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Faith Trek… The Next Generation

Words of Faith Final

Faith Trek… The Next Generation
Words of Faith 5-9-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL    
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 26
    Now there was a famine in the land--besides the earlier famine of Abraham's time--and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. [2] The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. [3] Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. [4] I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, [5] because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws." [6] So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

          "A famine in the land" sounds so simple to our modern ears! Most of us have never experienced famine. Isaac was now responsible for a large number of people and animals. These were desperate times, so Isaac went to the area of the Philistines ruled by Abimelech. This was probably not the same Abimelech that Abraham dealt with about 90 years earlier, but it seemed to be a place to gain food.
         Then the Lord appeared to Isaac. The Lord warned not to go down to Egypt but rather to trust the Lord's provision in the region where they were located. Isaac was now the Patriarch in charge of this large group, so the Lord confirmed the same promises to him that had been given to Abraham.  
         Perhaps most significant was that the faith relationship and experience of God had moved to a new generation. As a child, Isaac had experienced the saving hand of God when the Angel of the Lord spared him from sacrifice on Mount Moriah. But now, Isaac was experiencing the communication and guidance of the Lord for himself.  
        "The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you."  This was not the guidance of the Lord interpreted through his father. This was his own experience of the reality of God. Such an encounter with God was the one thing that Abraham could not pass on to his beloved son.  
           The truth is that each new generation must experience the Lord for themselves, and this is at the choosing of the Lord. There are many things that we can give to our children. We can bless them with protection and care. We can seek to educate them properly. We can develop a work ethic and moral foundation. But we cannot give them faith in God. We cannot force them to experience the Lord and trust Him.  This is a gift from the Lord Himself. We can model a faith relationship for our children and even put them in places they are likely to encounter God. Still, God Himself determines when He will speak into a life.
          What is extraordinary is that God is faithful to speak into a new generation.  One of the most exciting aspects of local church ministry is watching young people encounter the Lord. Their expressions are often different, and the call upon their lives is heard a little differently, but the truth is unmistakable. God is at work. God is at work to reach a new generation. God is at work to lead a new movement to reach the lost.

          Father, I thank You for what you are doing in this world. I give thanks for those You are raising up to seek and follow You. I rejoice that You are faithful to use the next generation to reach the lost. Show me how to respond. Show me how to help. Show me how to encourage. In Jesus’ name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.