THE FOWLS OF THE AIR

Genesis 15-  This text describes the covenant that God made with Abram later named Abraham. God told him that He was his shield and reward and promised him an heir and that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. When Abram believed God's word- it was credited to him as righteousness. In verse 9- God tells Abram what to do in order to bring about the blood-sacrifice covenant. After Abram placed the animal sacrifices as commanded by God- verse 11-- "And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away."  The fowls of the air came and tried to steal what God had promised to Abram. Hagar was not a part of God's plan. The heir was to come through his wife Sarai- even though at this point they were unable to have any children. But God had promised.

 

How many times does God promise us something and almost immediately the "fowls of the air" begin to circle around and come in to steal away the promise. Abram stayed with that sacrifice all night. He protected it. He chased all those vultures away every time they swooped down to carry the sacrifice away. But Abram was vigilant. He didn't want anything to disrupt what God was doing.

 

Many times- the fowls of the air-- the enemy or even things that we allow to take place in our lives-- seem to come at us to destroy the promises that God has made to us. Yes, God is responsible to bring  about those promises- but we can not just sit idly by and watch those promises just slip away. We too must be vigilant to protect what God has promised to us!

 

Hebrews 10:35-36 tells us to "Therefore do not cast away your confidence which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise."  In today's world, for many people- even Christians- God's will is on the bottom of their list- if it is on the list at all. Many are caught up with worldly things and allow the focus of these things to steal away the promises that God has made to them. They may have had a promise that their children would be saved and walk with the Lord. They may have had promises about their marriages, their healing or any such thing that has to do with their walk with the Lord. But they were not vigilant like Abram. They haven't protected that promise through prayer, intercession and a holding on faith that stands by and will not the allow the enemy to come in and rob them of their promise.  How many Christians themselves are losing out with God because they have not kept their commitment to God and have grown tired of waiting for their promise- and have just given up- thinking that God isn't going to come through. They grow tired and weary- and want their flesh satisfied--but Abram-- stayed with the sacrifice-- he chased away the vultures that wanted to destroy God's promise. 

 

God has a Church! People will either hold fast to God's promises or they will find destruction because they have allowed the fowls of the air to steal away the promise. We must be careful in the waiting period. We must not grow tired or become full of unbelief. We must hold fast to God's promises. We must not become like Esau who sold his birthright for a pot of stew! We must keep our fleshly desires under control (crucified) and not be weary of waiting for God to move. Our Christian lives are a serious matter to the Lord. We must take it seriously and not play around with God. We must do all we can to protect our walk with the Lord. We have to fight off the vultures of our lives and the lives of others. Be vigilant- don't give up- protect what God has promised you until you see it come to pass.

 

(Taken from Pastor Keith's message 6/9/2013)