The Test of Giving | Eld Rosalind Tay

You're listening to a message to go from ex church.

We hope this message will light up your tea.

I entitled it the test of Giving, right because giving

is so hard? Yeah, giving is very hard. Right.

So let's go to the next light. And what does

it say?

Now? I wanted to draw a from Scripture something that

we can learn from this guy called Abraham. You know Abraham?

Okay, tell me what you know about Abraham.

Father of father of faith. That's one of his name.

What else do you know about Abraham? Okay, come now, No,

it's Bible trivia. Time to answer the question. What do

you know about Abraham, father of Faith? I heard that

twice already? What else is that all that he's known

as for? What else do you know about him? Just

give me some things? God call him friend? Thank you, sister,

a brave one there. You know. If we sing the song, right,

we call him friend. Yeah, that's also it's called a

friend of God. I'm a friend of God, right, so

we sing that song all right? So he's a friend

of God. He's a man of faith. What else do

you know about Abraham? Come on? Tell me? He has

many sons, Father Abraham and many sons you'll know the songs, right,

so you'll know this. And so okay, let's let's unpeck

a little bit about who Abraham is. Now. Do you

know that he's a man of obedience, very characteristically of him, right?

Do you know that? In Genesis chapter twelve, So if

you have a barbie, can turn to it. You know,

you you look through the word of God on your own.

Genesis chapter twelve is when God called him out of

Haran into a new land. Correct? And how old was

Abraham at the time? Seventy five years? Oh? Your Bible

says that, right, Hello, Hello, the answer is in the

word of God. Okay, So Abraham was seventy five years

old when he was called out of his very comfortable dwelling.

Do you know that archaeologists had found that the this

is ancient times. Yeah, Abraham lived in the double story brickhouse.

You're like, what you mean those days they had brick houses. Yeah,

they did. So he was called out of his very

comfortable brickhouse to go and live in a tent at

seventy five years old. Any seventy five years old?

Yeah?

Yeah, what would you say if God asked you to

go out? Right? Now? Go camping forever. Wow, handa haa.

So from the get go he was a man of obedience.

He went and whatever God led him to he did,

all right, So that's number one. Next one, what is

he known as? He's known as a man of worship?

Do you know that that wherever he went now on

his journey of obedience to with the Lord, he will

always build an altar? Right? You know that he will

build an altar wherever he went, and then he'll build

an altar here.

So he marked his journey with God. So he was

a man of worship.

What else?

Huh, He's a man of half truth. What do you

know about this?

He lied about who his wife and what he is

said his wife was sister.

This is my sister la hey, and the sister was

very hot.

Okay. Do you know that the king when he saw her,

she was sixty five years old, and the King is like, yeah,

this one I wanted to be my wife. Beat the bible.

Lah sixty five year old. Still very No, she's still

one of the most beautiful women in the land, and

the king wanted her. Hello, sixty five year old woman here,

if you're there, whoa, You're still hot? Okay? So yeah,

so he he was so fearful that you know, once

they see how beautiful he's sixty five year old, what it.

Was that they're gonna take her and then kill him?

That was his fear. So he lied. How many times

did he lie about his wife toys? Right? Two times? Okay?

So half through la mana.

Men of God? No, men of God Alah? Still scared? Right,

still scared? Okay, what else? Now? He was a man

of riches. Do you know that? How rich do you

think he was? Milanaire in today's she's like millane because

he's at cattle's right. And you know, the story goes

on from Genesis thirteen fourteen that he and his nephew

lot right because they had so much possessions cows, you know,

herds of animals, they had goats, they had sheep, they

had lamb. It was so much that the lamb couldn't

contain them. So they say, okay, Low, we have to divide,

split ourway and go separate ways. You remember the story.

If you don't know, please go and read Genesis.

Okay, so, so that's how rich it was. But do

you know, uh, sometimes outwardly riches does not mean internal riches, true,

not think about it, huh, because he was still poor

in his own eyes. Huh. I thought he's very rich.

I think by today's standards are if you're a millionaire,

do you think you're rich? But there was still something

very lucky in his life, super lucking. He felt like

he was nothing. He was rich, but he was very poor.

How is he poor? Tell me? Huh? He had faith? Okay,

faith for what he had?

No son, very rich, but no son.

I will go a little bit into why this is

so important for a Jewish man? Okay, So he was

rich and you know that he was also a man.

You know, we call him the father of faith, right, yeah?

But do you know that he doubted? Also? This is

the man that we are. You know we always say, oh,

Father Abraham, maybe have faith like him, you know, father

of many generations? But do you know he doubted? How

do he doubt God? How do he doubt God? What

do you do?

What did his wife do? I heard something?

Hegar hagar? So God gave a promise, right, God say

I will make you a groul nation. You know that

you will never be able to count your descendants as

numerous as the stars. And they waited, and they waited,

and they waited. So he was seventy five years old

when he had that promise. Twenty five years later. Okay,

at this point he's about ninety nine years old. And

actually he had uh Ishmael through Hagar at the age

of eighty six years old. So give out that he

waited eleven years long. He waited eleven years and they

cannot to hand, you know, and they said, ah, yeah,

still got no child of promise. Therefore, maybe let's take

things in their own hands. And of course, you know,

Hagar came in and Ishmael was birthed. But was Ishmael

the promised son? You know, he was not. So God's

plan was not complete yet, right, and so you know

that he he had faith.

But he also doubted along the way.

How many in our journey as believers, some of us

here happy with the walking with a lot for a

long time. You could be a person of obedience, you

could be a very worshipful person.

You know, you could be rich, but you also have doubt.

Yeah, so that is who Abraham was and and I

think many of us can identify this, all right, So

let's move on to the next thought. Next thought, now

let's go into the story. Soself is that okay? Yeah,

so you know that that's who the background of who

Abraham was. And I want to now come to this

point where he was tested. Remember the title the test

of giving. Okay, So let's let's go into the test

a little bit. All right, So let's read from Genesis

chapter twenty two, verses one to ten. All right, can

you see the screener? Can I? So let's read this together.

So you know, for a sleep someone, you're falling asleep? Really? Okay? Three?

Two one. Now it came to pass after these things

that God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham, and

he said, here I am. Then he said, take now

your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and

go to the land of Moriah and offer him there

as a burn offering on one of the mountains of

which I shall tell you. Pause Paust, pause post post,

go back, go back. Okay, Now, what do you notice

about this passage? What's the first thing that stands out

to you? Singing only son? Okay? So remember, oh, it's

very interesting, right, I thought he had another son. I

thought he had Ishmael. Very good. So it seems like

in God's eyes, there was only one true son, and

his name is Isaac. Okay, good observation. What else? What

else jumps out to you at this burn offering? Burn offering? Wow?

Who's gonna be the burn offering?

Right?

Scary? Scary? What else? What else?

What else jumping out at you? One more thing?

Whom? Whom? Yeah? Whom? I mean? Isaac is the one

that really really Abraham cherished, right, he really loved so much?

Anything else that jumps out at you?

Nothing? Everything? Okay? What struck me.

So much was in verse one?

It says God tested Abraham.

Hmmm, how do you feel about God testing you?

Do you like it? No? Nobody like tests? All our

just students that just graduated, you'll like tests and not.

I'll keep quiet all my campus students. You'll like your tests?

Are not? I know? Somebody like test? Is it? No?

Nobody likes tests? And yet you can see something here

right at the get go. It says, you know, very

clearly I cannot deny this that God tested Abraham.

So what do you think of God right now?

Is? Is he a bad guy? What do you think of

God right now? Tell me, honestly, what is your perception?

You mean God can test people, when why does he

test people to show.

Oh yo wa by that measurement, we all fail.

Okay, So Quantin said, God tests us to show us

where we are and how good we are. Fail, Lord fail,

Lord fail, Ready we are. But Abraham was different.

Now, okay, So I wanted to think about it.

Hmm. This God that we call God whom we worship

and serve, it's a God who tests.

And I don't know how you sit with that. But

let's go on. Let's go on.

Okay, let's go on to the next versus. So let's

continue reading the word of God. Three two one. So

Abraham rose early in the morning and settled his donkey

and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac,

his son, and he split the wood for the birth

off ring and a rose and went to the place

of which God had told him. Then on the third day,

Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place far off.

And Abraham said to his young man, stay here with

the donkey the lad and I will go yonder and worship,

and we will come back to you next light. So

Abraham took the wood of the burn off ring and

laid it on Isaac his son, and he took the

fire in his hand and a knife, and the two

of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father,

and said, my father, And he said, here I am

my son. Then he said, look the fire and the wood,

but where is the lamb for the burn offering?

Let's move on. And Abraham said, my son.

God will provide for himself the lamb for a burn offering.

So the two of them went together.

Then they came to the place of which God had

told him, and Abraham built an altered there and placed

the wood in order.

And he bound Isaac his son, and.

Laid him upon the altar upon the wood, and Abraham

stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay

his son. Whoa drama and Possia right in the middle

of the drama. So whoa. Now, as I was reading this,

and when I was preparing right to share this morning,

I was asking God, God, what is this? What is

it that you want me to share? And he immediately

brought me to the story of Abraham and Isaac. And

do you know, as I was meditating on this, right,

I was thinking, okay, now there you know the whole story, right,

You'll know the whole story so to you is that

you're shutting down or your money shutting down. Now I

want you to put yourself in the sho use of Abraham. Okay,

I want so. So the test is this, you know,

I want you to think about what happened between versus

two entry. Okay, so let's go that. This is the TESTA.

Let's go to the next light. Why is giving so hard?

Why is giving so hot for all of us? I

think human being A, I think we like to take

more than we give.

Right?

Is it? Is it normal or is it just me normal? Norma?

Thank you? Thank you? So I'm not crazy, right that

it is very usual for us to want to take.

But then when you know, you hear the word of

God and then we say no, give sirve use your time,

your talent, treasure. Remember the whole unpacking series that we

just went through, we talk about tithe onto the Lord.

You know, make a list, download and then make a

commitment and too the Lord. It's all tied in. Right,

So there is all this concept and this principle of

us giving something back to the Lord. Right, But you

know that this is probably one of the hardest things

for us to do right. We can be nice, you know,

we can maybe surf, but giving is always one of

the things that you know, we have to step out

of our comfort zone to do correct. It's not a

natural thing. Can I say that it's not natural? Or

in fact, it has to be supernatural because naturally you'll

be like no. But when God is evident in your

life and he's supernatural spirit within you, then you're like, oh,

you mean I can let go a little bit easier. No.

I'm not saying it's easy at all. I'm just saying.

You try, right, you try, It's like you're holding like

one thousand, ringing your hands up like god gouse, like uh,

can you release that? Like no? And then by conviction

and the Holy Spirit gives you the grace and the

muscle to open up your hands to give right giving

his heart. And so I wanted to understand what's going

on in Abraham's mind. So if you're Abraham, what would

you have done? I see a lot of I don't

want to be Abraham. God don't make me at Abraham.

I don't want to be known as the Father of faith.

I don't want that title.

Right, Do you know the first time that Abraham believed God, right,

and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Genesis Cha fifteen, verse six.

Right. So you read that portion. We always quote that. Right,

Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Woe,

man of faith.

That's why you call him father of faith love.

Right, But I'm wondering when it comes to the real action.

Believing is one thing. Executing your belief is another thing.

You see, Ah, let's go to the next life. See.

I call this the test between verse two and verse three.

Verse two, God gave a clear command, right. He says,

take your son Isaac and offer him as a burn sacrifice.

And someone God, are really rubbing it in. No, take

your son, your only son, not only that whom you love.

Oh God, you really can rub it in. Man. You

think if Abraham didn't know what this is my only son,

the son with the promise, right, And God is saying,

go and take that burn offering. Right? You know? I

say that whatever we are tested in, okay is tied

to our deepest identity. You think about it, The question goes,

what is the hardest thing for you to give up? Friends?

You have to ask yourself and answer this on your

own is it your time? For some of us, and

I think many of us write, money is one of

the big ones.

Yeah, honest or not, money is a huge one.

It's like, oh, I can do everything, but oh when

it comes to giving financially, like oh, this is a

don't touch this God, no, no, don't touch this, or

we will give it like like okay, like bare minimum? Right?

What is the bare minimum? And you know it's very

funny right that for some people? Okay, can I tell

you that I've also met people who are very generous

with their money, that being my husband, okay, And he's

just easy that way, you know. So God bless him

with the gift to be generous, But there are other

things that will be har for him to give up on. Right,

And God always tests us. What is the hardest things

for us to give on? Because it's our identity, it

is who we are, you know. So okay, I have

to give you a context. Right in the Jewish ancient

Jewish time for them, right, did they have EPF or

not EPF? Prs? You know what that is your retirement scheme?

They got insurance or not education planner? All those things

don't have what they had was their children, So U

sea for Abraham, for a Jewish man, it didn't matter

that he had all the kettles, all the flocks, all

the riches in him. There is shame because I have

no lineage, I have no inheritance. Because for them, what

was the most important identity for them was that I

had a successor someone after me, someone who will carry

my name right in that, you see that because they

didn't have EPF, SOX, sol PRS, education plan insurance. Guess

what the children is it? Because why the children? Is

gonna take care of them? When they are all no children,

no want to take care of You know, who's gonna

care for them? Who's gonna make sure that, you know,

the lineage continues? Is their children. So basically the equation

is no children, no future. You see that, No children,

no future. Now many of us here, right, we do

not equate our children with that. True or not? You're

like saying that the modern day understanding is okay, children

up to eighteen years old, I find you at it.

Then you finish your college twenty three, twenty four, you

are on your own. You fend yourself already. Right, Many

modern believers or Christians, they have this thought that, oh,

I can fend for myself. That's why our children maybe

not so important now hah. But money is right because

without money, how do I fend for myself? You know,

that's why you're so worried about money, friends, because the

money is our identity is our future. No money, no future. True,

or now you think about it, if you have you're

struggling with giving financially, it's because our identity is tied

up with that. And I can say that I was

the same. Do you know that I used to work

in a corporate. Yeah, corporate, and it was one of

the sovereign wealth funds of Malaysia. And I was there

for eleven years and then I had a call. I

had a call to say, Okay, leave that comfort zone

and go into ministry. Right at that time, the PEP

who was already full time, he was already working with

the church, and I was financially the provider of the family, right,

And so to come to this dicis was like, God,

are you kidding? Are you serious? Right? I mean, I'm

happily supporting my husband now he's a churl. But someone

needs to put the kids to school, right, future, someone

needs to earn so that they have a better future.

Do you see how that links? And that became my

safety net? Right. You know, we can say you're Christians,

but we are going safety net one. And at the

time the test for me, God will say, can you

can I remove your safety net? You say you trust me? Right?

Are you gonna trust me with your bank account no

matter what the amount is.

I'm like, uh, like like laurya just now right?

Like no, yes, question mark right? And so I had

to learn that and God was teaching me that to

trust God at a deeper level was to say, God,

this is my identity, this safety net that I had,

the regular paychecks, the yearly bonuses, the additional e sauce,

all those things were great. You know what God, you provide.

And God is saying, now I want to remove that.

I'm like, okay, the real test comes, right, And can

I tell you that when I took that leap of faith,

God has never shot changed. Amen. He's not a God

who shot you. And so you see, God tests us

from faith to faith, glory to glory. Amen. So I

can only share this now is because I took that

step of faith and this is a real personal story right.

It's not something like you're like saying it'd be good

if you do it. No, it's a lived experience. I'm

a living proof right that God provides and he continues

to provide. So what is the hardest thing for you

to give up? Ask yourself, like, oh, God, that's my

safety net. For many of us, it could be our career.

Some of us, it could be our children. No, we

can't give it up. Do you know that anything that

is so hard for you to give up, it has

a potential to become an idol, great potential to be

an idol. So that's why God is testing Abraham because

you know why Isaac could have been his God. And

so God was testing Abraham to say, am I God,

I know that your future is in Isaac. So he's

basically saying, okay, it's not about the You know, it

says that it required immediate obedience right when God speaks already,

and you see between verse two and verse three it

was just one verse. You know, you know that in

verse three immediately he obeyed. Right the next morning he

arose early and he took his son. Wow, I think

that's something we can really How do we do this

immediate obedience thing. Right, Okay, what else did it require?

This test? Right? Do you know that it was an

act of worship because basically when he was going to

bring high sec he had to bring along the wood,

He had to bring a long fire stutter you see

the story or not, we just read it. He had

to bring along and it was to worship God at

an appointed place.

So God requires worship.

At an appointed place, and for many of us, right,

And I'm thankful that every year at least twice, if

not every week, you know, we get tested on how

we give on our anniversary in our missions conference. Right,

there's this challenge. I know for me it's very hot,

it's very hard, it's personally very hot. And I'm thankful

that God continues to challenge me this way because I

know without that challenge, right, we can say everything else

until God touched the deepest part of us and he says, really,

do you trust me? Maybe? Free? For you can trust

me a lot, but I asked you to give me

your finances? Will you trust me? Wow? That's a tough one,

really tough one. So whatever that is the hardest for

you to give up on, that is what God will

test you on it's tied to your identity. Yeah, it

was an act of worship, and can I tell you

that at the end of it, it was really not

about the sacrifice itself. It was about trust. God was

not looking at Isaac as like, okayla, you know sometimes

you can if you were God very cruel? Right, isn't

God very cruel? How can you ask, you know, someone

a father of the nations to sacrifice his only son

in the eyes of God, right beloved son, the son

of promise. So basically, he's saying, it's not about the

sacrifice of your son's it's the sacrifice of your future.

That is what God is testing Abraham on. I am

testing you on your future. Would you give it up

for me? Would you give it up or not? Let's say,

God says, okay, I'm gonna put your EPF as the

burn offering. Ah, how many of you are ready? Hard?

Right hard, very hard, because you're like, what then all

my savings, how am I gonna live when I'm all

same concept as a how am I going to live

when I'm at all? We want security friends, as human nature,

we love security. We like counting. Okay, I'm encountering by training. Okay,

I like to account what I have and so it's

a then you know, as I was meditating upon this

and God is saying, it's really not the sacrifice, It's

not the amount. God is just saying, how much do

you trust me? Friends? How much do you trust me?

How much do you trust God? So it's not about

whether you trust God or not. You say yes, but

how much are you willing to put at stake your

entire future in godsend? Are you willing?

In our friends?

If God is going to be the manager of your finances,

are you willing to let him hard? Christioner? Someone was like, oh,

put a cross readly like, Alma, Jesus, are you a

good money manager? I don't know. Did you go to

some investment school Jesus real or not? You know the

power of compounding interests and not Jesus to your lover.

But we hold tightly because we don't trust God in

our finances.

Now let's move on. Thank God for verse eleven.

Aren't you thankful? Because as you know, we stop at

the drama right Abraham took the knife and he was

ready to slay his son. Thank God for worse eleven?

Can you tell your neighbor, thank God for verse eleven,

a verse two and three. So Hannah, then verse eleven,

come and save the day. Let's see what he says.

Let's tread together our three to one. But the Angel

of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham.

So he said, here I am, And he said, do

not lay your hand on the lad or do anything

to him. For now I know that you fear God,

since you have not withheld your son, your only son,

from me. Do you see this? See God was not

interested about the sacrifice itself. You know, he was wanting

to know where Abraham's heart is. And same way God

is wanting to know where your heart is, friends it

where is your heart for many of us? And God

knows it because in the New Testament, Jesus taught so

much about money, right, because he knows that that is

the one thing that's so precious to us. Many of

us work hard for our money, right, and we want

to keep it because it's our security, it's our identity.

And God says, would you let me touch that? Would

you let me touch what is precious to you? Because

God is saying, do you know you mean that? God

didn't know. It looks like it. Right. God didn't know

where Abraham was until he was tested, and so God

doesn't know where your allegiance stands until you are tested.

And friends, aniversity giving is a test of how much

we want to give to the Lord. Right, It's a test.

It's a good you test yourself in isla, you will know.

You will know where you are right now in your heart. Okay,

so let's move on. Let's move on now, I say this, right,

So how should we prepare? Next week is our anniversary giving.

I don't know how many of you have been preparing

to give. It's a test, friends, it's a test of

where our hearts are. And we always say that it's

above and beyond your not you're titan offering. Right, it's

a gift unto the Lord. It's a gift. So we

say that God is not after the sacrifice. He's after

our trust. Let us sink into you, He's not after

how much you are willing to sacrifice. Sometimes we think, oh, yeah,

we must sacrifice. Yeah, giving is sacrificial. But what God

is really after is your trust. He's saying that if

you give this to me, would you trust that I

will take care of you. Would you trust that I

will secure your future? You see that God is saying,

would you trust me enough to know that even if

you have no more money after this I will provide

for you. Do you trust God that much?

So let us give in obedience friends?

Amen. Remember I didn't say it was the amount. It

was in obedience to what God wants you to give.

A man, let's go on to the next life. He says.

Most of us will never be asked to place a

child on an altar, but we are often asked to

place our security there. Yeah, the altar the offering. God

is asking, would you put your security there? Because when

you put your security there, God will say, now I

know that you fear me. Now I know you trust me.

Now I know that you put your future not in

your money, not in your finances, not in your children,

not in your career, but you put your hope in me.

That's what it is. Yeah, giving obedience. Do you know?

Let me share. Let let's move on to the next

light before I share my thoughts. You see, God sees

and provides.

What we cannot. Therefore we have to give in faith.

Right, So there's two ways to give, not just the

cash check and bank transfer. Right.

I want to encourage us to give.

The first one is or was the first one, give

in obedience previous light, give in obedience, first, seek the

lot in what he wants to give you, and secondly

give in faith. Okay, So how should we give next week?

Give in obedience and give in faith now, So this

is fresh off testimony I'll share with you. So you know,

we've been talking about giving at homes and so I

also pray and ask God, God, what is it that

you want me to give this yere? What is a

gift that is pleasing to you? Because that's what we

want to do? Right? Please God?

Without giving, not to show anyone else.

Right, nobody knows what you're giving one friends, only God

knows la. So it's a very personal thing. So do

you know that I'm an accountant and I live by

Excel Spreashet. I have the accounts of the past ten

ten years of my life on excelspreshet. I know every

man what goes in, what goes out, crazy sah account

and h So I calculate, I count, okay because I'm

an accountant. But he also shows you where my security is.

All right, so fine, That's why I got tested me LA.

So last year you know it was in some sense

was financially tight for me, financially tight because of different things.

Yeah, I think I shed this up to some of you.

You're hurt this last year, I shit and so and

then towards the end of the year got shot and

he provided, right, everything was paid for. I'm like, yeah,

he praise the Lord. So come this year and this

year somehow is like a bigger, more challenging year in

terms of finances because the oldest one is gonna go

for her exams and you know the fees are expensive, right,

So on top of your normal school fees, there's the

exam fees and yeah, UK pound thank god Malaysian ring

it it's a bit stronger, thank God for things like that.

But it's not cheap, right, I think each paper is

about thousand, yeah, just to take exam. So I'm like, okay, God, great,

I'm gonna trust you because God tested me last year

and and I I gave up something because I say God,

I'm going to trust you in this. I gave up

something and I say God, I'm gonna trust you in this.

It's still uncomfortable, you know, friends, between verse two and Trea,

can I tell you when God says something and then

when you actually rose the next morning? Verse two entry

was a real struggle, and I say, okay, wow, the

whole year sometimes I be anxious, you know, like oh

how how?

And then come this year as well? So like, because

I ran my life.

By excess pressure, so should I to say this? No? Faith,

raise your feet rose?

No, no God favor got fai on.

So there was an amount that I really put in

my excess pressure, how much I'm going to give for

aniversary giving right because I am I count that whaler,

you know, because I need to be able to give

my right. So I put this amount and then God

said to me double it actually not double it two

point five ft so clear, you know, Thank God, you

gotta be kidding me. Ah. Then I said, okay, okay, Lord.

So what I did was I determined in my heart.

So I changed the number in my transference hip. I

haven't give yet, I haven't give yet, I.

Haven't given given next day right.

So but I I intentioned, I purposed in my heart

that that was the amount that please got la. So

I changed amount that oh balins all different readly you

know la how it is, and and so as I

and it was like, okay, fine, God, I'm gonna trust

you in this, right. So I did that. Then just

last week I determined in my heart, like two weeks ago,

just last week, so many of you know that I'm

helping with the training company, right, and so training company

last year was very quiet second half of the year,

so there was no no external clients. I was like, God,

every day, I'm praying, you know, God, what what am

I doing wrong? Right? Why am I not getting the clients?

Why they're not coming in? We have we have such

good training programs. Different dolls were shut and said, God, Lord,

this year it's your year, right, show off again, you know,

because you brought me through here, and I need to

show for fullness, right, I need to be fruitful in

my work as well. So just last week on Monday,

I received an email from a random person, right, and

he's like, oh, ye're looking for a training provider. Can

you give me a quote. I'm like great, because in

this email, right, you write, We've been following your work

and we are so impressed by it and we want

to engage you for our retreat. I'm like, whoa you

find Mila? So we went into we got into a call.

So I say, oh, so you wrote you know that

you've been following our work and where did you find?

Because I haven't been active on social media, I should write,

I should I should post out a LinkedIn and all that,

do all the marketing stuff which I'm not good at.

I should do that. So I'm like, when did you

hear about us? You know, Mordecai. Then he said, oh,

actually it's very random one because he says, in my company, right,

there's a list of approved vendors and there's one hundred

of it. I'm like, well, you're got love training providers,

is it? Then I said, oh, so how did you

know about us? He's like no, no, no, I was just

crowling and I saw your name. I randomly pick on.

I'm like, what raised so nicely? Right? That whoa you

know we've been following you? But actually random? When he

said that, I had to love. You know, I love

because I said, God, you're funny. It was not me, right,

who could have made him pick out of one hundred

vendors our company? So I was like, okay, God, you're

you're funny in a way. And so yeah, so I

worked hard to send the proposal. I don't know what

it'll come yet, but there was a sign that God

was telling me I've got your I've got your back.

Second testimony. That was Monday Wednesday. I got a random

what's up? Text? So this was a client I've never

met her before, and she's like, oh, you know, someone

recommended me to you and I want to like see

some coaching, right. I'm like, oh, okay. So then then

she she texted, She's like, actually, your name was already

mentioned a long time ago, but I wasn't ready for it.

But now I'm ready again. It's just like two days

from Monday Wednesday the text came. I'm like, wow, I

didn't do anything extra all.

Right, friends? And then the text came.

So I was like, God, you're so real, You're so real.

I'm getting excited now, I'm getting excited. Now. I'm like whoa.

Then on Friday, Wow, that's the money, friends, I tell

you are living with God is really really exciting now.

So Monday Wednesday, Friday, I love every day. On Friday,

what happened was so one of the things that I

have also been praying for Is that God, I want

to be useful in the marketplace. Yeah, you prayed a

prayer after you've heard the unpecking division like oh, the

hunger for the loss right is there. You're like, oh, God,

I want to reach out, give me opportunity. But I

woke be all Christian now you love right? You come

to a way office. They all Christians except one. So

we have an accounts assistant who joined us. She's not

a believer and so so so I'm off Friday. I

was like, okay, you know, I was just gonna quickly

do some grocery, go back.

And then get work done.

And so I bummed to her in the lift and

then we were talking. Right Suddenly I was like, you know,

rush someone. I want to quickly do my grocery and

come back ready. And then she was like, oh, you know.

Then she started asking me about Christianity and we were standing.

Can you imagine KFC. Dow says later, you go KFC

here between KFC and you know, in the in the

the hallway, I shd to her the entire Gospel for

fifteen minutes, from beginning to the end. You know why

why there is sin? You know what what God did

in the garden of Eden, you know, the fall, and

that's why where we are right now, and there's redemption

and there's hope, right and so you know, just sharing that.

After that, she's like, oh, okay, do you have any

lunch plans? She's like, no, say okay, let's go eat

and continue the conversation, right.

And do you know what that was the greatest reward for.

Me, greatest reward in the sense that God, I know

that this is what you are after. You will open

doors where the doors have been shut before, you know.

And I thank God that He is the kind of

God that we save friends, you know, And I want

to leave you with this promise. I'm going to end. Surely,

let's go to the final few versus, let's read this together. Yeah,

this is friends. I just want to nail this down

for you. If you've still had trouble or challenge in

trusting the Lord, I want to give this promise to you.

Let's read this together. Three two one.

And Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind

him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns.

So Abraham ran and took the ram and offered it

up for a burn offering instead of his son, and

Abraham called the name of the place the Lord will provide,

as it is said to this day, in the mound

of the Lord, each shall be provided. Then the Angel

of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out

of heaven and said, by myself, I have sworn, says

the Lord, because you have done this thing and have

not withheld your son, your only son, blessing. I will

bless you, and multiplying. I will multiply your descendants as

the stars of the heaven and as the sand which

is on the sea shore. And your descendants shall possess

the gate of their enemies. In your seat. All the

nations of the earth shall be blessed. Because you have

obeyed my word. Amen. What a wonderful promise of God.

If we dare to obey, friends, if we dare to

trust God and take him at his word, this is

what he wants to do for us. Do you believe that?

Do you believe this for yourself? That as you move

into this year, and I'm not just talking, I'm not

gonna stop at anniversary giving only this is how we

live our life, a life of giving, a life of obedience,

a life of faith, giving God what he wants, because

he's gonna test us again and again. Friends, It's not

gonna stop one time. He's gonna test you again and

again until you come to this place where you'll call

him Jehovah, Jirah, the Lord my provider, the Lord my security,

the Lord my hope, the Lord my future. And when

you can call God that you will be at peace. Friends,

You'll be at the most piece.

No matter what happens in this world.

No matter if one day you wake up out and

they say, if you have crash right and all your

lifelong saving is gone, You're gonna be okay. You will

seriously be okay because you say God, you provide. Every

day you provide. Amen.

I'm gonna invite the band to come on stage.

Halleljah. There's a lot speaking to you. What is he

saying to you? How should we prepare to give unto him? Amen?

As the team is coming up, I want to draw

bringing another closing. Do you know that it says that

the Abraham story didn't end with what he gave? Because

sometimes we think it's about us giving, right, We think

it's about us us giving and giving. But if you

look at the story closely, can I tell you that

the ending of the story is God. We always think

it's about Abraham. He started with God and he ends

with God. God issued that challenge. God provided for that challenge. Friends, Hello, hallelujah.

God issued that challenge. But God will provide for the

challenge because he wants you to pass. Friends, He wants

you to pass the test of trust. It wasn't about

the money at the end of it. It wasn't about

the son. It was about your trust that he's after.

Do you know two thousand years after this same story

again there was a father and a son, father who

loved his son, his only begotten son, and the same

story goes right. The son was carrying wood on his back.

He was walking to the place of sacrific It was

a journey of obedience and faith, not an easy one.

Do you remember what Jesus says, Lord, if it be

your will, take this cup away from me, but not

my will, but yours be done. Do you think it

was easy for Jesus? And unlike the first story, God

stopped the knife, but with Jesus the cross stands. The

cross was not stopped because God is saying Ultimately, I'm

providing a way for you. And his name is Jesus.

God did not withhold his son. God saved Isaac, you know,

Abraham's son, beloved son. So you really think God is

after your Isaac? God is not. He is saying that

when I ask for your trust, and you will see that.

The final slide.

I want to tell you this that the God that

is asking you for your trust, he can be trusted.

He demonstrated it, he showed it. He gave his only

begotten son to die on the cross for your sin

and my scene. You know this. I pray that this

becomes central truth to all of us to say, God,

what do I fear? What do I fear? God? You

have given your best, your only son. Why am I afraid?

Why am I afraid of the future? The future is secure,

The future is determined already, the future is set, and

his name is Jesus. Amen.

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