Covenant Mindedness 4 by Apostle Femi Lazarus: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

God Is a Rewarder

Look at Genesis 15:1 — after these things, the word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision: fear not, Abraham, for I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. God rewards. The societal construct teaches you to plan for yourself because God fails. It is good to plan. But God does not fail.

Abraham questioned God: Lord, what will you give me seeing I go childless? And the word came: this shall not be your heir — he that shall come out of your own body shall be your heir. Genesis 15:5-6 — he brought him out and said: look now toward heaven, tell the stars if you are able to number them. So shall your seed be. And Abraham believed God — and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Now notice something: God promised Abraham the land of Canaan, yet his children spent 400 years in Egypt as slaves before returning. Why? Because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full. Genesis 15:16. God would not drive out a people who had not yet done enough to warrant it. He needed a legal reason.

The favour of God on your life will never mean that somebody else becomes unfortunate unless the person makes themselves so. God is just.

When Lot Chose the Plains of Jordan

In Genesis 13:7-12, strife arose between the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot. Abraham graciously gave Lot the first choice. Lot looked and saw the plains of Jordan, well-watered, like the garden of the Lord. He chose it and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

What Lot did not know was that in choosing the better-looking land, he was moving toward destruction. The prophetic nature of that land was ruin. Only God knows the future. What looks like the better option today can be leading toward tomorrow's pigsty.

Lot could look at Abraham and say: I have what you have. What do you have that I don't? But that is not how life is measured. When Lot lifted himself above measure, he departed from Abraham — and from the spiritual capital that had been covering him all along.

The Intercession of Abraham — Covenant Access in Action

Look at Genesis 18:17-19. The Lord said: shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation — for I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him. On that basis, God chose to disclose the coming judgment before executing it.

Covenant intimacy gives access to what ordinary standing cannot reach. Genesis 18:23-32 — Abraham drew near and began to negotiate: will you also destroy the righteous with the wicked? If there are fifty righteous? Forty-five? He kept going until ten. God agreed each time.

If you met Lot during that exchange, Lot would have thought things were fine because of his own righteousness. He did not know there was an intercessor that God respected.

• You may be more educated than your praying parents, but understand: there are things God honours that a CV cannot replace.
• Covenant relationship with God puts on you the weight of certain kinds of negotiations — access not available to those who dwell in the outer court.
• Even Lot's rescue was on account of Abraham. Genesis 19:29: God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow.

Covenant Practices That Accelerate Destiny

Honour is a covenant practice. The Shunammite woman honoured Elisha and a son was born. When the son died, the man of God was still within reach and the child was raised. She did not stop honouring when she received the blessing. She intensified it. So the access remained.

The culture of honour personalises what was already designated for you. Something can be meant for you, but the absence of honour sends it back without landing.

• Have a portion of your finances that goes to orphans. A portion for widows. Find a widow to put on salary if you run an organisation.
• Make a list of those through whom God lifted you when you were nothing. Have a plan to bless them. God will keep you alive to do it.
• The ravens fed Elijah for as long as that was their assignment — as long as they were needed for that purpose, they could not be taken. There are people whose longevity is tied to their assignment toward you.

Walking with covenant consciousness and faithfulness benefits you more than anybody else. Learn it. Honor those you should honor. Do not despise people whether they are low or high. Make sure you live in such a way that you are part of people's success stories — not just present for the palace when the toiling is done.