FRUITFUL IN THE MIDST OF FAMINE

Breakthrough | Freedom | Dominion.

Exodus 1:12 KJV

“But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor:”

To be afflicted means: To affect with persistent pain or distress or great suffering.

How can one be fruitful in the midst of affliction, pain distress and suffering? How is it possible that the Israelites multiplied and grew while being afflicted? This happened because the Israelites had a relationship with Jehovah God, the creator of heaven and earth. Nevertheless, they were not immune to pain, distress and suffering but through it all, they grew and multiplied.

Knowing God and having a relationship with Him does not mean the absence of afflictions. Rather, you thrive, flourish, increase and prosper during the season of famine and affliction.

Whenever God’s power is actively present, it makes one fruitful amid obscurity, uncertainty and hopelessness.

In Genesis 26:1, the Bible says “Now there was a famine in the land besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar” A few chapters after that, the Bible goes on to say this, “Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold because the LORD blessed him” (Genesis 26:12). How Isaac plant in the midst of famine and drought but reap a hundredfold? Simple, because the blessings of God (His presence and active power) was upon him.

The Bible tells us a story about a young man named Joseph who went through extreme hardship. Joseph was betrayed by his siblings. He was falsely accused and falsely convicted of rape by the wife of his boss and spent about 12 years in prison. Nevertheless, Joseph was fruitful in the midst of all his afflictions. This is because “God was with Joseph” (Genesis 39:2).

The Bible says that “many are the afflictions of the righteous (that will be you the believer in Christ) but the Lord delivered them out of them all (Psalm 34:19)”. The Bible did not say few are the afflictions of the righteous but rather many are the afflictions of the righteous, nevertheless God DELIVERS them out of them ALL.

When God is with you, His glorious light will impose itself over your darkness. When God is present with you, His divine power will uproots and overturns the foundation of any curse upon your life. When God is present in your situation, there is breakthrough, though His promises might prolong rest assure that they will come to pass. Hence the Bible says in psalm 89:34 “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips”.

When God is with you, burdens you’ve been carrying for years can be lifted off, incurable diseases and diagnoses that doctors could not cure through medicine can miraculously be healed by the power of His Holy Spirit.

It was through the power of the Holy Spirit that the Lord Jesus healed numerous people who were oppressed by the devil in the Bible . It is going to be through the power of the Holy Spirt, that God will heal and restore you from brokenness and affliction caused by the devil. The Bible says in Acts 10:38 we read,

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

God is not responsible for the pain and hurt you are going through. According to Acts 10:38, oppressiveness and sicknesses are caused by the devil, while Jesus Christ is responsible for doing good and healing people.

I pray, that you will have an encounter with the living God through the Holy Spirit which is available to all who call on God through faith in Christ Jesus. I pray, that the healing virtue of the Holy Spirit will flow in your life to drive away every pain and hurt in your life today as you thrive even in the midst of difficult uncertainties in Jesus mighty name, Amen!

Author: Andrew A. Osei