In Genesis, the Bible tells us there was a famine in all the lands. How many times do we see a Bible story begin with, “There was a famine”? It’s like God wanted to separate the chosen, and show them He’s not limited by seasons, sickness or situations, and that He can make them prosper in the midst of a famine. God instructed Isaac to stay in Gerar, the land of the Philistines — the enemies of the Israelites. So many people are displaced due to natural disasters and political challenges, all over the world. Countless others are forced to seek refuge, often in foreign lands. The Lord said to Isaac, “I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands.” So Isaac stayed because God had made promises to him. But in every Promised Land, there is a giant.
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Oh, how I wish it wasn’t so. I wish I could?tell you that just because God’s hand is upon?you, everything is going to be easy. I wish I?could tell you that the Philistines wouldn’t?come against you, but you have to learn to?trust God in the midst of threats. He’s not?a man that He should lie. He’s faithful to?perform that which He has established. If?He said you will prosper, you surely will.?Don’t let what you see make you forget what?God said. Your God is bigger than your giants. His promise is bigger than your problems. Your trust must be greater than their threats.
The Bible says, “Isaac planted crops in that land and, in the same year, reaped a hundredfold because the Lord blessed him.” God can turn your life around in one year. You can go from famine to harvest, from single to married, from sick to healed, from lonely to happy, from barren to fertile and from broke to financially comfortable. It’s my prayer that 2019 will be your year of harvest — that anything you put your hands to, will prosper. You might’ve failed in the past, but may this be your year of new birth. May you reap bountifully and may the Lord richly bless you.
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Isaac became rich. And his riches continued to grow until he became very wealthy, even in a displaced land. There’s a difference between being rich and being wealthy. The rich have money, lots of it. But the wealthy know how to make money, they have sustainability. Their money is void of depletion, they don’t worry about money. Isaac became so wealthy that the Philistines envied him. You see, success breeds envy. Envy is the height of insecurity, even from people you admire and think are doing better than you. Anyone who’s achieving anything significant will attract envy. If everybody likes you, you might not be doing enough.
Out of envy, the Philistines blocked up all the wells Isaac’s father built with earth, and then asked him to leave. There are two types of people: those who dig, and those who block. While you are digging, they are blocking. They’re so busy blocking, they never have time to build anything. They become insecure in their ability to build, so they block you.
Satan deceives them into thinking that when they block, they’ll be able to stop you. But they actually block themselves. They should’ve kept the wells and drank from them, but now they’re stuck in their famine, trying to stop your success. You see, when they blocked the wells, it meant Isaac had to go and dig elsewhere. They might be able to close one door, but they don’t own all the doors, or all the lands. If they close one door, God will open more. Goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life. Dig a new well.
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So Isaac left, set up camp in the valley, dug a new well and water came out. But again, they quarrelled over it and said it’s theirs. Then he dug another well. But they quarrelled over that one too. On your way to success, you might have to deal with obstacles and opposition, but don’t let it stop you. This is not the time for you to be tired. This is not the year for you to give up. Your destiny is too great for you to quit. God has something big for you to build. He’s bigger than any opposition. You and God are the majority. Greater is He that is in you. You might have endured envy, dispute, and attack, but I pray that this year God will bring you into a place of blessing. Don’t quit. Dig!
