"Recovering All"

God has provided 7 blessings he calls "fatness" to the church (that's us); they are (Bishop Paul Daniel):
1. Prov. 15:30 (Good News - Salvation)
2. Luke 15.23 (God's Joy)
3. Ps. 36:8 (God's Presence)
4. Pr. 13:14 (God's Spirit for diligence in the world)
5. Ps. 11:25 (Generosity)
6. Job 36:16 (God's Word)
7. Dan. 1:15) (Holiness)
What are your experiences in one of these blessing areas or "fatness" in the Spirit of God as you've served Him?

A Righteous Request

A portion of Bishop Billy Ferg's message this week is that we must conduct ourserlves in a righteous manner if we are in covenant with God (Genesis 14). If we conduct ourselves righteously, and have a heart after God, God will then have a man (or woman) in the earth that He can fellowhip with and direct:

(Genesis 14) After his [Abram's] return from the defeat and slaying of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh, that is, the King's Valley. 18Melchizedek king of Salem [later called Jerusalem] brought out bread and wine [for their nourishment]; he was the priest of God Most High, 19And he blessed him and said, Blessed (favored with blessings, made blissful, joyful) be Abram by God Most High, Possessor and Maker of heaven and earth, 20And blessed, praised, and glorified be God Most High, Who has given your foes into your hand! And [Abram] gave him a tenth of all [he had taken].(A) 21And the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give me the persons and keep the goods for yourself. 22But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand and sworn to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor and Maker of heaven and earth, 23That I would not take a thread or a shoelace or anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich.

Abram made and kept his vow to the Lord. He was a changed man, a covenant man - now in covenant with God, looking to God for his direction and provision. He didn't want the spoils of war to be seen as his source, instead he viewed God as his source. Abrams wisdom and prudence resulted in God appearing to him in a vision.

(Genesis 15): AFTER THESE things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your [a]Shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great". The Lord goes on to promise him a son and that all nations will be blessed through his Seed; which would be the Messiah.

Covenant requires a cutting away from the world and living always before God, a coming to God. In last weeks blog, we saw that when God first broke covenant with Abram in Genesis 17, He spoke about what Abram's part would be, "live habitually before Me and be perfect (blameless, wholehearted, complete). According to the Word (Genesis 17), this is our requirement of the covenant, and would then be required if we are to obtain the promises of the covenant. Through the infilling of the Holy Spirit and committment to Christ, the perfecting of the saints (thats us) is something we can offer God. It also takes God's grace for us to move toward perfection, even as we stumble. But we aim for the mark of Christ (perfection) not for the nature of the old man (sin). And as we continue on we go from glory to glory, as sin totally dies within us.

The Blood Covenant:

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

Since the Lord appeared to Abram, and established the covenant with Abram and his seed, and we are his seed since we that believe in Jesus Christ, then the covenant is now with us in the earth. As such, all of the promises of the covenant our now ours in the earth. Abraham is no longer in the earth, we, his seed, are in the earth. Therefore, if we through faith in Jesus Christ are Abraham's seed, then his promise is our promise and therefore the Lord will be a God to us, that "8... will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God".

Galatians confirms that faith in Jesus Christ alone brings us the promises also of the Covenant of Abraham:
13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 15Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 16Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 18For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

I can't say it better than Galatians, if we are in Christs then Abraham's blessings are ours. If we are not living in them today, we must by faith apprehend them. We, according to the requirements above, must also walk before God and be perfect to fulfill the requirements of the covenant. That we can do with the help of the Holy Spirit.