DECISIONS OF A VISIONARY

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“The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.”

Genesis 13:14-16

Abraham had to take some disciplinary actions in his life. A particular one related to Lot, his nephew. When God called Abraham He intended for him to leave his family, but Abraham chose to take Lot with him. Lot’s name means veil. All the time Lot was with him, Abraham couldn’t see what God had for him and for his offspring. One day he had to spoke to Lot, “Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left” (Genesis 13:9). Lot’s decision was the worst one he could have chosen. The veil that characterized him clouded his understanding and he couldn’t see the destruction that was to come. On the other hand, God told Abraham that since the veil had already been taken from his eyes, he now could look up and see all the earth the Lord had prepared for him and his offspring.

You have to separate yourself from those who are like a ‘veil’ to you. Appearances can be deceiving. Lot was dazzled by the lush green color of the region. He thought he would have enough water and ample resources, so he chose the region of Sodom. During God’s judgment upon the city, Lot lost everything. While Abraham was with Lot, he could not see God’s purpose for his life and offspring, until with determination he moved away from his nephew.

Project the Vision. Abraham had to focus to see as far as he could, because the territory his offspring would possess depended on what he could see. We can see the size of our ministry in the spiritual realm, since everything God has reserved for His children is in the spiritual realm. Through faith we can bring all of these blessings from the spiritual realm into the natural.

Go all around the region. God told Abraham, “Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you” (Genesis 13:17). Abraham had to go through every territory with diligence, until he was certain that he had covered each centimeter of the region God had established for his offspring. What the Promised Land was to Abraham represents God’s promises to us in His Word. We must diligently learn them and meditate on them, just as Abraham went all around the earth to establish the promise of God.

Consecrate your life to God. “There he built an altar to the Lord” (Genesis 13:18). Each time God’s servants were facing a new challenge they built an altar to the Lord and presented their sacrificial offerings on that altar. This implied their determination to make a covenant with our God. The Apostle Paul said, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1).

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Charles Spurgeon shared a touching story of a celebrated literary man, Heinrich Heine, who was disabled by disease early on in his life. He had a weak heart, and had to endure life in a constant state of weariness. “In one of the art palaces of Paris there is the famous statue called the Venus of Milo, the bewitching goddess of pleasure, which, by the passing of time, had lost both her arms. However, she still preserves much of her supreme, enchanting beauty. At the feet of this statue Heine cast himself down in remorse and despair. He said, “There I lay a long time, and wept so passionately that a stone must have had compassion on me. The goddess looked down compassionately upon me, but she was helpless to console me. She looked as if she would say — ‘See you know that I have no arms, and that therefore I cannot help you?’”

It is useless to look to anything for spiritual help and comfort, except to the God who declared, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save” (Isaiah 59:1).

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“I made the decision to follow God and He removed the veil, gave me His promises and cleared my vision.”

Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Three.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

    • Old Testament: Isaiah 27-28; Proverbs 23:1-18
    • New Testament: Luke 22:39-46; Hebrews 6:13-20

DECISIONS OF A VISIONARY