Don’t let negative friends, the media, or critics rob you of faith in God. When a widow went out to gather wood to cook her last meal for her son before they died, she ran into Elijah who said, “Fix me a meal.” She responded in obedience. The next day, and the next week, and the next month, again and again, the oil and meal miraculously continued to flow because of her obedience.
There is a commanded blessing for obedience and generosity. It is time for you to be filled with faith and to have someone filled with faith to come into agreement with you that God will bless and favor your life in every way. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah will roar…and the whole world will shake and be amazed by what happens next!
When I began this ministry with my beloved bride, Carolyn, our first daughter was only six months old. We shared our vision for the first time in a tiny church in Indiana during a snowstorm. When we walked outside, our car had caught fire and burned. All we had was $725, and we had given it all to start the ministry.
A man named Gene Darnell approached us and took us home with him. The next morning, he handed me the keys to a new car. He didn’t have the money to buy it outright; he financed it and made the payments on it. He said, “The Lord told me that you are His chosen instrument for the Nation of Israel. Shiloh, Shiloh, Shiloh.” Gene Darnell had nothing to substantiate what he had said, but he was the first to sow a seed into our lives and ministry. God gave us a wonderful blessing through Gene, and He gave Gene a commanded blessing in return.
We climbed into that beautiful Buick Electra and started toward Texas. As we drove through Arkansas, I spotted a sign that said, “Bill Roetzell’s Motorhomes.” The Spirit of the Lord spoke to me, “Stop there and look at travel trailers.” It would have been as impossible for me to buy a travel trailer as it would to buy the Empire State Building. We had no money.
As I walked around the property, we noticed a trailer that was 35 feet by 8 feet and could be towed by a large car. Again, the Spirit of the Lord said, “Believe me for this.” I reached out, touched that travel trailer, and said a short prayer. I later learned that while I prayed, the owner of the company was in his office having his devotions. He looked out the window, saw me, and the Spirit of the Lord said, “This is a man of God. He is going to be My chosen vessel to the Nation of Israel. You are to give him a new travel trailer.” Bill came out and did just that. We hooked that travel trailer up to the back of the Buick Electra and towed it to Texas. Commanded blessing!
Many years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Corrie ten Boom. She told me that while she was in the Nazi prison at Ravensbrück for saving Jewish people from the Holocaust, God gave her a commanded blessing. It was the last verse of Psalm 91: “And with long life shall I satisfy you.” Corrie was 51 years old when God gave her that Scripture. Her commanded blessing was 40 additional years of life and a ministry that changed the world. What will your blessing be in 2021? I can’t wait to find out!
