Driven by A Promise: The Relentless Journey to Your Dream

Driven by a Promise E’yen A. Gardner

Driven by Promise Copyright © 2014 by E’yen A. Gardner

Printed Word Publishing www.eyengardner.com [email protected] All Scripture bible references are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. Book Editing & Book Cover Design: Maia R. Gardner

Other Books by E’yen A. Gardner Humbly Submitting to Change: The Wilderness Experience

Break Free

Chosen One

In The Morning

Seventh Day

Extreme Makeover Husband Rules: A Guy’s Playbook On How to Win in Marriage Detox 21: 21 Day Cleansing of the Soul

Love Letters

Poetic License

Free Mind 20 Days With Peter

Contents The Journey Begins Losing Sight of the Path Shutting Out the Noise Giving it All Open Confession In a Deep Sleep Sarai Name Change Laughter Heart of Intercession A Child is Born Letting Go of a Son Nurturing the Promise Reaching the Next Level Go Alone Driven Towards Abundance Surrender to the Voice One With God Acknowledgments Contact Author

The Journey Begins “And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.” Genesis 11:3132

As I gaze at the night sky enjoying its beauty, a voice touches my ears I turn but no one is there. The voice speaks again, calling by name. In shock, I yield my ears to the words of this voice. Overwhelmed by the power of the voice, I fall to my knees in reverence. As I commit my heart to the instructions of the voice, I am left alone. I can’t stay where I have been any longer, for I have been shaken by the voice. I must leave this place and journey to the place that I have been promised. Once, my father talked about a place called Canaan that lit him up with excitement. Then we found Haran and grew to enjoy the comforts it had to offer. Much substance sustained us and then suddenly, my father passed away. My leader, my guide, was gone. The night sky was my peace. Then, the another night, I heard the voice. The voice spoke to me as if we were close friends, knowing intimate details about me that I have never shared with anyone. It told me that if I left Haran, I would bless the world. It does not make sense; my wealth and life is here in Haran. Nevertheless, the unknown calls me. So, today I leave this place and journey towards the direction I last heard the voice. “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and

from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.” (Genesis 12:1-4)

When you were created, you were given a gift; the ability to create, better known as faith. Faith enables us to live. Abram was a wealthy man, living with his family in Haran. He heard a voice that told him to leave his home and go to a land where he would be blessed. Imagine the fear Abram faced after hearing the voice for the first time. He was dealing with the loss of his father, becoming the head over the household and was without a son to carry on his name. Then, one day, a voice awakens him, promising wealth and blessings beyond measure. A voice that promised him what he desired most with only one condition: “Go to a place I will show you.” That is a voice you simply can’t ignore. The voice revealed Abram’s true desire to have a son. The voice then promised to manifest the promise if he left where he was, to go to a place full of uncertainty. Have you encountered the voice? You can imagine why so many are afraid of the voice; it “rattles” your life. The only condition is to believe the voice, meaning, obey its guidance. You have a choice; you can either obey or disobey the voice. Many constantly confess their desires to whoever will listen but don’t act on them. There is no weight to their thoughts and it produces no fruit, but rather empty words and dreams. The difference between a great person and an average person is the extraordinary choices that they act upon.

Abram was driven by a promise. He could not physically see anything but he made the voice’s words real. He took what he heard and decided it was worth the risk. Whatever job he had, he quit. Whatever home he had, he sold. He sacrificed his reputation and all of his positions to pursue a promise that he believed was real. You can’t act on faith if you allow your fears to converse with you. You don’t know what will happen unless you take the risk. Worrying keeps you from acting; it keeps you talking about being great without actually accomplishing anything. Abram saw the wonderful treasures set in front of him and went after it. He did not confer with anyone in the city or his family to see if it was a wise decision, he was confident enough in what he heard to make the life-altering decision to follow the voice into the unknown. Many cannot move beyond the point of hearing because their fears outweigh their faith but a few will act because their curiosity and faith outweighs their fears. Abram was leaving a good life in an established city to live a life wandering in the desert. That is not the kind of life we perceived to be Abram’s but it was. Dependent solely upon the water of life within, he took on more wealth than his entire life had ever given him. The promise has to be worth investing your life, to receive it. There is no use in following a promise that is obtainable on your own. The voice promised a life that Abram could not possibly have where he was. More than anything else, Abram wanted a son but he was unable to have one with his wife. No matter what gods he prayed to, they were unable to give him what he desired. However, this voice knew what Abram desired

and guaranteed that it would be his if he only obeyed. Abram was no different then you and I are today. He was not a perfect man who had a relationship with God. He did not know God and probably even questioned if there was a god. It wasn’t his merits that warranted a word from God to go live a blessed life. We often hear how great Abram was for his faith but don’t realize how great we can be as well. It does not matter what we have done before the voice speaks; the voice speaks to those who are willing to listen.

Losing Sight of the Path “And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.” (Genesis 12:5-7)

God did not reveal himself until Abram left the land of Haran. God was right outside of the city, waiting on Abram to come to the mountain that He prepared for him. When you remain where you are, the excitement of hearing the voice will fade because of the surrounding circumstances that weigh you down. God meets us where there are no outside influences to distract us. When we step out in faith, we are not alone. God is with us every step of the way but there comes a time early on in our journey that we encounter Him. He meets us because he knows our path will not be easy and we will be tempted to doubt the voice that promised us treasures beyond measure. Jesus had the encounter and immediately found himself in the wilderness tempted by Satan to give up on his purpose. When we first receive a promise, it seems so close but that is when the famine comes. The famine is necessary; it makes you do things you would have never thought you would do. “And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.” (Genesis 12:9-10)

Abram had no other option but to leave the land that he was dwelling in for the famine was dreadful. He fled to Egypt even though he didn’t want to go there because he knew that the men were capable of treacherous things like murder. Abram valued his possessions and loved his wife but to save his life while in Egypt, he told the men that his wife was his sister. If they knew Abram was Sarai’s husband, they would have killed him in order to give her to the Pharaoh. Abram’s plan not only saved his life, it increased his riches. The problem was that by saving his life he lost sight of the promise. He could not have the promised son if his wife was married to the Pharaoh. No riches can replace the value of the promise. It is not worth it to gain the world and lose your promise. The famine was over yet Abram could not leave Egypt until Sarai was with him. God plagued Egypt because Abram was out of order. God plagued Egypt to free Abram and Sarai so they could come back to the path. We can be destructive to those around us when we are not in the place where our promise needs us to be. When Abram and Sarai were restored, they had to go back to where they started. Abram needed to hear the voice again to remember the promise and be refocused, so he waited.

Shutting Out the Noise “And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.” (Genesis 13:1-4)

Abram traveled back to the place where he received his promise. He wanted to hear the voice again; everything around him was distracting him from the promise, so he went back to where he first heard the voice. Riches were not the promise he was waiting for, he desired what the voice had spoken to him. Abram wanted to hear the voice again but he was surrounded by strife. Sometimes we can be loyal to a fault to those that we love. We don’t want to be separated from them so we reject the fact that they are not apart of our promise. When we are connected to someone that is not apart of our promise, it is hard to understand why they don’t care about the promise. They may be happy with the riches, the reputation and the land but we will never be satisfied with anything less than the promise. Abram could not focus on the promise while dealing with the strife between Lot’s men and his. He had to concern himself with foolishness all because he was unwilling to make a tough decision and separate from Lot. Your promise is yours. You don’t have to think long about the people that are not apart of your promise. They are not bad people; it is just that they cannot be so close to you that they blind you from your

priorities. Abram was frustrated by the overwhelming strife, so he told his nephew to choose the land he wanted. He was so desperate to be rid of the drama that he did not care what Lot wanted Abram only wanted the promise. Could you make that decision? Could you sacrifice your ego and your wealth to be free from strife? When you walk in faith, even in loss, you gain. Lot wanted the beautiful land that resembled Egypt leaving Abram with Canaan - the land God already promised him. When Abram settled into Canaan, that is when he heard the voice. No one can take your promise from you. You don’t have to fight to keep it or obtain it, it is yours. Once the outside noise is gone, the voice returns. If you can’t hear the voice, you have to cut out all of the other noise. How? You cut the noise by finding what distractions are frustrating and keeping you from listening to the voice. When you discover them, it is in your hands to let go of them so you can hear again.

Back on Track My feet sink in the sand. The decision to say goodbye to my friend was agonizing. As I look beyond the dunes seeing the fires of Lot’s camp, I fall, weeping. With no one to console me, the wind surrounds me and speaks. “Arise Abram look and see the land that I have promised you. You will be blessed and your seed shall fill the earth.” The wind moves on, leaving me alone with my promise. I return to camp rejuvenated and alive. I tell my wife “We must go.” Abram was frustrated, confused and desperate. First, he heard the voice and followed the voice then somehow lost the voice. His wife and camp depended on him but he was unsure of where he needed to be or what he was to do. Just think of the issues that surfaced when their leader had no idea on where to lead! It would seem bad to be in this place but it actually was good for Abram. He learned how much he needed the voice and he began to see that without it, he could never receive the promise. It is not that he had to live according to the voice; he could have gone back to his former life. When he heard the promise, it was something he could not turn his back on. When you are given a promise, your life becomes consumed with it and you begin to see the world in a different light. Lot saw the world different than Abram. When Abram heard the voice, he was promised something that money could buy him. He went from seeing the things he had; to being willing to give them all up just to have the promise. Before the promise, Abram lived for things. He surrounded his life with everything he could gain but nothing could fill the

huge void in his heart. The voice pumped new life into his heart; creating a new heart and a new man with a new perspective. He still was rich but he now felt the wealth from within.

Giving it All “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.” (Genesis 14:18-23)

As Abram was traveling to the land that the voice promised him, a bad report came. Lot was in trouble and was held captive after being attacked. Though Abram’s camp was at peace, he could not allow his blood to remain in captivity. Think of how bold Abram was. He could have easily chosen to turn his back, claiming that it was not his fight, or that Lot chose the wrong place to live. Yet, Abram believed so much in the promise, he had no space to fear death. He was so confident that he was going to free Lot and reclaim all that was taken, that he immediately prepared his men for battle. Ultimately, the victory was theirs because of one man’s bold faith in knowing the voice would protect him. Abram won the battle and left with the riches of the kingdom of Sodom. The King of Salem met them and he blessed, Abram in this moment. Abram then gave a tenth of Sodom’s riches to the king. This tithe was not an obligation; it was a celebration.

Abram was so thankful for the victory he was given that he celebrated by giving: a gesture far too many pass by. Not only did Abram give tithes to the king of Salem, he gave the rest of the riches back to the king of Sodom. He knew that the promise was not attached to Sodom and the wealth obtained was not for him. He had his heart set on his promise not someone else’s. He got want he wanted in the battle - the life of Lot - and remained focused on the promise that drove his existence. The promise is greater than small victories. Things and money couldn’t buy the promise; they couldn’t give him what his heart desired. Abram was a giver; he knew that the things he obtained couldn’t compare to his promise. When you give, you empty yourself of cares that choke the promise. Giving keeps you hungry for what is yours. To earn something and to be given something are two different things. Abram earned the wealth by winning the battle but eventually it would run out. When you are given something, you appreciate it. No battle is necessary; it is yours through faith. When you are so driven by the promise, you will do whatever you can to keep clear focus on it. Abram wasn’t perfect, he just learned his lesson. He didn’t hear the voice while his men fought with Lot so he matured. We mature not by our words but by our actions. We learn by experiencing the same things repeatedly. Giving is a heart test; it is a celebration of the victories you have been given and a freeing to receive the promise.

Open Confession “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, LORD God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” (Genesis 15: 1-6)

Fear not Abram, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. While isolated and empty, Abram was given confirmation that his promise was guaranteed, although he could not see it and doubt began to creep into his mind. His faith brought him to a place of confession. He was honest with the voice and confessed his worries and doubts. I hear you but I don’t see anything happening to show that I am getting closer to the fulfillment. Many times we confuse a honest confession with doubting the voice but it’s natural to hear a good word and want to see it manifest. When it doesn’t, it seems like we have missed a step somewhere. Abram was tired; he looked at himself and wondered if he was up for making it to the promise. Abram heard God speaking but what God spoke was contrary to what his reality was at the time. God was not angry at Abram’s confession. God simply took the time to reintroduce the promise to Abram.

The journey to the promise is challenging because many times you have to trust that you are going in the right direction, even when all signs are pointing in the opposite direction. You have an attitude that is tired of hearing about the promise when you can’t see any signs that validate it. In the midst of Abram’s confession, God lifted his perspective. Instead of looking at what was around him, God directed his focus to heaven. His sign was not in front of him, it was covering him; the stars were the sign of how blessed the nation would be that would come out of him. God used something that was out of the world to comfort Abram’s heart in this world and Abram believed God. He did not know how God would do it but he believed He would. The promise can not be compared to anything in this world. It can’t be measured or calculated. The promise is so wonderful and amazing that even in the place of confession, we are enlightened to how great the promise really is. Will you believe God although it has not happened when you thought it should? Will you trust that you are going in the right direction regardless of signs telling you contrary? This is your promise and your faith in the promise will allow you to receive the promise.

In a Deep Sleep “And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:” (Genesis 15:12-18)

God places his promises in our dreams so as we rest, we can reflect on the blessings and life in front of us. Because Abram first believed the voice, he was able to witness what was ahead through his dream. Many of us can not dream because our thoughts and beliefs are contrary to the voice that speaks to us. We want to see the dream, but we don’t believe the dream. There is nothing to worry about because there will be a performance of the promise. Aligning yourself with your faith in the promise will allow you to enjoy the journey of receiving them. First, God showed Abram heaven then He showed him His heart. Seeing the stars is wonderful but it cannot compare to the treasure in your heart. God wanted to show Abram what he was capable of and then showed him where his capabilities dwelt; it is inside the fruit where life truly dwells. When you

know what you are capable of, you won’t settle for anything less. Your drive and your aim is set high and even looking higher; nothing can stop someone that draws from the greatness in them. This greatness is beyond consciousness, which means; sometimes your mind has to be at rest to tap into the creative force in you. For many it is through dreams but for others, before they can tap into it, they have to surrender their minds to accepting it. Abram was not just sleep he was in deep sleep. He was in another consciousness, another world; he was in the future. He saw his descendants. He saw the land of promise. He saw life. Even though he would not walk in that future in his world, he was able to see that his faith would allow others to. Abram saw how his faith in the promise would change the world. That same faith dwells in you. You have the power change the world, as you know it. The promise is not just for you, it is for the world through you. Your faith gives future generations access to things that you never even imagined. The promise is bigger than you are. When you live driven by it, you carry the future with you wherever you go. When you go after the promise, you must be aware of the One you go with.

Sarai “And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.” (Genesis 16:2-6)

Abram heard from God but Sarai heard from Abram. She was living on his faith in the promise; she did not witness all that the voice had confirmed to Abram. It was her love for Abram that allowed her to trust in the direction they were going. When Abram was weak and worried if he was on the right path, God came and comforted him. Imagine the pressure Sarai was under. She heard the words that a promised child would be born to Abram and she wanted the promise to come true but she felt she was inadequate because she was barren. She had an ongoing battle with her thoughts. I am the hindrance to my husband’s promise. If I could do anything to change the situation, I would. She was desperate but she did not have a voice that comforted her in weakness. She knew that her husband loved her but she could not fully love herself. She identified with her issue and because of it, she was unaware that in spite of the situation,

God loved her. Sarai saw her handmaid and in anxiousness to see the promise, told Abram to sleep with her so they could obtain children by her. This bright idea was not fully thought out and because of it, Sarai was put in a place far worse than before. The bible says Abram hearkened unto her and went to be with Hagar and she conceived. After she conceived, Hagar despised Sarai. When we live according to our lack, we create discord everywhere we go. Yes, Sarai was foolish to offer her maid to Abram but it was Abram that was truly unwise. He knew the promise but because of his insecurity with his wife, he allowed himself to turn to another to bring about the promise. They turned to logic when their promise was illogical. It took no faith to have a child with Hagar; it was completely natural and normal. However, to have a child from an old barren womb was impossible. It would require God to make a way. The promise is given, not obtained; the work was in God’s hands not hers. She used her authority over Hagar to try to bring about the promise. With no regard of God, she tried to take His place. When we know the promise and we see anything that may expedite the process, we jump on it. It seems to be good but ultimately leads to frustration. Why? Because we don’t get what we want; it does not satisfy our thirst for the promise. The pride that comes with working our plan tries to limit God’s plan. God is not subject to our plan, he moves by faith. Sarai was not acting on faith, she was being impatient, and she wanted a change now. She wanted the promise, but because of her “situation,” she only saw it obtainable on her terms. **Side note**

Never send your spouse to another to satisfy what you feel you can’t do. You will bring discord into a relationship by your insecurity. When we identify with our lack, we lose sight of God’s abundance. Our identity is in Him, not in our weakness. Sarai saw herself as old and barren but God saw her as purposed and blessed. She needed Abram to reaffirm that God would do what He promised to do though her. She devalued herself regarding the promise thinking that Abram was the key. Abram was the key but she was the door. When you see your true identity, you realize that you are blessed and loved by God and by His grace, the promises come. You know that you can trust that whatever happens is His will, and your choices will be by faith in Him, not your abilities. Realistically, it is easy to judge Sarai and Abram as being impatient but ten years is a long time for anyone to wait on a promise. When the voice spoke to Abram, it did not tell him how long it would be to receive the promise, and like Abram, we all expect it to come sooner than later. When it doesn’t we are left unsure of its validity and we turn to ourselves for answers. I understand the emotions Sarai felt. She is the vessel He would use but her inadequacies led her to turn from God instead of towards Him. She needed to see the stars that Abram saw. She needed comfort but her emotions caused her to resist God’s comfort. In weakness, God strengthens those that yield to Him. It is God’s desire that we live in the promise; meaning, we are not moved by our surroundings but by the faith birthed through

our waiting. No matter what things look like, you have a king inside of you. Sarai literally had kings inside of her. Hagar was a woman that could have children but the promise was in Sarai, she just needed to see the treasure that she was. Sarai was not content and brought more drama into her situation than she desired. When you notice what you are instead of what you are not, you open yourself to happiness and true contentment. You can rest in your circumstance without care. There is no need to go after a promise if you don’t love yourself enough to enjoy it. No matter if it takes three months or fifteen years, until you receive the promise, your heart is content dwelling in the presence of love. The promise is great but love is greater. It is not the promise we need but rather love. With love, we can be content in whatever state we are in. You see, Sarai regarded the promise and ignored the love that surrounded her. Abram loved her and God loved her but she struggled to love herself. It’s not that we won’t make mistakes, but through them, we learn and discover the blessings and love we possess. At that point, we are no longer waiting without contentment and no longer struggling with the situations of life; we confront and deal with them. The children of Israel were told that they would wander and die in the wilderness and they did for forty years because of unbelief but that is not all. They chose to accept it. They did not have to wander for forty years but they chose to. They could have asked God to change His mind but because of their unbelief, they allowed what was sentenced to them to end with a period. No comma, no new beginning. Sarai chose to give

Hagar to Abram and chaos ensued. When she saw it was not a choice she truly desired, she changed her mind. God did not punish her for making a choice. He allowed her to learn from her choices. It did not change the promise at all. She was still going to receive the promise; it was just now she chose to wait on God even if it took longer.

Name Change “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.” (Genesis 17:1-8) “I would have fainted lest I believed that I would see the goodness of God in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13)

There comes a time when who you have been can no longer benefit you where you are going. Abram was promised and he was blessed but his name was the same. In the Jewish culture, your name is significant and is attached to your life’s purpose. Abram believed God and needed to identify with who he would become, not with who he was. God called him, Abraham. It is more than just adding two letters to his name; the change is significant because it established a new covenant not with the person everyone knew as Abram but the man that would birth nations Abraham. At ninety-nine years old, the life he lived he knew was over. Abraham was about to experience a new birth that would come out of him; nations and kings all coming from one man that decided to believe a small voice that whispered a promise of a new life. With one man, God changed the world. The covenant

- his name - was sealed by blood. When a child is born, they are still connected to their former life until the umbilical cord is cut and all that they depended on is discarded; they are cleaned up and begin to live a new life. Abram was a different man when he heard the voice and left his home. In order to fully appreciate the life he was promised, his name needed to be changed. No longer defined by his past, he could create a new future for himself and his descendants. Twenty-four years after his initial encounter with the voice, God met him. At the age of ninety-nine, Abram died and Abraham was born; a new birth with a new name. It can be frustrating to know the reality of God’s power, yet have to wait for it to manifest. Abraham was not waiting for God, God was waiting for him. God is waiting for you. It is never about the trial or the promise, it is about you. When you are at the end of “self,” that is when help comes; change occurs. The time between hearing the voice, believing the voice, surrendering to it and being transformed by it, is up to your willingness to learn from and surrender to the journey. The journey, however long, is not a punishment. The journey is the gift. The promises are too great for you to fully understand them; the journey creates a hunger for God’s presence to fill your life and allows you to appreciate His promises. Many times, as we wait, we settle. We give up too early and we accept less than we hoped for because we are ignorant to what is available to us. We cope with life instead of enjoying life. The challenges we face are only challenges because we are blind to presence of God that surrounds us. God is our reality

and the promise is our realization. Abram’s name could not contain all that was in him, so he became Abraham; the father of multitudes. We must understand that the power of a name comes from the belief we have in it. Yes, his name changed but he could have decided to accept less than the promise he was given. He chose to believe in a promise that was yet afar off. Forsaking the past, Abraham regarded the future. As a true example of faith, Abraham took hold of the future by believing in the promises of God. When we are enlightened to the name we carry, we are able to surrender to the promise giver. When you have no worry or need to take care of yourself, it allows you the freedom to regard others and help them. The moment could be regarded as just a name change; similar to how a wife may fight to maintain her maiden name after she is married, it is not just a simple name. Her name is replaced and covered by her husband’s it is symbolic and literal all in one. Her husband covers her. It does not diminish her authority or power but promotes it. It allows her to be herself with confidence that her husband’s love and heart surrounds her. When we take on God’s name we are not enslaved or trapped by it, we are promoted and empowered to be us. His love covers us. The life we lived is gone, giving way to a new life filled with promises and infusing purpose and love into the world. When you place your trust in God, you know that where He leads you, you will never fail. Your attitude and your perspective change through your relationship and dependence on God; He is your partner not a dictator. He wants to hear your thoughts. He wants to know you and He wants you to

know Him. Knowing God is more than reading the bible or attending worship services. You become intimate with Him through experience. When you experience life and all it has to offer, you begin to see God in a way that is not written in manuscripts. You learn of a personal God who enlightens the path that leads to your heart. Faith is not only expression, it is work; a work built on trust. When a couple gets married, they profess their love during the ceremony, symbolizing their commitment and journey to oneness. The wedding is not the commitment, it is not the marriage, it is just an expression of a new beginning. After the wedding ceremony, the marriage becomes real and trust is tested. You believed in love, yet your trust is challenged now as you learn who your partner is and who you are. To trust anything, you must experience it. God hears your assertion; He sees your faith as you travel out from your former life towards your promises. Now, what you need to do is trust that God’s love is sufficient to meet you where you are. Trusting God will give you the freedom to enjoy the journey. Your attitude and emotions can hinder you but trust will propel you to dimensions that are limitless.

Laughter “And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!” (Genesis 17: 16-18) “Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.” (Genesis 18:12-15)

The inconceivable is God’s way of showing His presence in the world. Abraham had a son in Ishmael. It was logical to think of him as the promised one, but when God told him it was Sarah that would birth the promised son, he laughed. In his mind, she was not able to get pregnant and have a child. Not only did Abraham laugh, Sarah also laughed when she heard the Lord talking to Abraham. Miracles are funny because we usually rely on facts. So, when we are asked to believe and trust against reasoning, it may force out an uncomfortable laugh. It is not disrespect, it is our ignorance. However, God uses the foolish things to confound the wise. (I Corinthians 1:27) It is one thing to believe in the promise, and another to believe the promise will happen through you. Abraham and Sarah concluded in their minds how “heaven” would be. They never

considered that the option would involve Sarah at ninety years old; it seemed her time had come and gone. Abraham did not doubt that God would perform, he laughed at how God would perform. You see, as humans, we don’t understand the methods or lengths that God goes through to perform his promises. What we perceive as right may not be right for us, and what we perceive as wrong may not be wrong for us. It does not matter how it is done, all that matters is that it is done. The key is, not doubting God. You may laugh at the method but never forget the power of God. Is there anything too hard for the Lord? Abraham questioned and offered the suggestion that Ishmael could be the promised son but after God told him otherwise, he surrendered to God’s will. Yes, God can perform according to our thoughts and ideas but His promises are not subject to what we desire. This time next year, what you been promised you will hold in your hands. It would be difficult when you have lived for years, hearing of a promise but never seeing it. God is telling you next year, you will have what He promised. What was barren and dried up will bring forth life. Don’t look for another way, God is the way, the truth and the life you desire. Many times, we become so accustomed to the situation we are in that we identify with it and reflect what we see. However, a word, a promise has been given that disrupts our order and sows life into our bones. Promises are given not requested. You can pray for a desired outcome but your prayer does not give a promise, it is according to God’s plan. When you surrender to the promise,

you are lifted from the current situation so you can walk through it with peace and a clear mind. Abraham and Sarah could not see the goodness that was set before them. It was beyond their imagination. Whatever goodness is beyond your imagination, state you are currently in can’t compare to what is before you. The promise is yours, you don’t earn it, you don’t work for it, you just wait with an open heart and mind for it.

Heart of Intercession “And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes: Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. And he said unto him, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.

And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.” (Genesis 18: 16-33)

Abraham sat in the presence of God but then it was time for the angel of the Lord to leave, they were on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah. As Abraham heard the judgments on Sodom and Gomorrah, his heart was moved and he interceded on their behalf. The heart of intercession is one that can’t stand by the wayside while others suffer loss and destruction. Abraham knew that God was just but He also knew He was merciful. He knew he could not stop God from performing His word but he asked for mercy over judgment, love over law. Abraham knew that if the city was destroyed, Lot and his family would be destroyed too. The amazing thing is, God did not have to tell Abraham where he was going but chose to because He wanted Abraham to see another side of Him. In spite of judgment, mercy is always present; it covers those that accept the righteousness of God and protects them in the midst of destruction. It would have been easy for Abraham not to concern himself with the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He did not live there and he was not impacted by their lifestyle. However, he regarded strangers the same as he would his family and pleaded for love to have a place in spite of the wickedness that was there. God gives us opportunities to plead for others. Innocent and unknowing of the danger coming their way, He allows us to be a blessing to them. An intercessor moves the heart of God and allows love to be seen in the midst of darkness. You can enjoy

your promises but you can also be an intercessor for someone ignorant to the love and will of God.

A Child is born “And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.” (Genesis 21:1-6)

A year later, Abraham found himself holding the promise. Sarah, at the young age of ninety-one, gave birth to a child; a promise by the name of Isaac. Can you imagine the excitement Abraham and Sarah felt, having the promised son in their presence? The wait was worth it; the journey allowed them to see the promise manifest. Abraham believed God with no evidence in sight. Now with evidence, what could shake his faith? Abraham wasn’t promised merely Isaac, he was promised nations and Isaac was the seed. The seed is not the fulfillment of the promise but is necessary to see it manifest. Abraham had to nurture and love the seed for it was placed in his hands but at that moment it was time for a celebration of the child that was spoken long before it came. Promises are given by sacrifice. With the birth of Isaac, you see that life is given to those that receive it. When you are driven in life, your concern for everything else is laid aside and you are open to love. In Abraham’s emptiness, he was given an opportunity to draw close to God. Without God, life is

empty and hard but when you place your empty and unfulfilled life before God, you discover love; love that is given to strengthen and encourage. The sacrifice and time that Abraham invested in believing the promise allowed the promise to be achieved. Abraham and Sarah carried laughter. The promise brings joy and wherever you travel, you carry laughter and joy with you. When you realize the magnitude of the promise, it causes you to smile. You believed and no matter the distance you traveled to receive it, the fact that the dream has come true does not seem real. Think about the people you know or know of that are living their dream. Most of them are happy but also humbled to be able to do what they love to do. They took the lonely journey of discovering life, and in the midst of all odds, endured to receive their promise. Your happiness is in your hands. You are holding your future, you don’t have to carry your past anymore. You are a new person living a new life. Your future is bright and full of greatness and miracles. The promise has come and it is only the beginning but as the promise grows, you will be presented with choices. Will you nurture the promise? Will you love it unconditionally?

Letting go of a son “Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.” (Genesis 21:10-13)

When Sarah saw Ishmael mocking her son she demanded that he leave their presence. Imagine how Abraham felt, when his wife told him that his son could not be in his life longer. He did not desire that this happen, he loved his son. The pain of letting Ishmael go was so hard to accept. He knew in his heart that Sarah was right but being right did not make it easy. However, God came and confirmed what was in his heart; he had to let go of his son to fully embrace and nurture the child that was promised. In our journey, we are met with the same choice. We have given up much to follow the voice of God but there is a “son” that we must let go of in order to fully embrace the promises over our life. Our “son” a friend, family member, the job we have been working, or even the ties we have kept from our old job. I remember, while working a job, I started my own business. For the first two years, the business never fully developed because I did not give it the time it needed to be successful. When I let go of the job and committed to my business, I brought in more revenue than my former job. The promise is in your hands and

you have to commit fully it to bring in the results that you desire. You never know your potential until you have to let go of something you love. It is easy to let go of things that you don’t enjoy or love but when you love them, the choice is a lot harder. When I let go of my job, it was hard because no matter what was annoying about it, I still loved my job. I loved what I did and I enjoyed the people I worked with. The issue was, it was not my promise. Yes, I had good times but unlike the promise, it never brought fulfillment. It is one thing to love what you do; it is another thing to do what you love. You see, I can write for someone because I love to write but to write about things that I love makes it worthwhile. Abraham loved Ishmael because he was his son but he was not satisfied until he receive the son he was promised. When the time came for Abraham and Sarah to take care of Isaac, they nurtured him and made sure he was taken care of but there were distractions with having Ishmael because he also needed a father. The time Abraham spent with Isaac was shared time with Ishmael. Ishmael resented Isaac; he knew he was not being treated the same and probably even felt neglected. It was not a great environment for Isaac to grow up in, being envied, so God told Abraham to let go of his son. He was not abandoning Ishmael; he was placing him in God’s hands. God was going to be Ishmael’s father and He was going to protect and keep him. When we let go we are not losing, we are gaining freedom to love the promise. We make choices in life that don’t always line

up with our purpose and our promises. We don’t have to quit or abandon our responsibilities, we just have to let go and allow God to handle the situation. Because you love it, God will take care of it. We are blessed that whatever is in our lives we never lose, when we place it in His hands.

Nurturing the promise A son sat with his father looking up into the night sky. As the boy sat in amazement at the stars, His father watched his son smiling. In complete stillness, words were exchanged. The son felt loved and hugged his father. Complete in the arms of love, they rested in space. Becoming one with the stars. This is the turning point in our journey. One focus, one mind. The promise is at the center of our world. Abraham and Sarah had an unwavering faith that we all can reach; one mind faith. It is when we let go of all things and place our focus and heart on the one thing that we believe will happen. Abraham was gifted with blessings. Wherever he went the blessings followed him. However, as he held his son Isaac something was unique and pure about him. It was more than receiving a blessing; it was now about being a blessing. His mind was no longer focused on what he was to receive but on what he was to give. He embraced his calling and set his focus on establishing blessings that would last throughout all generations. He set his faith on giving the blessing to the world. Those that make history, the ones that are talked about for ages, are the ones that take their promise and share it with the world. It is a love that transcends generations and builds hope the future. Because of one man who believed a voice, the world is filled with blessings. Your gifts are attached to your promise and have the ability to change the world. It is time to nurture the promise in your hand. Let’s take a moment to focus more on nurturing the promise.

To nurture means to care, to train and up bring. The promise especially the gifts and talents you possess - need to be nurtured in order to reach their full potential. Abraham was called to be a father of “many nations,” yet, until the birth of Ishmael, he was not a father to any. How could he be the great father he was called to be without the example before him? He had to depend on what was in him. You are also called to greatness. For many, there is no blueprint to follow in regards to your promise but that does not give you an excuse not to live up to your potential. If you know what your dreams and promises are, you don’t have to see it to begin feeding and caring for it. Nurturing the promise means taking it under your care, loving it, tending to it and spending time with it as it grows. It is not easy but it is fulfilling. Like raising a child, your promise takes sacrifice. It needs your willingness to be there even when it is inconvenient. You will not see it reach its full potential if you are not willing to invest into it. Nurturing is done when no one is patting you on your back. It can often seem like you are putting a lot in but not getting back the same. Regardless of what you put in, in the end, you will profit. Your determination is what fuels the promise to grow and love the one that loved it first. The promise becomes more, it becomes apart of you; apart of who you are, your lifestyle and it beautifies you. When you nurture the promise, you cherish it and become the reason the promise grows. It is like a father who tells his daughter every day that she is beautiful, she is special and has a great future ahead. She identifies with what her father speaks,

and begins to live it. If you have a promise and you think and speak negative about it, it won’t grow. Why? Because you won’t allow it to grow. The promise needs you to believe in it for it to come to pass. As you feed it and love it in the growing stages, it will eventually reach the level of maturity. You will be able to reap the benefits from it because you allowed it to mature into all it could be instead of stunting its growth. Maturity does not come simply with time; you can grow older and not mature. To grow into maturity, the promise needs to experience maturity. It needs to see through your example how to live and thrive in this world. If you don’t allow the promise to be nurtured through your faith and discipline, you hinder it.

Don't Fold Will you love the promise unconditionally? Dreams and promises from God are exciting; it gives us hope for tomorrow. When all the cards are dealt, the game begins. Before you received your cards, you hoped for the best. You believed you would win and the road to fulfillment would be a smooth ride. After you received your cards, things don’t look so bright. You don’t hold the best hand and you know you are vulnerable to losing. Will you fold your hand or will you play it out? The game is in your hands and will take every ounce of your faith to see the game through. Loving the promise unconditionally requires letting go of the value that it holds for you and realizing the value that you bring to the promise. You are what is valuable and without you, the promise is meaningless. The focus should be love and believing in the promise so much that you transfer your value to it. It becomes apart of you because you love the promise as you love yourself. You don’t quit or give up just because you have been dealt a bad hand, you make the hand work for you. You don’t have to question if you can win with what you hold, rather you make the choice to make the most out of what you are given no matter what the results are. Loving unconditionally leaves no room for fear. You don’t have time to doubt or question what is going on around you. You are determined to bring out the best in you in spite of the circumstances. With your love, you can’t be defeated; you win, one-hundred percent of the time.

In the times when you lack resources, inspiration, drive and companionship, love your dream. Love your promise, hold it close to your heart and believe in your true reality. We learned from Sarah and Hagar that fear creates desperation. You can’t make the dream happen overnight because you lack the faith and patience to allow it to become a reality. When desperation is motivated by fear, you create nightmares not dreams. Love drives you, inspires you and makes you hungry for the promises to be reality. That is why it is important for you to focus on your heart. It fuels your life, makes each day worth living and allows you to keep pressing forward until you reach your goals and beyond. Abraham’s unconditional love took him to the next level of consciousness and catapulted him towards his dreams.

Reaching the Next Level “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.” (Genesis 22:1-13)

Abraham is one of the most remarkable men ever to walk the earth. He lived over one hundred years, experiencing many

highs and lows, yet after all these things, God speaks and Abraham's response is: here I am. “Here I am” expresses what God desires for all of us to realize, for it means, I am present. I am here, alert and eager to hear your voice. “Here I am” is an act of respect and love. You are expressing that you value the presence and words of someone else to the point you become present in the moment, awaiting instruction. Abraham willingly responded to the voice that he came to recognize as God but what he heard after that was nothing to be happy about. Go take your only son and sacrifice him unto me. You must be kidding! How do you expect me to do that to my son? My only son, the one I waited all these years to see, the one that puts a smile on my face every day. Now you want me to give him to you? It makes no sense. Naturally, that is how I responded but Abraham said nothing. He simply began to follow his instructions. He did not question God, there was no pity party, he just prepared himself and his son for the journey. Are you that driven? Do you love God so much that when God asks for the promise back you freely open your hands to his way? Abraham did. It wasn’t that he did not love his son, he surely did, but he trusted God. The journey was long and when he saw the place where he was to offer his son, he did not waver, he pressed forward. Your dream, your promise, is in your hands. What will you do with it when God asks for it back? Will you turn your back or will you press forward? Isaac ignorant to what God asked of Abraham asked his dad where the sacrifice was. Abraham spoke with unwavering faith to his son and said that God would provide. Even under extreme pressure, Abraham showed that his heart was loyal to

God’s word. He did not concern himself with how it would happen he only focused on obeying. That is trust. Trusting God when it seems impossible is where faith grows. Faith is not knowing how, but trusting still. Right before he was going to sacrifice his son, God stopped Abraham and gave Isaac back to him. Abraham gave God his heart and God gave it back and more. It is no easy thing to give God your heart, you are giving him the most important part of you and entrusting Him to take care of it. When you empty yourself before God, He will fulfill his promises to you. He will take what is yours and bless it with more than you could ever obtain by yourself. God cares less about your “burnt offerings” and more about your heart. The promise leads you to full submission to God. We are driven back to God and through the journey; we discover that with God is where we want to be.

Go Alone “And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him..... And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.” (Genesis 22:3,5)

There comes a point on our journey where we must travel alone. When Abraham set out to sacrifice his son, two servants were with them. When he got close to the mountain, he left his servants behind and went on the rest of the way, “holding” the promise. Could you have witnessed seeing a father kill his son to offer him to God? You would think he lost his mind and try to stop him. Abraham did not tell his wife where he was going, she would not have understood such a request. He kept what God spoke to him a secret. Why? He trusted God. Even though he didn’t understand, he obeyed anyhow. Faith is a crazy thing. In hindsight, you can see the beauty and results it provides but in the moment, it usually seems completely insane. Faith is personal; it starts and ends with you. No one can believe more in your promise than you have the capability to. When the time comes to trust your heart’s promptings even when it is overwhelmingly contrary to your ideals and values, it is time to take the journey alone. You can't explain something logically to anyone else when you don’t understand it yourself. When you go alone, you are following your heart, trusting that where it leads you is where you desire to be. The voice spoke to you, it gave you the promise, so you

have to receive it yourself. Some things are only for you to experience and witness. When you go alone, you eliminate the hindrances and influences, empowering you to reach for the impossible. Abraham believed that even if he killed his son, God would raise him up. He left no room for doubt in his decision to take his son to the mountain. If his wife went along, she would not have allowed the situation to happen, she wouldn’t have even considered it. His decision to go alone allowed him to see God like never before. Completely trusting God is challenge for us all. To see the promise from God’s perspective we have to be willing to provide a precious sacrifice. Only God can provide the perfect sacrifice, the purpose is not for God to see our heart but that we see our heart. We need to see the depths of our divine nature and be empowered to live in the faith that we profess. Abraham was careless, illogical, and crazy. Yet, through this crazy man, the world has been blessed. Your faith is ground breaking; it will move mountains. You control if you will act upon it. Is it better to offer your gifts, your “Isaac” to God or to keep it in your hands? Abraham took what was most valuable to him and willingly offered it to God. He gave his gift back to the Giver. The blessing is to give, not receive. For all that God has done for you, will you give it back to Him? Abraham would not have made the same choice if God had given him a son at the beginning of his journey. Through time, he learned to trust God and he knew without a shadow of doubt that listening and obeying the voice would not fail him. The journey is meant to

build a relationship with the voice of God, to allow His voice to lead your life and drive you to every promise He has spoken to you. Abraham was fully persuaded through his experience. Abraham had a relationship with God, which is why he was able to trust God completely. You can’t expect someone else to do the same, if they don’t know and trust the voice that they hear. It takes developing a personal relationship with God. The voice speaks to each of us differently, it motivates us to act in a way that is unique to who we are. If Abraham did what he did now, many of us would want him put in jail for attempted murder. We would judge him as an unfit father and husband. Nothing about his story would be honorable and glorious if it was on the news, yet all his actions pleased God. Likewise, the world will not understand when we obey the voice of God. We will be condemned for our actions of faith but like Abraham, our faith will bless and save the world. We have to be fully persuaded that what we heard from God is true and the promise will surely happen. The amazing story of Abraham leads us back to our journey. An abundant life that very few live is what we are promised. It is like a key that is frozen inside of a huge piece of ice. You see what you want but as long as it is in your hands, it is stuck in the ice. You try to chip through the ice and break it but nothing you do dislodges the key. The moment you place the piece of ice in the sun, the ice melts under its rays and you can simply pick up the key. No work required, you just have to trust that the Son will open up access to the “key.”

Driven towards abundance “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” (Genesis 22:2) “And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” (Genesis 22:12)

Many work themselves to an early grave trying to obtain abundance but the more they work for the promise, the further they are from it. Through their actions, they reveal their lack of trust in God. They waste so much time trying to have, that they don’t enjoy what they have. Did you realize that God did not even acknowledge Abraham’s other child, He only acknowledged Isaac? It was because Isaac was created by faith, Ishmael by work. Only through God can we have access to abundance. We create limitations and struggle but through God, we find rest and fulfillment. God is not at all worried about your efforts, what He desires is your faith. The partnership is, you believe and you receive. God’s promise is to give according to your faith. What drove Abraham was the desire to be with God. God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him. Abraham was blessed through following God’s voice and coming into agreement with what the voice spoke over his life. Abraham did not ask for anything, God gave him what He desired to give him. You have been given a promise but to possess it, you have to yield yourself to God’s voice. Through your submission to

Him, you position yourself to receive His abundance of riches. An abundance never runs out. Understand that God has already given us what we desire; His presence reveals the gifts and promises we possess. You may have misinterpreted what you have, not appreciating it for what it is, but what you possess is purposeful. The key is to offer what you have to God that He may bless it. Not a religious act of offering but one of humility. What you can do with what you have is limited but with God, nothing is impossible. When you focus on God, you realize that His focus is continually on you. You are talented, you have a unique gift that separates you from everyone but a gift without drive is limited. Drive comes from the voice of God and it directs your life, placing you in position to best use your gifts. When your “tank” is empty, your drive pushes you forward. When you are walking the road alone, your drive befriends you. God placed a drive in Abraham so strong that it made him willing to offer up his son, Isaac, on the mountain. It was the kind of drive needed to be in tune with the voice of God. He could not have possibly offered his son on his own accord; it was something within him, pushing the limits of his faith so that he could experience the provision of God. Abraham believed in a positive outcome. He was persuaded that he would return with his son. Even though he did not understand what God’s intentions were, he trusted that it would lead to a positive outcome. God drives us to a place of abundance even when it seems we are going in the wrong direction. When you trust God for a positive outcome, you

yield your life into God’s hands. There is no safer place to be then in His hands. Like the seat belt on a roller coaster ride, when you travel up, down and upside down, His hands keep you safe in your seat until you reach your destination. Right before the roller coaster is set to take off, you have a quick moment to decide whether to stay on the ride or get off. Getting off the ride seems like the safe choice but it cheats you from the fun and enjoyment of experiencing the thrill ride. You can be in the right place but you need to trust God to be able to enjoy the thrill ride He takes you on towards your promise.

Enjoy the ride There are many who are simply in the “amusement park.” They watch everyone else enjoy the rides in the park but their fears keep them grounded. They play it safe, thinking that they are living but they are just existing. God has created a path that only you can travel. It is your choice if you will “strap in” and allow Him to take your life to heights beyond your imagination. Abraham was “strapped in” long before God asked him to offer his son. He was locked into his seat, hanging upside down but he knew that God would turn him right side up again, so he just enjoyed the ride. Abraham recognized that the path was not constructed upon his actions or failures but that he may know and trust God. We can sometimes look at the “roller coaster” we are on and think our actions have caused us to be upside down or traveling fast down hill but the ride to the promise is not a result of your past, it is a vehicle to your future. The ride teaches you an unwavering trust in God. When you receive the promise, you lack nothing. You understand that your life has always been a “thrill ride” and that the promise is not earned, it is given by grace. You learn that your “work” is to accept what God has already done. Abraham learned so much about God on his crazy adventure. He learned that things don’t always work out the way we perceive them to and he learned that taking matters into his own hands did not profit him. He also learned that being patient is not easy. In humility, he accepted that he knew only one thing: God provides. He trusted not that the outcome

would be what he wanted but what he needed. Whatever he needed, be it protection, riches, love, strength, a friend, or a son, God provides. It did not always look pretty but Abraham always received just what he needed. Our journey has taken us from hearing a small voice to discovering our voice. It has taught us that God has always been with us, within our hearts, driving us to our promises. He has been enlightening us to our gifts and inspiring us to be who we are. God’s love is so pure and true, we only need to accept Him because in His presence, all of our needs are met.

Surrender to the Voice “And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:15-18)

When it comes to your journey, there is a prevailing theme to it: your promise. The children of Israel journeyed through the wilderness and endured many trying situations but through it all, they learned that the voice of God is what we live by. When we ignore it, we are lost and distracted by our surroundings. The voice took a follower and made him a leader, the voice created the dream that was in Abraham and brought forth his deepest desires. Abraham accepted God’s will, for God’s will was his will. The desire for greatness was in him and the only way to tap into it was by depending on the One who gave the desire. We all have deep, unknown desires; the voice enlightens us to them and drives us to see them happen. The wonder of our promise is unlocked by the one that created it because He wants us to realize who we are. God wants us to live in the power we possess and receive every promise. God does not speak over us to be someone we are not; He tells us exactly who we are and leads us to all truths. When a writer has an idea, they begin to develop supporting elements that will fully convey the idea. They express the characters that come from the idea and take them on a journey

that leads to growth and understanding. The characters don’t start off knowing it all, for there would be no point in writing the story. Each of the characters takes a journey to discovering their purpose for being created. The writer knows what each character potential is and knows their weaknesses and strengths. The writer understands what is necessary for the character to develop into the person they desire them to be. There is no right or wrong for the creator, there are simply ideas. Like a writer, God not only knows your potential, He knows you. Whatever happened in your life can be disregarded, what matters most is who He said you will be. God expresses who He is along the journey and His heart reaches all men through our lives. You have been driven by a promise that has played out the way it was supposed to play out. As characters, we usually resist the script. We feel that we know what we need and we want to control it all but the truth is we need direction. The “director” is not concerned with feeding our egos; he is focused on getting the most out of us. He sends us into uncomfortable situations so that we may know comfort in all situations. When we surrender to our purpose, we learn that every “script” is written with a happy ending. Our outcome is good and we are fulfilled. The “director” finishes what he starts and we have a better grasp on our place in life. God created Abraham for the purpose of being the father of many nations. Though it seems it would never transpire, he kept the faith, trusted the voice and became who he already was. Will you humble yourself and let God have control? Will

you surrender?

One with God “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;” (Romans 4:16-24)

The spirit of Christ lives inside of us and gives us the power to believe. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We have the equipment necessary to live out our hearts desire; nothing can stop us if we believe in ourselves. Abraham believed he could be the father of many nations and through his faith; he became exactly what he believed. Who do you believe you are? Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” Jesus then asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Christ.” Upon that revelation, Jesus built our faith. Peter saw what others were blind to: the heart of God. He saw what he desired to see in himself.

Jesus of Nazareth was a human like us. There was nothing remarkable about him that set his humanity above ours. What separated his life on earth from ours was his oneness with the will of God. His purpose was out of this world and his role was transcendent. He chose to follow, making him, the Christ. We have the same opportunity, not to do what Jesus did, but to do what our hearts declare to be true. Our drive is unique, what is in us is special. When we live in our purpose, we become more than man or woman, we become one with Christ. He fuels our lives, allowing us not to follow our flesh but follow the spirit. Abraham followed the spirit. Joseph followed the spirit. Jesus followed the spirit. If we follow the spirit, we too will transform our lives and the lives of those around us. The spirit speaks to us where we can hear and understand it, giving us every opportunity to enjoy the abundant life that God created for us. When people regard your life, they see Christ; they see love. Your purpose is far too great to ignore it. Live your life on purpose; discovering the gifts you have so you can share them with the world. Wait on the Lord and trust Him. As He did with Abraham, He will lead you to the promises and blessings you desire. Jesus said that He came to give life and give it more abundantly. Begin to live in the abundant life Christ has promised you!

Acknowledgments God I thank you for the opportunity to share the words you give me with the world. I am humbled by your faithfulness even when I am unfaithful to you. Thank you for never giving up on me. You are truly my friend and I love you. Maia you sacrifice so much for me to go after my dreams. Thank you for always being there. You are my heart and make life worth living. Thank you for pushing me to be the best writer I can be. Thank you for believing in me and taking care of our family when my mind is somewhere else. Love you! To my children, you guys are my inspiration. You are my stars, one day you will brighten the world like you do my heart every day. Follow your dreams and always remember that you are loved. Daddy loves you. To the fans of my books, I thank you for all the support you have shown me. I don’t take you for granted. I appreciate every single one of you. God bless you and may your dreams come true.

Contact Author I would love to hear from you. Connect with me through social media or send me an email. Peace be with you! E’yen A. Gardner www.eyengardner.com twitter: @eyengardner facebook: E’yen A. Gardner, Writer mailto:[email protected]