Pastor Deborah
Words are what we eat in the promised land.
DEUTERONOMY 8:1 NKJV
“Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may LIVE and MULTIPLY, and GO IN and POSSESS the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers.
The commandments are for them to live and multiply.
DEUTERONOMY 8:2 NKJV
And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to HUMBLE you and TEST you, to KNOW what was in your HEART, - whether you would keep His commandments or not.
DEUTERONOMY 8:3 NKJV
So He HUMBLED YOU (put you through HARD TIMES), allowed you to hunger, and FED you with MANNA which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man LIVES by EVERY WORD that proceeds from the MOUTH of the LORD.
DEUTERONOMY 8:4 NKJV
Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.
We have been feeding on God's grace, manna.
DEUTERONOMY 8:5 MSG
You learned deep in your heart that God disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child.
A true father will correct and discipline you in love.
DEUTERONOMY 8:6 MSG
So it’s paramount that you keep the commandments of God, your God, walk down the roads he shows you and reverently respect him.
WHY???
Roads here means 'the road that God shows you'.
He can't show us the way when we're not asking Him for the way.
DEUTERONOMY 8:7 NLT
For the Lord your God is BRINGING YOU into a GOOD LAND of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills.
DEUTERONOMY 8:8-9 NLT
It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey.
It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking.
It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills.
DEUTERONOMY 8:10 NLT
When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.
Human tendency is when we have the physical blessings, we will forget God.
We tend to only go to God when we have nothing or way out.
DEUTERONOMY 8:11 NLT
“But THAT is the TIME to be CAREFUL!
Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.
When we have everything, our tendency is to forget God.
His commands are for us to live an abundant and good life.
DEUTERONOMY 8:12-13 NLT
For WHEN you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, (MORE and MORE MONEY come in)
be careful!
(WATCH your STANDARD of LIVING going up and up—)
DEUTERONOMY 8:14 NLT
Do not become proud at THAT TIME
(make sure you don’t become so FULL of YOURSELF
and YOUR THINGS) and FORGET the LORD YOUR GOD,
who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.
The most important thing to remember about God is that He has rescued us from slavery.
Do not forget that Jesus died for us and took us out from bondage of sins.
DEUTERONOMY 8:15 NLT
Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock!
Be grateful how God kept us alive despite our foolishness.
If we want to remember about the past, remember how good God is that He saved our lives.
DEUTERONOMY 8:16 NLT
He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to HUMBLE you and test you for YOUR OWN GOOD.
Self righteous people are always proud.
When you see a humble person, they know the grace of God.
the GOD who GAVE you MANNA to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never heard of, in order to GIVE you a TASTE of the HARD LIFE,
to TEST you so that YOU WOULD be PREPARED to LIVE WELL in the DAYS AHEAD of YOU. (MSG)
God wants to prepare us to live well in the coming days.
DEUTERONOMY 8:17 NLT
He did all this so you would NEVER SAY to YOURSELF, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’
Without the humbling, we will always say "I did it my way."
God has to humble us because He wants us to go into promised land.
DEUTERONOMY 8:18 NLT
Remember the Lord your God.
HE is THE ONE who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.
SO WHAT IS LIVING WELL?
1. WHERE MONEY DOESN'T OWN YOU
MATTHEW 6:24-26 AMP
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You CANNOT serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].
MATTHEW 6:24 NLT
“No one can serve two masters.
For you will hate one and love the other;
you will be devoted to one and despise the other.
You CANNOT serve God and be enslaved to money.
MATTHEW 6:25 NLT
“That is why I tell you NOT to WORRY about EVERYDAY life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?
Because we have a Heavenly Father, we do not have to worry our everyday life.
MATTHEW 6:26 NLT
Look at the birds.
They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns,
for your HEAVENLY FATHER feeds them.
And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?
We are the most valuable to God and therefore He will take care of us.
If money don't own us, then God own us.
2. We are only Stewards entrusted with God's wealth
LUKE 16:1 TPT
Jesus taught his disciples using this story:
“Once a VERY RICH man hired a MANAGER to run his BUSINESS and OVERSEE all his WEALTH.
But soon a rumour spread that the manager was wasting his MASTER’S MONEY.
LUKE 16:2 TPT
So the master called him in and said, ‘Is it true that you are mismanaging my estate?
You need to provide me with a complete audit of everything you oversee for me. I’ve decided to dismiss you.’
Realising our money belongs to God.
LUKE 16:10-13 MSG
Jesus went on to make these comments:
If you’re honest in small things, you’ll be honest in big things; -
If you’re a crook in small things, you’ll be a crook in big things. -
If you’re not honest in small jobs, who will put you in charge of the store?
No worker can serve two bosses:
He’ll either hate the first and love the second Or adore the first and despise the second.
You can’t serve both God and the Bank.
God test us in the small things: Tithing & Offering.
If we cannot be faithful in the small ones, how is God going to give us the big ones?
If we are faithful in the small jobs, then God will put us in charge of the store.
3. YOU ARE RICH NOT BECAUSE YOU HAVE MANY POSSESSIONS IN THIS EARTH
YOUR SECURITY CAN NEVER BE IN MATERIAL POSSESSIONS
Eg. Do you have to live in a property you own in order to prove that you are rich and feel secure?
We are secure in God and not in our possessions.
LUKE 18:18-19 TPT
One day a wealthy Jewish nobleman of high standing posed this question to Jesus: “Wonderful Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?”
Jesus answered, “Why would you call me wonderful when there is only one who is wonderful—and that is God alone?
LUKE 18:20 TPT
You already know what is right and what the commandments teach:
‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not lie, and honor your father and your mother.’ ”
LUKE 18:21 TPT
The wealthy leader replied, “These are the very things I’ve been doing for as long as I can remember.”
LUKE 18:22 TPT
“Ah,” Jesus said, “there’s still one thing you’re missing in your life.”
“What is that?” asked the man.
“You must go and sell everything you own and give all the proceeds to the poor so you will have eternal treasures. Then come and follow me.”
LUKE 18:23 TPT
These words devastated the rich leader, for he was EXTREMELY WEALTHY.
LUKE 18:23 MSG
This was the last thing the official expected to hear.
He was VERY RICH and BECAME TERRIBLY SAD.
He was HOLDING on TIGHT to a LOT of THINGS and NOT ABOUT to LET THEM GO.
LUKE 18:24 TPT
Jesus saw his disappointment, and looking right at him said, “It is next to impossible for those who have everything to enter into God’s kingdom.
LUKE 18:25 TPT
Nothing could be harder!
You could compare it to trying to stuff a rope through the eye of a needle.”
LUKE 18:26-27 MSG
“Then who has any chance at all?” the others asked.
“No chance at all,” Jesus said, “if you think you can pull it off by yourself.
Every chance in the world if you TRUST GOD TO DO IT.”
LUKE 18:28 TPT
Peter said, “Master, see how we’ve left all that we have, our houses and our careers, to follow you.”
LUKE 18:29-30 TPT
Jesus replied, “LISTEN to MY WORDS:
ANYONE who leaves his home behind and chooses God’s kingdom
over wife, children, parents, and family, it will COME BACK to him
MANY MORE TIMES in THIS LIFETIME.
And in the age to come, he will inherit EVEN MORE than that—he will inherit eternal life!”
4. DO NOT RELY ON RICHES BUT RELY ON GOD
1 TIMOTHY 6:17 TPT
To ALL the RICH of this world, I command you NOT to be wrapped in thoughts of PRIDE over your prosperity, or RELY on your WEALTH, for your RICHES are UNRELIABLE and nothing compared to the LIVING GOD.
TRUST instead in THE ONE who LAVISHED upon US all GOOD THINGS, fulfilling our every need.
In order to live well in the abundance of the promised land, do not rely on riches but rely on God.
Going into the promised land because He is going to give us abundance.
5. BE GENEROUS
1 TIMOTHY 6:18 TPT
Remind the wealthy to be rich in remarkable works of extravagant generosity, willing to share with others.
If you want to be truly rich, you give.
1 TIMOTHY 6:19 TPT
These spiritual investments will provide a beautiful foundation for their lives and secure for them a great future, as they lay their hands upon the meaning of TRUE LIFE.
When we give, we are putting investment in Heavenly realm.
6. REJOICE IN YOUR WORK AND ENJOY GOD'S GIFT
ECCLESIASTES 5:19-20 NKJV
As for every man to whom GOD HAS GIVEN riches and wealth, and GIVEN him power to eat of it, to RECEIVE his heritage and REJOICE in his LABOR—THIS is the GIFT of GOD.
For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the JOY of his HEART.
HOW TO LIVE WELL IN THE PROMISED LAND??
The blessings that we have (i.e. money) belongs to God.
Realise the wealth does not belong to us. We are a steward, a manager entrusted with God's wealth. In order to be a trustworthy steward, we consult/ask Him before we use the money. This is God's pay day.
When we enter into the promised land and live well, we can rejoice and be happy.
The rest in the world are all miserable because they think they are serving money. While everyone is miserable and stress, we are smiling.
If these 6 points above are in place, God is about to bring us into the promised land.