Mightier Than They!

And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”
(Genesis 26:16 ESV)

It’s one thing to be wealthy and blessed, it’s another thing to be man or woman of influence over a person, a group, a city or in this case, a nation! Isaac had it all. His influence was almost without limit in his days. He just had to move and shift base. The Philistines felt threatened by his wealth and influence.

But let’s not miss the secret of Isaac’s influence… Last night I shared about his commitment to releasing himself (sow) in a season of famine, an act that made him reap a hundredfold In The Same Year. That really should have been the second instalment of this post. Because, for Isaac, sowing was a consequence of something else: obedience to divine instruction. Read this:

“And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” So Isaac settled in Gerar.”
(Genesis 26:2-6 ESV)

The sowing was a demonstration of his obedience to what God said to him. “And Isaac settled in Gerar”. That line alone is powerful and could take another blog post or two to unpack it. Obedience to divine instructions and God-centred principles is the key to divine blessing. There are blessings and there are blessings. If you carefully invest £100, you might get £5 as interest. Call that a blessing if you must. But no, I’m talking of divine increase and lifting… the kind of blessings only God can give!

For me, I believe there’s lifting when the world is saying there’s casting down. Most economies are declaring doom and gloom. Last night Italy, France and Spain (and others) saw their credit rating downgraded. Nigeria is fighting a battle over subsidy (actually corruption I must say). The United States is not immune to this world crisis either. And here’s God promising to make me mighty and increase me. You know what? I choose to go with God. I choose to believe God and take His word. I choose to believe He will increase me on every side.

What do you choose to believe!? Oh for grace to walk in obedience to Him so we can enjoy the best of Him. Lord, make us mightier than they!

SELAH!