"And they are not all the children of Abraham because they are by blood his descendants. No, [THE PROMISE WAS] Your descendants will be called and counted through the line of Isaac [though Abraham had an older son]." -The Apostle Paul
What lineage do your dreams and promises identify with?
No matter what has descended from your ancestral bloodline (in generational, destructive decisions) God has called and counted your blessings through the Second Adam (or Son of Obedience.)
Through Christ you have been given a second chance. Your first mistakes--the life you felt was ruined or stained when you gave birth to that decision by your impatience or indulgence was the never the true source of your inheritance.
It was a counterfeit of Heaven's best because the gift of God is always greater than the offense of man.
The light of God's promise, will, plan and destiny for your life always overpowers the darkest alley you are in. When you really think about it, as parents, what we plan for our children was never based on them not failing.
We have always known that they would fall short, throw tantrums, disobey, rebel, and lie at some point in their life, yet we still created a trust, will or college fund for them. We still planned to walk them down the aisle, throw a big wedding, buy a car or make them a stockholder in the family business as they matured and made redemptive decisions.
That's why when Abraham disobeyed God with Hagar and produced Ishmael, His promise of legacy, descendants, conquest and authority and dominion was still counted through Isaac (The unborn son of his promise, old age and future decisions.)
Eventually, God had to remind him of this, through Sarah his wife, as custom saw fit that the eldest son would be heir to receive double of all the blessings in Abraham's house.
But God refused to allow the bad and hasty decisions in Abraham's past to inherit His destiny.
In Genesis 21:9-12, we see an illustration of this:
"Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking [Isaac]. Therefore she said to Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for the son of this bondwoman shall not be an heir with my son Isaac. And the thing was very grievous (serious, evil) in Abraham's sight on account of his son [Ishmael]. God said to Abraham, Do not let it seem grievous and evil to you because of the youth and your bondwoman; in all that Sarah has said to you, do what she asks, for in Isaac shall your posterity be called."
God told Abraham, "I know you have sown seed in two places; as a result, you have made some good and bad decisions. But my promise is not counted by your failures or unlawful relationships; it is counted by your right ones. Cast out the product of your bad decisions and get ready to be astonished and astounded; because I am going to do something you would not believe it if it were told you (through your future descendants.")
You see, until you silence it, the sin or voice of your past will always mock the promise of your future or best life.
Abraham's sin and the product thereof (Ishmael) was not to be an heir with the line of Isaac.
Likewise, your greatest failure has no power over what God has promised you. No matter what you have produced through disobedience, His promise remains and can still be yours through your subsequent obedience through Christ.
God promised Abraham:
"And I will make you exceedingly fruitful and make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will give to you and to your posterity after you the land in which you are a stranger [going from place to place], all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. I will make your name famous; I will be your compensation and exceedingly great reward. For you shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through you and shall bless themselves by you. And it will not be through the illegitimate union between you and Hagar."
In other words, what God is planning to do, won't be through the comfortable job you settled for, the chronic sickness you tolerate, the seventh career path you choose; it will be in spite of all those things.
Abraham felt like a failure. He and his wife had never produced an heir (successor) from their own body, so they went outside God's will, plan and union to produce one.
But God has something better in store for them.
You may be stuck in a life God never ordained to be your best one. Yet today, His promise, plan and destiny still speak on your behalf. Your dreams are not finished. His plans are not up in smoke. If you refuse to believe that your failure or mistakes were the sole source of His blessing and covenant, He can rebuild your life brand new.
God still makes promises to broken and fallible men and women.
Today, the failures and shortcomings in your life have been stripped of their legal rights to determine the blessing set over you. A throne (authority, position, power and dominion) is being established through righteousness (right decisions, not wrong ones.)
You can change.
For every betrayal and denial Peter communicated through bad decisions, Christ still kept coming after Him. He still wanted him. And He is still wants you.
What was the promise of God to you?
RIGHT NOW, I curse every bad decision that would spoil your potential dreams and inheritance. I curse a guilty conscious (a remembrance of past failures) that would paralyze the grace of God from flowing freely in your life.
I declare for every offense that came through the first Adam, more gifts of grace, power abound as a result of the Second Adam--Christ. I pray for supernatural restoration over every broken promise, dream, marriage, family, business, ministry and home. I declare a new boldness and freedom comes to hope, dream, imagine, pray, prophesy and trust again as you lead today.
