Breaking New Grounds, Part 2
Central Though: The Lord will give us the desires of our heart as we delight in Him.
Hymn: My Faith Looks up to Thee
Text: Genesis 26:1-25
A reflection on Psalm 1 expounds the blue-print for success to every believer in Christ Jesus. There is need to trust God for ideas to do what has not been done before, or what has been done but in a different and better way; this applies in business, academics, career, church, and other areas of endeavor
The Lord Jesus enjoins each believer to occupy till He comes.
Lesson Objectives:
- Highlight the lessons to be learned from the life of Isaac.
- State the hindrances to breaking new grounds.
- Identify possible areas we can break new grounds and know the benefits of breaking new grounds.
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Highlight the various lessons we can derive from the man Isaac in the text. Genesis 26:6, 12, 22, 25
There are a lot of lessons we can derive from Isaac’s life. The following are some of them.
Isaac listened and obeyed divine instruction: verse 2 and 6. God disrupted his journey plans and instead of going down to Egypt, he stayed in Gerar following God’s instructions.
Many times, we are too busy to hear what God is saying to us. Some other times, we have an already made up mind set, and would want God to rubber-stamp or sanction our decisions, whether they are in His will or not. As Christians, our minds must be free to yield to the Lord, whether God’s decision pleases us or not, whether it is convenient or not. We must be open to take and follow God’s directives obediently. We have no record of Isaac disobeying; rather he refrained from going down into Egypt in absolute obedience.
In obeying the Lord, we must come to a level, where we surrender our will totally to God, both in little and great things. These include our Christian walk, business, career and everything that concern us.
Isaac lied with regards to his relationship with Rebekah.
It was however doubt/lack of faith in God’s ability to save and preserve his life that Isaac had to lie as seen in verse 7. We must know that God is able to save and keep that which is committed into His
hands, 2 Timothy 1:12. Moreover, when the ways of a man please the Lord, He makes his enemies to be at peace with him, Proverbs 16:7; this was the case with Isaac. We must endeavor to let our ways please the Lord, and the Lord will take care of our enemies.
In verse 8, Isaac was seen sporting with Rebekah his wife. Amplified version and some others put it as, “…saw Isaac caressing Rebekah his wife”. It is safe to conclude that Isaac played his part as a husband by meeting his wife’s emotional needs. Christian husbands should not be too spiritual not to meet the emotional needs of their wives, vice versa. This is the cause of most marriage failures in the church today. Christian couples should take pride in each other, everywhere and every time.
Isaac did not take people for granted even when he became greater than them. In spite of Abimelech’s charge in verse 11, he did not resist when he was asked to leave their land.
When given privileges, opportunities and favors, how do we handle them as Christians? We must tread with caution and be guided by the Holy Spirit. We must not take people for granted and ensure that all we do, in words, deeds, etc., be to the glory of God.
Isaac paints a picture of a dutiful and responsible person. He knew the wells his father had dug and the names his father called them.
In verse 24 and 25, Isaac is seen to have a personal relationship with God. Even as he moved to Beersheba, the Lord was with Him. He understood his father’s walk with God and the act of creating altars which his father did; no wonder, he also built altars unto God.
We all must ensure we have personal relationship with God; young people must serve God committedly while parents ensure their children serve the Lord. God testified of Abraham that he would command his household to serve Him, Genesis 18:19.
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What are the hindrances to breaking new grounds? Deuteronomy 1:21; Jeremiah 17:13; Proverbs 13:14, 20:4 & 13; Acts 24:25
There are a lot of hindrances to breaking new grounds, some of them are discussed below
In Deuteronomy 1:21, fear and discouragement are major limitations that hinder people form breaking new grounds. There is the saying that “fear most times is not real, it is the product of thoughts you create, and though danger and risk are real, fear is a choice”; choose not to be afraid, for God has not given us the spirit of fear, 2 Timothy 1:7.
Another hindrance is disobedience to God, Jeremiah 17:13. It takes the grace and the help of God to have breakthrough in life. However, when we live in disobedience to god and ignore His instructions, His grace and love could elude us.
Proverbs 13:4 says that laziness is a hindrance to excelling. The diligent soul is made fat, and the soul of the sluggard has nothing. Proverbs 20:4 adds that such a person begs while others are harvesting. Believers must be seen to engage in one form of job or the other. We must not sit and idle away our time, Proverbs 19:15.
Sleep is a thief of time; we must discipline ourselves not to allow sleep rob us of valuable time that should be invested wisely. Proverbs 20:13, 6:9-11, 24:33-34.
Procrastination could also hinder us from breaking new grounds. There is no better time to do what you have to do, than now. Never postpone what you can do today to another day.
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Identify the possible areas in our lives we can aim at breaking new grounds.
We can break new grounds in every area of our lives, irrespective of the sex, age, and family background.
Success does not answer to sex, position, age, race, tribe, etc., but does to hard work, determination to make it in face of opposition, and with God’s grace. The place of grace is herein emphasized, as it is not of him that willeth but the Lord that showeth mercy, Romans 9:16.
In our business, carrier, and endeavor, we can trust God for ideas to do what has not been done before, or what has been done but in different and a better way. It could be in packaging of our goods, in adverts, in the quality of the service we render, in academics, in organizations, in church, even in evangelism, etc.
We must not despise the days of small/little beginnings but trust God to take us to where. He has planned for us. Ephesians 3:20, “God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we can think or imagine”. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for His children”.
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What are the rewards of breaking new grounds?
The rewards of breaking new grounds are numerous. When believers break new grounds, the name of the Lord is honored, more people come to know God, and become saved, and so eternity with Christ would be guaranteed for them. Here on earth, such an individual enjoys open doors of opportunities. This is because the gift of man makes a way for him, Proverbs 18:16. A diligent man would stand before kings and not before mean men, Proverbs 22:29.
Daily Living Application
Everyone who follow and obey the word of God will enjoy multiple blessings in his life. Isaac’s life testified of his trust and obedience to God. Do you trust God for blessings and greatness? Start by giving your life to God, let your ways please Him. Ask God to lead and guide you into the area of need you can fill to carve a niche for yourself, i.e. to shine your light to His glory. Pray for divine ideas to distinguish you in your area of specialty and be committed to the course of your call. Be prudent with money, acquire knowledge and relevant skills on your area of choice, look for those that are ready in that field and humble yourself to learn from them. Be patient; do not be in hast to make it. Be diligent and do not procrastinate. Above all, be grateful to God for the little things He has done and He will do more.
Memory Verse:
Psalm 37:5 – “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.”