Isaiah 61:5-7 Strangers shallstand and tend your flocks; foreignerss h a l l b e y o u r p l o w m e n a n dvinedressers; 6 but you shall be calledthe priests of the LORD ; they shallspeak of you as the ministers of ourGod; you shall eat the wealth of thenations, and in their glory you shallboast. Instead of your shame there shall bea double portion; instead of dishonorthey shall rejoice in their lot; thereforein their land they shall possess adouble portion; they shall haveeverlasting joy.The Lord predestined us in this season of manytrials and scarcity to show His faithfulness andgoodness. The way to enter that reality is by faith.God is not moved by complaints, murmuring, self-pity, or grumbling. The Lord is pleased by our faithand trust.Over the next few weeks, your faith will be tested,challenged and elevated to a new level so that youcan experience a higher level of favor. Through thatexperience, you will boldly testify to people aroundyou that your God is good.Abundance in Times of CrisisGenesis 26:1-14God’s Word shows us that there are times offamine, yet God does not send or initiate famine. Ifthat were the case, it would mean that in heaventhere would be famine, but we know that in heaventhere is abundance. Therefore, famine does notcome from the Lord, although He certainly uses timesof famine to demonstrate His unlimited resourcesand expose human limitations.We are IssacsGalatians 3:7 (ESV) “Know then that it isthose of faith who are the sons ofAbraham.”Galatians 3:29 (ESV) And if you areChrist’s, then you are Abraham’soffspring, heirs according to promise.Isaac was someone who prospered in the midstof a time of famine. There was no rain, and the seedwithered on the ground, yet he sowed and reaped ahundredfold even in a time of crisis.Romans 4:16 (ESV) 16 That is why itdepends on faith, in order that thepromise may rest on grace and beguaranteed to all his offspring—notonly to the adherent of the law but alsoto the one who shares the faith ofAbraham, who is the father of us all,Isaac is a type of the New Covenant believer. Hedidn’t conquer anything but received everythingfrom his father. He is the symbol of the heir. All thingswere prepared for him simply because he was a son.Today, we have been made children of Abraham.We are in Christ and, therefore, are the true seed ofAbraham.Romans 8:17 (ESV) “And if children,then heirs—heirs of God and fellowheirs with Christ, provided we sufferwith him [sufferings of Christ meansthe sufferings of the heirs] in order thatwe may also be glorified with him.”We are heirs to the promise. In this way, we arelike Isaac and can have the same blessings that heexperienced because we are also children ofAbraham.In this text, we find Isaac, the heir to the promise,facing famine but prospering enormously even invery difficult times. Let’s see what spiritual principlesenabled him to overcome that time of crisis.Expect the transfer of wealth.The inheritance is promised to us, even thoughwe do not yet possess it.God told Isaac that he shouldn’t go down toEgypt but should stay in the land because it wouldbe his. However, at that time, Abimelech was the kingof Gerar, where Isaac lived. This means that, at somepoint, God would transfer possession of that landwith all its wealth to Isaac and his descendants.The transfer of wealth occurs many times in theBible and will happen again in our day. After thePassover night in Egypt, God transferred Egypt'swealth to Israel.Genesis 26:4 (ESV) I will multiply youroffspring as the stars of heaven andwill give to your offspring all theselands. And in your offspring all thenations of the earth shall be blessed,But the Lord never does anything unfairly orillegally. He doesn’t steal from some people to giveto others. God is not Robin Hood. How can Hetransfer wealth?Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s andthe fullness thereof, the world andthose who dwell therein.”Suppose you have a house and you’ve beenaway for a long time. When you come back, you findthat people have broken into it. You own the house,but others have invaded it, so you can go to court toget it back. God owns the land, but others have takenpossession of it, yet God is still the owner.Wealth is transferred during times of famine.Remember that God made Joseph second inPharaoh’s court during a time of scarcity. One touchof God's favor can catapult you to a new level ofwelfare and prosperity. Be found faithful in the little.Don’t Go Down to EgyptThe Lord told Isaac that he should stay in the landand not go down to Egypt.Genesis 26:2 (ESV) And the LORDappeared to him and said, “Do not godown to Egypt; dwell in the land ofwhich I shall tell you.God can only bless us if we stay in the rightposition. What is the meaning of Egypt?Deuteronomy 11:10-12 (ESV) 0 For theland that you are entering to takepossession of it is not like the land ofEgypt, from which you have come,where you sowed your seed andirrigated it, like a garden of vegetables.11 But the land that you are goingover to possess is a land of hills andvalleys, which drinks water by therain from heaven, 12 a land that theLORD your God cares for. The eyes ofthe LORD your God are always upon it,from the beginning of the year to theend of the year.Egypt is a symbol of natural life that does notdepend on God. In Egypt, people didn’t have todepend on rain from the sky; they relied on naturalresources.They could depend on their own resources. InEgypt, they are in control of the situation; they canplant with their feet and rely only on their own efforts.When we depend on natural resources, we lookdown, searching for something to rely on. In Egypt,we walk by sight, not by faith.Colossians 3:2 (ESV) “Set your mindson things that are above, not on thingsthat are on earth.”However, in Deuteronomy, we read that thepromised land depends on rain from heaven. InEgypt, people looked to the ground while theysowed, but in Israel, they looked to the sky to wait forGod’s rain. This makes us walk by faith, not by sight.Blessing happens when we depend on God.In the land of promises, we must depend on therain coming from heaven. Isaac and then the peopleof Israel knew that nothing could bear fruit if the raindidn’t come. God loves it when we live by faith in Hisgrace. However, we must stop looking at the groundand look to heaven.That makes me remember when God told Noahto build the ark. God instructed him to make onlyone window, which should be on the top of the ark.Why were there no windows around? Because Goddoesn’t want us to look at the circumstances. Hedidn’t want Noah and his family to look at the deathand destruction around them but to keep their eyesfixed on heaven.When the Lord multiplied the loaves and fishes,He didn’t look at the size of the crowd or the limitedresources. The disciples did, but not Him. He lookedup to heaven and gave thanks. When we look up, weexperience provision. Those who walk in the flesh arealways looking for something they can pick up,something they can do, or something they can leanon. Those who depend on God may feel vulnerable,but they are the ones who experience the blessingbecause only they exercise faith.Don’t go to Egypt. Don’t walk by sight. Don’t lookfor ways not to depend on God. A worldly personhas a point of view anchored on natural things. This isthe Egyptian person.Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV) “Do not lay upfor yourselves treasures on earth,where moth and rust destroy andwhere thieves break in and steal, butlay up for yourselves treasures inheaven, where neither moth nor rustdestroys and where thieves do notbreak in and steal. For where yourtreasure is, there your heart will bealso.”If you walk by sight, you’ll never find anythingaround you that satisfies your expectations andgives you security. Egypt is a biblical type andsymbolizes a natural life that focuses only on thetemporal. However, if we walk by faith, we look towhat is invisible and eternal.That is the very reason for the discontentment inlife. Your wife is not enough for him. Her husband isalways short of what would be the man she isconvinced she deserves. And about your pastor, yourchurch? Dissatisfied, never content. Natural person.Stop looking at your family with natural eyes.People are channels of God's purpose in your life.If you immigrated to this nation, how manypeople keep looking with comparison eyes, naturaleyes to the USA? You keep planning to return to yourhometown, projecting that things have improvedthere. To your surprise, you find out it may be evenworse. These are the people I call "Nationless"people.What is the problem of people who arediscontent? They are looking in the wrong direction.Stop to look to the ground, as the Egyptians, look tothe heavens where your provision comes from.It is time to do like the Psalmist.Psalms 121:1-2 (ESV) I lift up my eyesto the hills. From where does my helpcome? 2 My help comes from theLORD, who made heaven and earth.We Are Blessed Despite Our FaultsEvery time the Bible mentions the wife of a manof God, it says that she was beautiful. Rebekah wasalso a very beautiful woman. This is certainly part ofthe heritage of Abraham’s children.Now we come to an embarrassing situation. Isaaclied. Some say that when you cause the problemyourself, God won’t help you. This is a question weneed to have an answer to because there are manyproblems that we cause ourselves.Psalm 23:1-4 (ESV): The LORD is myshepherd; I shall not want. He makesme lie down in green pastures. Heleads me beside still waters. Herestores my soul. He leads me in pathsof righteousness for his name’s sake.Even though I walk through the valleyof the shadow of death, I will fear noevil, for you are with me; your rod andyour staff, they comfort me..God doesn’t say, “What a shame! You’ve walkedin your own ways and entered the valley of theshadow. Now turn around and get out of there!” Hedoesn’t look after the ninety-nine and let the stray goastray; instead, He goes in search of the lost one.God doesn’t abandon us when we mess things up;He stays with us.Isaac lied, and that was certainly wrong, but Godstill delivered him. Abimelech could have killed himto take Rebekah, but instead, he protected themboth. We’re often confused when God delivers useven though we’re the ones who made the mess, butthat’s God’s grace; His blessing is precisely for thosewho don’t deserve it.In Ruth 1, we read that Naomi and Elimelech leftBethlehem, which means “house of bread,” and wentto a distant land, relying on their own resources. Inthe end, she lost her husband and her two sons butlearned that there was bread in Bethlehem. Whenthey returned to Bethlehem, Ruth married the richestman in the place. God can change our conditioneven when we mess things up with our own hands.Even when you have caused your own problems,if you cry out to God, He will come to your rescueA great example of this truth is the prodigal son.(Luke 15:13-14). He left home and squandered all theinheritance he had received. When he losteverything, famine came upon the land. It was thenthat he came to his senses and decided to return tohis father’s house. Hunger makes people come totheir senses and realize that they need God. Crisis isuseful because it can bring people to their senses, ashappened with the prodigal son.(Luke 15:14). And when he had spent everything,a severe famine arose in that country, and he beganto be in needHowever, in his father’s house, there was plenty ofbread. Some people think that true prosperity is outthere, but there is only abundance in God’s house.The fact that there was a fattened calf was a sign thatthere were abundant resources.When the prodigal son returned home, his fatherdidn’t mention the money that had been lost orwasted;Luke 15:23 (ESV) And bring thefattened calf and kill it, and let us eatand celebrate.The parable says that the son returned becausethere was a great famine, but in the father’s house,there were calves that had been fattened.Which farmer fattened a cow in famine anddrought? Only the rich ones have enough storage tofeed them.(Haggai 2:8, ESV) The silver is mine,and the gold is mine, declares the Lordof hosts.”There may be hunger outside, but there willalways be supply in God’s house.Agreement is the foundation ofblessingsMost women's behavior toward marriagerelationships has been consistent. You can ignore it ifyou disagree, but it is a matter of their nature sincethe time of Eve. Eve’s daughters have not changedmuch.What do you think Rebekah felt when Isaac saidto her, “You’re very beautiful, but the men here mightwant to kill me to keep you, so tell them you’re mysister”? Imagine how she must have felt. Perhaps shethought, “You coward, I see where I’ve tied myfuture.” The man couldn’t even protect her. If Isaachad said, “You’re beautiful, I love you so much that Iwould die for you, and no one will touch you.”The first mention of help and rescue in the Bibleis when God created a woman to be a helper(Genesis 2:18). Your spouse is not an obstacle or anadversary; instead, God gave you a partner to beyour helper. However, this does not mean yourspouse should silently agree with everything.Instead, Isaac asked her to say she was his sister. Iwonder if Rebekah felt some resentment. It’s likely, asmost women in that situation would have.However, something significant happened. Itseems that Isaac has conquered her trust. Isaacapproached her gently, and soon, the two were inlove. It was this love that saved their lives. Abimelechwouldn't have discovered the lie if they hadn’t lovedeach other and strengthened their bond. Theirdecision to fix their marriage made all the difference.If you and your spouse aren’t in agreement orexperiencing grace and favor together within yourhome, the blessing is withheld. This isn’t becauseGod isn’t gracious but because the blessingdepends on agreement.God blessed Isaac when he resolved the problemsurrounding his marriage. Similarly, we are blessedwhen we resolve the issues within our marriages. Thedevil seeks to destroy marriage because he knowsthat when there is unity of heart, thought, andpurpose, whatever we bind on earth will be bound inheaven.Matthew 18:18-19 (ESV) Truly, I say toyou, whatever you bind on earth shallbe bound in heaven, and whatever youloose on earth shall be loosed inheaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two ofyou agree on earth about anythingthey ask, it will be done for them by myFather in heaven.You both must agree on projects, plans and theunderstanding that neither of you is the enemy.Everything should be resolved through prayer onbended knee.Prayer is what will resolve the issue. And in thatprayer, agree: “Your will be done, not mine as a wife,not mine as a husband, but Your will.” When there isagreement that it is God’s will that you both desire, aladder is placed in your room, and the angels of Godwill ascend and descend, manifesting the glory ofGod.I’m not suggesting that you or your spouse willbecome perfect or that everything will be flawless.I’m not saying your home will become an endlessbliss. Challenges will still arise. Yet, you will haveagreed on one crucial thing: those challenges will beovercome on your knees in prayer. You both will liftyour eyes to heaven. That frees you from being likethe world, focused on earthly things, and believingthe problem lies with your spouse. It does not; yourbattle is against the devil. But when you praytogether, the angels rise and fight on your behalf.Sow in a time of famine.Isaac also prospered because he sowed in theland during famine. The land was dry and lifeless, butbecause of God’s blessing, he reaped a hundredfold.In times of drought, the price of commoditiesincreases significantly, and it was during such a timethat Isaac experienced a super-harvest. He harvestedthe equivalent of a century’s worth in one year.Isaac went out with his seed, watching the dustrise from the dry land, yet he sowed in faith, trustingthat the Lord would prosper him. In that year offamine, he reaped a hundred times more.Remember, we are Abraham’s children, and whenthe children of faith sow on dry land, they reap ahundredfold. God’s blessing is on you because ofJesus. No matter how educated, skilled, or intelligentyou are, as long as the blessing is upon you,prosperity will come.When Joseph entered Potiphar’s house, Godblessed Potiphar because of Joseph.Many people approach sowing with the mindset,This defies the logic of agronomy, but in spiritualsowing, remember this: sow, even if you think theplace is dry; sow even in times of crisis. Crisis periodsmay not seem appropriate for sowing, but considerIsaac’s situation. I wonder if he had any advisors withbasic knowledge of agronomy who might have toldhim that drought is not the time to plant and that it’swiser to wait for rain. Yet, Isaac’s actionsdemonstrated his faith. God told him, “Stay in theland; don’t go to Egypt. This is where I’m going tobless you.” He believed, and instead of looking toEgypt, he focused on heaven. He continued sowingwhile others perhaps laughed at him.But he kept sowing, and when everyone leastexpected it, the sky thundered down on Isaac. Healone had sown, but his harvest wasn’t natural—it wassupernatural. He reaped a hundredfold.If you sow, even in a barren place, and believethat the blessing is on your life, you will reap ahundredfold.God’s blessing is all we need. The world valuesskill and seeks luck, but the children of Abrahamhave God’s blessing on their lives.Didn’t Isaac know there was a famine? How couldhe plant anyway? Simply because he was underGod’s blessing.God’s will is for our prosperity. Do not criticizeprosperity of others while wishing it for yourself. Theclassic NKJV says,Psalms 35:27 (NKJV): Let them shoutfor joy and be glad, Who favor myrighteous cause; And let them saycontinually, “Let the LORD bemagnified, Who has pleasure in theprosperity of His servant.”God delights in His children’s prosperity, so don’tbe ashamed to seek the best schools for yourchildren. Do apologize for desiring your own houseand car.Isaiah 1:19, ESV“If you are willing andobedient, you shall eat the good of theland.”Sowing and reaping is God’s method of makingus prosper. When farmers sow, they must depend onGod to send the rain and make the seed come alivein the soil.Some might wonder, “Pastor, how can I sow whenI don’t even have enough for myself?” A spiritualprinciple is at work here: to sow, you obviously needseed.Before you sow, you must experience God’sgrace to reap what you never sowed. You becomequalified to be a sower only once you realize thateverything you have has been given to yougraciously, without merit.In other words, you need a first seed to startplanting. And where will this seed come from? It willbe given to you freely by God. This first seed is notthe fruit of sowing but the simple expression ofGod’s grace.No one really gives anything to God; they onlygive back what they have received because no onecan have anything unless it is given to them fromheaven (John 3:27).However, once you have experienced the graceof receiving the seed, you need to sow it. This sowingis already your reward because it is more blessed togive than to receive (Acts 20:35). Don’t turn yoursowing into a form of bargaining with God.When you plant and reap, you set aside a portionas seed, and the rest is for your sustenance. You thensow again with the portion set aside, and this createsa cycle of blessing in your life.2 Corinthians 9:10 (ESV) 10 He whosupplies seed to the sower and breadfor food will supply and multiply yourseed for sowing and increase theharvest of your righteousness.We don’t honestly give anything to God; we onlyreturn what we have received. You give back whatyou have received first.Perhaps you don’t see the seed right now, but theSpirit will reveal it to you because the Lord is faithful.God provides the seed, and that seed is theinstrument, the channel through which God’sprosperity flows into your life.We Are Blessed Despite PersecutionThe inevitable result of prosperity is that peoplewill envy us. This envy will eventually turn intopersecution.The Lord Jesus promised that anyone who gaveup something for the love of Him and the gospelwould receive a hundredfold. This was the samemeasure with which Isaac was blessed.Jesus said,Mark 10:29-30 (ESV) 29 Jesus said,“Truly, I say to you, there is no one whohas left house or brothers or sisters ormother or father or children or lands,for my sake and for the gospel, 30 whowill not receive a hundredfold now inthis time, houses and brothers andsisters and mothers and children andlands, with persecutions, and in theage to come eternal life.The Lord doesn’t say we should abandon ourfathers, mothers, and children. Instead, He explainsthat when we renounce something for His sake, wewill receive a hundred times more. Every time I traveland need to be away from my wife and daughters,when I return, I am given back a hundredfold.Anything we sacrifice for the Lord’s sake and for thesake of the gospel will be returned to us multiplied ahundredfold.The Lord doesn’t say that the reward will comeonly in heaven; He clearly states that it will be in thepresent. He does not promise that we will receive ahundred spouses, as the promise does not apply tomarriage. God’s will is not for us to renounce marriage but rather for us to serve the Lord together as acouple.However, we will receive a hundred times morehouses and fields than we have sacrificed, sowing forthe sake of the Lord and His house. Yet, along withthis prosperity, we will also face somethingunavoidable: persecution. Like Isaac, those whoprosper will be persecuted. But we should not bediscouraged because, in the end, the Lord promisesthat we can have the best of this world and the worldto come.The same God who blessed Isaac will also blessyou. We need to sow with an attitude of faith,believing that we are in God’s favor because, inChrist, we are children of Abraham.

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