Give God a reason - Part 2

The transcription is a message from a pastor and deaconess at the Harvest Chapel International Kumasi. It begins with a prayer and a confession from Joshua chapter 1 verse 8. The theme of the discussion is "Give God a Reason Part 2" and the passage is taken from Genesis chapter 18 verses 17 to 19. The message emphasizes the importance of sincere and unconditional worship, using examples from the lives of Job and Abraham. It encourages believers to live a life of committed integrity and trust in God. The message concludes with a memory verse and a prayer. Shalom to you all wonderful people of God. God richly bless you for participating in the Just Ended Prayer Startup. Thank you for joining us for today's morning glory devotion brought to you by the Harvest Chapel International Kumasi. Your facilitators for today are Pastor and Deaconess Boafo. You know we will have a blessed time together. Please let's kindly share a word of prayer. Father we thank you for another glorious day that you have blessed us with. Please speak to us in part understanding and help us to always walk in paths that please you. Thank you Father in Jesus mighty name. Amen. Beloved, let's kindly affirm our confession together from Joshua chapter 1 verse 8. This book of the law shall not depart out of my mouth, but I shall meditate in it day and night, that I may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then I will make my way prosperous, and then I will have good success. Amen. Dear one, the theme for today's discussion is give God a reason part 2. And our passage will be taken from Genesis chapter 18 verses 17 to 19. Please I'll read from the World English Bible. Genesis chapter 18 verses 17 to 19. Then the Lord said, I will tell Abraham my plan. Abraham's descendants will be great people. They will be very powerful. Because of him, everyone on the earth will receive my blessing. I chose him. Then he will teach his children and everyone in his household. He will teach them to know me. He will teach them to do what is right. Then I'll keep the promise that I made to him. Dear one, this is a reading of the word of the Lord. Praise be to God. Give God a reason part 2. In part 1 of this episode, we examine God's testimony of Job's integrity towards him and a proof of his unflinching faith as exhibited in his response to the four successive tragedies that plagued him in a single day, resulting in the loss of all his ten children, his possessions, and later, even his health. Job proved in this real-life experiment that his worship to God was sincere and unconditional. His integrity of character and resilient commitment towards God wasn't based on what he was getting from tribulations. This was enough a reason for God to vouch for him anytime and anyway. Beloved, we should be in the know that sometimes we are also put in such experimental situations of life, situations that are meant to test and try us and to prove us as authentic and not pretenders before God whom we profess to worship. As documented in Genesis chapter 22, Abraham had to pass a test of sincerity by agreeing to God's demand to sacrifice his son Isaac, whom he dearly loved. God wasn't per se interested in the sacrifice of Isaac than as it were the obedience of Abraham as a proof of his reverence for God. Hear the voice of God in Genesis chapter 22, verse 12, reading from the Wells English Bible British edition, affirming that Abraham went through the experiment successfully. He said, Don't lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from him. What did Abraham obtain after fulfilling the test of sincere and unconditional worship? The Apostle James tells us in James chapter 2, verse 23, still reading from the Wells English Bible British edition, the scripture was fulfilled, which says, Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. His proven obedience was a reason enough for God to call him his friend. Much the same way, Abraham's absolute trust in God and the accompanying blessings gave him access to the secrets of God. In Genesis chapter 18, verse 17-19, we are told the Lord said, Will I hide from Abraham what I do? Since Abraham will surely command a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him, for I have known him to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, to the end the Lord may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him. Precious one, what testimony does God have of you? Is your lifestyle producing enough reasons why God should act in your favor? Are you giving God enough grounds to stand with you and for you in any circumstances of life? Have you been passing the test of sincere and unconditional worship? Dear one, don't let your lack or lack of anything make you look wrong towards God. Don't let the abundance of your possessions make you arrogant towards him either. Don't allow your marriage, children and family, career goals, job, and business adventures to make excuses for your lack of commitment to God. Rather, let who you are and all you aspire to be, what you do, and all you have make a bold statement of resilient commitment and integrity towards God. You can be sure that God will have a good testimony of you that you are worth vouching for. You are worth his advocacy in the cause of life's circumstances. He will definitely not leave you nor forsake you. He will be ever-present to plead your cause. God richly bless you. Beloved, please let's take a memory verse together from Genesis chapter 22, the verse 12, taking it from the world's English Bible. Don't lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me. I take it again. Don't lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me. Beloved, let's share a word of prayer. Father, we thank you for exposing us to truth, that we ought to be sincere before you even in our worship, in our profession of faith, and in our confessions. We pray in the name of Jesus that our worship of you will be unconditional now and always, that any time we come before you, it shall be with unfeigned faith and with sincerity of our hearts towards you. We give you praise. We give you glory. In Jesus' mighty name we have prayed. Amen and Amen. Beloved, please keep your dial here on Radio HCI today for there are a lot more Spirit-filled content carefully chosen to give you a Spirit-filled day. God be with you and cause His face to shine upon you and be good to you till we meet again tomorrow same time for the prayer startup and the morning glory devotion. Shalom.