you you After you have marked Genesis chapter 26, let's begin reading in the book of Hosea chapter 10. This morning it's a simple phrase of encouragement I want to give to you. Don't stop digging. Let's read Hosea chapter 10 in verse 12. Sow to yourselves in righteousness Reap in mercy, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord till he come and reign righteousness upon you. I read that verse to you because I want you to see when we talk about don't give up on God, keep moving forward. Let's read in the book of Genesis for just a moment, chapter 26. In the 26th chapter, of the book of Genesis, skip down to the 22nd verse. We're going to back up and catch a little more of this. And he removed from thence and digged another well, and for that they strove not. Let me kind of give you a little glimpse. He said, that's yours. He said, and for that they strove not, and he called the name, listen to what he's gonna talk about, he said, and he called the name Rehoboth. And he said, for now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. Now in that 26th chapter of the book of Genesis, go back to the very first verse and look what was happening. It was a time of a famine. So the 26th chapter, the first verse, it said there was a famine in the land beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. So again, When we start talking about Isaac and how that he was going through a time of barrenness, but even in the midst of all this barrenness, we see that God still allowed Isaac to prosper. Now I want you to follow me for just about another minute or so. When I say don't stop digging because just because there's barrenness around you does not mean that God cannot bless you and prosper you in your life. Just because things in the world may be bad does not mean things are going to be bad in your life. Let's word it like that. Just because somebody else is going through something in life doesn't necessarily mean that's what you are facing. Matter of fact, if you'll look at the 14th verse, that they envied him. Now, we're gonna get into what we started in the very beginning about how that Abraham, excuse me, there was a well of Abraham and that Isaac began to dig the well. And after digging the well, then he met opposition. But through all of the obstacles that Isaac had faced, the 14th verse said, they envied him. But God had made a promise to Abraham and this promise was gonna be passed on to Isaac. And that we see that Isaac was going to have to put his trust in God. So that's where we get into our reading here this morning. So Isaac had come to a place and he had a well and he had a well of his father Abraham. But here's the problem. It was not only a well, but it was a well that had been stopped up. I'm not going to ask you this morning if you've ever experienced a stopped up well in your life. But I want to tell you I have. There's been times in my life where I felt like, yes, I knew that there was a well there, but it was plugged, it was stopped up, and it seems like I didn't have access to it. This morning, I want to tell you something. Keep on digging. The first well that we're gonna see that was reopened, that Abraham had dug, that was gonna be reopened by Isaac, there was opposition. He dug another well, he met opposition. And we're gonna see that finally we get to the 22nd verse, and all of a sudden, it was in that well that he found peace. Today, I don't know, maybe I could be finished by just simply saying this, don't give up, don't stop digging. I assure you, God has prosperity for you if you'll keep on digging. So in the 26th chapter, and let's go back to the 18th verse. Look at what Isaac had already been given. Look at what his inheritance was. Can I tell you something this morning? How many of you recognize what God has blessed you with, your inheritance? And I don't mean an inheritance by what you may get from a gain or material things. I'm talking about an inheritance of the knowledge of God and an experience with God. And Isaac digged again the wells of waters. This is what the 18th verse said. Now when he began to re-dig these wells of water, remember that others were not going through, it was a time of a famine. So which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father. How many of you can relate to this? For the Philistines had stopped him after the death of Abraham. Again, God had given us prosperity. They were enjoying the whales. They were enjoying all of the abundance that would come out of these whales. And all of a sudden the Philistines said, you're not going to enjoy abundance no more. Can I tell you something I believe right now? If you're here and you're enjoying the abundance of the goodness of God, you just give it time. The world's going to try to stop up your whale. That's what they're going to do. Somewhere along the way, you're gonna get discouraged, you're gonna get frustrated, you're gonna get aggravated, you're gonna get mad, you're gonna get discouraged, or you're gonna get, whatever emotion you wanna plug in there, something is going to happen. I wanna go back to what I told you in the very beginning. Don't stop digging. You get plugged up one place, keep on going for God. How many times do we stop on God after the first failed attempt? So the Philistines, and by the way, might we paint a picture of the Philistines? Do you know a man by the name of Goliath that come out of the Philistines, these great large people? Folks, these are not just small battles that we face, these are large battles. But aren't you glad today that we serve a God bigger than our battles that are ahead of us? I don't know about you this morning, but I have a great glory inside of me knowing that no matter who it is that's trying to stop up my will, God says, I've got something and it's just for you. You know, I've seen people and I've known people that have tried things over and over again and I don't mean it's the third time's a charm, I don't want to say that, but it just seems like sometimes in life you have to keep trying to dig and all of a sudden you'll find what you're looking for. Not everybody's saved the first time they go seek after the Lord. Not everybody finds the church they were looking for the first time they go to church. Not everybody, and just fill in the blank, Not everybody finds what they need. Some people, they look for motivation and strength on maybe an app on their phone or maybe getting up every morning and reading a scripture. If something is not working, let me tell you something, keep trying something else. You will eventually find the will that God has for you. Now just because there's a well that works for me in my life doesn't mean it's going to be the well for you. It just means whatever works for you is what you need to do. Look what happened. He said, and it said all of a sudden the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham. And he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. Here's what I love about Isaac. Isaac said, I want to go back to not only something I want to do new. He said, I want to go back to what my father Abraham experienced. Folks today, I want a salvation today, not because of something that was my parents or my grandparents or my great grandparents, but I want something today that is real and genuine and something that comes from God. Jeremiah 6 chapter 16 verse teaches us that to stand ye in the ways and seek and ask for the old paths. It's okay for you to come into this place this morning knowing there's a time and a place in your life that there are things in life that you enjoy, the goodness and the abundance of God. Matter of fact, it's okay to admit that things are not the way you want them to be right now. Sometimes we think that we're bad or that we're a weak people if we confess or admit that maybe our wells are dry or that maybe we're stopped from going and doing the things we want. We see here that God is trying to teach us that we need to depend on Him, lean on Him, for He'll give us what we need. Psalm teaches us in Psalm 119, in verse 105, thy word is a lamp unto my feet. a light unto my path. You know, the light just makes things clear. That's what he does. And see, when Isaac, he said he wanted to be able to be clear what God wanted for him. And we see here the psalmist said, thy word is a lamp unto my feet. I don't know about you, but sometimes when it's dark, we can't always see where we're walking. We can't see where we step. And probably the most fearful is when we can't see where we're going. If any of you ever tried to walk through your house that you even know sometimes in the dark, you don't always navigate it just right, do you? But what we want to see this morning is, is that God today wants us to have a guide in our life. He wants us to have a light in our life. And we see here that we must return to this guide or this light that we have in our life. And God's word has given us what we need. And God's word has given us what we stand in need of. And so when we go back to Genesis chapter 26, I want to navigate through this for a little bit this morning. Notice what we read in the 19th verse. He said, so the Philistines came and they stopped the well of Abraham. So he said, okay, let's just try this again. So when Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and they were successful, and they found there a well of springing water. So in the location by which they were in, it said, and the herdman of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdman. We're gonna talk about this here in just a little bit, that now strife is gonna come in. I mean, if you this morning can relate to strife in your life, doesn't mean that there's fussing and fighting, it just means that things are not in harmony one with another. Let's admit it, folks, we're not always in harmony with God. Just it's not the way we are. That's why we need revival. That's why we need these restoring. He said, that is something the herdman of Gerard did strive with Isaac's herdsmen saying, this water is ours. So you know what he named that place? And he called the name of the well, Isik. And the reason he called that, because they strove with him. Folks, there's something I believe today you can take to be true. And I hope that this morning you're not fighting this very battle, but I can tell you this, every time that you move to do good, every time that you dig a well, get ready, there's gonna be opposition. Every time that you strive to do the right thing, every time that you strive to accomplish the work of God, you can rest assured that evil is gonna come along also. If you're here today and you've never been saved, I wanna tell you a truth. And how many of you that are saved can testify to this? That when God is convicting and drawing you to an altar, the devil's gonna give you every excuse why not to do it. How many of you have that as part of your testimony? The devil tried to talk you out of it. Now I'm not saying that's 100% true, but I'll tell you this, seemingly a great large number of people that when God was working, the devil was working too. The devil's not gonna work on something that he's got where he wants it. It's when he's in danger of losing it. So we see that when God begins to work, that all of a sudden there's opposition that is going to happen. We get opposition from the world. It's a sad truth, but we find opposition from the church. But even a sadder truth is sometimes the great opposition is with inside of us. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Keep on digging today while we get discouraged that we want to quit and stop and we want to give up. Turn over to the book of 1 Samuel for just a minute. 1 Samuel chapter 22. I want to read about a man by the name of David. David had been chosen as king. And in 1 Samuel chapter 22, they're both going to be faced with opposition, just like we ran with Isaac and David. They're both going to have to go through times of hardship, but God is going to open the door. They're finally going to keep digging the wells till that well comes open. They're finally going, with David, he's finally going to let God be able to endure till God is able to allow him to take over as the king of Israel. God had appointed him as the king of Israel, but here's the problem. He still had to face Saul. You know what Saul did? Saul chased him. Matter of fact, Saul chased him so much, he chased him into a cave in the wilderness, in a cave, that we see here that while that David was yet hiding, that Saul entered that cave and without him ever knowing it, David was able to cut off. He had the sharp instrument. He was able to cut off just a portion of his robe so that he could show that he could have taken his life, but instead he wanted to let God do the things in his life when he wanted to do it. So in the book of 1 Samuel chapter 22, and I wanna read the second verse. And everyone that was in distress, and everyone that was in debt, and everyone that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him, and became a captain over them. And there was with him about 400 men. So we see when he came to Isaac in the beginning, when he was digging these wells, he began to open up the well of his father, Abraham. All of a sudden, Philistine said, no, that's not it. So he goes and he begins to deal and to dig in another one that we've already seen to be called Essek, which means contention. And now we're seeing that there was gonna be another one that he's gonna dig, that there's gonna be hostility that's gonna come. But we notice that Isaac in the end, I want you to really pay attention to this. Should Isaac have fought for that well of Abraham? That's a pretty serious question you could ask yourself. Should he have fought for that or should he have said, God, I trust you. If you want me to have this well, it would have been open. He said, if not, I'll do something else. Folks today, it's okay to trust God to provide what you need in different ways. Maybe yesterday, We'll make this hypothetical. Maybe yesterday God was supplying for you a means of strength and nourishment by you had your own Bible study or you had your own way of reading the Bible or your own place that you prayed, but maybe you have a new place that you have to go. Maybe there's a new place that you will be praying. Maybe there's a new place that you will be reading or a new method or whatever it is. Folks today, do not stop digging. If your well is running dry and there's opposition there, then go to where God is opening up and giving you plenty. Let's keep reading what we read here. And Isaac's servants digged. This is back in the 26th chapter. And they digged in the valley and found there a well of springy water. The herdsmen of Gerardus died, with Isaac's herdsmen saying, the water is ours. And he called the name Esau, because they strove with him. And they digged another one. Here's where the other one is. And they strove for that also. So there's, not only is there gonna be opposition, not only are we finding hostility, and he says, for I called the name of it, Sit now. Folks, I want you to notice something today that the Bible teaches us that we must be very careful because we are fighting against a mighty adversary this day. We read in the book of 1 Peter chapter five and verses eight and nine, be sober and be viligant. Why must we be sober and be viligant? Because you're adversary of the devil as a roaring lion. Folks, today we are fighting a very hostile enemy. A hostile enemy that's trying to keep you from going to this well, or to this well, or to this well. People are trying things out. They're trying to do what they need to do. And they realize is that there must come to a point and a place in our life that we submit to him. But look what we're reading about in this 22nd verse of Genesis chapter 26. So Isaac kept on digging. This morning, just keep on digging. Don't stop digging. Keep moving on. Keep working for Him. Just like you had to break up the fallow ground. Just like they had to keep working in the book of Hosea. You must keep on digging for God to bless. Don't give up on God. How many of you today can say God is worth it? I want to ask that question again. How many of you this morning can say God is worth it? Many of us as God's people will say that, why? Because we know just because there's a hurdle at one, doesn't mean there's not a well somewhere else. Doesn't mean that God doesn't have a plan for us. Doesn't mean there's not a work for us. Doesn't mean that God is not gonna bless us in this way. And he removed from that, so what did they do? And they digged another well. And here's where I wanted to really dive in here this day. For they would dig this well that they were in, And notice what he did to the place. And he called the name of it, Rehoboth. You know what the word Rehoboth means, don't you? The word Rehoboth means it's spacious, there's room, and there's peace. Folks, I have no doubt in my mind that God wants every one of us to experience peace in our life. I've seen people try different churches out. They go to different churches. They try different methods. They try all kinds of different things. And my point is, it's not about doing this or doing that. It's about folks, if you find opposition or hostility or maybe hurdles at one place, don't stop digging. Because when they kept on digging, look what they finally found. They finally got to a point and a place where they could experience God's goodness. And they were able to experience the well that he was able to provide for them. If you mark that in the book of 1 Samuel, where we was at just a minute ago, I wanna go back just a little bit earlier there in the book of 1 Samuel chapter seven. And I wanna look here this morning, I've thought over the last several days, I really begin to study and read about this in the book of 1 Samuel chapter seven. We understand that if we'll just keep digging, if we keep seeking after revival, if you keep doing it, God will bless. People will try this, it don't work. Maybe all of a sudden they just say every morning that next time I'm just gonna start reading or whatever. They find something that works. I just, I can't drive home to you enough. When you find something that works, thank God for it and enjoy it. But if something's not working, keep digging. Sometimes we forget our Bible studies, we quit Sunday school, or we quit going to church, or we quit reading our Bible, we keep finding our prayer time, but all of a sudden God said, your well's stopping up, you need to find something that you need in your life. The book of 1 Samuel chapter seven, and I wanna skip down to the 12th verse, about a stone. Ebenezer's stone that's gonna be placed here. 12th verse said, And Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shin, and called the name of it Ebenezer. The word Ebenezer just means it's a stone of help. Saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. Ebenezer Stone was set up, it was a great reminder that God was able to deliver them and God was able to provide for them and it was in that place that there was something special. Do you remember when the children began to cross over the River of Jordan, they had to pick out stones and they would set a memorial on the other side because they wanted a place to remind them, this is where God had delivered them. And I bring these up to you this morning because sometimes you have to go back to places and find out where God has moved in your life and God has worked in your life and see that God is still God. He has not changed. That sometimes God is telling us to go to a different well. And we see with Ebenezer Stones and even with Isaac. They got to a place where they believed that through their perseverance that God had delivered them, that God had provided them, and that God had gave them what they stood in need of. And I believe that if you'll notice here with this stone of Ebenezer, if you'll go back and read about Isaac, is that even though you went through conflicts, even though you went through tough times, even though you went through opposition, even though those wells were denied unto you, God said, I'm still gonna give you prosperity in your life. I have been praying, Lord, may there be a house full of people that somewhere in their life, They had to find a time where they went through adversities and they went through oppositions, but may they testify that God, you have still given them a well that is flowing with water. May they testify about what you have done for them. Ebenezer, meaning the stone of place. Rehoboth, which means a place that is broad and there is plenty of room. But for all of us that are here this morning, can we look back at our life and realize what God has done for us in our life? But I want to go back to the book of Genesis chapter 26 for just a little while. I want us to really think about when we read in these verses what had happened. Is that what would have happened if Isaac would have gave up when the whale of Abraham was stopped up? What would have happened? What would have happened today that if Isaac would have just said, there's opposition when I got this well dug, and it wasn't like they dug a dry well, they drug a very fertile well. Let me tell you something today. None of us are drinking from wells that we have dug, are we? Ponder that for just a minute. None of us are drinking from the wells that we have dug. But you know what? How frustrating would it be for me and you to go dig a well for water to come up, only for somebody to chew us off? I'll tell you something, folks, if our labors bring forth something that'll bless somebody else's life, may we dig the wells and move on to the next one. Why? Because God will use that well that we, I don't want to say we've abandoned, that we've moved on from, and God's going to begin to work in their life. Folks, today I assure you that God is working in your life, and God is moving. I've seen preachers, they pastor a church, and they'll go to another church, and they go to another church. I've seen missionaries, they fold their tents and they pack their suitcases, they'll go to the next land. and they'll build a tent and open the suitcases, and then God will say, I want you to close it, and they'll move on. It's not because they've done something wrong, but it has everything to do with wherever God provides, that's where I wanna be. How many of you today can say, wherever God is providing, that's where you wanna be? How many of you can say that? How many of you can say that? That's where we need to be, and that's where we wanna be. It's because that's where God has opened the door. And we read in this verse what we're talking about in the book of Genesis that they got to a point and a place where they was depending upon God to give them what they need. And they began to put trust in God that He would give them these very things. He says, For now the Lord hath made room for us. This is the last part of that verse. For this is the place that God has enlarged He's made room and there's a place. I have no problem with you all going and telling everybody you know this. There's room at Shallow Church for anybody who wants to come in this place. It's not because that we have a facility. It's just a simple fact of that this is where somebody is gonna find their water. You know what I want them to do? I want them to come in this place and find water. Too many people are walking around thirsty in this land because they're sitting by a well, mad because they got run off from it or because they can't access it. They're frustrated. Folks, may we understand this. Wherever our well is, whatever we need to do, if your means that you used to, you would read every afternoon when you got in, maybe you have to start doing it every morning. Whatever place or method you have to do, may you do that. For he said, when he got to that well, he said he dug it. And he said, when I dug it, he said, there was abundance of room. For the Lord hath made room for us. And notice what's gonna happen. I didn't read the last part of this verse yet. When you got to the well that God wanted them to experience with Isaac, he said, now you're gonna be fruitful. Here's a harsh truth today. Until we get to where God wants us to do, doing it like he wants us to do, we're not gonna be fruitful. but we must do what God bids us to do. What is God bidding you to do today? Do you have to keep digging? Don't stop digging. Hosea said this in the very beginning we read to you. 10th chapter and 12th verse, sow yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy, don't stop laboring, don't stop working, break up your fallow ground. For it is time to seek the Lord. It's time to dig your wells. It's time to do the work he wants you to do till he come and reign righteousness upon you. Folks, I believe that God has goodness that he wants to bestow upon us. But would you be merciful to him this morning and be submissive to what he wants you to do? That's what I felt like I needed to read to you this morning. I want us to get a song if we could.