(…continued from last week)
Looking at the benefits of choosing Jesus, we started looking at the example of Abraham. Abraham chose God rather than his ancestral gods and home. He chose God rather than holding on to the son he waited for 25 years to have. Everything good chose him!
Look at what God promised and did in his life: Genesis 12:1-3, “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: [2] And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: [3] And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” The 7 things here are:
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(1) I will make you a great nation (2) I will bless you (3) I will make your name great (4) You will be a blessing (5) I will bless those who bless you (6) I will curse those who curse you (7) In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
In Genesis 12 God promised to bless Abraham, He promised him multiplication, greatness, prosperity, power, protection, favour, fame, impact, and influence.
But In Genesis 15 following Abraham’s submission, God gave him the greatest gift of all, God gave Himself to Abraham as his reward for choosing Him: “After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” Genesis 15:1 KJV
God was saying, “I give Myself to you as your reward! I will do everything for you. I will personally deal with anyone who comes against you. I will protect you and all that belongs to you. I will bless anyone who is kind to you. Isn’t that amazing!”
God gives things to many people, but to a few, He gives Himself! God rewarded Abraham’s submission with Himself; He gave Himself to a man!
Abraham ended up very rich and influential. You are the seed of Abraham and everything God promised Abraham can be yours if you believe. You are so blessed that anyone who smiles at you is blessed!
David was a man after God’s heart. He wanted God more than anything else. His desire was to please God more than anything or anyone. He risked his life when he faced Goliath to defend God’s name and God’s people. He fought to defend God’s name with his life.
He was so honoured by God that his throne was chosen for the Messiah to sit on! His lineage was chosen for the entrance of the Messiah to come into the world. Jesus is referred to as the Son of David. The pattern of the temple was revealed to him. His son was blessed with so much wealth to build it! David himself was a super wealthy man. You cannot choose God and end up anonymous and poor.
Mary the mother of Jesus:
She chose to host the Messiah in her womb for nine months and face the consequences rather than her life. God went to great lengths to get her permission. Today she is highly honoured among women.
Peter:
“So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these [others do—with total commitment and devotion]?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].” Jesus said to him, “Feed My lambs.”” John 21:15 AMP
See how anointed and famous he became! He raised the dead, healed the sick, cast out devils, etc. Even his shadow contained so much power it healed sick people who came in contact with it!
Do you love Jesus more than others? Is your commitment to Him greater than that of others?
Do you want Him more than you want money, fame, houses, success?
Here is what I don’t want you to miss:
“See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;” Deuteronomy 30:15 KJV
God presented them with Two Systems Of Control Under Two Personalities: one called life and good, which is Jesus, and the other called death and evil, which is the devil. Jesus is life, Satan is death. Remember the Bible says, “He that hath the Son has life…”
You are ruled by the one you submit to. God has chosen you, but He wants to know if you have chosen Him.
Anything you refuse to let go is what you’ve chosen above Him. Are you holding on to hurt, the pursuit of money, lands, success, comfort, etc.? CHOOSE GOD AND GOOD THINGS WILL CHOOSE YOU! Let Him have your heart, your hands, your soul, mind, thoughts, emotions, your body, everything!! Present your body a living sacrifice…Give control back to Him. God is not in control of everything. He gave us control but He cannot intervene if you don’t give control back to Him.
What will it take to grow in this kind of maturity? How might we get to the place where we can say, “Jesus, I will love you and cling to you even if you don’t solve my problems”?
You must come to a point where you want Jesus more than what He can do for you. If He can have you, He can give you everything. It breaks His heart when we desire the things He can give us more than we desire Him. When He matters to you more than anything else, you become free of worries. When He matters to you more than anything else, everything will be added unto you!
As you pray and choose God today, Jesus will step into your life and correct everything that is wrong and give you everything that is missing! He will stop or delete your enemies! Watch out for your uncommon breakthrough! Get ready to step into a new dimension of living, in the Name of Jesus!
I want you to pray this prayer: Father, please sanctify and purify my desires in life, help me to want You more than I want answers and solutions; to love You more than the things You can give me, to choose You more than anything in this world, in Jesus Name!
Bishop Dr Charles Olowojoba is the General Overseer of Dayspring Bible Church Worldwide with HQ in Abuja, Nigeria & President, Dayspring Christian Ministries Int’l.