If HE REALLY loves me, THAN Why Does He Treat Me So Bad Sometimes?

There are mistakes that we make in life, and the hurts that we get from family members and the hurts we dish out to family members are some of the most painful things in life.  There are some things that run in the family line.   Like Jacob the supplanter, he cheated his brother out of the birth right and the blessing.  His mother made the arrangements and encouraged him to deceive his father with lies to steal the blessing.   His uncle cheated him, His wife stole her dad's idols.   Wow.  cheat, steal, lie, swindle, use, abuse...this family is not an easy one to grow up in right here.  Jacob finally left his father-in-laws house, he snuck out with and children in the middle of the night.   What did Laban do?  Chase after  him!     YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP WHEN YOU HAVE TO SNEAK OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT for fear of what they will do to you if you leave and sure enough they CHASE YOU DOWN!

Yet, I am talking to someone today and you have been hurt, abused, taken advantage of, cheated and stabbed in the back by the people that were supposed to love you!!   And you have tried to sneak out in the night and get away but they come and chased you down just like Laban chased down Jacob and his wives.  You may think well, Laban was his employer, and that is how bosses do.  Laban was more than an employer, he was his Father-in-Law.  Jacob's children were Laban's grandkids.  It was more complicated than that.  And that is the point.  Abusive relationships are always MORE COMPLICATED than that.   We tend to put up with the abuse because it is our babies dad, or grandad, or aunt or uncle.   We  tend to put up with it because it is our wives brother, etc...You have to realize it is always MORE COMPLICATED than that...

Jacob said

genesis 31:38This twenty years have I been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not cast their young, and the rams of your flock have I not eaten.

39That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto you; I bore the loss of it; of my hand did you require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.

40Thus I was; in the day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night; and my sleep departed from my eyes

There are people today they know what it is like to be in an abusive relationship.  At work. At home. In love.  In friendships.  and you know first hand how hard it is to break away from their grip.   IF someone truly loves you, they will let you go, you will be free to go.  If someone has become co-dependent and wants to control you, and live off your kindness, they will chase you down and say whatever sorry thing they have to say to get you back...

Please listen to me because you are going to learn something here that will save your life!  The more a person clings to you and bellows and carries on when you walk away, the more abusive your relationship really is...If they LOVED you they would treat you better while they have YOU.  Why do they treat you bad and then act like you are their WORLD when you walk away?  Don't be deceived it IS NOT because they love you.   They NEED YOU to keep up the lifestyle they have, they need you to keep up whatever thing THEY got going on, they are co-dependent on you, but really they hate that co-dependency.  That co-dependency makes them feel week, so that is why they abuse you when you are there and treat you with contempt.  But they KNOW if you leave that the good  things you bring into their life will leave with you, and they need those good things and they can't live without what you DO for them, so they say whatever they can to get you back and then a few weeks later it is right back to trashing you again.  

Listen to what Laban says to Jacob a few chapters back

Genesis 30:25And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto my own place, and to my country.

26Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, and let me go: for you know my service which I have done you.

27And Laban said unto him, I pray you, if I have found favor in your eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake.

Jacob was bringing a blessing to Laban, and because of that Laban was co-dependent upon Jacob.  There are many today.  You are living with someone and they are co-dependent upon you.  You are taking care of their children, their sexual needs, their need to just not be alone, their need to have someone they can boss.  And they are abusing you, and treating  you like you are nothing, but every time you start to leave they claim their undying love, and pout and talk about wanting to die...etc....OPEN you eyes!  This person DOES NOT love you.  They are just co-dependent upon you.  And the way human nature goes, the people that you are co-dependent upon are the people that REMIND you of your weaknesses, we tend to despise the people we are co-dependent upon, and that is why they treat you with such contempt.  If you REALLY love them, walk away and don't look back.   Someone will say, "Hey if they need me I should go back to them.   You have to understand that as long as they are co-dependent upon you, and can't live without  you, they will treat you with contempt because you remind them that they are weak and can't make it on their own..  They want to keep you there because of their co-dependency upon you,  but they will NEVER be good to you just like Laban would have never been good to Jacob no matter how hard Jacob worked for him.  

Jacob said: 

Genesis 31:40Thus I was; in the day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night; and my sleep departed from my eyes

This is what happens when you stay in a relationship where the other person treats you like crap but they won't let you go because they are co-dependent upon you.  The heat will consume you in the day, cold at night and sleep won't come to your eyes.

Child of God, walk away, and DON'T look back!  

How can I Have The Blessing Of God?

The blessing of the LORD is the very thing that causes things to work out.  We use the word 'bless' a lot in our society.  We say, "God bless you."  We say, "Bless  your heart."  We call something or someone we really love a 'blessing'   We all understand that a 'blessing' refers to the good things that we have in life.  We as a society have always been prosperous and blessed.  The blessings of God brings


3Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.

4Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your herds, the increase of your cattle, and the flocks of your sheep.

5Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading-trough.

6Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

7The LORD shall cause your enemies that rise up against you to be defeated before your face: they shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways.

8The LORD shall command the blessing upon you in your storehouses, and in all that you set your hand unto; and he shall bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

9The LORD shall establish you a holy people unto himself, as he has sworn unto you, if you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and walk in his ways.

10And all people of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of you.

11And the LORD shall make you bountiful in goods, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give you.

12The LORD shall open unto you his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand: and you shall lend unto many nations, and you shall not borrow.

13And the LORD shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath; if that you hearken unto the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day, to observe and to do them:

We all want the blessings, it is the American dream.   We strive for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  

The other side of the coin is that the curse is what we really want to avoid.  When things go wrong, many Americans begin to curse.  Some live with the curse and cursing is their primary language.   You have to understand that you are not going to speak curses all day long, and then walk in the blessing.  When we walk in curse instead of blessing, everything tends to go wrong.  The Bible says:

15But it shall come to pass, if you will not hearken unto the voice of the LORD your God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day; that all these curses shall come upon you, and overtake you:

16Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field.

17Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading-trough.

18Cursed shall be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your land, the increase of your cattle, and the offspring of your sheep.

19Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.

20The LORD shall send upon you cursing, confusion, and rebuke, in all that you set your hand unto to do, until you are destroyed, and until you perish quickly; because of the wickedness of your doings, by which you have forsaken me.

21The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto you, until he has consumed you from off the land, which you go to possess.

22The LORD shall strike you with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with fiery heat, and with the sword, and with blight, and with mildew; and they shall pursue you until you perish.

23And your heaven that is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth that is under you shall be iron.

24The LORD shall make the rain of your land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon you, until you be destroyed.

25The LORD shall cause you to be defeated before your enemies: you shall go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shall be a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

26And your carcasses shall be food unto all fowls of the air, and unto the animals of the earth, and no man shall frighten them away.

27The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors, and with the scab, and with the itch, of which you can not be healed.

28The LORD shall strike you with madness, and blindness, and confusion of mind:

29And you shall grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways: and you shall be only oppressed and plundered continually, and no man shall save you.

30You shall betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: you shall build a house, and you shall not dwell therein: you shall plant a vineyard, and shall not gather the grapes thereof.

31Your ox shall be slain before your eyes, and you shall not eat thereof: your donkey shall be violently taken away from before your face, and shall not be restored to you: your sheep shall be given unto your enemies, and you shall have none to rescue them.

32Your sons and your daughters shall be given unto another people, and your eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no strength in your hand.

33The fruit of your land, and all your labors, shall a nation which you know not eat up; and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually:

34So that you shall be driven mad by the sight of your eyes which you shall see.

35The LORD shall strike you in the knees, and in the legs, with painful boils that cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot unto the top of your head.

36The LORD shall bring you, and your king which you shall set over you, unto a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known; and there shall you serve other gods, of wood and stone.

37And you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations where the LORD shall lead you.

38You shall carry much seed out into the field, and shall gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.

39You shall plant vineyards, and dress them, but shall neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.

40You shall have olive trees throughout all your borders, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil; for your olives shall drop off.

41You shall beget sons and daughters, but you shall not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.

42All your trees and fruit of your land shall the locust consume.

43The stranger that is among you shall rise up above you higher and higher; and you shall come down lower and lower.

44He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him: he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.

45Moreover all these curses shall come upon you, and shall pursue you, and overtake you, till you are destroyed; because you hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you:

46And they shall be upon you for a sign and for a wonder, and upon your descendants forever.

47Because you served not the LORD your God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;

48Therefore shall you serve your enemies which the LORD shall send against you, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon your neck, until he has destroyed you.

49The LORD shall bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies; a nation whose tongue you shall not understand;

50A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young:

51And he shall eat the fruit of your cattle, and the fruit of your land, until you are destroyed: who also shall not leave you either grain, wine, or oil, or the increase of your cattle, or offspring of your sheep, until he has destroyed you.

52And he shall besiege you in all your gates, until your high and fortified walls come down, in which you trusted, throughout all your land: and he shall besiege you in all your gates throughout all your land, which the LORD your God has given you.

53And you shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters, which the LORD your God has given you, in the siege, and in the distress, with which your enemies shall distress you:

54So that the man that is gentle among you, and very refined, his eye shall show no compassion toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave behind:

55So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he has nothing left him in the siege, and in the distress with which your enemies shall distress you in all your gates.

56The gentle and refined woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot upon the ground because of her gentleness and refinement, her eye shall show no compassion toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,

57And toward her afterbirth that comes out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for lack of all things secretly in the siege and distress, with which your enemy shall distress you in your gates.

58If you will not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD YOUR GOD;

59Then the LORD will make your plagues abundant, and the plagues of your descendants, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and severe sicknesses, of long continuance.

60Moreover he will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt, which you were afraid of; and they shall cleave unto you.

61Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon you, until you are destroyed.

62And you shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.

63And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land where you go to possess it.

64And the LORD shall scatter you among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known, even wood and stone.

65And among these nations shall you find no ease, neither shall the sole of your foot have rest: but the LORD shall give you there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:

66And your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you shall fear day and night, and shall have no assurance of your life:

67In the morning you shall say, Would God it were evening! and at evening you shall say, Would God it were morning! because of the fear of your heart by which you shall fear, and because of the sight of your eyes which you shall see.

68And the LORD shall bring you into Egypt again in ships, by the way of which I spoke unto you, You shall see it no more again: and there you shall be sold unto your enemies as male and female slaves, and no man shall buy you.

I want you to notice that the curses are longer then the list of blessings!    There is nothing more important in life that having the blessing of the LORD.  

Jacob had God's blessing upon his life, and Laban knew that he was being blessed because Jacob was working in his fields.  When you carry the blessing of God, you will bring a blessing to everyone you meet.

Genesis 30: 25And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto my own place, and to my country.

26Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, and let me go: for you know my service which I have done you.

27And Laban said unto him, I pray you, if I have found favor in your eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake.

28And he said, Appoint me your wages, and I will give it.

Jonah on the other hand did not walk in the blessing, but he walked in curse because he disobeyed God.  The storm he found himself in not only put himself in danger, but everyone on the boat.  He brought the curse with him.

Do you know someone full of curses?  If you are with them, they will bring the curse with them.  Look for people who walk in the blessing of God, and do not enter into relationship with those that are full of curses.  The blessing spreads from one person, but the curse also spreads from one person to another.  Anyone that has ever lived with an addict will understand that what I am speaking is true.  I know those that walk in the curse who say to others, "the only person I am hurting is myself."  They are lying to themselves.  The curse hurts all that are close by.  Chose today who you will serve.  Serve God and live, or chose the curse and die.  For the person who lives with the curse in their lives are dead while they live.  Jesus took our curses for us.  Pray and ask Jesus to set you free from the curse, and set your heart to obey God.  

If You are UNLOVED, REJECTED and ABUSED read THIS! There is hope!

Have you ever heard what goes around come around?  Well it sure does!  Jacob had cheated and deceived to get both the birth right and the blessing.  And now he is in Haran and he has agreed to work for seven years to be able to marry Rachael.   But at the end of the seven years Laban tricked and deceived him and gave  him Leah instead of Rachael.  Now Rachael was pretty, but Leah wasn't as lovely.  It was customary for the eldest daughter to marry first.  So when Rachael was betrothed to Jacob, Leah new that she would have seven years to find a man and marry him, or she would be disgraced as an elder sister that was an old maid, and in those days, that was really bad.  

Seven long years went by and no man showed interest in her, and it was time for her sister to be married as promised.  And her dad tricked Jacob into marrying her instead of Rachael.  Can you imagine how terrible it would be to know that no one wanted you.  That the only way you got married was that your dad had to trick some guy into marrying you.  Oh, that must have been horrible.  The next morning when Jacob realized what happened, he started complaining.  Wow. Imagine  your husband complaining the next day after you wedding wanting to return you!  I want you to understand the pain, the sorrow, the utter rejection that Leah felt.    Leah said, "I am hated."  "I am unloved"  Have you ever felt this way?  Just because someone else could not see the  beauty of Leah's life, doesn't mean it wasn't there!  

What happens when we are mistreated?  What happens when we are unloved?  What happens when others reject and hurt us without having a real reason to do so?  The bible says this is what happened!

Genesis 29:31  31And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.

I know the pain of rejection!  I know the pain of being unloved!  I know the pain of being despised and hated for no good reason!   I know there are many of you today that you also know these hurts and pains in your life.  It is easy to get bitter and feel pathetic...but there is no injustice, no harm, no insult, no misunderstanding that you have suffered that God has not come along in some way and favored you!  You see the quickest way to get the compassion and mercy of God upon your life is when you are hated and despised and treated unfairly by others.

Do you understand that if you have suffered the pain of rejection and hatred and suffered in this life like Leah suffered that you are the TOP candidate for God to bless.  But if we react with hatred, bitterness, revenge and evil speech and actions towards those that have hurt us then we have hurt back, we have been just as wicked and guilty as those that have hurt us, and there will be no blessing in that.

I'm here to tell you today that if you have felt unloved, unwanted, undesirable, abused, neglected...forgive and put your life in the hand of God!  He will have compassion and favor and mercy upon you and turn and give you a blessing.   

How Can I Find God's Path?

Isaac was dwelling in Beersheba because this is the place where God meets people and oaths are made.  Who would want to leave a place that has such a history with God?  

Beersheba is the name of the well at which Abraham and Abimelech took an oath (Genesis 21:31). Later Hagar meets the Angel of YHWH there for the second time (Genesis 21:14 — the first time is at Beer-lahai-roi; Genesis 16:14). Beersheba is also the location where God meets Jacob (Genesis 46:2), Isaac(Genesis 26:24) and Elijah the Tishbite (1 Kings 19:7).

It must have grieved Jacob to have to leave Beersheba and go to Haran.  Haran means 'the road' or 'the way'   Even though Jacob had to leave Beersheba that had such a rich history of God's glory, God took him to Haran and there he would find the path, God's way for his life.  

Genesis 28: 11And he came upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.  12And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

You see Beersheba was Abraham's place with God, it was Hagar's place with God, later it would be Jacob's place, Elijah and Isaac's place with God.  But Jacob came upon a certain place and made a pillow to lay down and rest.  And in this place God met him there.  There are those of you today just like Jacob you are in a certain place in life.  It is your time to have an experience with God.  It is your time to have your own relationship with God.  Maybe the Baptist or the Methodist experience belonged to your mother or your aunt, or your Father, but God is bringing you into a certain place where you are going to have your own unique experience with God.  

Mankind spent a lot of time and effort trying to build a tower up to the heavens.  God looked and was displeased and disbursed the people at the tower of Babel.  And now God has opened up to Jacob a ladder extending from earth all the way to heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it.  Jacob was so shook up that he woke up and was very afraid because of the Holiness and awesomeness of God. 

Genesis 28:16And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.  17And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

IF we want to find our path in God we must first have an experience with God!  The spiritual experiences of the past are good foundation for our lives, but each of us must find that certain place where we have that experience with God.  Where He speaks to our hearts and blesses us and we in turn make a surrender of our will to Him.  

If You Know Someone That Is Messed Up Read This!

Jacob purchased the birth right from his brother for a bowl of beans.  It shows spiritual lethargy and a lack of caring about moving forward in life from Esau.  We see the same today.  When people reach adulthood they would rather party than make the best decisions to propel them forward in life.  They would rather loaf around, play games, ride their bikes, hunt in the field...instead of getting serious about making something out of their life.  They want to SPEND their life on pleasures instead of INVESTING their life in worth while goals.    Some people say, "Hey, that is normal for an 18 year old."  Well if that is normal maybe we should raise the age of adult hood to about 30 then.   When we live our lives for pleasures we get felonies and stuck with child support and bad reputations that hinder us through out our lives, and often people KNOW they are trading those things for pleasures.  Just like Esau KNEW he was trading his birth right for a bowl of beans.

But often, what happens in life is that those who live for pleasure get to the point that they are no longer just throwing away their lives, eventually it comes to the place where their lives are being STOLEN from them and they are getting NOTHING in return but heart ache and pain.  Esau liked to play around, and when it came time for him to receive his blessing, his mother moved against him and helped Jacob steal the blessing from him.  NO DOUBT about it, Jacob could not have stolen the blessing if the mother of the two boys had not helped him do it.

It is the same way in life.  We play around with drugs, and with people's hearts, and with lies and with goofing off until we lose the respect, hope and blessings of the people around us.  An uncle that would have blessed us with his 'old' car, never hands it our way, because he knows what kind of person we are and what kind of trouble we would get into with it.  A job is open, but we are over looked because the one hiring knows how messed up we are and they give the job to another.  A grand-parent would have asked a friend to give you a ground breaking job in a company that would have eventually lead you to a six figure income, but Granny was too ashamed to recommend you because of your reputation, felonies and mis-behaviors.

The bible says that when Esau lost his blessing he became bitter and wept aloud and he got mad at Jacob.
Genesis 27
41So Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob."

I've seen people in this same situation.  They lived their life for selfishness, pleasure and sin, and have the mentality and dependability of a eighth grader (all though they are 25)  and then they get mad at the world because nobody will bless them.  They get mad at uncle because he gave his old car to their brother or sister.  They get mad at granny cause she won't give them money, or help them get a job.   They get mad at the cops because they follow them around town.  They get mad at the work place because they won't hire them...eventually our life that we threw away for pleasure is stolen from us until we are lost, alone and crying out for help and by that time no one is listening.  

See it starts out by you not respecting the good things, and not caring about doing something good with your life and just living for WHAT YOU want, but it ends up you getting what you deserve and nobody wanting anything to do with you, and then the fun time is over and there is nothing left but the bitter tears, the grudges to hold, and the anger at the world.  

How do you break the cycle and receive the blessing? 

Isaac said this to ESAU  
40"By your sword you shall live, And your brother you shall serve; But it shall come about when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck." 

When you become restless, and you are ready to lay down selfishness and self gratification and you are ready to pick up responsibility and to make your mark on this world as an influence for GOOD, you will break the yoke of curses off your life.  But until you get restless and tired of what you got you will continue to see everyone else get the good breaks while you get the police following you around and the hard knocks of life. 

Are You Ready for The Coming Storm?

People get ready, the storm is coming!  The Bible warns of a seven year tribulation period when the Antichrist will rise up and do much harm to this world!  We look at our politicians and we think, "Goodness!  Could our politics get any worse?"  The answer is, "YES!" There is coming a world wide leader and it will get a lot worse!   But when the Antichrist takes control of this world people are going to follow him by the scores, and a false religious prophet is going to rise up beside him and proclaim that he is the WAY.    Already the persecution of Christians have started.  The Antichrist will kill anyone that will not take his mark, but God warns that those who take this mark will be damned to hell.   People get ready, a storm is coming!

Sometimes we know the storm is going to happen, we just put off getting ready.  I did this recently with my trailor.  I  knew the tire was going to blow.  I knew it would happen, I just didn't know when. I hadn't had new tires on my trailer for very long  when I noticed a bulge on the sidewall. A tire with a bulge on the side is something you can't fix, but I didn't want to put a new one on so I figured I could keep an eye on it. 

 Funny how the longer it takes for something to occur, the less attention we give it. My intention was to check it when ever I used the trailer, but over time it went further and further into the back of my mind. 

 We decided to remove the stage area at the church to make more room for seating, the amount of scrap was very impressive. Three times we loaded the trailer with enough lumber to make the tires bulge from the weight. After the third load, as we worked inside the church we heard a loud noise outside. Our investigation lead us to the trailer and it's flat tire. The sidewall had gave way and a hole the size of your hand had appeared. 

 The tire had been warning me of impending disaster, the signs were unmistakable. I was just very thankful the trailer was home and already unloaded so the trouble was minimal. 

Luke 21:29 Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. 31 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. 

 There are a lot of signs around us every day, but are we paying attention? JESUS taught more than a few times to pay attention to end time signs, but because it hasn't happened and its been a long time since the first warning we let our guard down and stop being concerned. 

Signs are all around us that the time of Christ return is near.

God Has Promised Me Blessings! So Why Do I Have SO Many Challenges!

Isaac walked in the foot steps of his Father Abraham.  He had many things and when he planted his crop he received 100 fold in return.  God blessed him so much that the Philistines grew jealous and afraid of him, they asked  him to leave their land and go elsewhere.  Isaac had the blessing of the LORD, but the Bible says it rains on both the righteous and the unrighteous.  He had a lot, but he didn't have it all.

Genesis 26
1And there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

First in the height of his life there came a great famine in the land.  Of all the ROTTEN luck.  Isn't that a lot of what we are facing today?  We have the blessings of God, but there is this economic decline in our country.  This decline sometimes makes it difficult.  Sometimes we factor in the economic decline into our business plans...a famine or economic decline is a terrible thing to have happen, oh the frustration of it, but what did Isaac do?  He planted anyway!  Did he let that hold him back?  No.  He kept moving forward.  He planted his crops in the middle of that famine and God blessed it!

Genesis 26
12Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year a hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

Your blessings in God may not include AVOIDING the famines, but it does include prospering IN SPITE of  the famines.

Genesis 26 

13And the man became great, and advanced, and grew until he became very great:

14For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and a great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

15For all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.

No doubt the blessings of the LORD where with him, but, he still had many challenges and sorrows.  DON'T MISTAKE THE PROSPERITY OF GOD FOR THE EASY LIFE!!!

Jesus said that anyone that gave up everything for his sake would receive it all back 100 fold not only in Heaven but also in this life ALONG WITH PERSECUTIONS!  (mark 10:28)  Yes. Isaac had so much blessing coming from God, but that doesn't mean it was without struggle and challenges.  

Then all though he had done nothing wrong the men of that area asked him to LEAVE.  It hurts when a friend stabs you in the back, deletes you on facebook, or quits answering the phone.  Here they are telling Isaac to leave the area. 

16And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for you are much mightier than we.

17And Isaac departed from there, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

WITH GREAT BLESSINGS COME EVEN GREATER CHALLENGES!   Hey, look at it this way we have only got half way through the chapter and Isaac's blessings and challenges have only begun!

Next he left them and went back to the land where Abraham had dwelt and he redug the wells of his Father.  Every well he dug the inhabitants of the land wanted to CLAIM it!  He had to dig three times.  Put yourself in this situation.  You went from famine, and people getting jealous, his friends sending him away, finding  his Father's well, and then the people of the land contested them.  Now that is some tough things to go through.  Yet God says to him afterwards

Genesis 26

24And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham your father: fear not, for I am with you, and will bless you, and multiply your descendants for my servant Abraham's sake.

Has God said something to YOU?  Has he given you a promise.  He will fulfill it but that does not mean that it will come without struggle or without challenge.  Jesus said, to he overcomes I will give the crown of life!  

He did receive the blessings of God and much wealth, favor and prosperity but at the end of the chapter Isaac and Rebecca's life take a turn

Genesis 26

34And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:

35Who were a source of grief unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

Their son marries two girls from the Hittites that became a source of grief for them.  Many people know this kind of trouble. How could this happen to someone that had the blessings and favor of God?   We make a mistake when we think that the promises and blessings of God will keep us from any kind of challenge, grief or trouble.  Isaac was going to go through many trials in life, just like we all do with or without God's blessing.  Thank God he had God's blessing to bring  him through!