James O. Davis is the founder and president of Second Billion (TM). You are invited to learn more about Second Billion by visiting www.billion.tv.
HOW TO HAVE A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR
By James O. Davis
Introduction:
I would like to begin this important message telling you about the Top Ten
Things you will not have to worry about in 2003:
a. The Bible will still have the answers.
b. Prayer will still work.
c. The Holy Spirit will still move.
d. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
e. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
f. There will still singing of praise.
g. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
h. There will still be room at the cross.
i. Jesus will still love you.
j. Jesus will still save the lost.
In this Genesis 24, we read five times the statement, “Good-Speed” or “success.”
It means that God’s hand his upon His servants, helping them to do the things that He wants them to do.
The background for this chapter is that Abraham is the father of the Jewish nation. Abraham has a son of promise, named Isaac. Then, there came a time when Isaac needed a bride. Abraham desires to obtain a bride for his son, Isaac. In similar manner, God desires to have a bride for his son, Jesus Christ. The Church is the bride of Christ. What is the desire of the Father?
It is to get a bride for his son.
Abraham sends most trusted servant, Eleazar, off on a mission to get a bride for Abraham’s son. And, Eleazar comes back with a beautiful bride named, Rebecca. Abraham typifies God the Father. Isaac typifies God the Son. Eleazar typifies God, the Holy Spirit. What is the mission of God, the Holy Spirit? It is to seek a bride for Isaac.
The Holy Spirit is working today, calling out a bride for the Lord Jesus Christ. God prospered Eleazar hazer and helped him to be successful. God helped him to complete the mission of his master.
There are five simple steps in the process for success. First, we need to:
I. ESTABLISH OUR CAUSE
(Gen. 24:1-4)
We must have something to motivate you. We need to have something to drive us. We need to have something that brings focus to our lives. Eleazar had a cause for his life.
Do you have a cause for your life? Do you know why you are here on this earth? Are you simply fighting to live and living to fight? Are you a wondering generality instead of a definite specific?
We need to beware of vogue goals. If you do not know where you are going, then what does it matter if the alarm clock goes off on time or not? If you do not have a definite cause, then you are like ship without a rudder and a compass on a dark night. There are some people who never make plans about anything in their lives. All of us should have some sort of goals for our lives. Is your goal specific enough that you could write down on paper?
What are you trying to do?
We need to beware of unworthy goals. People can be rich, famous, and notorious and still not be successful. You can have power and still not be successful. What is success? One definition of failure is succeeding at the wrong things. When a person tries to be successful without God in his life, that person will fail miserably or succeed more miserably. Failure is often succeeding at the wrong things.
Do you have any worthy goals? Is your goal God-given? Does the thing that moves you, move God? Does it create enough motivation for you to say, “This one thing I do.”
Does the cause for your life demand of you, your very best? Is there anything in your life that requires every ounce of you for it to be successful? In the cause that you have selected, can you honestly ask God to bless your path and give you success? Can you honestly get on your knees and ask God to help you accomplish your goal for his glory?
We need to beware of unbalanced goals. God gave you two legs so you can have balance. We need to have specific goals for every areas of life. Let me ask you three pungent questions? If you get to where you are going, where will you be? If you accomplish your goals, what will you have? Are the things you are living for, worth Jesus dying for? Second, we need to:
II. EXAMINE OUR CONDITIONS
(Gen. 24:5-11)
In order for Eleazar to get where he was going, he had to know where he was. What is obvious is that Eleazar studied the situation and knew what the steps were in order to accomplish his mission. He knew that God was calling him to go to land where he had never been and meet a woman that he had never met. Then, he knew that he had to convince her to leave mother and father and return with him to be with Isaac.
We must take an honest inventory of our lives. If you were to coming to see me at my home and called me on the phone for directions, “The first question that I would ask you is, ‘Where are you now?”’ Therefore we must diagnose our problems. We need to know what stands between us and accomplish of that cause. What are the roadblocks? Just because we have obstacles does not mean that God is not with us.
The door of opportunity swings on the hinges of opposition. Problems are simply opportunities turned inside out. Did you know if there were no problems then we would not have jobs? We are not paid to do nothing. In fact, our wealth or value will be determined by how well we can solve problems. We need to stop complaining about our problems.
Eleazar looked at the problems and then developed a plan. He was going to find the right girl. Then, he was going to be invited to her home. Then, he was going to share the promises of God with her. Then, he was going to pop the question. Then, he is going to ask her parents for permission. Then, he was going to bring her back to Isaac.
There is nothing wrong with planning. God planned my redemption before
He created the world. Third, we need to:
III. ENCOURAGE OUR CONFIDENCE
(Genesis 24:5-12)
We need to begin with the Promise Factor (v. 5ff). God will... send his angel ahead of you.” We need to get in the Word of God. There are more promises in the Bible than we have problems.
We need to continue with the Profit Factor. We need to know the benefits for accomplishing our goals. Where is the payoff? What is the bottom line?
Real motivation comes from proper motives. Once you see what the profit is, you determine the why and God will show you the how. The big question is: Is my whole life built around bringing a bride to Jesus?
Just as Eleazar applied the Prayer Factor (v. 12), to his life we are to daily prayer that God will turn obstacles into opportunities. If you are not praying about your cause, then you do not think that the cause is God-given or depending upon God to help you accomplish it. Fourth, we need to:
IV. ENFORCE OUR CHARACTER (Gen. 24: 21, 31, 56)
Eleazar disciplined his life. He disciplined his decisions. He looked at Rebecca and asking himself as to whether she was the one or not. He did not make a rash decision. He was careful.
Eleazar also disciplined his appetites (v. 31). There are times that we must set aside ballgames, television, vacation, etc. There is no easy or fast way to walk with God.
Eleazar disciplined his time (v. 56). He said, “Hinder me not.” Do you think
God would tell you to do something and not give you enough time? Do not squander your time.
Someone has said, “When your professional life outpaces your personal life, then you will have stress and will bring stress to other people.” We must always continue to grow. We must not pull over and park in life. Abraham did not send off his servant on the mission without giving to him the gifts that were necessary to get the job done. Do you think that God calls us to bring a bride to Jesus Christ and not give us the needed gifts or skills to accomplish this? God has given us gifts, not toys. We are using these gifts to help fulfill the great commission. There are so many people who are wasting their gifts and getting so little in return. Fifth, we need to:
V. ENLIST OUR COMRADES (Gen. 24:49)
Eleazar knew that this was not a one-man show. When people are prosperous they have learned to be dependant upon one another. Are you a cooperative person? Have you learned to delegate? Are you willing to cooperate?
Each snowflake is different, but when enough different snowflakes get together, they can stop traffic. Over the years, I have learned many principles in life. One principle among many that I have learned is when God calls you to a task that is bigger than me, and then he brings around those people who are capable to accomplish the task together. We must never forget that when we die, we are going to leave behind everything we have and take everything we are with us. Then, we will find out whether or not we have been prosperous.
Conclusion:
Do you desire to have a prosperous new year? Do you want God’s blessing to be on your life this year? Do you want to turn problems into prosperity?
Then, you need to establish your cause, examine your conditions, encourage your confidence, enforce your character, and enlist your comrade
