Genesis Ch. 17 (2)

Abba Father, thank you for Your Word. Thank you that You are who You say You are. Thank you that You are not a man that You lie nor a son of man that You change Your mind. As you said it, indeed it shall be for Your word prospers wherever You send it. We thank you today that there is an awakening in the hearts of Your sons and daughters and Your Word that You sent forth is prospering and bearing a plentiful harvest in their lives for the glory of Your Kingdom in the name of Jesus, Amen. Thank you LORD.

Lead Scripture Genesis 17:16-18 (NKJV)

16."And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she will be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her."

17."Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"

18.Then Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!

Today's post is a continuation of Genesis chapter 17. In the previous post, we saw how God immediately changed Abram's name to Abraham and the circumcision of every male child was made between them as a sign of the covenant. We also looked at how we are children of Abraham by faith as God no longer requires a covenant of a physical circumcision of the flesh but rather a circumcision of the heart which happens when you receive Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour of your life.

Preceding today's lead Scriptures, we also see God changed Sarai's (my princess) name to Sarah (princess) as seen in Genesis 17:15 (AMP). The LORD God then proceeds to tell Abraham how Sarah shall be blessed with a son but he laughed in his heart and wondered how both of them could bear a child considering their age.

It is important to note the difference between the words that Abraham said in his heart and the words that he spoke with his mouth as seen above in v.17 and v.18. We see God first addressed what was in Abraham's heart before He addressed the words he spoke with his mouth because He always looks at our hearts and in Genesis 17:19 (NKJV), the response that God gave Abraham was based on the meditation of his heart - "Then God said, "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac, I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him."

Nevertheless, God also granted him the request of his lips by promising to bless and multiply Ishmael into a great nation (Genesis 17:20) despite the promise of God that would only manifest through Abraham and Sarah's biological child.

Friend, God is particular about blood lines and lineages when it comes to partaking of His blessings and promises. Ultimately, this is the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In Matthew 1:1-17, is a clear description of the genaology of Jesus Christ that highlights to us the human nature of Jesus Christ. As much as Jesus Christ was fully God, His human nature is the reason we can consider Him a compassionate High Priest over every challenge in this life because He experienced what it means to be in the human flesh and yet did not sin (Hebrews 4:15-16).

To reinforce Christ's human nature, 2 John 1:7 reads, "For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist."

What a blessing it is for you and I to be a part of the covenant that God made with Abraham and Sarah because of what Jesus Christ did for you and I on the cross.

I'll end with this Word found in Galatians 3:16 (NLT)

"God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn't say "to his children," as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says "to his child"- and that, of course, means Christ."

AMEN. Thank you Father for deeming us worthy to be partakers of Your promises in Christ.

Invitation to salvation: If you would like to experience these blessings and the circumcision of the heart that comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God - I invite you to make this confession:

"I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that; Jesus Christ, the Son of God came in a human body to die for my sins so that I could have a new life where I am dead to sin and alive to God. I repent of my past sins and enter the Kingdom of light where I choose relationship with Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and with God as my loving Father today and forever." AMEN.

Congratulations, by grace you are saved and are now a new creation in Christ Jesus. The old life has passed away and you have received the free gift of salvation into your life (2 Corinthians 5:17) where you get to freely access everything I've shared in this post. To the glory of the Almighty God. Amen.

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