Show Me The Evidence

Show Me the Evidence!

“And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do. Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.” And Abraham said, “I will swear.” Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized. And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.” So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Then Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?” And he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well.” Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there. Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.”

Genesis 21:22-34 NKJV

A life surrendered to God should become so visibly different that even those around us recognize, “God is with that person.”

A relative said to Matt one time- How come everything you touch turns to gold? They may not have recognized that it was because Matt serves the Lord, but they recognized, that something was different about his life.

1. GOD’S PRESENCE SHOULD BE VISIBLE IN YOUR LIFE

1. 22 “God is with you in all that thou do.”

Abimelech wasn’t a worshiper of Abraham’s God in the same way Abraham was, yet he could see the evidence of God’s blessing and presence in Abraham’s life.

Notice he didn’t say:

• “You talk about God a lot.”
• “You know a lot about God.”
• “You claim God is with you.”

He said, “God is with you.”

God’s presence produces observable evidence. Note, Abraham’s life was marked by God’s blessings.

God’s blessings are not the same as God’s permitting. God’s blessings come through obedience. I am not talking about riches, I am talking about a life that is marked by favor. God will allow you to do things your way, He has given great and mighty gifts, He will intervene to protect, He shows an abundance of grace- but none of these are the blessings of the Lord. 

Grace is not by obedience, otherwise it would not be grace. Some people are graced, not blessed.

I prayed for a couple who were living together and she says to me “We are blessed”, no friend, you are under grace and Not getting the judgment of God, but He is extending to you goodness and mercy. It is HIs kindness that leads to repentance- This is what that scripture means. That God is long-suffering with us, holding back His wrath so that men will repent.

Blessings come  through obedience, and these are the rewards, protection, and success that come when people follow God’s guidance and laws.

““Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:”

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NKJV

“But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!””

Luke 11:28 NKJV

Jesus said that the people who hear the word of God and obey it are truly blessed.

“But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

James 1:25 NKJV

What the Blessings of God Look Like-

Supernatural Protection: God guides you away from harmful choices and traps.

Peace of mind that surpasses all understanding: Doing the right thing brings a clean conscience and less worry.

Success: not in the way the world defines success, but your work and daily efforts are given favor and strength.

And this is the most important- a closer relationship with the Lord: Walking in obedience helps you grow closer to God every day, like Abraham, you become a friend of God

““If you love Me, keep My commandments. (V 15)

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (V 21)

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”(v.23-24)

John 14:15, 21, 23-24 NKJV

Our testimony is more than what we say. People should be able to see God’s hand in our lives:

• marriages- does your marriage reflect Christ’s love of the church?
• homes- is your home in order? Is your husband the head and as a wife, are you submitted? Are you children obedient, respectful and kind? (I have a thing about respect) My kids just left for a vacation together, Matt and i see this as a parenting win. Our kids actually love one another and want to spend time together 

The Proverbs 31 woman has children that rise up and call her blessed. 

“Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her:”

Proverbs 31:28 NKJV

“Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the Lord.”

Psalms 128:1-4 NKJV

Order in the home is a blessing for obedience. Do things the Bible way and get the Bible results.

Think about your testimony (con’t)

• reactions- how do I respond to people? Especially how do I respond when things do not go my way?
• treatment of people- does my treatment of others reflect the Lord? Do i mirror His treatment of me?
• trials- How do I go through trials and tribulations? Like a tea bag out into hot water, whatever is in you will come out of you when the heat is turned up
• priorities- does my life reflect that He is Lord of my life? Do I portray to those around me that I put the Lord 1st in everything I do? 
• EX: I have always read my Bible and prayed first thing in the morning, and I have had to tell the kids if they got up early to find something to do until I was done talking to the Lord. We go to church when we are on vacation. 

Question: If someone watched your life for a month, would they have evidence that God is with you?

2. GOD’S PEOPLE SHOULD WALK WITH INTEGRITY

1. 23–24 Abimelech asks Abraham to swear that he will not deal falsely with him or his descendants.

 Abimelech is asking for honesty and integrity in a man he knows do be a God-follower.

Being blessed by God doesn’t exempt us from dealing rightly with people. Sometimes Christians think:

“God knows my heart.” He does, but other people are watching our conduct.

Abraham makes a covenant, willing to establish peace and trust. Our integrity before the world matters.

Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change. It is your conduct when no one is watching, or no one will know the difference. 

Ask-

• Can people trust your word? Trust is hard fought to gain and easy to lose.
• Do you keep your promises? Do not make a vow if you cannot keep it.
• Do you pay what you owe? 
• Are you honest when nobody is watching? integrity is not just your conduct around others, it is how you act when no one is watching. Do you cheat, steal or lie because you can get away with it? 
• Do you handle conflict biblically?

Integrity is what your character looks like when your reputation is not at stake. Abraham confronts Abimelech about the well that Abimelech’s servants had violently taken.

This is important. Abraham doesn’t just say: “Well, I’m a Christian. I’ll just let it go.” He addresses the problem. There was a conflict and it needed to be addressed to establish peace.

“If it be possible, as much as it pertains to you, live peaceably with all men.” Romans 12:18

Peace does not mean avoiding confrontation. Biblical peace isn’t pretending there isn’t a problem.

Sometimes peace requires confrontation and a conversation.

There had been a misunderstanding, and Abraham brings it into the light. Deal with problems honestly. 

There is a difference between:

• peacekeeping — avoiding conflict at all costs. Matt was stationed in the Sinai peninsula and his mission was peacekeeping. The military presence was just to keep the peace, that mission oversees the security provisions of the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. 
• peacemaking — addressing conflict in a godly way, we do not brush things under the rug and hope they will go away. Do something’s need to just be let go? Yes. But most conflict requires a conversation, even if it is to agree to disagree.

“Blessed are the peacemakers.” Matthew 5:9

Abraham used what God gave him to establish peace. His possessions became instruments of reconciliation. That’s a powerful principle:

We are to be instruments of peace and reconciliation! Let me explain- forgiveness is one sided. I can forgive someone who has since died. I forgive them, release all the anger and bitterness and can move on. But reconciliation is two-sided. Both sides have to come together to repent, forgive so that the relationship can be reconciled. This is what we are called to- reconcile men to God and men one to another.

God has blessed you and reconciled you to Himself through the blood of Jesus so that we will go and do likewise. We are called to be peacemakers. 

Is there an area or a person that is need of peace? Go make peace, do not sweep it under the rug. This is integrity.

3. GOD’S PEOPLE SHOULD PLANT THEIR LIVES IN WORSHIP

1. 31–33 Abraham plants a grove, or tamarisk tree, and calls upon: “the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.”

The tamarisk tree, or salt cedar, is famous for its unique ability to excrete salt through its leaves, creating a natural cooling mist in the desert. It holds deep biblical symbolism as a sign of enduring faith

• Salt Glands: Special glands push salt out onto the leaves. This salt forms crystals that catch night moisture.
• Morning heat turns that trapped water into a cool mist. This makes its shade cooler than other desert trees
• Roots go deep into the water table. A single mature tree can use up to 200 gallons of water daily

It is native to the arid regions of the Middle East and is characterized by its feathery foliage and ability to thrive in saline soils. The tamarisk tree holds symbolic significance in the biblical narrative, often representing themes of covenant, provision, and endurance.

Thriving in harsh, salty, and arid desert soils where other plants die, it represents faith, strength and resilience during hard times. Abraham plants one in Beersheba and calls on the name of the Lord, symbolizing worship of an everlasting God and covenant faithfulness. 

Worshippers are planted in the house of the lord. And when you are planted, your roots run deep into the water reservoirs and you receive strength for the long journey in the dry places.

“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”

Psalms 1:1-3 NKJV

Abraham worshiped the “everlasting God”. What a name! El Olam, the Everlasting God.

WE worship an eternal and everlasting God who is worthy of your worship. In this life, you will worship something. We were created to worship. God wants our worship, and you can join with the angels in worshipping His glorious name, or you can worship the world, yourself or the enemy by default. Both God and Satan demand worship. Just look at Revelation

People change. Circumstances change. Kings change. Relationships change. Seasons change. But God doesn’t. The God who made a promise to Abraham years earlier is still the same faithful God. 

Abraham planted a tamarisk tree to worship the Lord, he inadvertently created an eternal boundary.

4. A GODLY LIFE LEAVES A WITNESS BEHIND

Abraham’s worship to the Lord unknowingly sets up a Geographic Boundary and witness for all of Israel . In the Bible, Beersheba marked the southern limit of the Promised Land. The common phrase “from Dan to Beersheba” was used to describe the entire territory of Israel, stretching from the far north to the far south. This is a remarkable witness of a worshipping man. Worship leaves an inheritance.

Another great worshipper, King David said,

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”

Psalms 23:6 NKJV

I read a commentary on the 23 psalm and the author gave me a different perspective- not that goodness and mercy were chasing me down as others have said, but that because of God’s blessings and favor in my life, wherever I go I leave a wake of goodness and mercy.

I like this perspective much better.

Abraham wasn’t merely having a spiritual moment. He was living a consistent life of worship. His testimony was being built over time and he left a wake of goodness and mercy whenever he went.

The question isn’t: “Can I have a powerful spiritual moment?”

The question is: “What will my life consistently say about my God?”

Imagine Abimelech standing before Abraham and saying: “God is with you in all that thou do.”

What a testimony!

Will the same be said of you?

Would your spouse say it?

Would your children say it?

Would your coworkers say it?

Would your neighbors say it?

Would the people who have seen you under pressure say it?

Not because you’re perfect.

Not because you never fail.

But because there is something unmistakably different about a person who walks with God.

Abraham didn’t have to convince Abimelech that God was with him. Abimelech had already seen it.

That’s the challenge- Live so close to God that His presence becomes evident in the way you live.

“God is with you in all that thou do.” Will this evidence be found in you?