God Will Make Your Name Great - Like Abraham

Genesis 12:2
I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

Deep inside each and every one of us, there is a longing that our lives, or at least what our lives contributed to, made an impact on this world.  That is the destiny of God inside His children.  He created us with that longing.

Abraham was spoken something over him that I am sure would have galvanized every fibre of his being.  He was told that his name would be made great.  And He was told it by Almighty God.  What a promise!

Most believers today are weary of such a promise though, and understandably so, as they are careful not to chase fame, instead walk in Love and humility in serving the people of this world, much like Jesus did.  But Jesus' life was the most famous ever lived.  You see friends, if you walk in the purposes of God for your life, your name becoming great is inevitable.

You may ask how this promise to Abraham applies to us?  Well, Galatians 3:8 tells us that the Gospel that applies to us was announced to Abraham first, and the author is referring to this verse in Genesis 12 when God made this promise to Abraham.

You see, the Gospel is so life-transforming that it empowers what would have been average lives to become greatly significant.  So much so that our names will be remembered for ages to come.  That is the kind of impact we were created to make.

And of course, clearly it is all to "be a blessing".  Greatness is not without a purpose.  It is to be a blessing to the world.  To those around us.

Friends, we have been designed and created to make a significant impact on this world.  Not just an average one.  A significant one.  Believe God that His purposes for your life are great, step out in faith as you believe that, and watch as your greatness blessed many!

At the onset of our 3rd "Glory and Grace" conference 2012; I believe Highway Christian Community's name is destined for greatness.  I believe the plans that God has for us as a church are gigantic!  I believe God wants us to shape the very social economic structure of our country, and even Africa!  Such a conference is all part of God's plan to equip us to become the great people, and great fellowship of saints that He has destined us to be!

Amen!

God Wants To Lead You To Smooth Roads

Jeremiah 31:9
I will lead them beside streams of water, on a level path where they will not stumble.

God wants to lead you to where you are refreshed and the road ahead of you is smooth.  I am sure you would agree with me that a rocky road with potholes, sharp curves and large bumps is conducive to a runner stumbling once or twice.  God clearly doesn't want His children stumbling along their way.  This means He will lead us along paths that aren't conducive to stumbling!

What is this road?  Well, it could be symbolic of many things.  But the closest symbol would be the road of our lives.  The lives we live, the paths we take, in fulfilling our purpose here on Earth.  God wants the road of our lives to be smooth.  And He will lead us along roads that ensure that smooth ride.

Does this mean that life won't have any challenges?  No, of course not.  But it does mean that God's will is to help get through those challenges or even avoid them as much as possible.  That is His heart for us.

We also need to consider here that God wants to leads us away from situations that could trip us up in our walk as His children.  God is leading us all to a place where we will not stumble!  That is a significant thought!  God is the one who is doing this!  He will lead us to a place where we do not stumble.  That is clearly what this verse is telling us.

He also wants to keep us refreshed with streams of Living Water.  He doesn't want us living fast-paced, stressed out lifestyles.  He wants us to live from rest and drinking from the Fountain of His Refreshing Presence.  He is right there, each and every day, in our cars, in our offices, at home, waiting for us to take a drink and enjoy His Presence.  Clear our minds and turn our affections toward Him, that we operate from a place of refreshing.

Also, you may be interested to note that this verse is in the same passage that announces the New Covenant only a few verses on!  (verses 31 onwards)  Friends, the promises in this verse outline significant promises for the child of God living under the New Covenant.

Your Father wants to lead you to a place where you will not stumble and where you drink from His refreshing Presence.  Place your life in His hands, and let Him take you there.

A New Covenant of Grace & Love

Jeremiah 31:31 says:
"The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah."

God is a God of promises! He makes promises regularly! Why? Because He is a God of Hope! A Covenant is like a very serious promise. And He made covenants with His chosen people a few times. (His chosen people being the Jews; Israel). One of the "big" covenants that He made with His people was the covenant He made through Moses. We call it the Mosaic Law.

But do you know that as Christians we are not under that covenant God made with Moses? We are under a "better Covenant"! We are living at the best time in all of history! We are living under the best Covenant of all the covenants God ever made!

Look at what Hebrews 8:6 says:
"But the Covenant of Jesus is superior to the old one, because it is based on better promises!"

Why is this Covenant better? Well, let's have a look at what God says He will do in this New Covenant:

Jeremiah 31:33
Vs 33: "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel...
I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God and they will be my people."
Vs 34 "No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,"
declares the LORD.
"For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more."

This is one of the most important passages in the Bible! Jesus confirmed this was the New Covenant that He established in Matthew 26:28, Luke 22:20, and Hebrews confirms it in chapters 8, 9 and 10. And Jeremiah goes on to say in chapter 32:40 that this Covenant is an "EVERLASTING COVENANT"! It will never cease! So we know, this is a big deal!

OK, so let's just have a look what some of the awesome promises are in this New Covenant:

1. God will put the law in our hearts and minds
Elsewhere in the Bible God promises that when we are born again, He takes out our old heart and gives us a brand new one! And God's ways are written on that new heart. Do you see that it is God who puts the law inside of us? Not us! We don't do anything, we simply live by the Holy Spirit, and He will lead us into all truth! When we got saved we became new people! New people that could only but do good things! Like love our family, love our friends, even if they are nasty to us. This is the work of God!

2. We are God's People!
We are sons and daughters of God! We are mighty princes and princesses whom God will fight for! We are royal people, chosen by Him! We are accepted by the Creator of the Universe! Everyone of us as believers has this privilege!

3. God has forgiven us, and remembers our sins no more!
Wow! Does it really say that? That God will forgive our wickedness and will remember our sins no more!? Yes it does my friend! That is amazing! God hates sin, and so He had to pay for it, and so all His Righteous Anger was poured out on Jesus at the Cross (Romans 3:21-31) so that if you believe in Jesus, He cannot get angry with you again! Isn't that amazing!? OH YES!

And because of that amazing promise, you as a new person with a new heart can enter BOLDLY into His Glorious Presence! Any time we like! (Hebrews 10:19)

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So there you go. What a way to start off the Fuzion Blog. With the reminder that we are living under a New Covenant. The best Covenant of all! Why have I started with this one? Because I want you all to remember this whenever you live as a Christian, whenever you hear a preach, whenever you read the Bible. Everything you do you must remember that you are under a New and Better Covenant, and God is your Father and He loves you, and He will NEVER be angry with you again, He NEVER remembers your sins, and He wants you to walk in intimate relationship with Him! WOW! GOD IS SO GOOD!!

If you feel amazed right now, why don't you pray this in you heart...

Holy Father of all creation,
thank you so much for this amazing promise you have made with me. How can I not love you? I stand amazed at your love. Thank you for this love that you showed when you sent Jesus to this Earth to die on a Cross. Please help me live with this foundation of your love and grace toward me, so that I can live a life that can reflect your glory. Teach me your ways. Show me more of who you are. I want to know you, and I know that under this promise, I can.
I love you forever!
Amen