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To Dwell With God
by Carole Korakas
"Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord," (Genesis 13:1-4).
Abram and Lot left Egypt and returned to Canaan. Abram returned to the place he had erected the altar and again called on the Lord.
"Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abrams livestock and the herdsmen of Lots livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land," (Genesis 13:5-7).
Both Abram and Lot were wealthy men with many possession. As a result, they experienced crowded conditions in their confined space. Inevitably, there was strife between the two households.
"So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren," (Genesis 13:8).
Abram initiated a peaceful solution. We, also, are to seek peace. We are instructed in 1 Peter 3:11 to "turn away from evil and do good ... seek peace and pursue it." Again, in Romans 12:18, we are directed to "live peaceably with all men." Our reward for doing so will be that "the God of love and peace will be with" us (2 Corinthians 13:11).
Relationships are vitally important to God first with Him and then with each other. His kingdom is made up of people like you and me over which He (the King) rules. When we "seek the kingdom of God," we will be concerned with the people which make up His kingdom (and those He desires to bring into His kingdom by salvation through Jesus Christ). Then will "all these things ... be added" unto us (Luke 12:31). When we delight ourselves in the Lord (and His ways), He will "give us the desires of our heart" (Psalm 37:4).
"Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left" (Genesis 13:9).
Abram undoubtedly remembered the covenant promise spoken to Him by the Lord. Because He knew to whom He belonged and who would provide for Him, He allowed Lot to choose what seemed best to him. Abram didnt need to manipulate a situation in order to make good on the word spoken to him, to get his fair share, or to help the Lord. Instead, Abram trusted God wholeheartedly to bring His word to pass.
Likewise, we are to remember Gods promises spoken to us. We are to trust the One who spoke them and anticipate their fulfillment. We dont have to manipulate a situation, promote ourselves, strive in our own authority, or act presumptiously. We are to trust the Lord and respond to Him in obedience. Not one word that He has spoken will fall to the ground. He will watch over His Words ... and He will perform them (see Ezekiel 12:25).
"And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord," (Genesis 13:10-13).
Lot was led by his natural senses; Abram was led by the Lord. Lot had an appetite for what was appealing, stimulating and pleasing to the eye; Abram had an appetite that only the Lord could fill. Lot sought to satisfy his flesh; Abram sought to please the Lord. Their actions indicated their heart attitude.
Lot chose to dwell among wickedness in a place not ordained by the Lord. He chose not to separate himself unto the Lord. As a result, Lot was not connected to the people, opportunities, or destiny of Gods choosing. In fact, Lot as not rightly connected with the Lord because He chose to be out of His will.
The Lord calls us to be separate, to come out, to be set apart for His purposes (see 2 Corinthians 6:17). Our steps are to be ordered by Him (see Psalm 37:23). We must allow the Lord, not only to order our steps, but to choose our dwelling place. He desires to be our dwelling place (see Psalm 90:1 and Psalm 91:9), but also desires to place us in positions to make divine connections. When we are not in our place of divine connection, we are left to settle for relationships dictated by our geographical location, whether it be our place of residence, place of employment or church/group affiliation rather than being divinely connected to those the Lord desires us to be joined with for His purposes. Remember, the kingdom of God is concerned with people. Being connected to the people of Gods choosing is important because with them we will walk through new doors of opportunities and into our destiny. When we are divinely connected by His leading, we are "built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:22). When we are not in our place of divine connection, we are left to settle for less than His best.
"And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him; "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you," (Genesis 13: 14-17).
The Lord reiterated His covenant promise to Abram. Perhaps the condition of his heart determined, not if the Lord would fulfill His Word, but when the Lord would bring His promises to pass.
The condition of our heart determines what the Lord can do in us and the extent to which He can prepare us for His purposes. The Lord will fulfill His Words because He is not a man that He should lie (see Numbers 23:19). He will bring His promises to pass at the appointed time. We must remember that a thousand years are like a day to Him (2 Peter 23:19). The timing of His promises being fulfilled to us may very well be determined by the condition of our heart.
Do we desire to seek an inheritance, destiny or ministry? Or, do we desire Him? We are to seek first His kingdom (Him and people) and all these things (inheritance, destiny, ministry, fulfillment) shall be added unto us as we are mature enough to be a good steward of them. His desires for us are so much greater than we can even conceive. He desires all these things for us and so much more. He desires that we be a channel of blessing through which His living water flows, not a storehouse where stagnant water stands still. We receive blessings (purpose, direction, ministry, insight, revelation, understanding, knowledge, resources) freely from Him and we are to freely share them with others. Those who have ears will hear what He speaks through us.
We must be willing to separate from strife, envy, greed, jealousy, contention, status, traditions and systems. We are not to be tempted by self-promotion, self-defense or self-justification. We also are not to be bound by a false sense of responsibility, a false sense of submission (or accusations of rebellion), or a false sense of obligation. (These are actually a result of "religious" strongholds.).
Like Abram, we are to leave Egypt and enter into the promises of God. Our spiritual Egypt is anything that keeps us bound. We are to leave those things that have the potential to bind us and inherit Him His character, His humility, His heart, His attitude, His mind, His intents.
Like Abram, we are to walk in what the Lord speaks. We are not to presume and speak forth (prophesy or name it and claim it) that which we want and desire, but are to wait on the Lord to speak into our heart. His ways are higher ... His thoughts are higher ... and His plans are higher.
"Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord," (Genesis 13:18).
Abram moved his tent in response to the Lords leading. He went to the place that the Lord led him and dwelt there.
We also are to be led of the Lord. We are to seek Him in all things ... and follow where He leads. We are to seek Him concerning employment, place of residence, group/church affiliations, ministry involvement, relationships. Not only are we to seek Him, we are to follow where He leads irregardless of the cost or inconvenience. Just as Abram did, we are to allow the Lord to move us. We are to allow Him to place us in ... key employment positions, communities, groups, churches. We are to allow Him to dictate our ministry involvement (if any) and connect us with the people of His choosing. We cannot remain in ... a job because its secure, a community because weve always lived there, a group because our friends participate, a church because of family affiliations or because weve been reared in that particular denomination. We must dwell in Him, allow Him to be our shelter, and follow where He leads. When we dwell where He leads, He will give an inheritance that is exceedingly, abundantly above all that we could ever ask, hope or imagine.
In following the Lord, we will have sacrificed our desires, agendas, plans, motives, aspirations, dreams, hopes, attitudes, beliefs, traditions ... flesh. As these things are sacrificed, we, as Abram, will be ready to build as the Lord leads. The Lord desires to build divine connections among people and ministries. The Lord also desires that we build an altar as Abram did. However, we will not build a monument of stones, but a spiritual altar. Our spiritual altar will ... be a testimony of His goodness and faithfulness, be the result of knowing and trusting Him intimately, and cause us to give all glory and honor to Him.
What is the Lord leading you to sacrifice on the altar to Him?
What will your spiritual altar resemble?
Scripture taken from NKJV. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Carole Korakas
WaterMark Ministry
www.watermarkministry.org
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