LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Saturday 14th August 2021
TAKING NEW TERRITORIES
Scripture Reading: Genesis 12
And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. (Genesis 12:8)
Abraham continued moving after the Lord had indicated that Canaan was the Promised Land. After God showed him Canaan as his inheritance, Abraham built an altar to the Lord in the place. The altar marked out the land of Canaan as a place where Abraham and his descendants would worship the Lord.
Abraham did not settle in Canaan. He journeyed onwards to Bethel. At Bethel, though the Lord did not directly indicate that the land was his, Abraham built an altar to the Lord there.
There are things that the Lord gives to us directly and others that we claim from Him by faith. There are things that God does for us and things that He wants us to do, using the abilities He has given us to do them. Three important lessons emerge from the passage:
- Every altar that Abraham built reminded him of the places the Lord had taken him. It helped him to appreciate where he had come from and where he was going. It is easy to lose track of the progress you’ve made when there are no markers on your journey to show how far you have come. Consider your life; where you were 5 years or 10 years ago and where you are now. You may not have arrived where you desire to be, but you certainly are not where you used to be. Abraham’s altars helped him to remember all the progress he had made.
- Every altar that Abraham built was a new territory he was taking for the Lord. Are there territories you need to take for God? There may be some you are confidently aware of. Through personal reflection, you may come to appreciate other areas God wants you to explore. It may be a new territory you are not too familiar with. But with God’s enablement, you can possess that territory for Him. The altars served to remind Abraham where his territory and His land was located.
- Every altar that Abraham built was a place set apart to honour the Lord. We must use the territories we claim to serve the Lord. When we recognize that our source of strength, wisdom and ability for any noble achievement is God, we become more inclined to worship him with whatever He enables us to possess. With every altar at any new location, Abraham was reminding himself of his journey. He was taking new territories and establishing places of worship.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for what you have given me. I take hold of new territories for your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.