How To Prosper During Severe Famine

1st service of 1 February 2009

preached by Pastor Joseph Prince

as noted by Yeo Choon Meng Terence

[CD was of the 3rd service]

Terence in the shadows of the pyramids in Giza on 2 Nov 2008. Even whilst in Egypt, God prospered His Children in time of famine.

EDITOR’S COMMENTS:

I did not type out and publish online the notes of: (1) 18 Jan 2009 service – Where is God? [preached by Pastor Lim Lian Neo]; and (2) Jesus Is The Answer To A Blessed Life, Not Customs And Traditions [preached by Pastor Mark Ng] which were the 2 sermons before the 1 February 2009 sermon.

SINGAPORE BUDGET

It seems that everything reported in the news is bad. But praise God! In Singapore, the recently announced Government Budget is good. It the budget, the government has put in a lot into the people.

Do not focus on the bad news in the press. God already has a plan and He has already redeemed us out from the famine.

WHAT IS GOD SAYING TO US NOW

What does God have to say about the financial situation to us? He is saying, GOD is the one who CANNOT fail. This is unlike the major banks, companies and countries which need bail-outs now.

God has a strategy to deal with this current financial famine. However He hides His Truth from people who don’t appreciate it. Jesus himself put it bluntly in Mat 7:6 “… neither cast ye pearls before swine…”

GOD TALKS ABOUT FAMINE FREQUENTLY IN THE BIBLE

The happening of famine has nothing to do with God’s people failing.

Example: Abraham just obeyed God and famine happened.

Gen 12:7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

Gen 12:8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, [having] Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

Gen 12:9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south

Gen 12:10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine [was] grievous in the land.

Bethel in Gen 12:8 means: House of God.
Hai in Gen 12:8 means: destruction or heap of ruins.

What do you do when Hai or destruction comes? Built an altar between or before Bethel and Hai. The Cross is there at Bethel and the Cross wards off evil.

Notice in Gen 12:9, Abraham went south BUT God never told Abraham to go south into Egypt! God never told Abraham to journey from the place of blessing. When you depart from the place of blessing, do not be surprised if you get the world’s consequences!

In the verse part of Psalm 23, when you follow your sheperd (literally your pastor), you shall not want, you lie down in green pastures and you beside still waters, etc.

The moment you depart from God’s plan, see Psalm 23:4 for the consequences : “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death …” GOD did not lead us into the valley, we chose to! That is what “I walk through” means. Yet God is so merciful that He delivers us “… I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

THE FORGIVEN MAN IS THE GODLY MAN

There is a sanctifying effect on people who believe they are forgiven, it produces true Godliness.

When you believe the truth, there is a sanctifying effect.

Acts 10:15 The voice spoke to him [Peter] a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”Then later, after

Peter preached this last verse:

Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

The meeting ended abruptly as the Holy Spirit fell on the people and purified their hearts by faith, as Peter would later give account to his Jewish breathren

Acts 11:9 But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, [that] call not thou common.

Those who charge us as making light of sin. Rebut them by saying: Are you making light of Jesus? We in NCC are making much of the Cross and Jesus finished work!

DEVIL’S ATTACK PROVE YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Abraham did not have a bed of roses after prioritising God. The devil tried to intimidate and attack him. Recall the message of “The Word Of Communion – Bearing Fruit With Patience” (11 Jan 2009). The very attacks of the devil prove that we are on the right track. In due course, we shall bring forth fruit with perseverance.

INEXHAUSTIBLE RESOURCES OF GOD

When the bible talks about famine, it is referring to scarcity in the land.

However know this:

Famine proclaims the inexhaustible resources of God and the limited means of Man.

THE PRODIGAL SON

Luke 15 tells the story of the Prodigal Son.

In a way, it can be likened to the CEOs of the big banks and finance houses who want a big bonus despite failure of their businesses!

After the prodigal son (like the CEOs) had spent all his money, a severe famine arose in the land.

Luke 15:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

Luke 15:14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

Luke 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

We wish that many of today’s CEOs like the prodigal would “come to himself” and not have to resort to receiving tax-payers money!

Note in Luke 15:17, even the hired servants in God’s House got food. God’s House is never in famine.

Folks, lets COME TO OURSELVES and return to the Father’s House in this time of famine where there is PLENTY! Better still, never deaprt the Father’s presence at all!

PSALM 103:5 – SATISFIES YOUR MOUTH WITH YOUTH

Psalm 103:5

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good [things; so that] thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.The word translated into English as “youth” is the Hebrew, na’uwr, which refers to the teenage years or adolescence.

So God is good! He restores your youth even to the teen years. It is not purely a matter of age. So believe God to restore you in age according to your level of faith. It is what you believe.

GOD CHANGES OUR NAMES TO PREVENT US FROM STINKING

There was school in the West Coast of Singapore. It was difficult to cheer them on during sports events because the cheers would go “W.C. is the best ..” The initials of the school was the same as that of the toilet which stinks. Eventually the name of the school was changed to avoid any association with toilets.

That is why the names of many of the heroes in the Bible were changed so that they would take on the new natures embodied in their names.

Abram who became Abraham was such a man.

Abraham and Sarah had difficulty in giving birth. This was in contrast to the heathen around them. This was true of many others in the Bible as well. Hannah, Rachel, Rebekkah, etc. So these folks exercised faith and the result was they gave birth to champions!

WE ARE ABRAHAM’S SEED

Gal 3:29 And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Therefore from Gal 3:29, we can infer that Abraham’s son, Isaac, can be seen as a type of the Church or Christian i.e. us.

That’s good news because ISAAC became richer in a time of famine. We too become richer in time of famine.

The Prodigal son also enjoyed greater intimacy with the Father during famine!

SECOND FAMINE WAS IN ISAAC’S TIME

Gen 26:1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

Gen 26:2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

Gen 26:3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

We could say that the first famine in Abraham’s day can be liked to the Great Depression in the 1920s. We can then say that the financial meltdown today is the second famine in Isaac’s day.

GOD KNOWS HOW TO POSITION US

THERE is no time constraint for God. God knows how to position us, if we only listen to Him.

In Ruth’s story, we see a famine as well. Ruth’s family made the mistake of leaving the House of Blessing – Bethlehem i.e. House of Bread to sojourn to Moab during famine. Then they heard (Ruth 1:6) that the LORD had visited the very place they fled from with bread!

GOD blessed the place for those people who remained there and persevered on.

Sometimes, when you sow in the land, there seems to be challenges in place of blessing! Don’t flee land of blessing, stay put!

GERAR

Gerar in Gen 26:1 is southeast of Gaza, which is still part of the promised land allocated to Israel by God. In fact, it is the larger part of Gaza. Source is the book named “The Land and the Book” written in the 1800s by a famous archaeologist who is a reverend as well.

The Israeli attacks into Gaza are news today. Thus we can infer from Gen 26 that this is the strategy for the modern day Isaacs (the Church) of Abraham, in this time of famine.

God told Isaac in Gen 26:2 to not go to Egypt (there was so much problems in Egypt for his father Abraham) and remain in Gerar where the Philistines are.

Today many of the top positions are controlled by the Philistines (Abimelech was king in Gerar) i.e. Unbelievers. God says that He is going to give us their positions! Amen! There is going to a supernatural transfer of wealth from these squatters to us (The Lord says “I will give all these countries…” Gen 26:3)!

JOSEPH

There is going to be a transfer of wealth in the time of famine from the unbelievers to the Church similar to Joseph.

Gen 41:53 And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended.

Gen 41:54 And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

Gen 41:55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.

Gen 41:56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.

Gen 41:57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy [corn]; because that the famine was [so] sore in all lands.

Church, follow your heavenly Joseph — Jesus! Where Joseph (Jesus) is, there is bread ! So even now in Egypt (a type of the world) there is bread for the Believer.

The strategy for today worldwide economic famine is this (Gen 41:55) — Go unto Joseph (Jesus), WHAT he says to you, DO !

GOD IS OPENING UP THE HEAVENLY STOREHOUSES

The Singapore government like its ancient Egyptian counterpart (Gen 41:56) opened up its storehouses (financial reserves) in this time of dearth. If we understand the above Genesis passage as a type for our times, we know that our heavenly Joseph, Jesus is opening up the heavenly storehouses for us. Amen!

God is also opening up the heavenly storehouses (referred to in Malachi 3:10) in these times of famine as well.

Mal 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].

SEVERAL COMMON TRUTHS WHICH MANIFEST IN FAMINE TIME

(1) All previous sowing is released (eg. Mal 3:10) from the storehouses.

(2) Abraham became richer.

(3) Isaac became richer.

(4) Joseph got promoted.

(5) Prodigal son went home to the father.

Therefore, do not think like the world when confronted with famine. Instead think positive! God wants to use the famine as an opportunity to give us a position.

GOD WANTS TO GIVE US POSITIONS

Slaves became masters overnight (e.g. Joseph was elevated to governor by Pharaoh).

Later in Moses’ time, after the plague of the death of the first-born, the next day, the Hebrews were set free and became masters and freeman overnight! God also caused the Egyptians to give the Hebrews tremendous wealth.

Look also at Daniel’s story. One moment, he was in the lion’s den to be devoured by the lions. The next morning, he was found in triumph and sleeping on the lion’s belly. Unharmed!

PROMOTION COMES FROM THE NORTH

Psa 75:6 For promotion [cometh] neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

As Psalms 75:6 states that promotion does not come from the south, east or west, it must therefore come from the north.

ABRAHAM AND LOT

Gen 13:1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.

Gen 13:2 And Abram [was] very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

Gen 13:3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;

Gen 13:4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

Gen 13:5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.

Gen 13:6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.

Gen 13:7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.

Gen 13:8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we [be] brethren.

Gen 13:9 [Is] not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if [thou wilt take] the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if [thou depart] to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

Gen 13:10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it [was] well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, [even] as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

Gen 13:11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

Gen 13:12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched [his] tent toward Sodom.

Gen 13:13 But the men of Sodom [were] wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

Gen 13:14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:

Gen 13:15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

Gen 13:16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, [then] shall thy seed also be numbered.

Gen 13:17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

Gen 13:18 Then Abram removed [his] tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which [is] in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

LOT was a good man but his herdsmen were a pain to Abraham.

LOT in the Hebrew means, veil (symbolises the Law).

Only when LOT was removed (Gen 13:11 onwards), did Abraham see God’s revelation (Gen 13:14-18 ) concerning His promise to Abraham.

The Law (Veil) blocks your sight as makes you look inwards. Veil makes you become and act introspectively. Jesus has fulfilled the Law. The Law is therefore now put aside. We can now look boldly upon God.

ONE-NORTH

In Genies 13:14, after Lot had departed, the first direction which Abraham was told to look was northwards. The priority must therefore be to the north. As it was Abraham’s instruction (we are a type of Abraham’s seed). We can thus infer from this that as a church we ought to prioritise sowing into the new church building project at One-North!

EGYPT

Egypt in the scriptures is used to describe that which is visible. Something which is attractive and which your flesh can depend on.

The devil wants to keep us in the visible realm. He want us to see the symptoms, the lack, etc.

What is visible is TEMPORAL. What is invisible is ETERNAL!

We have our inheritance in Jesus — in the invisible, eternal realm. We are truly rich!

ISRAEL

God’s eyes are on Israel, whether at the beginning of the year or at the end. Israel is land which “drinks water from the rain of heaven” i.e. depends on God’s providence entirely!

Deu 11:10 For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden;

Deu 11:11 but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven,

Deu 11:12 a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.

Egypt by contrast, is a land where the main water source is from the River Nile originating from the south. Very little water in derived from rainfall in Egypt. Figuratively, we can understand the land of Egypt as being refreshed from below which is contaminated. In contrast, Israel receives its refreshment direct from God in Heaven.

In Egypt, the land is watered by foot (Deu 11:11). This refers to pumping up water from the river by foot and it speaks of self-effort.

In Israel, after you sow the seed, you have to depend solely on the free favours of God to bring rain from heaven above to bring forth the harvest. Pure Grace.

It was difficult to preach this message to depend solely on God’s System of Prosperity in the near past when the River Nile (Wall Street) was flowing freely and folks could still depend on their self-effort. Now in famine time, we can and should only turn to God’s Free Favours from above. After we sow, we have to look up from where blessings flow.

Notice there were no windows in Noah’s ark except at the roof so that the people in the ark would have to focus heavenwards.

The World is trying to pump – from one company to another – to divert and channel what meagre resources of the contaminated waters of ‘River Nile’ they have left. Soon nothing will be left. Companies will collapse, careers will fail, marriages collapse, societies crumble, etc.Chooes to Look up instead! Look up to the heavens and to God for rain and supernatural provision. It is hard for our flesh to depend on God solely BUT God loves such an attitude and is ready to bless us abundantly if only we are fully dependant on Him.

In Egypt, we are always looking down to the River Nile pump up water to irrigate the crops. But God wants us to LOOK UP to the supernatural and invisible realm where His resources are infinite.

Do not depend on what is visible and temporal. Depend on God’s invisible resources. Come to a place of full dependance on Him.

EVERYTHING BELONGS TO GOD – THE PHILISTINES ARE JUST SQUATTERS

Gen 26:1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

Gen 26:2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

Gen 26:3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

Gen 26:4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

Gen 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Gen 26:6 And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:

Gen 26:7 And the men of the place asked [him] of his wife; and he said, She [is] my sister: for he feared to say, [She is] my wife; lest, [said he], the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she [was] fair to look upon.

Gen 26:8 And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac [was] sporting with Rebekah his wife.

Gen 26:9 And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she [is] thy wife: and how saidst thou, She [is] my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.

Gen 26:10 And Abimelech said, What [is] this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.

Gen 26:11 And Abimelech charged all [his] people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

Gen 26:12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

Gen 26:13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:

Gen 26:14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

Men of God are always married to beautiful wives. Or if they were unbelievers at first, God will make their wives beautiful.

The Abimelech in Gen 26 could be the same Abimelech in Abraham’s story. This is possible because the people then lived many years. It is also possible that the Abimelech in Gen 26 is a different Abimelech as the Abimelech from Abraham’s time would be very old by Isaac’s time. In the alternative, it could just be possible that the news spread from Abraham’s time that ‘anyone who touches another man’s wife would die’ and the Abimelech in Gen 26 had heard this story.

In Gen 26:12, the moment Isaac believed his wife is no longer a hindrance etc and that his marriage was not a farce, he sowed in the land. It is possible to sow in a dusty, famine land if God blesses it and like Isaac, you will reap a hundredfold.

DON’T LET YOUR MARRIAGE BE A FARCE

Isaac initially lied and said that Rebekah (his wife) was his sister (Gen 26:9) for he feared that he would be killed for his wife. In other words, he lied and made his marriage a farce. But when he got his act together in Gen 26:12, God could bless him!

Don’t let your marriage be a farce. Marriage is the institution which God uses to bless Man.God is “a very present help in trouble” (Psa 46:1) and His Help is wrapped up in your wife.

Proverbs 18:22 [Whoso] findeth a wife findeth a good [thing], and obtaineth favour of the LORD.

The devil gives this thought to husbands especially during times of conflict — Your wife does not respect you. Your wife is against you.

But look at Gen 2:18 where the first mention of “help” in the scriptures appear.

Gen 2:18 And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

The first mention of a wife for Man is in the context of the wife as a help for him.

In the Hebrew, the word “help” is transliterated as ‘ezer and has the meaning of:– comparable, together with OR against

In other words, she is a help WITH you and a help when AGAINST you!

A help comparable for him — does not always mean that the wife always agrees with the husband.

TOO HELPFUL

Sometimes, your wife can be too ‘helpful’.

Perhaps, the right response can then be “Say, I know you want to help me but don’t say it like this”.

The challenge for the wife is to tell the husband, “I respect you” This will help defuse the situation and not make him against her.

If the wife accords her husband respect in his eyes and the public, he will became putty in her hands. The wife ought to help her husband in this right way.

If the wife disagrees with the husband, she can agree to still communicate respectfully with her husband. Example: She can say “I know you are the head of this family but don’t get angry, it is just a suggestion …”Or if the husband is facing a tough time at work, she can say “I know this job is tough AND I have full confidence that you will succeed.”

HUSBANDS, just do your part and love your wife. Don’t insist on wife performing the respect part unto you. Trust God that He will lead her to respond. Don’t read God’s letter to her. Focus on God’s letter to you (the husband).

God saw that Adam needed help, therefore he sent Eve.

Challenge is to believe that even when your wife contradicts you, it will produce a good result eventually. Be man enough to believe that wife is a help. Remove all thoughts that wife is against you.

It is a downward spiral if wife says to husband, “You don’t deserve my respect ” because he can easily say to you “you don’t deserve my love”. Stop the downward spiral now! Make a stand at this point and say, “My spouse is a help, according to the Word”God knows what you need in 5 or 10 years’ time etc. Believe that the one you married is the one ordained by God for you for this entire time on earth.

POWER TO GET WEALTH

Deu 8:19 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for [it is] he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as [it is] this day.

The Hebrew word translated into English as “power” is כח (transliterated as koach) — Strong’s

The Hebrew word for “bride” is כלה (transliterated as kallah). — Strong’s 3618

The Hebrew word for “groom” is חתן(transliterated as chathan) — Strong’s 2860

When you combine the first Hebrew letter for kallah כ (kap) and the first Hebrew letter for chattan ח (chet) you get koach !

Lesson: When the Christian husband and wife are united, there is power to get wealth from the LORD!

No wonder the devil wants to divide marriages. Notice that family finances get mixed up when husband and wife are divided!

The strategy is to agree to disagree on certain points, and wife is to submit to the husband, as unto the Lord. That way the family priorities unity and the devil cannot gain a foothold for attack.

Your wife is your help. Not an obstacle.

CONTINUED TO PROSPER

Gen 26:13 (NKJV) The man [Isaac] began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;

(1) Isaac “began to prosper” — the 30 fold manifestation of the blessing

(2) “.. and continued to prospering” … the 60 fold manifestation of the blessing

(3) “… until he became very prosperous …” the 100 fold manifestation of sowing into the land

Isaac (a type of the present day Church) sowed into the famine land under God’s Blessing and experienced spiritual and physical (tangible) prosperity which the Philistines could see and envied (Gen 26:14)!

Gen 26:12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year [Editor: A year of famine!] an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

The 100 fold harvest is the complete and perfect blessing.

LAY UP YOUR TREASURES IN HEAVEN AND NOW ‘IN THIS TIME’

Mark 10:29 So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly [Editor: translated from AMEN, AMEN] , I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s,

Mark 10:30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time–houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions–and in the age to come, eternal life.

Note however that though you reap the 100 fold by fulfilling Mark 10:29, it comes with persecutions.

To leave house, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or land for the Jesus’ sake and the gospel’s (Mark 10:29) simply means where for Jesus and the Gospel, you have to travel abroad, spend time away from your family, or use financial resources, etc, God will supernaturally bless you and your family and you will not have to sacrifice your family and prosperity. Instead your finances and family relationships will be blessed. God will see to that (Mark 10:30).

TRUE SOWING

Don’t say after you have given to the Lord, I want to see and trace the seed’s growth. If you say this, this is no offering and tithing, it is INVESTMENT. When you invest into the world’s financial system, you are constantly watching the media to trace whether your initial investment has gone up or down.

True sowing into the Kingdom, is to simply sow the seed into the ground and ‘forget’ about it, leaving it to God to resurrect the seed into something greater. Amen!

Sometimes, we suddenly realise that we are not prospering anymore. Perhaps we were living on the fruit and overflow of our past sowing for so long that we forgot to sow for the present and the future and are now caught short.Let’s sow fresh seed now. The last time, we sowed in 2008 for Miracle Seed Sunday, we were still in a time of prosperity. Let’s sow now in the time of Famine as Isaac did, and reap the 100 fold.

Let’s believe the LORD that this year, HE will bless us with divine health notwithstanding our lack of exercise or not eating well, that HE will bless our marriages because we know that a strong and healthy marriage can only be from the LORD and cannot be dependant on the mutual efforts of the spouses. Finally, we thank the LORD for HE will bless us with an abundance of wealth that the Philistines i.e. the Unbelievers of this World will envy us and receive Christ as their LORD.

********

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: THE ABOVE NOTES WERE DRAFTED BY, DEVELOPED, COMPILED AND ORGANISED BY YEO CHOON MENG TERENCE IN HIS PERSONAL CAPACITY ON 16 FEBRUARY 2009 AND ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS ARE HIS ALONE. THE ABOVE NOTES ARE NOT REPRESENTATIONS OF, ATTRIBUTABLE TO OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH NEW CREATION CHURCH OR JOSEPH PRINCE MINISTRIES.