Mensa Otabil - Arise
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Welcome to day number 27 of our 40 days of power. We’re looking at Genesis chapter 13:16 and 17: «And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.» If you can see it, you can work towards it; and if you can work towards it, you will possess it. That’s the principle God is teaching Abraham: you have to see it, you have to work towards it, then you possess it.
Yesterday, we looked at God’s instruction for Abraham to see, and today He gives him further instructions beyond seeing. What do you do? God gives Abraham instructions on how to possess this territory that he lives in as a stranger, and there are two important things we are looking at. The first is that God said to Abraham, «Arise.» The word «arise» doesn’t necessarily mean that Abraham was sitting down; it means that Abraham, you have to be alert, you have to be awake, you have to be up to the task. It’s a very important statement because many times we are dull of response; we don’t respond quickly when God wants us to respond quickly. So, He’s telling Abraham to get to work-get to work about this. Arise! Don’t just wait and hope and think that things are going to come to you. You have to do something about this; you have to arise.
The word " arise» is used many times in the Scriptures, and many times when God calls people to do something, He tells them, «Arise! Be alert! Get up! Do something about it!» In ancient Israel, it was also used for battle. When a very strong warrior gets on the battlefield, they would say he has arisen; he has shown up on the battlefront. So, to arise means to show up. God wants you to show up. Don’t just see it; you have to show up. You have to arise.
Then He says to him, «Walk.» Walking creates movement; movement takes us from one place to another. If you look at the process, God says, «See it, but be alert and start walking in the land.» You have to move; you can’t stay in one place. He says, «You’re going to move in the land; you’re going to take one step at a time.» We don’t know how long it took Abraham to walk the length and width of all the land. That’s a lot of walking; it probably took him years. Every day when he took a step, he would claim that territory as his. He took a step and claimed that territory as his. I’m sure he went into lands that were unoccupied, virgin land, probably with wild animals living there. But every time he walked upon that land, he would say, «This is my portion; this is my place.»
Sometimes, for us to possess what God wants us to, we have to not only see it, but we also have to physically walk the land. You physically visit the place; you physically go and inspect the property, and then you trust God to give it to you. So, you see it and you walk in the land. God tied the fulfillment of His promise to Abraham to doing these two things: seeing it and walking the land. He says if you do these things — see it and walk in the land-then what you see and the land you walk into is what I’m going to give to you.
The promise of God is limited to Abraham’s ability to see it and his ability to walk on the land. If he walks only 10 meters, he gets 10 meters; if he walks 20 meters, he gets 20 meters; if he walks miles, he gets miles. So, if you really want God to give you a lot, you have to see a lot and you have to walk into a lot of it, and God will give you your own possession.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, today I step out boldly to take what You’ve given to me. By faith, I walk into my inheritance. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»