How God Turns Our Offering into Supernatural Blessing- Part 4
Dr. Pradeep Stephen
Praise the Lord. God of Wonders radio program presents Part 4 and the conclusion of ‘How God turns our offering into a supernatural blessing.’ Let’s listen.
That is the point, which God will come and move us to see, there is something I can give unto the Lord. I thought I had given up everything. But there is something I can give as an offering to the Lord. There is an Isaac and a Samuel in my life, in my life that I can give unto the Lord in worship, in faith for the glory of God. What a wonderful place to be. When I come to God with open hands and say, “God, whatever was mine that was good and you prosper; I open my hands, Lord it belongs to You. Whenever and whatever You want, it’s Yours. At that point, God will begin to do the supernatural. So the natural things that I possess, God comes and He moves us to give up certain things at certain times as the Spirit of God leads. So ask the Lord, ask the Lord sincerely, “Lord, is there something in my life, some Isaac, some Samuel that I ought to give to You, place on the altar, so that Your divine purposes could be fulfilled.
Notice, Samuel was not just given back to Hannah or nor was he just another priest in the temple of Eli, where Eli worshipped and ministered. He was not an ordinary priest or person. He was the divinely appointed man of God whose words were like God’s Words himself. When he spoke it happened, people were afraid; people rejoiced also because they knew it was God speaking through him. Notice that when the natural was given up to God, God’s supernatural plan was fulfilled. So are you looking tonight for God’s supernatural plan to be fulfilled in your life or are you going to settle for whatever progress you’ve made up to this point. And say, God I’m comfortable now. I’ve made some sacrifices along the way, but I am not interested in giving up Isaac. I’m not interested in making a vow to You in giving up Samuel, because I want to be small minded. Where You are limitless, I feel that I’ve come to a place where I’m comfortable. Here, up to this point, I'll walk with You Lord. If you want to go further with me, I’m afraid it’s going to cost me too much. I’m afraid; I don’t have the faith level to offer up what You want from me. I’m afraid. That fear is exactly opposite to God’s promise, we need to know that. When God says give up something, He will honor our commitment and our offering and He will bless us supernaturally. Praise the Lord. I just want to end with Psalms 61.
Let this be the cry to the Lord tonight, “Father, what I have purposed in my heart tonight, what You have shown me, what I brought before You. I want to give it to You freely from my heart. It may or may not be money. That’s a very small area actually. There are Isaacs and there are Samuels that God is looking for, from Abraham and from Hannah, that’s the whole point. From you and from me, who have the blessing or will have the blessing. God is saying there is something I want you to give up to honor me, and I will surely honor you beyond your wildest dreams. Praise God. So, let’s go to the Lord even with this psalm of prayer. Psalm 61[King James Version] 1. Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. 2. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed:
(You see that a point where there is severe distress, a narrow point, where we are closed in, into an impossible situation, at that point when my heart is overwhelmed, I am looking to God.) Lead me to the rock that is (lower than I, No!) higher than I.
Lord, take me higher to You. Hallelujah! Higher, I want to get closer to Your heart. 3. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. 4. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.
And here comes the vows. 5.For thou, O God, hast heard my vows:
You see, it’s not just coming to God and saying, “Give me, give me, give me.” It’s saying to Lord, “Lord, what can I give to You. Lord, You’ve given me so much. What is there that is close to my heart, that Your Holy Spirit is bringing before me, not haphazardly but deliberately, purposefully, I am laying at the altar of the Almighty God. It may mean, brothers and sisters, you saying to the Lord as my wife did at some point, as we did together, “Lord, this child that You’ve given belongs unto You. Not just by possession because You created him or her, but I’m giving this child to serve You to glorify You more than anything else in this whole life in this world. I want Your Name to be glorified Lord, and use this precious child You’ve given me. It may mean that, it may mean that the Lord is moving you to dedicate that child whole heartedly, unreservedly, fearlessly into the hands of the Almighty saying, “Lord, use this child to be the next Isaac or Samuel.” Hallelujah. God will do that.
It may mean that business that you built up where you had profit, God by the Holy Spirit comes to you one night and says, “I want you to give it for my purpose, make this into a totally Christian endeavor.” I say, “Lord, what an honor, what an honor that You would give me the opportunity. You see the perspective, that You would give me the opportunity to give back into Your hands, a portion of what You’ve given me, so that You can multiply. How marvelous is the Lord. He doesn’t just come and say, “It’s mine; I don’t need your permission.” He comes and says, “Will you offer it to the Me? I am giving you the opportunity to obey Me. Praise God. 5. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name. 6. Thou wilt prolong the king's life: and his years as many generations. 7. He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.
Final verse, again the vow is coming to play. 8. So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, (all that You’ve done for me) that I may daily perform my vows.
Notice Hannah made a vow to God, you see it begins with a thankful heart. “Lord, you’ve blessed me so much. Lord, though I am in a strait, in a situation that is very trying right now. Though, I can’t seem to get a breakthrough. Father, though it looks like what You are asking me to offer, is going to cost me. Father, when I place it on Your altar, I have faith, thanksgiving, faith. Now, I’m going to perform it. It’s not just making the vow with thanksgiving and faith, but it’s actually following through. This psalm ends with, I am going to sing praise unto You. But, I know You haven’t forgotten Lord and neither have I, that I may daily perform my vows. What I vowed unto the Lord, I will not take back. What I vowed unto the Lord, I will honor Him by following through. The Lord is such a wonderful Lord, that He will always bless us immensely, immeasurably when we keep our vows unto Him. The word vow and the word offering, we are using it in the same context here tonight. Whatever I give to the Lord, I’m vowing to Him. “Lord, use this for Your glory.” So let’s ask the Lord tonight, as we close in prayer.
Lord what is it that you want me to give. There are people many, many Christians, who don’t know about this next level of their Christian walk. They think that it is just simply reading the word of God, praying and getting sin out of their life. That is surely the beginning and starting point. Without that, we can bring all the vows and sacrifice to God, God will not accept it. It says that Lord, if I have iniquity in my heart, You will not regard my prayer (Psalms 66:18) You won’t hear me if I regard iniquity in my heart. But, having put those things away, we say, “Father, there is something supernatural You want to do with me. I want to go from the natural to the supernatural. Lord I just don’t want to turn my eyes away from sin. But I want to go deep with You, I want You to use my life, use my offering, use everything I have, so that Your Name may be magnified in this earth and forever, that will be a testimony of praise unto Your name. I want that.”
Do you want that, do you want that tonight? Do you want to go from the natural to the supernatural? It takes us bringing the natural offering, something physical. God never says, “Bring me a spiritual mansion to me, bring Me a supernatural prayer with all of the liturgical notes and the incantations, and all of the sounds I am looking for. I want you to breathe out supernatural, none of that. He says, “Bring what you have in your hands or what is dear to you.” “Lord, what is it that You want? What is it that I can offer up to You?” David’s heart was like that, even, when he went and purchased that field, when that field was offered freely by Araunah, for the ark of the Lord to be there. When he built the altar, he built it on a field that costs him. He said I will not give unto the Lord, that which does not cost me (2 Samuel 24:24) that’s David’s heart. How is God’s heart? God’s heart is the same way. He who did not spare His only son, but gave Him up and along with that everything, He won’t withheld anything from us. (Romans 8:32). He will give everything. God wants us to be like Him. So, let’s become supernatural people, be like God and say, “God, whatever You put Your finger on, it’s Yours. I will gladly offer up to the Lord, not grudgingly, unwillingly, fearfully but Hallelujah, If the Lord be God and He asks me to give this to Him, if the Holy Spirit has been showing me repeatedly that you need to give this to me, “Lord, I will gladly give.” And watch God multiply not only physically but supernaturally and for eternity, that offering that you gave to Him, that seemed to cost so much at that moment, in the human realm, in the physical sense. But in retrospect, in the supernatural realm, it was hardly anything compared to what vast blessing God has given. Shall we pray.
Praise be to You, Father. Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Glory be to you, Father. We praise Your Holy Name, Lord. We thank you Lord, we bless your matchless Name. Glory be to God in the highest. Lord, whatever you ask of us Lord we lay at the altar, Father, as the Holy Spirit deals with each one of us this night. Lord, I pray bring us out of the natural domain into the supernatural life of God. Lord, help us to go deeper with You. Help us to know what Isaac we have, what Samuel Lord, that we must vow unto You. Lord, that we would give unto You that which does not cost us least or nothing; but that which costs us something. Lord, that which Father, even when we are in dire strait, Father in heaven, even when we are in a situation Lord where we are Lord hard pressed to do anything for You, Lord we are freely with thankful heart, with thanksgiving and with faith, believe You and follow through, in giving You an honorable sacrifice. In offering unto the Lord our best; that which is dear unto our hearts. Because, O God, You never short change us Lord, You never have done it before. You are God who is generous, You are wonder working God, and You are the God Father who takes, indeed those 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread and do a miracle. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
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