It’s no longer business as usual for the world and certainly not for the Body of Christ. The days of sitting by the sidelines are coming to an end. Our focus on the blog this year will be on some of the battles we will have to contend with this decade as Christians.
Genesis 26 gives a powerful account of what it means to be in covenant with God. There is famine in the land and Isaac is contemplating relocating. However, God instructs Him to remain in the land of his father for that is where He would bless him. The Lord cites the covenant He established with his father, Abraham, and assures Isaac that He has every intention of keeping it. Indeed He does just that.
I’ve come to find that the business world – even in Christian circles – speaks much about contracts, but not enough about covenants. Contracts have their necessary place on the earth but it takes covenants to enter certain dimensions in God.
There are several things we can learn from Isaac in so far as how to succeed in the battle of covenant:
Locate your wells
You’re not the first one God has called to do what you do. There are those who have preceded you in your industry and area of assignment.
Wisdom demands that you do your homework in prayer and research to find out who these people are and what they’ve been able to accomplish. Study their successes for patterns that can be replicated. Learn from whatever mistakes they may have made. Understand what role God requires you to play in this time and season you’re in.
Sharpen your battle axe with knowledge and wisdom so that you only need to strike once to get the job done.
Dig up your wells
In some instances, you’ll find territory that was once ruled by a faithful believer has been overrun by the enemy. The wells Abraham dug had been stopped up by the Philistines after his death. Isaac had to dig them again to access what his father had left behind.
The devil is a squatter on a deadline. All it takes is a kingdom heir to evict him and take their rightful place.
The battle of covenant is one of dominion. If your industry seems to be governed more by darkness than light, seek God for strategy to take your rightful place. We don’t seek dominion so that we can flash our CVs and titles all over the place. Our dominion is for the purpose of serving those under our stewardship to the glory of God.
If your heart is given to self-gratification, you cannot access dominion in Christ. If your heart is given to service, the power of heaven will back you in ways that will astound you.
Make good use of the wells
While the love of God is unconditional, His blessings are not. Search the Scriptures for yourself and you’ll see. Terms and conditions apply when it comes to covenants.
The battle of covenant is one of stewardship. God has no problem giving His word and keeping it. There are numerous examples of covenants in the Bible and in particular how seriously God takes them. He goes out of His way to enforce covenants humanity has made with Him. However, humanity has an unfortunate track record of losing sight of what matters.
Establish that which God wants to entrust you with in your business/career. This goes beyond a certain job grade or business title. It is a matter of the radical transformation He wants to bring about using you as His vessel.
When it comes to vessels, willingness and availability matter far more than anything else. God has no need of golden vessels that sit pretty and do nothing. He would rather work with wooden vessels that are yielded to His purpose.
Ask the Lord for an increase of His Spirit to brood over the work of your hands that it would continue to give Him glory long after your days on earth are done. Invite Him to teach you how to be a good steward.
Multiply the number of wells in your work territory
Isaac did not settle for the wells Abraham had dug. He went on to dig his own wells. How can you expand that which God has entrusted with you with? Ask Him for wisdom to be fruitful in your business/career.
Train those coming after you how to maintain the wells
We’re in a relay race as believers. Just as others have preceded you, others follow you. They need not waste time and effort fighting the same battles you were victorious over.
The notion that others must suffer the same way you did in the business/career world is ungodly. The very existence of Christ dismantles this fallacy. He paid the debt of sin and death so we wouldn’t have to. While there is the cup of suffering we must partake, it is not in equal measure to the one He bore on our behalf on the Cross.
Why then would we deem ourselves worthy of meting out the same suffering we have endured to the next one in line as some form of justification that one is worthy of success.
To raise a generation that can take up after you requires the power of love and sacrifice. Love is what will cause you to allow others to stand on your shoulders so they can go higher and farther than you have.
The battle of covenant is one that requires us to be aware of the covenants we are beneficiaries of and those we must institute on behalf of future generations. It takes an intimate relationship with God to have such things revealed to you by His Spirit. That’s why, the battle of covenant ultimately comes down to devotion. His devotion to us is not in question. Neither should our devotion to Him.
Kairos Consultancy Group 
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