The God of the IMPOSSIBLE
September 2012
"As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name anymore be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham for a father of many nations have I made thee." Genesis 17:4-5
"And God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her." Genesis 17:15-16
I've always been a person who dreams big. Some of you just like me have so many dreams that are so big that at times they seem impossible. Sometimes you feel that the dream that you have whether it be a career choice, a promotion, or just a scholarship is impossible because no one has ever had it, done it, or maybe to everyone else you are not exactly the most qualified. But today, I want to simply encourage you and remind you that you serve a great God! He is greater than any circumstance, issue, problem, opinion, situation, etc. He has awesome plans for you that will exceed expectations, touch many lives, and change this world for His glory! Today, I want to introduce you to (if you have not met Him yet) or for those of you who know Him, I want to remind you of the God of the IMPOSSIBLE! Our foundational scriptures today are coming from Genesis 17, but before we get into that chapter, let's do some background work.
In Genesis 16 we are introduced to Abram and Sarai, who are in their 90's. Their dream was to have children. Now in the natural, that's pretty much "impossible"....but we will see from their story that the God of the impossible makes things possible for those who believe! Now because having children seemed impossible, Sarai concocted this "great plan"(so she thought). Sarai did not truly trust God to make a way out of no way so she did what many of us do today......SHE TOOK MATTERS INTO HER OWN HANDS. She asked her hand servant, Hagar who was younger than her to sleep with Abram so that they could have a child. To make a long story short.....Hagar and Abram produced Ishmael.
Now let's stop here and do a self-check. Sometimes we get so impatient waiting on what God spoke over our lives to manifest that instead of walking by faith, we walk by sight. We try to figure it out and end up making a complete mess! Friend, the Bible never said for you to "figure it out," but it does say over and over again for you to TRUST GOD! So no matter what it looks like, how you feel, or what others say, make up your mind to TRUST GOD! Refuse to produce an Ishmael. A journey other than the one God has approved and preordained for you will take you far from His intended will for your life. If you don't know what move to make, talk with God! If you ask God for direction and open your heart to His design, then He will speak to you! Ishmaels are things that are not given or produced by God! They are things that you made happen because of fear, doubt, and unbelief. ISHMAELS ARE NEVER GOD'S BEST FOR YOUR LIFE! If your callings is indeed of God, IT WILL NOT EXPIRE! Trust, rest, and have faith in a faithful God and wait for the manifestation of your SUPERNATURAL GIFT......ISAAC!
Moving along to Genesis 17, we finally see where Abram decides to trust God in spite of his old age and the seemingly impossible situation. God said in Genesis 17: 1-2, "I am the Almighty God, walk before me and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly!" You see in spite of what it looked like, or how Abram felt, God remained faithful! Friend, God's "yes" is all the confidence you need to move out, sight unseen. You can rest assure that no matter how difficult the task may appear, God will NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE His own! When God has decreed "yes," the manifestation of your request will appear. God is a covenant-keeping God....He will never ever break His covenant with YOU! He is committed to YOU! Then God says in verse 4-5 "As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name anymore be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham for a father of many nations have I made thee." Now, let's stop here. We see that God first reminded Abram of His covenant and promise and then He changed his name. He then said, "a father of many nations HAVE I MADE THEE." Friend, God sees the end and He knows how your story will play out! He'll call you something even when there is no proof or manifestation that it will ever happen! He created you on purpose, for a purpose, and with a purpose and HE WILL ALWAYS SEE YOU OPERATING IN THAT PURPOSE! No, you may not have the "audience," the "degrees," or the "resources".......YET, but God sees you speaking to great crowds, He sees you as an ambassador for Him; proclaiming the Gospel to many. He sees you becoming a teacher, lawyer, doctor, dentist, nurse, engineer, accountant, business owner....etc., He sees you with all the resources you need to make an impact in someone's life.....HE SEES YOUR EXPECTED ENDING! (Jer. 29:11) Next, we see how God changed Abram's name to Abraham which means, "a father of a multitude." Now, can you imagine Abraham walking around telling people, "My name is Abraham....father of a multitude?" I'm sure people thought He was crazy, I'm sure people made fun of him and laughed and said that his dream was "impossible"......but Abraham had faith in a faithful God! He trusted Jesus! He knew that he served the God of the impossible.....the God that makes all things POSSIBLE! Can you relate? Has God placed a desire/dream in your heart....but there is no manifestation of it? Don't give up and don't be discouraged! God's plan and purpose for your life will manifest in due time! Friend, I love God so much and for so many reasons. One of my many reasons is the way He sees His children. He does not see us the way we are, He does not define us by our current situation, issue, or status....NOPE....He sees us through Jesus' blood! This means that He sees us living and walking in victory! He sees us doing what He has preordained and called us to do! He calls us blessed even when we don't "look" blessed or "feel" blessed! The world may look at us and say one thing, but thank God that the world's opinion has no weight! The world's opinion can never and will never change God's thoughts, plans, or opinions of His children. Stay encouraged and continue to speak what God has placed in your heart.....IT WILL COME TO PASS!
Now, God did not just change Abraham's name.....NOPE! He changed Sarai's name too! "And God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her." Genesis 17:15-16 I love how God works! Every time Sarah talked to Abraham and said his name, and every time Abraham said Sarah's name they were speaking what they believed God for into existence! "Death and life is in the power of the tongue!" Abraham and Sarah spoke life and life manifested in their lives! So then Abraham and Sarah did what most of us do while we are waiting for the manifestation of God's promises in our life. Abraham questioned God and Sarah doubted. Verse 17 says, "Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah that is ninety years old, bear?" Basically Abraham was saying, "God, are You sure?" In verse 19 God responds and says, "Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac..." Sarah in Genesis 18: 12 laughed and said, "...after I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old also!" But notice that even through all of the questions and doubts God did not change His mind! No amount of questions or doubts can stop the purpose of God on YOUR life! God then answered and said, "Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." Gen. 18:14 Let me ask you a question. What is your dream/desire? Now for those of you who think that your dream/desire is impossible.....IS THERE ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR GOD? If God could make a 90 something year old woman conceive what makes you think He can't make your dream/desire come to pass? He did it for Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 21:1-3.....what makes you think that God can't do it for you! Verse 1 says, "And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac."
Friend, faith is more than just words, it's a lifestyle! Notice that what God spoke over Abraham and Sarah did not happen overnight.....BUT IT HAPPENED! Your PURPOSE; God's plan for YOUR life will manifest! God is not a man that He should lie! He is a faithful God and He never disappoints His children! Trust Him......don't try to "fix it," or "make it happen!" Don't plan to produce an ISHMAEL! God said that if we would only trust in Him with all our heart and continually lean not to our own understanding but on Him, He would direct our path. If we involve, acknowledge, and invite Him in our lives, He promises to guide our footsteps on His path for our lives! Wait on your "Isaac" and have faith in a faithful God that your "Isaac" will manifest! Today, whatever your dream is....know that ALL things are possible through Christ! Not some things, but ALL THINGS! Dare to believe the God of the impossible! Be encouraged!
"And God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her." Genesis 17:15-16
I've always been a person who dreams big. Some of you just like me have so many dreams that are so big that at times they seem impossible. Sometimes you feel that the dream that you have whether it be a career choice, a promotion, or just a scholarship is impossible because no one has ever had it, done it, or maybe to everyone else you are not exactly the most qualified. But today, I want to simply encourage you and remind you that you serve a great God! He is greater than any circumstance, issue, problem, opinion, situation, etc. He has awesome plans for you that will exceed expectations, touch many lives, and change this world for His glory! Today, I want to introduce you to (if you have not met Him yet) or for those of you who know Him, I want to remind you of the God of the IMPOSSIBLE! Our foundational scriptures today are coming from Genesis 17, but before we get into that chapter, let's do some background work.
In Genesis 16 we are introduced to Abram and Sarai, who are in their 90's. Their dream was to have children. Now in the natural, that's pretty much "impossible"....but we will see from their story that the God of the impossible makes things possible for those who believe! Now because having children seemed impossible, Sarai concocted this "great plan"(so she thought). Sarai did not truly trust God to make a way out of no way so she did what many of us do today......SHE TOOK MATTERS INTO HER OWN HANDS. She asked her hand servant, Hagar who was younger than her to sleep with Abram so that they could have a child. To make a long story short.....Hagar and Abram produced Ishmael.
Now let's stop here and do a self-check. Sometimes we get so impatient waiting on what God spoke over our lives to manifest that instead of walking by faith, we walk by sight. We try to figure it out and end up making a complete mess! Friend, the Bible never said for you to "figure it out," but it does say over and over again for you to TRUST GOD! So no matter what it looks like, how you feel, or what others say, make up your mind to TRUST GOD! Refuse to produce an Ishmael. A journey other than the one God has approved and preordained for you will take you far from His intended will for your life. If you don't know what move to make, talk with God! If you ask God for direction and open your heart to His design, then He will speak to you! Ishmaels are things that are not given or produced by God! They are things that you made happen because of fear, doubt, and unbelief. ISHMAELS ARE NEVER GOD'S BEST FOR YOUR LIFE! If your callings is indeed of God, IT WILL NOT EXPIRE! Trust, rest, and have faith in a faithful God and wait for the manifestation of your SUPERNATURAL GIFT......ISAAC!
Moving along to Genesis 17, we finally see where Abram decides to trust God in spite of his old age and the seemingly impossible situation. God said in Genesis 17: 1-2, "I am the Almighty God, walk before me and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly!" You see in spite of what it looked like, or how Abram felt, God remained faithful! Friend, God's "yes" is all the confidence you need to move out, sight unseen. You can rest assure that no matter how difficult the task may appear, God will NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE His own! When God has decreed "yes," the manifestation of your request will appear. God is a covenant-keeping God....He will never ever break His covenant with YOU! He is committed to YOU! Then God says in verse 4-5 "As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name anymore be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham for a father of many nations have I made thee." Now, let's stop here. We see that God first reminded Abram of His covenant and promise and then He changed his name. He then said, "a father of many nations HAVE I MADE THEE." Friend, God sees the end and He knows how your story will play out! He'll call you something even when there is no proof or manifestation that it will ever happen! He created you on purpose, for a purpose, and with a purpose and HE WILL ALWAYS SEE YOU OPERATING IN THAT PURPOSE! No, you may not have the "audience," the "degrees," or the "resources".......YET, but God sees you speaking to great crowds, He sees you as an ambassador for Him; proclaiming the Gospel to many. He sees you becoming a teacher, lawyer, doctor, dentist, nurse, engineer, accountant, business owner....etc., He sees you with all the resources you need to make an impact in someone's life.....HE SEES YOUR EXPECTED ENDING! (Jer. 29:11) Next, we see how God changed Abram's name to Abraham which means, "a father of a multitude." Now, can you imagine Abraham walking around telling people, "My name is Abraham....father of a multitude?" I'm sure people thought He was crazy, I'm sure people made fun of him and laughed and said that his dream was "impossible"......but Abraham had faith in a faithful God! He trusted Jesus! He knew that he served the God of the impossible.....the God that makes all things POSSIBLE! Can you relate? Has God placed a desire/dream in your heart....but there is no manifestation of it? Don't give up and don't be discouraged! God's plan and purpose for your life will manifest in due time! Friend, I love God so much and for so many reasons. One of my many reasons is the way He sees His children. He does not see us the way we are, He does not define us by our current situation, issue, or status....NOPE....He sees us through Jesus' blood! This means that He sees us living and walking in victory! He sees us doing what He has preordained and called us to do! He calls us blessed even when we don't "look" blessed or "feel" blessed! The world may look at us and say one thing, but thank God that the world's opinion has no weight! The world's opinion can never and will never change God's thoughts, plans, or opinions of His children. Stay encouraged and continue to speak what God has placed in your heart.....IT WILL COME TO PASS!
Now, God did not just change Abraham's name.....NOPE! He changed Sarai's name too! "And God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her." Genesis 17:15-16 I love how God works! Every time Sarah talked to Abraham and said his name, and every time Abraham said Sarah's name they were speaking what they believed God for into existence! "Death and life is in the power of the tongue!" Abraham and Sarah spoke life and life manifested in their lives! So then Abraham and Sarah did what most of us do while we are waiting for the manifestation of God's promises in our life. Abraham questioned God and Sarah doubted. Verse 17 says, "Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah that is ninety years old, bear?" Basically Abraham was saying, "God, are You sure?" In verse 19 God responds and says, "Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac..." Sarah in Genesis 18: 12 laughed and said, "...after I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old also!" But notice that even through all of the questions and doubts God did not change His mind! No amount of questions or doubts can stop the purpose of God on YOUR life! God then answered and said, "Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." Gen. 18:14 Let me ask you a question. What is your dream/desire? Now for those of you who think that your dream/desire is impossible.....IS THERE ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR GOD? If God could make a 90 something year old woman conceive what makes you think He can't make your dream/desire come to pass? He did it for Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 21:1-3.....what makes you think that God can't do it for you! Verse 1 says, "And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac."
Friend, faith is more than just words, it's a lifestyle! Notice that what God spoke over Abraham and Sarah did not happen overnight.....BUT IT HAPPENED! Your PURPOSE; God's plan for YOUR life will manifest! God is not a man that He should lie! He is a faithful God and He never disappoints His children! Trust Him......don't try to "fix it," or "make it happen!" Don't plan to produce an ISHMAEL! God said that if we would only trust in Him with all our heart and continually lean not to our own understanding but on Him, He would direct our path. If we involve, acknowledge, and invite Him in our lives, He promises to guide our footsteps on His path for our lives! Wait on your "Isaac" and have faith in a faithful God that your "Isaac" will manifest! Today, whatever your dream is....know that ALL things are possible through Christ! Not some things, but ALL THINGS! Dare to believe the God of the impossible! Be encouraged!
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