Miracle and Blessing, by Minister Gabriel Adunmade
Text: Gen 12:1-9
Every Christian in life wants to experience miracle and enjoy blessing.
More often than not we sing song like I am serving The Lord of miracle.
Abraham blessing are mine Hallelujah, Abraham blessing are mine.
When we are asked to pray for God’s blessing and miracle, we pray it with all zeal, in fact, we take it more seriously than when we are asked to pray for the grace to live holy and sanctify life unto God.
Many of us can recite Deut 28 vs 3-14, and these blessing shall come and overtake you, blessing shall thou be in the city, and blessing are thou in the field, blessing shall be fruit of thy body and thy ground etc.
Consciously or unconsciously we ignore verses 1-2; and it shall come to pass, if thou shall diligently hearken unto the voice of The Lord thy God, to observe and to do which I command thee this day etc.
We have attended countless prayer meetings for God’s blessing and many seminars on prosperity and financial break through.
Despite all these, the story is still the same to many of us. (If your case is like that, today at the end of this message, the story will change in IJN.)
What is blessing and what is miracle?
English dictionary even describes Blessing as favour or gift bestowed by God upon a man OR invoking of God’s favour upon a man.
Miracle on the other hand is describes as an effect or extra ordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural power. It is ascribed to a supernatural cause.
I want to add that both can come from God or Devil. It all depends on who you seek, but the after effect of both differs, because the end always justifies the means.
One will eventually turn to sorrow while the other will lead to everlasting peace, joy and stability. For instance, the magician also performs miracle, Remember Moses and Pharaoh magician (both dropped their rods and they became serpent).
‘Blessing’ can come through devil as well
Act 16 vs 16 (NLT) One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. (Acts of the Apostles 16:16 NLT)
The truth is that before Satan can give you anything informs of blessing, be rest assured that he is going to get back in return something more precious and valuable than what he is giving out as blessing. It is only the blessing of God that makeshift one rich without adding sorrow to it. Sometimes what we call blessing is just temporary gratification.
It is not uncommon to see unbeliever ‘prospering’ or being wealthy, but it is just but for a moment. Mark 8 vs 36 what shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world, but loses his soul, what shall he give in exchange for his soul.
Now the question is what do we have to do to obtain miracle and blessing from God?
And more importantly, what do we have to do to RETAIN, MAINTAIN and SUSTAIN it? (So as not to be like Ephraim the second born of Joseph who lost his blessing due to careless living. (Leave him alone, he has joined himself among the idols)
As I have said earlier on , blessing and miracle are not exactly the same , thou both are good and we all pray to experience both,
But I want to say that miracle is for those who are stranded while blessing are for those who know how to live.
What do I mean, let us check the bible.
LK 8: 43-48 – The woman with the issue of blood. She has come to the end of the road.
LK 7: 11-15 – The widow of Nain. No husband and the only child he has her only hope was lost. MK 10: 46-52 – The blind Bartimeaus (I believe his surname is not Blindness).
JOHN 11:17 – Lazarus was already laid in grave 4days, stinking before Jesus got there. His people were stranded.
2 kings 4:1-6 the prophet’s wife versus Elisha whose husband died and the only inheritance he left for her was debt. The creditors were about taking her children away.
All what these people received were miracle, the people concern were stranded, they did not know what to do. All human assistance have been explored, especially the woman with issue of blood for 12 yrs.
Now, let see what blessings are.
In Gen 12vs 1-3, Here Abraham was not stranded, in fact, he was happy and comfortable with his father Terah, enjoying worshipping their idols,
But somehow, God singled him out for blessing. (As God will single someone out for blessing today IJN).
Solomon was another person who God singled out for blessing in 2 Chronicle 1 vs 7-12.
Isaac was another person who was exceedingly great in blessing.
What did they do that we too have to do if we are to be greatly blessed and experience miracle
Prov 26: 2; curse causeless shall not come. There must be a reason before God can pronounce curse on something be animate or inanimate object. (Remember the fig tree; Jesus was expecting fruit on it)
What we have to do:
1. Total obedience, honesty and faithfulness.
When we get home, let us go and read Gen 22:1-18 where God tested the faithfulness and obedience of Abraham.
Many of us today are deceiving ourselves thinking we are serving God. Don’t be deceived, God can’t be mocked, whatever a man sow, so shall he reap (including the one sow in closet)
2. Personal relationship with God. To enjoy blessing and miracle, our relationship with God must be cordial; it must go beyond meeting him in church on Sunday basis, but daily basis and hourly basis. Know God personally yourself without going to him through somebody all the time except of course Jesus Christ.
Blind Bartimeaus knew details about Jesus, traced Him to His generation. Jesus son of David.
Hannah was another woman who was very smart as to how to obtain miracle from God. She went to the temple by herself. She did not even engage Prophet Eli, one would have expected her to say, man of God help me to pray to God for child. No she knew she can contact God by herself. Eli even misunderstood her for drunkenness. Put away thy wine from thee, how long will thou be drunken. 1 Sam 1 vs14
The relationship between God and Abraham was so cordial to the extent that God call him is friend. God intimacy with David was so closed that God called him a man after his heart.
Corporate prayer is very good and I appreciate that, the bible even say that we should not forsake the assembly of one another. (Heb 10:25)
Iron even sharpens iron. But do you know that the one you pray alone with God in your closet is equally effective if not even more. Sit God down, talk to Him as friend talk to friend.
3. If you are to experience God’s blessing and miracle, you must learn how to cut off unfruitful relationship. Prov13 vs 20: He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. (Proverbs 13:20 KJV)
You are not permitted to choose your family, you may have to endure them, and however, if you go to field with Cain, he will kill you. Relationship that constantly generates stife among you may need to be cut off if you are to enjoy God’s blessing and miracle.
Remember Abraham and Lot in Gen 13: 5-7, 11, 14-18, not until Abraham separated from Lot before God’s promise of blessing became fully evidence in his life.
You may want to ask, how I know the relationship to stick to and the one to cut off. It is very simple. All relationship will have impact in your life, good or bad, positive or negative, add value to you or devalue you. Therefore, do a very careful assessment before you consider anyone good enough to be a close friend, and don’t stop there, continue to assess them to decide whether to retain them or drop them, because people change (Amos 3:3).
There are some people who are going nowhere, if you join them; you may soon end up being like them. Just say bye bye and you will soon begin to enjoy God’s manifold blessing.
PRAYERS
1. Oh Lord, grant me the grace to be totally dedicated and committed to you so as to enjoy your manifold blessing IJN
2. Oh Lord, Any relationship, that is preventing me, from enjoying your blessing to the fullness in my life, I cut them off IJN
3. Oh Lord, from now on, people will begin to see that I am serving a living God, when they see your abundant blessing in my life IJN.
Miracle and Blessing, by Minister Gabriel Adunmade, delivered on November 9th, 2014