October 15, 2026

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, ‘I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed Me.‘” (Genesis 22.12-14)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

I saw a post today which said, “The Bible does not say we have to support the 21st century Israel.” Again, here is another “what do you mean” idea which begs a decision as to the Word of God rising up first in Genesis 12.3. It is there that God declares to Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; for indeed all the peoples of the world will be blessed through you.” I know it is difficult for many to see Israel today from the perspective of being a blessed people. They seem to be the hub of conflict in the Middle East. They are definitely not shying away from the conflict to protect themselves from their enemies. In truth, Israel has many enemies whether that ask for them or not. Jesus told His disciples something similar as recorded in the gospel of John, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. But I have chosen you out of the world, and that is why the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19) Making choices is not a choice nor an option. It is a reality. Which choices we make is the option given to us. It is bound in the gift of free will. What will we choose to say or do? Who shall we choose to follow and lead? Whose ideologies sound best to us; and even why? Joshua knew this was a bottom-line defining moment when he stood before the nation of Israel in his last days of leading them with Moses out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. His declaration, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24.15) He drew their attention to the reality of the promise given to Abraham who himself had to make a choice as to “who he was and whose he was.” We all have to make that choice as well on a daily basis.

So, as I mentioned yesterday, I extend the challenge to Israel and to the leadership of Israel to “walk humbly before the Lord their God.” I would ask in the spirit of meekness, what I heard preached the other day, “Who are you willing to turn the reins of your life over to.” Will you continue to justify your place in the world based on territorialism and self-defense? Will you usurp the call of God over your lives and life decisions and pursue your own understanding? Or will you “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding“? You see, mighty ones of God, God did promise that the ancestors of Abraham would possess the cities of their enemies. The question becomes “who is the real enemy” and “how shall we possess their cities”? We know of the strategy used in the Old Testament: fight fire with fire. It was military engagement and, at times, it was the fight of the Lord and His angel armies who did the engaging. Please understand, mighty ones of God, it was God who gave the direction of engagement as well as the victory. When the people acted upon their own volition, bad things happened such as devastating casualty numbers and the loss of the Ark of the Covenant. Human capability will always produce limited success. God’s will be done produces eternal ramifications leading to eternal life in Heaven and the blessing to be a blessing on earth. It is difficult to stand against the world unless we first go to our knees and pray for God’s direction and provision. It is then we will find the strength, courage and ability of God joining with us.

What shall we say? Is it not what Abraham said in this chapter twice? “Here I am, Lord.” The very same response of Isaiah who declared, “Here I am, Lord, send me.” It is time, mighty ones of God that we start living our faith out loud. It was never meant to be in private except for our prayers of such nature that we would use them as a false witness in public to draw attention to ourselves. When we abide by the Word of God, we find His blessing to be a blessing and the world, which may stand against us, shall never prevail.

TODAYS’ PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness endeavor, but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.