gen. 8: 21-22 - "The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, 'I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing. As I've done. While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease'." God had the prime opportunity to give man good, pure hearts as He started from scratch with Noah's family, but He didn't. He realized that man was going to be evil and yet He was willing to let man continue to be born. He wasn't going to respond to man's evilness in the same way, nor take it out on the animals. He promised that the days will continue, man will continue to be as they were. It was His sovereign choice to allow man to continue to make that choice between good and evil. He had a plan, and I really believe at the time of His admission that man will continue to be evil from their beginnings, that He already new He was going to have to send His Son because of it. What a choice He had to make! He made it out of love. Noah's offering to Him showed Him that there was hope that man would choose to do right and make good decisions. That offering stirred the compassion of God once again for His children. Oh the love of the Father!

Promise 20 Gen. 6:18

Gen. 6:18 - "But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark - you and your sons and your wife, and your sons wives with you." God is telling Noah that him and his family will be protected in the process of building this ark, while in preparation for a massive rain that they've not yet seen ever in their lives and He will save them from the terrible flood. He is giving His promise. It's a promise that is not questioned, a promise to be trusted, it will never be broken. We can trust in God's promises to us, we can stand firm in them. The problem with people these days is that either they forget God's promises so they go into frenzies of worry or they don't seek for God's promises, or they don't quiet themselves long enough to hear what God has to say to them. God is a God that can be trusted so let's give Him a chance, stop and hear what He has to say, what covenant does He want to make with you?

Promise 19 Gen. 6:17

Gen. 6:17 - "Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish." Not a fun promise! You can see how difficult it was for God to have to make this decision. First, He took delight in His creation, but then man turned on Him. His beloved turned to evil. It's interesting that in vs. 12 it doesn't say that the devil tempted and corrupted man, but it says, "all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth." We use "the devil made me do it" far too much I think. It was man, himself, who did wrong and that corruption spread out of control. Then, it was God, Himself, who had to put an end to it. He made sure that we understood that it wasn't the devil who brought the flood that destroyed evil man, but it was God who wiped out the evilness of man. It is only God who can take that evil away, man cant do it himself. As much as it pained God to wipe most of His creation off the face of the earth, it was His love that motivated Him to preserve and protect His chosen ones. Our promise; He will remove the evilness within us and save us by His love. Thank you Lord!

Promise 18 Gen. 6:8-9

Gen. 6:8-9 - "But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord.... Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God." God had become sorry that He made man. Verse 5 says that "every intent of the thoughts of man were evil continually." We can grieve God, grieve Him to a point of despair. Enough for Him to want to wipe us off the face off of the earth. But on the other hand we can also please Him, and delight Him like Noah had done. God delights with those who walk with Him, who are blameless and righteous. The promise goes two ways. God will not tolerate evil men, He will smite them. It will still break His heart to do so. And He will bless those who walk with Him, who choose to live as His children. it's not a difficult choice to make, which promise to pursue. What am I doing more, grieving Him or pleasing Him? Which promise will He choose for me?

Promise 17 Gen. 5:24

Gen. 5:24 - "Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him." What an incredible epitaph! Enoch and God were always side by side. Then God took the lead and walked him straight up to heaven. It saddens me the number of times that I have wandered away from God's side. I didn't realize that I had the very best of everything right with me. Why in the world do we think there is something better elsewhere? The great thing about our loving Daddy is that He comes to find us when we wander and draws us back to His side. One thing is for sure, I won't be off wandering when it's time for that stroll toward heaven. Lord keep me at Your side the whole way! Amen!