Who’s Negotiating For Us?

Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” The LORD said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.” Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?” He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home. Genesis 18:23-33 NIV

Abraham was a great negotiator because God’s favor rested upon him.

Who has the favor of God resting upon them now–in a time of need to save millions of people–who is negotiating on their behalf? Good people obtain favor from the LORD, but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes. Proverbs 12:2 NIV

Just like The Lord was willing to negotiate with Abraham for the sake of the city of Sodom, He is willing to negotiate with us–through Holy Spirit–for the sake of the millions who risk losing their healthcare because of the wicked schemes devised by those on Capitol Hill and in the White House.

For the effectual, fervent prayers of the righteous avail much. The righteous and Holy Spirit can do marvelous things for the sake of people who know Him and even those who out of ignorance don’t acknowledge Him–not the ones who reject Him, but those who never knew Him.

A righteous, just God does not judge people by those things they never knew, only what they claim to know. So when someone claims to be a Christian, but does not live a Christian life, they set themselves up for judgment more so than the persons who never claimed to know God.

The “so-called” negotiator in the WH resorts to threats and bribes in order to have his way, but those who know God, who are humbled by His love and favor, know how to please God and never resort to “the pettiness of mere mortals” in order to get what they want. We are told in God’s Word by The Word, whatever we desire is ours when we ask for it in the name of Jesus.

I therefore urge the righteous to keep being righteous and humble and to keep seeking the favor of The Lord while praying on behalf of the millions who may know or may not know Him , but will benefit from having true negotiators, negotiating for all.

And while praying, keep calling upon those in Congress letting them know where you stand on all issues that impact your life and the lives of others. If we never let them know where we stand, they’ll never know if their decisions are truly based upon the wishes of those who put them in office.

There are millions of people counting upon Congress and we who know God, know the power of negotiation is not with those sitting in seats of authority in Washington, but the One who seats on the Seat of Authority in heaven. He can and will speak to the hearts of all who are willing to hear Him and obey.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we ask that if we have favor in Your sight, that You will grant our humble petitions to keep all Americans in a position to maintain their health coverage–at an affordable cost–so none will be without and can live all the days You have determined them to live. Speak to the hearts of those in position of authority and remind them they are there because of the will of the people and not by their own design. Thank You for using even the 32 who were willing to stand on their principles–knowing how to best serve the needs of their constituents. Amen!

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Heir To The Promises of Abraham!

“If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:29 NIV)

An heir is a person who has legal claims to an inheritance of someone’s property after they have died. In this passage, Paul reminds us that since we are descendants of Abraham by faith, we have a right to everything he was promised in Genesis 12:1-3.

God promised Abraham that He would make him a great nation, he would be blessed to be a blessing, anyone who blessed him would be blessed and anyone who cursed him would be cursed and in him, all the families of the earth would be blessed. These were the promises made to Abraham “if” he obeyed God.

Whenever we look at the promises in the bible, many of us wait to receive them and even get angry with God if we don’t, but we tend to overlook that one little word, “if” we do, then He will do.

To God–obedience is better than sacrifice. If we’re not willing to obey Him, in all things, then none of the rituals we do will matter.

We can sing praises until our vocal chords are stripped, but if we do not obey Him, it is all for nothing.

We can pray from the time we rise to the time we go to bed, but if we do not obey Him, we’ve wasted our time.

We can tell others how good God is and all about His love, but if we do not obey Him, our words are empty sounds.

Nothing we do–in an attempt to convince others about who God is and what they can have in Him–will matter if we do not obey Him.

When we are waiting to see promises fulfilled in our lives, perhaps we need to stop and think to make sure we are obeying Him. The promises are manifested out of our obedience to God, just like they were to Abraham, when he “got up out of the country of his people” and not before. If we are not descendants of Abraham by faith, we have no promises to claim from God.

Perhaps, it truly is time for reflection rather than frustration with God. It is we who hinder our ability to receive what God has for us, not Him. If we allow the enemy to influence what we think and do, then we can expect nothing from God.

So, who are you obeying and what do you expect to receive from it?

Faith In The Vision!

“Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6 NIV).

In the first verses of this chapter, Abram has a vision and in the vision, he has a conversation with God and is informed by God that he will have an heir, which was a concern to Abram. God told him that his descendants would number more than the stars in the sky. Once convinced of what God was saying, Abram believed what he saw and heard in the vision.

In the book of Hebrews, we know that Abraham was credited with acknowledged for his faith in God. Faith–having no ability to see what God has promised, but believing what God says and acting on it.

God has given many of us visions–with specific instructions as to how to see the vision come to pass.  The reason many do not see the vision come to pass is because they do nothing, but sit and wait for God to come down from heaven to get the job done. In order to see the visions become reality, we must exercise wisdom.  If we lack wisdom, we must ask Him, who gives it liberally.

If we know what we have seen and heard from God, our faith in Him, should be enough for us to move–get into action–to see the vision come to fruition. If we do nothing, God cannot do anything.  Faith–is not only believing what we do not see–but acting like we already have it.  Jesus said, when we pray, we should believe and receive and then we shall have it.

Now, we know that Abram and Sarah tried to help God’s vision come to pass when Sarah thought she was too old to be the recipient of the grace of God. And we know how that turned out–with envy and jealousy reigning in the aftermath. It took thirteen years for the son of promise to appear, after Abram helped God. When God gives us a vision and promises something will happen, it will happen in His timing, not ours. We prepare for the vision to come and with patience do we wait, working while we have opportunity to do so.

I am convinced that when we get busy–doing what must done in all those things that honor God, the vision will be fulfilled at a time we may least expect it, but it’s coming.

When we know what we have seen and heard, we have to trust God to get it done. Do your part in preparing to receive it. If God said it, it will come to pass. If we try to force things to happen, we could end up like Abram, having to wait that much longer to see it happen. If we start doubting God, we may never see His promises toward us fulfilled in our lives.

Lord, help us to be people of unerring faith–trusting totally in You, Your Word and the visions You give us. Help us to be people of integrity, honoring You in all that we do, so we will not bring shame to self, others, or You. In Jesus’ name, I pray and thank You, Amen!