Mensa Otabil - God's Provision

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Welcome to day number 25 of our 40 Days of Power. We trust God that He will continue to lead us, guide us, and honor His word in our lives. This week, we are looking at God’s promises or claiming God’s promises. Every promise of God has God backing it, and He stands behind His word. This week, we trust God that there will be testimonies of God’s promises fulfilled in our lives.

So, Genesis chapter 12, verses 2 and 3: «I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.» This is one of the most profound blessings that God declared to a human being, and the person that God is speaking to is Abraham. This is after God had taken Abraham from his homeland to form a new family with him, which would eventually lead to the redemption of mankind. God speaks to Abraham, who is a stranger among strangers, and guarantees him all these promises.

So, Abraham’s calling necessitated these promises of God. But these promises are not only for Abraham; they are for those whose faith in God has also made them, according to the Bible, children of Abraham. If a person is born again and Christ is in their heart, they are a child of Abraham by faith and partake in these blessings. So, what did God say to Abraham? First, He says, «I will bless you.» That means I will treat you favorably. In modern terms, you could say, «I will be nice to you.» So God says, «I’m going to bless you; I’m going to empower you; I’m going to treat you well.» That’s the first thing God says to Abraham-the promise of treating us well or favoring us.

Then, the second thing God says to Abraham is, «I will make you a great nation.» Now, this is to a man who is married but has no child, and God is speaking this marvelous promise to him: «I will make you a great nation.» I don’t know where you are in your life, but you can appropriate this blessing for yourself. Although there is no sign to show that you can become something great, God says, «I will make you a great nation,» and Abraham eventually became the father of many nations. So many nations came out of Abraham, both natural descendants and spiritual descendants. God honored His promise.

Then He says, «I will make your name great.» Each one of us desires that our name will be associated with something good, something positive-so that people remember our name and think of us nicely. God says, «That’s what I’m going to do for you, Abraham; I will make your name great.» Isn’t it amazing that thousands of years after Abraham has come and gone, we’re still talking about him? Why? God fulfilled His promise and made his name great. May God also make your name great.

Then God says, «I will make you a blessing.» In other words, out of what I have poured into you, you are also going to pour out to other people. Abraham became a blessing to people materially, but he has been a blessing to the entire world spiritually. He has become a blessing. When God favors us, He makes us an addition, a positive benefit to the world and not a negative. God promises that He will make you a blessing, and I pray that your life and your activities on earth will be a blessing to humanity.

Then God gives him two very powerful assurances for his safety: «I will bless those who bless you.» In other words, if people treat you well, it’s for their good. Then He says, «I will curse those who curse you.» In other words, if people treat you badly, it’s for their own harm. So people better treat you well; people better smile at you; people better handle you with care because God’s blessing comes upon them when they treat you well, and God’s anger comes if they don’t treat you well. This is a promise to Abraham directly, but it is the heritage of those who have come to faith in Christ Jesus. Finally, He says, «In you, all the families of the earth will be blessed.» So, something that God starts with Abraham is going to touch every nation of the world, and if you look at it, God fulfilled all these blessings in the lifetime of Abraham. The good thing is that even after Abraham had died, God continues to fulfill His promises because He is a faithful God, and may He fulfill His promise towards you.

Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, You are my provider. I receive Your blessing of favor and increase in every area of my life. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.