Begin today by reading through Genesis 22:1-8 (AMP):
The Offering of Isaac
1 Now after these things, God tested [the faith and commitment of] Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.”
2 God said, “Take now your son, your only son [of [a]promise], whom you love, Isaac, and go to the region of [b]Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
3 So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and then he got up and went to the place of which God had told him.
4 On the third day [of travel] Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
5 Abraham said to his servants, “Settle down and stay here with the donkey; the [c]young man and I will go over there and worship [God], and we will come back to you.”
6 Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it [d]on [the shoulders of] Isaac his son, and he took the [e]fire (firepot) in his own hand and the [sacrificial] knife; and the two of them walked on together.
7 And Isaac said to Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself [f]a lamb for the burnt offering.” So the two walked on together.
Genesis 22:1-8 (AMP)
Footnotes
[a] Genesis 22:2 Abraham also fathered Ishmael by Sarah’s slave, Hagar, but Isaac was his only son of promise, the legal heir of Abraham.
[b] Genesis 22:2 This area later was to become Jerusalem and the site of Solomon’s temple.
[c] Genesis 22:5 At this time Isaac would probably be about twenty years old.
[d] Genesis 22:6 As Jesus carried the crossbar for His own crucifixion, so here Isaac carried the wood for his own execution by fire, but God had mercy on him.
[e] Genesis 22:6 I.e. a firepot filled with burning coals.
[f] Genesis 22:8 Abraham had complete faith and trust in God. Because God’s covenant with him depended on Isaac, Abraham may have anticipated that God would reveal to him an alternative to the sacrifice of Isaac, as He in fact did (vv 11-13). But Abraham was determined to carry out what God had commanded him to do, because of his faith in God’s promise.
The Spirit of the Lord says to you today,
“My child, do not be deceived. There will be times when I will test your faith. In those times you must yield yourself to Me, remembering that My ways are not your ways; My thoughts are not your thoughts. Testing is not punishment. Far from it! Testing means that I am moving; it means I am preparing you for the new thing. It means you are being stretched and moulded into the form required to carry what is coming. In those times you must seek My perspective. You must choose to partner with Me. It is uncomfortable but with each season of testing you will notice yourself grow stronger in Me. Testing is necessary so My request for you is: do not run from the test. When the challenge comes, allow faith to rise and set your mind upon my truth.”
Activation:
As you consider what God has said about times of testing, take some time to sit and read through Genesis 22:1-8 again. As you do this, think back to a time when you experienced testing.
- How did you respond to God in that time of testing?
- How do you feel about the idea of being tested by the Lord?
- How does Abraham respond to this test and what can you learn from Abraham’s response?
Spend some time journaling and reflecting upon these questions and how you have typically responded to God’s testing. Consider how your mindset or heart posture might need to change to position you for different outcomes in future challenges and times of testing
#lionbites
Unapologetically Marcia 