TOPIC: PROVOKING THE BLESSING VIA SACRIFICE
Scripture: Genesis 22: 17. That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Beloved,, I welcome you to another Moment of Daily Encounter! In continuation of how to provoke the blessing, we shall be looking at sacrifice as a way of provoking the blessing.
What are the various ways of provoking the blessing?
1. Honouring God’s servant or men with uncommon grace.
2. Honouring your parents both biological and spiritual parents (For details check previous edition)
3. Through sacrifice:
All through the Bible are men who provoked the blessing via sacrifice. Sacrifice is a powerful trigger for the release of the blessing.
Once it is deploy the blessing is bound to come out forcefully. You can not be sacrificial to God in your living and not end up in the blessing. Men who understands this tricks lived practically a sacrificial life.
Why is sacrifice a trigger for the release of the blessing?
1. It is because sacrifice has a voice! Every sacrifice here on earth has a voice that speaks in heaven.
2. Sacrifice acts like a ladder that connects a man to his blessing. That’s why until Abraham offered up his son Isaac he did not get a sworn blessing (Gen.22:16-17)
Example of men who are sacrificial to God and the blessing follows them;
1. Noah: He builded an altar and sacrifice to God the next thing we hear of Noah was the Lord blessed him.
Genesis 8: 20. And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Genesis 9: 1. And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
2. Abraham: He was instructed by God to sacrifice his only son Isaac(Gen.22:2). He obeyed promptly without delay to the point of pulling out the sword to kill his son as a sacrifice to God that was when God interrupted the whole thing and pronounce upon him a sworn blessing.
Genesis 22: 16. And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17. That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
3. David: He understood the language of sacrifice that was why when he was asked to raise an altar(2Sam.24:18), he said he will not give to God that which did not cost him (2Sam.24:24), which is the true definition of sacrifice.
It must cost you something. And David ended up a blessed man such that he single handedly finance the building of the first temple that is called Solomon temple (1Chro.29:1-5).
4. Solomon: He offered sacrifice to God and the next thing we hear was God appear to him in the dream asking him what does he want. From that dream encounter Solomon wake up a blessed man.
1 Kings 3: 4. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. 5. In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
1 Kings 3: 13. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. 15. And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
The list continue of men who were sacrificial to God and in turn God bless them. For the brevity of time and space I have chosen only these four.
Beloved, sacrifice is indeed a hand that can pull the trigger for the release of your desired blessing.
Remember this : Heaven is real, and hell is real. The vision of heaven you have received determines how you live each day of your life on earth. Give your heart to Jesus if you haven’t done so today.
Prayer points:
– Father thank you for your word to me today.
– Father help me to live a life of sacrificial giving towards God and humanity in Jesus name.
Prophetic Declaration:
– I prophesy the blessing that makes rich and that changes people story is coming upon you now in the name of Jesus.
– The voice of sacrifice which you have made shall be heard in the heavenly and rewarded accordingly in Jesus mighty name.
Assignment : Check your level of sacrifice for the kingdom of God, and see how you can improve on it today. And also pray for God to show you the sacrifice you need to pay to change your story this season.
From your brother Alex
God bless you.