Is It the Economy?
March 27th, 2008 | David G. Johnson
Today’s message is a guest entry from David G. Johnson of Epiphany Marketing, LLC.
“AND THERE was a famine in the land… and Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I will tell you. Dwell temporarily in this land, and I will be with you and will favor you with blessings; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.’” (Genesis 26:1-3)
We’re hearing so much this year about the economy, the housing market, the falling dollar and business conditions in general. Hopefully, your business and family are not being affected by it personally, but whether you are or not, hearing about it frequently can have a mental, emotional and even spiritual impact.
With a variety of industries suffering in the local community here, I’ve had this passage from Genesis 26 on my heart quite a bit lately. Isaac found himself and his household surrounded by difficult conditions, and it’s hard to imagine how that may have weighed on his mind. As casual readers, we sometimes forget that his household was most likely substantial, with a lot of mouths to feed and a lot of people looking to him for answers. Today, he might be the owner of a small company — perhaps with 50 employees or more.
What to do?
What’s interesting to me is that when Isaac heard from God, the instructions he received were very counter-intuitive. Egypt would’ve been a safe haven for a nomadic family like his to go and find trading partners. But God instructed him to essentially start a business in a failing industry in an economy that was suffering, and in physical conditions that would not support his new venture. When there’s a famine, it’s generally not the best time to go into agriculture!
But when you have instructions from God, you have hope that others do not have! We’ll pick this subject up again in the next message, but in the meantime, consider this question: Are you getting instructions from God in this season, or are you allowing the conditions around you to shape your thinking?
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March 27th, 2008 at 9:17 am
It reminds me of the question: “Whose report will we believe?” I am encouraged to believe the report -(or vision of hope-Jeremiah 29:11) of the Lord! I like His plans for us - to prosper us and give us favor - in famine or flood, in season or out, He showers down His ideas and His blessings on businesses that follow His leading.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Great post! Very Encouraging!
March 27th, 2008 at 9:36 am
I feel I’m in this situation right now. I’m looking to get married and would like to buy a house. I am in the car business and so far things at work are going good. It just scares me to step out in the housing market right now the way things are going in the economy and the way gas prices are going.
So I too am seeking God for direction in this matter.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Excellent post. I am experienceing direct instructions from God as never before as a partner in a business. Few Christians seem to have a relationship with God such as you speak of, however. Where is the “meat” in pulpits today?
March 27th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Curious - How do you go from God’s instruction to “Dwell temporarily in this land” to starting a new business which does not sound tempory?
March 27th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Please don’t forget verse 5 (Gen 26) “…because Abraham obeyed My voice and guarded My Charge: My commands, My laws, and My Torot…” (Torot = teachings). I believe we can’t just claim verse 2 & 3, without obedience. We too, like Abraham, should honour our side of the covenant: Obeying His voice and guarding His Charge (commands, laws, and teachings). If we are obedient, Father will be true to His Word!
March 27th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Thanks, everyone for the great comments!
Sharon, we’ll pick up the rest of the story in a future message, but you can get a preview by reading the rest of the chapter. You’ll see in verse 12 that Isaac continued to follow God’s instructions and his “temporary” stay was at least long enough to harvest one cycle of crops.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:35 am
This is great. Thanks Michael for sharing this with us and I have found it to be TRUTH! I have a house for sale - a year now! But God…….will supply a buyer.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Thanks to you and Michael for sharing your practical insights particularly for those of us that are in the marketplace ! I see also in the scriptures that Christ’s gospel has a supernatural economic lift that does not respect any person in whatever segment of the society he is in…
March 27th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Thank you David G. Johnson! We are in troubling times and needing to seek HIS face, on our face. It is still good to be given hope at this time.
Bless you!
March 28th, 2008 at 12:16 am
Wow. God really does some amazing (and sneaky) stuff. (I mean sneaky in a GOOD way, like a friend who sneaks around behind your back to plan you a surprise birthday party.) Here’s the deal. I just got back my federal tax return. I’m single, have no dependents, had nowhere near enough deductions to top the Standard Deduction, and I only worked jobs where I had to fill out a W4, so it was the good ol’ 1040EZ and 120 bucks later to Jackson Hewitt, I got my refund check…$599, well I asked God this mornin, “God, this is not my money, this is YOUR money…what do you want me to do with it?” His answer? “MOTORCYCLE” (I’ve been thinking about buying one for the last five or six years) Of course, my first response was “HUH? BUY a motorcycle? HOW?” So He tells me to leave that up to Him, trust Him and all that, and I can’t believe it. A motorcycle. God wants me to buy a motorcycle.
This makes no sense. I’ve got HORRIBLE credit (mid 400’s), I have only a PART time job making less than 200 a week on average, and I don’t have a motorcycle endorsement, any riding gear (helmet, gloves, etc), AND my driver’s license is still from Louisiana and I moved to Texas in December. I would have to change my license, which requires taking the Texas driver’s exam, then get my motorcycle endorsement, which requires taking ANOTHER exam AND a riding test, and then I have to get insurance and plates and all of that jazz.
And if that wasn’t enough already, I asked Him WHICH dealership I should get the bike from…yep, you guessed it, the local Harley Davidson dealership. Average Harley Davidson price is around $12,000. Wow. Now this really is getting hairy, right? Man I’ve been fighting this all day. This makes no sense, there’s no way that I can do this in the natural. I even called several trusted advisors and they all said to put the money in a 6-month CD. But I didn’t tell them God told me to get a bike, just that I was thinking about it.
He’s persisted all day. “God, what do you want me to do with Your money?” “MOTORCYCLE” “Yeah, but there are SO many other things I need to get, stuff for my truck, bills to pay ahead…” “BUY A MOTORCYCLE” Of course, I asked him “WHY?” His response? “Trust me.”
Then I get the SAW Newsletter today…and it’s about starting off into something when you have all of the odds stacked against you. It might as well have read: What’s interesting to me is that when Jeremiah heard from God, the instructions he received were very counter-intuitive. Fixing the minor problems he had with his truck would’ve been a better way to spend such a small tax return. But God instructed him to essentially buy a non-essential mode of transportation on seriously emaciated credit at an over-priced dealership, and then pay for it with a job that can’t even cover his weekly expenses. When you have poor credit and a low-paying job, it’s generally not the best time to buy a Harley!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…my God is totally, absolutely, card-carrying CRAZY. But man He’s good!
March 28th, 2008 at 12:39 am
Michael,
What a powerful word! My family and I are going through some trying times, but God has opened a door in the midst of the difficulty. As such, we are moving from Nevada to Florida as we feel the Lord has called us there to begin a new chapter in our lives.
The current season is not exactly prosperous but we are trusting the Lord will continue to direct our steps as we seek Him first and faint not.
God bless!
John Judnich
Las vegas, NV
March 28th, 2008 at 4:38 am
Thanks alot for the encouraging message.
Obedience to the Lord’s voice is the start of a new harvest.
many times when christians are facing difficult moments we don’t know where to turn.
This is exactly what happened to Isaac. Just like What Abraham did when there was famine in the land, he rushed to egypt to look for food. Isaac thought of doing what his father did.
God requires us that some times we need to break off from certain practices that our fore fathers did and seek him so that we can see his provision.
May the Lord bless you Micheal
March 28th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Wisdom brought home to me stronger than before this: In the Bible we have the opportunity to see God’s “reaction” to alot of different situations and attitudes.
Compare this:
When God came to commission Moses, Moses’ response of doubt made God mad. Basically God said, “You can do it,” and Moses replied, “No, I can’t.”
When When God came to commission Gideon, Gideon’s response of doubt did Not make God mad. Why the difference? Basically God said, “You can do it,” and Gideon replied, “Is it really you, YahWeh?”
For nearly 30 years I’ve struggled when I feel or “hear” a prompting. I don’t want to say no to God, but I don’t know for sure if it’s God. I felt guilty because I didn’t act. But no more. From now on, I’ll just pray in my heart, “Is it really you, YahWeh?”
So far it’s working. By the time I get done working through this approach in prayer, I have peace (and by the way, so far if it really is God, I also get a better sense of the wisdom of the prompting).
What do you think?
March 28th, 2008 at 9:46 am
LOVE this post and LOVE the comments! One person asked “where is the “meat” in the pulpits today?”… I got downright giddy when I saw that question because the answer to that question has been on my mind for weeks!
Sowing in a time of famine is key! So many Christians have stopped sowing. They have looked at the economy and have tuned their ears to the news reports and have forgotten that our Daddy, God is NOT bound by the economy, the dollar, or the wicked report being spoken! I believe now more than ever it is time to sow, sow, sow! The Bible says that when we bring our tithes into the store house then there will be meat in God’s house for us! He isn’t talking about food! I believe He is referring to the filet mignon of the Word.
I’ve personally witnessed 2 people sitting in the same church, on the same pew, listening to the same message being preached… one walked out of the church mumbling about how the message was dry and didn’t bless her at all, while the other person walked out of the church and shook the Pastor’s hand and said, “Pastor, that is the best message you have ever preached!” One felt they had just eaten a fine filet mignon and the other had a look on her face that said she just ate dirt! It happens to be that I knew both people fairly well… one was a tither and one was what I like to call a “tipper”. She gave based on how well she thought the Pastor preached. I’ll let you guess which was which!
Thank you for this blog. It blessed me.
Rebecca
March 28th, 2008 at 10:29 am
I am the Co-owner of a Tech company; we too have seen famine in the land. But just yesterday I was listening to Michael’s CD on the 3 levels of sales acceleration. He talked of really seeking God, when you have a business dilemma no real clear direction in your own mind, or even the resources to affect change. Last week I had a very attractive job offer (Go to Egypt) from a company that would relieve all this stress. I am not, nor was looking for other employment, so was caught off guard. It would require I give up my entrepreneurship and deep inside don’t believe that is His Plan for me. God has promised our company much. Many are directly related to my business partner and me and our employees (present and future) as it relates to advancing His kingdom. I understand Isaac’s dilemma. There is so much here for us Christians on this very subject, but as John said in his Gospel, even the world itself could not contain the books (John 21:25.) I do not like walking through this valley, and vote for 100% prosperity 100% of the time. I am reminded of Proverbs 30:9 I don’t want to be so rich I forget about God. I’ll end by saying he has heard your’s and my cry. During this “Famine” I have really gone deep into His presence and understanding of how to Labor to enter His rest. I have much deeper to go. The Throne of Grace is Open.
March 28th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
All your coments are very inspirintg and uplifting. I too, am going through financial troubles. I was hit by a car and now have to purchase another one. I have been so perplexed about this. I was discussing buying a car when a close friend said “God will not buy you a car”. I froze at the moment, but have thought about it….God buys everything, provides everything, owns everything. I wish I had the forthought to stand up for God at that moment and say Yes He will. He will allow me to earn the money that I need to pay for this car and everything else I need. Hours later… I got an unexpected call from a customer….I don’t know what will come of it…. but He was all I though of when I took that call. Smiling confidently that he affirmed that He is in control. He is our Saviour and we must proclaim it.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:52 am
I live in Lagos, Nigeria and a close watcher of global economy as an intercessor. You are perfectly on key as i believe the economy in the US will take an upward swing immediately after the election. The recession today i believe is Gods making to pave great ways and open serious opportunities for His children to follow a narrow path everybody ignores to become the new leaders in the new USA that God is building. This is the year of open doors and God is the one at the centre of all these shakings to propel His own to a new beginning.
Things will get worse for the US before it going up. Let children of my Father ride the remaining downturn to the TOP.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:30 am
Wow Michael!………knowing me personally Michael and speaking into my life on thanksgiving day,came right from the spirit of God!…..And to watch so many things come to pass so quickly……….opening a business??? and God is already providing a 2nd location, never looking for it!………I know that I know that God is the ceo of this new llc…………..Amen! Thank you Michael and Brenda and the Lord to allow us to cross paths in the journey of progressing God”s Kingdom!………..Frank Russo,Venice,Fl
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:10 am
[…] said in my last message that the instructions Isaac received from God contradicted reason. He was stay in the land despite […]
April 4th, 2008 at 3:03 am
Praise God for His Promises! Rebecca’s comments really confirmed that my husband and I are on the right track - we just started tithing again, and at this time it is really crazy because my husband has been out of a permanent job since the end of December 2007. He has a temporary job that (Praise God) pays really well, but nothing permanent after 2 more months. We are also trying to refinance our home in the midst of this - either that or we may have eventually had to go bankrupt! It’s a miracle we’ve gotten this far! We can rest in God’s peace that surpasses all natural understanding because we know we are in God’s will and He is pleased with our obedience in tithing! (Finally!) He never was out to punish us for being disobedient, but it took us going almost to the bottom of the barrel before we could surrender to Him in this area. God has promised us a New Beginning this year and we claim it! Thank you for your ministry! It is very encouraging and we believe God is preparing us to enter into the business arena this year!