His Possessions or Your Excuses?

by Christopher S. Esty on November 6, 2009

Giving it all to God

Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. (Genesis 12:5 NKJV)

God wanted to give Abram the best of everything; but in order to do that Abram had to give all that he had to God. In other words, he had to entrust everything that he possessed to God’s care, believing that the LORD would take good care of all that he had gathered and would provide for his needs. He couldn’t have received the full measure of God’s blessing without doing this.  And so Abram did just that when he took all of his possessions with him. Thus he left no room for excuses to return to the place that God called him out of; he wasn’t about to forfeit his blessing for anything.

Is God calling you to enter into new territory? If so, will you entrust everything to His care or will you leave something behind to use as an excuse to turn back if things don’t appear to be to your liking at some point?  Of course, time will tell…  But maybe you are on the verge of turning back from a calling that you had entered into long ago because things don’t look so good where you are right now.  Have you really entrusted everything to God, or did you leave something behind that you should have given to Him?  If you once knew that it was God’s will for you to be where you are right now but are thinking of turning back because you’re facing hardships and trials, then I think that it is safe to say that you really haven’t surrendered everything to God.

Listen, that which we possess must be separated from what is common if it is to be used for God’s purpose. That is, it must become God’s possession.  Not our excuse to turn back from carrying out God’s will when the heat gets turned up.  After all, if we expect God to bless us then we need to leave no room for doubting that He will lead us to where we need to be to satisfy all of our needs.  Right now, your mind may be plagued with what you perceive to be a lot of unanswered questions; you might even be hurt or angry because of your circumstances.  Whatever the case may be, please keep in mind that while it is true that God promises to bless us in our obedience; He never said that it would be a walk in the park, so to speak.

So, hang on!  Don’t let go!  In due time, you will know why God brought you to the place where you are at right now.  And when you look back on all of this you will see that you made the right choice to give everything to Him. For there is no better place to be than in God’s will; and there is no better person to entrust our possessions to than He who created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them.  Hence the only thing that you should leave behind when you hear the call of God is that which would keep you from answering to it.

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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }

1 shinie November 6, 2009 at 8:14 am

Yes it is true there are times when I feel really useless and think ‘why, why’; and think that the grass is greener on the other side, but I also do know that God is in control of all things. God help my unbelief.

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2 Christopher S. Esty November 6, 2009 at 3:11 pm

Shinie,

Don’t be discouraged; God loves you. And He will supply all of your needs as long as you continue to trust in Him.

Blessings to you…

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3 Kimberly November 6, 2009 at 11:35 am

This is such an encouraging post and I completely agree that it is important to let go of something that God sees may not be good for us. I can name quite a few experiences where I would not let go of what He wanted me to and I would always feel like I was swimming upstream while wondering why nothing is working out for me.

Just like a parent to their child, if we just do what our parents say then we could avoid so much suffering.

Blessings

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4 Christopher S. Esty November 6, 2009 at 3:04 pm

Kimberly,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. :)

Blessings to you…

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5 john kooren November 7, 2009 at 4:30 am

thank you so much for the meaningful and encouraging thoughts
it boosted me up in my commitment

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6 Christopher S. Esty November 7, 2009 at 5:15 am

John,

You are welcome. It is my pleasure to be used by God in this way–to encourage others in the Lord.

Blessings to you…

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7 Vickie November 6, 2009 at 12:56 pm

Thank you so much. I needed this. This last year I have had to give my life into God’s hands and completely walk in faith. If I were to be of the world I would have lost everything, but being a child of God He has taken care of me and my family. Yesterday I was thrown a little off balance. When waiting for the results if I had cancer again. I didn’t give my fears to God and I became impatient. When I found the results were negative the first thing out of my mouth was “I hate you Satan”. I knew it was Satan who tested me. Yes, the Lord is still working on me and I’m so glad He loves me and continues to. The Lord is my strength.

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8 Christopher S. Esty November 6, 2009 at 3:01 pm

Vickie,

I am glad to hear that you don’t have cancer. And you are right to say that The Lord is your strength. He will never fail you.

Blessings to you…

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9 Tracy November 6, 2009 at 4:28 pm

This was just what I needed to hear today! I have been struggling with an issure that could be life changing in many ways-I have been anxious and “sitting on the fence”, so to speak-I really needed that reminder that all I need to do is put all of my faith in God and He will show me the way. Thank you for this message! It really helped to get me grounded and understand that what will be happening may be challenging, but very worthwhile.

God Bless You

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10 Christopher S. Esty November 6, 2009 at 4:48 pm

Tracy,

I am pleased to hear that you have found this to be helpful. And I trust that the Lord will bless you beyond measure as you continue to exercise faith in Him.

Blessings to you…

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11 Don Kimrey November 6, 2009 at 9:14 pm

Good job. Very warm and Scriptural. I like your spirit. And wish I knew as much about setting up a nice format as you do. It’s very “user friendly.” I’ll be back. ~donkimrey

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12 Christopher S. Esty November 6, 2009 at 9:20 pm

Don,

The theme is called, Thesis. The person who created the theme is, Chris Pearson. Thesis is easy to work with and customize once you get the hang of it. As for the design of The Bible Post, I am responsible for that.

Blessings to you…

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13 PAUL PETER November 7, 2009 at 1:28 am

BELIEVE AND YOU WILL RECEIVE WHATEVER YOU YOU ASK IN PRAYER.

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14 Christopher S. Esty November 7, 2009 at 1:37 am

Paul,

Thank you for sharing that thought. I would like to add a qualifier to it however. We will receive what we ask for provided that we pray according to the will of God and keep His commandments.

“And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3:22 NKJV)

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15 NKJV)

Blessings to you…

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15 Catherine November 8, 2009 at 3:33 am

I want to go where GOD sends me and do as He asks but I always have a problem with knowing if its really Him or if I’m just wishing it was. How do I know if its the Lord or my wishful thinking?

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16 Christopher S. Esty November 8, 2009 at 6:46 pm

Catherine,

That’s a good question!

The Bible says,

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7 NKJV)

By acknowledging God in all that we do we will receive direction from Him. Of course, that won’t happen unless we are willing to depart from evil. In other words, if we are knowingly living in sin, and are not honoring our commitment to God, but are taking His grace for granted; then we shouldn’t expect to receive His blessing or to hear His voice. For if we are ignoring the convictions of the Holy Spirit then how could we ever come to accept that what we are doing is wrong? That is, how could we know that we are not on the right path if we are convinced that the voice that we hear is God’s voice when in reality it is merely our own or that of an impostor? This is one reason why it is important for us to read the Bible daily and to commit our lives to keeping His commandments.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NKJV)

I am reminded of the one who approached Jesus and asked Him what good thing he could do to receive eternal life. Jesus told Him to “keep the commandments.” Then the young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Then Jesus said, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Matthew 19:16-21 NKJV)

Now I am not suggesting that you are trying to work your way into heaven or that you are asking what you need to do to get eternal life. The point that I want to make here is that Jesus was essentially telling this young man that he should use all of his resources to God’s glory, and thus help the needy, rather than using them for personal gain or to achieve worldly greatness. And so that is my advice to you: use all of your resources to God’s glory and help those who are less fortunate than yourself, keeping the commandments of God every step of the way while exercising faith in Jesus Christ. Then you will know that you are walking according to the will of God; and you will recognize His voice when He speaks to your heart. Hence you will know that it is Him speaking, and not just wishful thinking.

Blessings to you…

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17 philis November 8, 2009 at 1:10 pm

Thanks Christopher. I thank God for using you in a special way to share this message. A very encouraging one. For sure will hang in there, for His timing is always the best. Be blessed.

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18 Christopher S. Esty November 8, 2009 at 7:02 pm

Philis,

I am pleased to know that you have been encouraged by this message. :)

Blessings to you…

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19 melisa centino November 9, 2009 at 8:21 am

Thank you very much for this very encouraging words.

As of now, in my personal experience, sometimes specially if we are in God’s ministry, there are many things that we need to let go of even when its very hard; but I know that God has a purpose and plan for us. And I really am thankful for this message; every time I read this posting I’m so blessed. It really encourages me. Thank you and God Bless!!!

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20 Christopher S. Esty November 9, 2009 at 4:25 pm

Melisa,

I am glad that you have been encouraged by this message. I hope that God will continue to use me to encourage others for as long as I have breath to do so.

Blessings to you…

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21 Chelle November 10, 2009 at 3:39 am

Hi Christopher,

Your message is very encouraging.
Thank you,
Chelle

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22 Christopher S. Esty November 10, 2009 at 3:58 am

Chelle,

I’m glad that you have been encouraged by this message. :)

Blessings to you…

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23 Pete November 11, 2009 at 11:01 pm

Jesus told us to Remember Lot’s Wife in Luke 17. This seemingly innocent statement by Jesus is really quite profound as it is followed by the riddle. Whomsoever seeks to save his life shall lose it and whomsoever loses his life shall gain it. Lot’s wife didnt take everything with her like Abram did, her heart had idols back in Sodom. Great post Chris, it truly is amazing the consistent work of God in the Scriptures. Your posts continue to edify me. God Bless

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24 Christopher S. Esty November 11, 2009 at 11:18 pm

Pete,

I like the point that you made about remembering Lot’s wife; it certainly makes sense to see it in that way.

Thanks for sharing! :)

Blessings to you…

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