In Genesis 15:1 God told Abram, "Do not be afraid... I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." Today, I believe the Lord wants to encourage us with this message.
God reminds us that He is present in our moments of contradiction, just as He was with Abram (Abraham). Even when our dreams and prophecies seem far from reality, and all we see are our limits, He says, "Bring those limitations to Me and I will turn them into a testimony of faith."
Here are four ways God turns your limitation into a testimony of faith:
1. God Initiates a New Encounter
When God is about to move, He often shows up unexpectedly. And then He draws our attention to an aspect of His nature or ability; it may even be one we have never considered deeply before. When this happens, we see Him in a new light and as the answer to our need!
In Genesis 15:1 the word great, translated in Hebrew (raba), means "to become numerous," "multiply," and "increase" (Strong's H7235).
Paul echoed this in a verse we know well: "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us..." (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV).
So, this word wasn't just for Abram; it also applies to you and me! It expresses the nature of God and who He wants to be for us: our breakthrough, our strength, and our ultimate reward.
2. God Begins a Conversation with You
In response, Abram questioned the Lord: "...'O Sovereign Lord, what good are all Your blessings when I don't even have a son?...'" (Genesis 15:2 NLT).
It's interesting (and very relatable) that Abram didn't immediately respond with enthusiasm. There was no "hallelujah" or "amen"! Instead, he expressed his grievance. And no wonder. God had promised earlier that Abram would become a great nation (Genesis 12:2), but so far, Abram had not seen evidence for this. (Photo via Flickr)
The Lord wants you to know there is power in your honest questions, and He desires to answer them. They are not a denial of faith, but rather a step towards it.
Later, the Lord told Abram, "...'No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir'" (Genesis 15:4 NLT).
While praying for someone recently, I saw their life experiences and dreams poured out before the Lord in a gesture of surrender. It was like emptying a backpack of all they had carried. Then I saw Jesus reach into this pile and pull out a snow globe.
It appeared to be a souvenir from the past that had been tucked away. It may have represented a dream once held—a future they desired. The Lord then shook it, and as He did, the glittery substance was stirred up. Suddenly the glass broke, and its abundance exploded into reality, out into the atmosphere.
I believe this picture is for many of us! The Lord wants us to know abundance is on the inside of us. And even though it has been contained, the potential is there. It's a principle in God: first comes the shaking and then comes the glory! So if you have experienced instability lately, be encouraged. Remember what Jesus said: "...pressed down, shaken together, running over..." (Luke 6:38 ESV). There's a divine order in the giving, the pressing, the shaking, and the overflow.
3. God Initiates a New Vision
"Then He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward Heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.'" (Genesis 15:5 NKJV)
Like Abram, some of us may have a legacy problem. We want to leave our mark. Our call is to influence, but we face challenges, obstacles, and impossibilities. We have a dream for our family, God-given dreams of influence, and answers to prayer requests that we are awaiting on. He wants us to see as He does, beyond our limits; to see a vision of an abundant life; but more than that, to see our abundant God. (Photo via Unsplash)
One of our pastors shared this recently: "God wants to take us outside the walls of our limitations, to perceive His abundance." And it struck me: God took Abram outside of the tent.
4. God Illuminates Your Understanding
"And he [Abram] believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness." (Genesis 15:6 NKJV, brackets mine)
Abram heard, saw, and believed. And that faith was so valuable that God accounted it—"calculated" and "reckoned" it—for righteousness (Strong's H2803).
Remember, God said, "...I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward" (Genesis 15:1). In Hebrew, the word reward (sakar) means "payment of contract," "wages," "salary," "compensation," "benefit," and "hire" (Strong's H7939).
Now as you have believed, the Lord says, "I have calculated it up: nothing is left owing. And all that benefit, all of My abundance that you see, is now yours."
In Christ, there is no barrier, and the abundance of God, that is in God, flows freely to us.
"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19 NKJV)
The Master Key to Faith
The writer to the Hebrews later wrote, "By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised" (Hebrews 11:11 NKJV).
How did the miracle happen? Because she judged Him faithful who had promised.
This is the key to faith!
His response to our questions is not "Here is your breakthrough," but rather, "Behold Me and gaze upon My ability. I am your breakthrough and all you need. See Me—I am your reward."
Eventually, we realize that faith comes not in an event or outcome, but in a Person—in our abundant God and loving Father.
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Helen Calder
Enliven Ministries
Email:Â helen@enlivenpublishing.com
Website:Â www.enlivenpublishing.com
Helen Calder is a prophetic minister and writer, and founder of Enliven Ministries, in the David McCracken Ministries family. Helen has a unique gift of equipping in the areas of prophetic ministry, discernment and prayer. She is known for Enliven Blog, an online prophetic training and mentoring resource that reaches thousands of people globally. Helen and Malcolm have been married for 37 years and are at home in Planetshakers Church, Melbourne, Australia.
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