WANT MORE, GIVE MORE

“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.”

Genesis 22:9 KJV

Yesterday, I did not get the opportunity to finish talking about Abraham. Today, we will conclude his segment of our altars study with the climax of his altar journey: the almost-sacrifice of Isaac.

This is a story that most of us are familiar with—and I believe all of us would never want to be a character in!

This is troublesome for both parties.

Let’s start with the father.

Imagine believing God for a miracle in your old age. After a while, you try to manufacture the miracle yourself. God finally gives you His promise and commands you to send the manufactured miracle away. Then, after you no longer have a backup plan, He tells you to sacrifice the original promise you were believing for.

Listen, man.

Do you love God, or do you only love what He can do for you?

Would you still stand for God if it were just you and Him, without any of the blessings He has given you?

This is a moment for a heart check.

Too many of us go to church to be consumers.

Give me a Word.

Give me prophecy.

Give me prayer.

Give me money. (The church is not your bank!)

God did not create the Church for us only to consume things. We were also created to produce something for God.

Produce a sound of worship.

Produce a sweet fragrance of sacrifice.

Produce obedience.

Produce fruit.

No priest got to eat until they sacrificed first. The Bible says that the one who does not work should not eat. The goal of God was never for you to eat in a temple without working in it.

And that is about more than tithes and offerings.

That is about more than your volunteer work.

That is your worship.

Remember, we are the temple of God.

So I’m not only talking about what happens in your local church. I am talking about your daily life.

How often do you sacrifice?

How often do you produce something for God?

Or do you simply want something from God?

Jesus confronted people who had turned His Father’s house into a den of thieves. A place intended for prayer and sacrifice had become corrupted by people concerned with what they could gain.

God wants to feed you, but notice the order Jesus taught us to pray:

Your Kingdom come.

Your will be done.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Kingdom and will come before bread.

Abraham understood this! He did not have to cling to Isaac because he understood the protocol of priesthood: those who sacrifice get to eat. Producers eventually become consumers.

“Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.”

Hebrews 11:19 NLT

In other words, Abraham understood that in the Kingdom, it is truly impossible to lose.

The sacrifice we are so afraid of making may not even be permanent. God might allow you to keep what you were willing to surrender. And if He requires you to release it, you can trust that obedience to God will never leave you outside of His purpose.

So build the altar where God tells you to build it, and put on it what He tells you to put on it.

The Lord spoke something to me clearly:

“Ayeisha, if to whom much is given, much is required, then the more you get, the more you have to give. Why are you asking Me for more if you keep giving Me less?”

My God!

WHY DO YOU KEEP ASKING ME FOR MORE IF YOU KEEP GIVING ME LESS?

“Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.”

2 Corinthians 9:6 NLT

And God also commanded me to share this:

God also commanded me to do this:

““Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.”

Revelation 3:1-2 NLT

I will end there for now, but God is speaking to us!

Today, reflect on these questions and pray on these points. While we may not be on zoom tonight, feel free to use the comment section of this post to share your thoughts/questions and Pastor Isidore will be available to answer:

Reflection Questions

1. What is my “Isaac”—the thing I struggle to surrender to God?

2. Does my daily life produce worship, obedience, and sacrifice for God, or am I mainly focused on receiving from Him?

3. What area of my spiritual life needs to “wake up” and be strengthened?

Prayer Points

1. Lord, reveal anything I have placed above You and give me grace to surrender it.

2. Lord, awaken and strengthen every dying area of my spiritual life.

3. Lord, as You give me more, increase my capacity to give You more.