SUPERNATURAL
INCREASE
MESSAGE 4:
SOWING
IN THE MIDST OF FAMINE
Pastor
Michael Joseph Gowon
Prov. 10:22 AMP
"The blessing of the Lord--it makes
[truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase
it]."
Main Text: Gen. 26:1-14
1.
And there was a famine in the land! (v.1)
How
have you reacted to your period of lack and drought? What are you always
tempted to do first when there is nothing to lean on or to turn to?
The word “famine” means a severe shortage, extreme scarcity, or a
serious economic downturn.
For many of us experiencing constant shortage, scarcity and lack is a
usual phenomenon, but that is not the will of God for our lives.
Some of us have gone through severe lack, constant dryness, persistence
closed heavens and we have become an opened reproach. We barely get by, only surviving
and merely existing.
Some of us have truly been squeezed by the spirit of poverty, we live
it, practice it and people use our pitiful circumstances and situations to
describe and recognize us.
Beloved, you need to take authority over that reproach, and that
situation because Jesus has already done something about it for us on the
cross. He did it so that in the times of famine and tough times we will not
just survive but thrive. He wants us to experience victory over lack, want,
Thriving here signifies that we would– flourish, succeed, advance,
prosper, grow vigorously, and increase in goods and estate.
Today, we live in a day when a lot of people
are terrified by the smell of what is about to come upon us. There is fear and
panic, uncertainty, hopelessness.
When you supply dried up do not fear. Remember
that sometimes the famine is a simple test to see if you can trust the Lord and
go all the way with him.
For those who do not know the Lord, the time
of famine is an hour of trouble and tribulation.
Dan. 11:32
32 Those who do wickedly against the covenant he
shall [ a]corrupt with flattery; but
the people who know their
God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.
God’s
has promise his divine intervention for us during our time of need.
Job
5:20,22 (NKJV).
“In famine He shall
redeem you from death……….You shall laugh at destruction and famine.”
Psalm 33:18-19
“Behold, the eye of the
LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, To deliver their
soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine.”
Psalm 37:19
“They will not be
disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough”
As
covenant children of God we do not only survive during famines, we thrive.
Prov. 10:22
“The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and
he adds no sorrow with it.”
2. And Isaac went
to Abimelech King of the Philistines
unto Gerar (v. 1b)
We are always tempted to go down to Egypt for
help when we are in trouble. In Genesis 12:10 during the first famine ever in
the Bible, we are told Abraham the father of our faith sought for help from
Egypt. He went down to Egypt instead of going up to the Lord for
help.
To solve our problems we must take steps but
we should be careful to take the right step.
Isaac made the same mistake his father made.
He went down to Egypt . . .
Egypt
here represents another source apart from God.
It
signifies leaning on the arms of flesh instead of relying on God.
It
depicts a boasting on your “Bank Account’ or “Business Increase” or “Current
Employment.”
3.
Dwell in this land, I will be with you and Bless you
. . . (v. 2; 6)
The Lord appeared
to Isaac and said to him, “Go
not down into Egypt, dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of . . . . And
Isaac dwell in Gerar.”
This
is a call for Obedience
However, it was also an encouraging
reassurance from the King of all the earth.
It
is better to dwell in the desert with the Lord that to go to the oasis of
plenty with Satan as your companion.
God warned Isaac not to go
to Egypt and thank God he listened and obeyed.
Many have travelled abroad
in search of greener pastures and have returned without
certificate and without and dollars. They returned wretched and poor.
We
are the children of promise, we must live in the land of promise to be blessed.
All good and perfect
gifts come from above (not abroad) from the Father of lights who giveth all
things without variableness and without any shadow of turning.
4. The Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the
same year an hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him (v. 12).
The
Lord blessed Isaac and he began to prosper rapidly in the land that is dry. In
a time of drought, when everywhere was dry and dusty, God told Isaac to go into
agric. business.
The
weather report was nasty. There was no rain for years. The place was so dry,
nothing can grow on that land.
Job
2:8
They that observe lying vanities forsake their own
mercy KJV
Ecc. 11:4
He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he
that regardeth the clouds shall not reap KJV
Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.
If they watch every cloud, they never harvest NLT
Isaac obeyed the instructions of the Lord to sow in that dry
land
He might have been discouraged
by friends and neighbours. He showed a
radical seed and reaped a radical harvest. The economy doesn’t have
to be booming for you to be blessed. Your
blessing is based on revelation. It is based on truth not time. It is based on
mercy and grace. It is based on covenant.
Have you considered
these verses?
A man of God said he seems to believe
that God gave Isaac an idea that is equivalent to the technological invention
of our time. God told him he can irrigate his farm from his well. Halleluiah.
It has never been done before then, it was a new idea and Isaac run with that
idea and he became wealthy.
Gen 26:18-19
And Isaac digged again the wells of water... And
Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing
water.
Gen 26:21-22
And they digged another well... And he removed
from thence, and digged another well...
Gen 26:25
And he built an altar there, and called upon the
name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged
a well.
Gen 26:32
And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's
servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said
unto him, We have found water.
I believed that Isaac introduced
a new technology to the land of the Philistines. He irrigated his crops from
well water!
That was a cutting edge
technology of his day to the conditions existing in Canaan, and his crops grew
when nobody else's would.
Remember Prov 8:12 said
I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out
knowledge of witty inventions.
Because of this one idea from God, Isaac had plenty of food
for his household, and plenty extra to sell to the Philistines. He prospered
rapidly, geometrically as the Philistines had to transfer their wealth to him
to get food to survive the scotching drought.
In all this situation we
find that:
1)
Isaac
discovered God's plan.
2)
Isaac
heard from God.
3)
Isaac
obeyed the God's voice.
4)
Isaac
had to be bold enough to do something that had never been done before
[irrigation from well water].
5)
Isaac
overcame resistance or the philistines who contended for his wells.
6)
Isaac
persevered and was not become discouraged by the resistance.
7)
Isaac
refused to get in strife with those who were opposing him.
In
God's economy, it does not matter when you sow seed. He is the Lord of the
harvest!
5. And the man waxed great, and went
forward, and grew until he became very great (v. 13)
KJV
Isaac became great, and gained more and more, until he became very wealthy and
distinguished.
He was thriving, flourishing, succeeding, advancing, growing, vigorously,
increasing in goods.
He had
flocks, herds and a great supply of servants – so much so that the
Philistines envied him.
Isaac trusted in God, and not in
himself or in the elements, he prospered
while others were struggling. If you obey God, He can multiply you in the midst of the worst
circumstances of life and grant you favor. Even in the middle of famine – when
everyone else is decreasing, losing, and going under - you can be prospering,
increasing and multiplying!
Job 22:29
When men
are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the
humble person.
Why did
Isaac succeed in a time of famine and
became great?
·
He
Obeyed God is trying moments
·
He
sowed his seeds on dry land
·
He took
steps of faith - Heb. 11:6
6.
What can hinder your supernatural increase?
1. Partial
Surrender Mediocre, carnal, sensual life
2.
Ignorance of Kingdom priviledges – senior brother to prodigal son, Hos. 4:6; Prov. 10:14a NLT says “wise
people treasure knowledge.”
3. Inconsistent
warfare – releasing territories to the enemy due to life’s difficulties and
challenges
4. Unwholesome
living
5. Wrong
thinking, speaking,
6. Greed,
lack of giving, not tithing
7. Disobedience
to the word of God Isa. 1:19, Jms 1:25
8. Lack
of Intimacy with God – Psa. 127:1 TLB;Jn. 15:5
9. Trusting
in Man – Prov. 3:5; 2 Chro. 16:12-13; Jer. 17:5
10.
Trying to
please everybody – John Mason said, “There is one guaranteed formula for
failure, which is trying to please everyone.”
Conclusion:
Launch
into the deep, and let down your nets for a Draught –
Lk. 5:4-7
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