DAYS OF PROSPERITY

Same Conditions-Different Results

1. Jeremiah 17:5-8 (KJV) ⁵ Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. ⁶ For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. ⁷ Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. ⁸ For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. 

1. The cursed man trusts himself; his heart is not toward God.

2. The result: no fruit, no hope, no future

3. The blessed man trusts God with his whole heart.

4. The result: thriving tree, roots deep, no fear, produces fruit.

5. Verse 17:8 (MSG): "They're like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers. Never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf. Serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season."

B. Same Storm-Different Outcome

Luke 6:46-49 (KJV) ⁴⁶ And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? ⁴⁷ Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: ⁴⁸ He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. ⁴⁹ But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

C. Believer's Confession

I am not moved by what I see.

I am not moved by what I hear.

I am not subject to the times.

I will keep obeying God.

I will keep tithing.

I will keep sowing seed.

I will keep walking by faith.

I will keep going to church.

I am separated from the curse of lack.

I am connected to THE BLESSING of Abraham.

I am thriving, flourishing, increasing, enlarging,

Experiencing God's supernatural provision.

I call January...PROSPERITY MONTH for my household.

Thriving in the Midst of Famine

1. There Was a Famine in the Land
2. Genesis 26:1 (KJV) And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

1. FamineDefined

a. Severe shortage

b. Extreme scarcity

c. Serious economic downturn

2. Dark time for those who:

• Don't know God
• b. Don't know their covenant with God
• c. Fear, panic, uncertainty, hopelessness

3. What the Word tells us about famine

a. Job 5:20, 22 (NLT): "He will save you from death in time of famine.... You

will laugh at destruction and famine."

b. Psalm 33:18-19: "The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them

that hope in His mercy [NLT-rely on His unfailing love]; to deliver their

soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine."

c. Psalm 37:18-19: Even in famine they will have more than enough.

i. HEB: "...He will supply until no more is needed."

4. In famine, we don't just survive-WE THRIVE!

a. Prosper, flourish, succeed, advance

b. Grow vigorously

c. Increase in goods and estate

5. Proverbs 10:22: "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow

with it."

1. Isaac Thrived in Famine
2. Genesis 26:1-12 (KJV) ¹ And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. ² And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: ³ Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; ⁴ And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; ⁵ Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. ⁶ And Isaac dwelt in Gerar: ⁷ And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon. ⁸ And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. ⁹ And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her. ¹⁰ And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us. ¹¹ And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death. ¹² Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

1. Verses 1-6: Stay where you are-obedience.

a. God needed him there

b. God needs us right here, right now

c. Zechariah 8:13 (NLT): "Among the other nations, Judah and Israel became symbols of a cursed nation. But no longer! Now, I will rescue you and make you both a symbol and a source of blessing. So don't be afraid. Be strong, and

get on with rebuilding the temple!"

Let's Pray...Let's Believe... Let's Receive in 2012