Look Up: Its Time to Step Outside of the Tent

“He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’” - Genesis 15:5 NIV

The Lords Covenant with Abraham

Genesis 15:1-5 NIV

1 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram.    I am your shield, your very great reward.”

2 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”

3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.”

5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

In Genesis 15, God promises Abraham something impossible in the natural, a son of his own flesh and blood. Not only that, but through this son all nations would be blessed. It was impossible to Abraham because him and his wife were considered past the child bearing age.

In Genesis 15:2 we see that Abraham focuses on his current situation instead of God's promise.

"But Abram said, 'Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?'”

He see's two things:

1) That he is childless

2) His servant will inherit his estate

Abraham was looking at what was happening around him instead of what God had spoken to him.

But God responds by saying in Genesis 15:4

“This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.”

Then God does something powerful; He takes Abraham outside.

Outside of the tent.

Outside of the limitation.

Outside of what blocked his vision.

And He tells him to look up at the stars.

The Symbolism of the Tent

We all have or had a “tent” in our lives.

A tent represents blockage; anything that keeps us from seeing what God promised us.

Sometimes the tent is:

• negative thoughts

• fear

• unbelief

• family and friends

• rejection

• past failures

• trauma

• toxic relationships

• disappointment

• divorce

• anxiety/depression

These things create a negative picture on the inside of us, and eventually they begin to block our vision. They stop us from seeing who God created us to be and what He called us to do.

And sometimes the promise is not something huge like becoming the father or mother of nations. Sometimes it’s:

• the job you’ve been praying for

• the home you desire

• the business idea God gave you

• healing

• marriage

• peace

• restoration

Maybe you see your dream job, but you’re afraid to apply because of what happened at your last workplace. Maybe fear keeps whispering that you’re not qualified, not good enough, or that things will fail again.

But God is still saying:

Look Up!

When You Choose to Look Up

As a nurse practitioner, I once had a patient struggling with job-induced anxiety after experiencing trauma at a previous workplace.

This person had no job, and every time they tried applying for one, fear and anxiety would overwhelm them because of what they experienced before.

After treatment, things began improving:

• their anxiety decreased,

• their confidence grew,

• they started applying again,

• opportunities began opening up.

Then one day, they reached out and asked me to complete paperwork stating they could not work due to medical reasons.

And I said no.

Not because I lacked compassion, but because I recognized what was happening.

Fear had crept in. A tent formed.

The negative voices from their past started replaying in their mind, convincing them they would fail again. They had already created an image in their mind of defeat before even stepping forward.

So instead of agreeing with fear, I encouraged them to visualize themselves working, succeeding, and moving forward.

In other words, I told them to look up.

At first they were upset, but eventually they agreed. Today, they are working, making money, and doing well because they chose to look up.

When Abraham Looked Up

God tells Abraham “Step outside the tent and look up." (Gen 15:5)

God was saying “Get out from under the thing that’s blocking your vision.”

Come outside. Look beyond your limitations. Visualize the desire I placed inside of you.

Psalm 37:4 says that God gives us the desires of our hearts.

Believe it or not, many of the desires within us were planted there by God Himself. But faith and vision are required for those promises to come to pass.

God placed the desire in Abrahams heart to become the father of many nations because He knew Abraham had the faith to carry the vision.

Before the promise came to Abraham, he first had to see it inside.

He had to picture his descendants as countless as the stars.

The Power of Vision

While writing this, God brought to my remembrance a book I once read called The Fourth Dimension by David Yonggi Cho.

In the book, he discusses the power of visualization and how God gave him similar instructions to the ones He gave Abraham.

To summarize his story he writes how when he first started off as a Pastor he didn't have much members but God brought him to the story of Abraham and taught him the power of visualization. He then began to visualize him ministering to 3,000 people and eventually it happened. What he visualized came to pass.

David applied the same biblical principle and saw results.

This shows us that the Word of God is still alive and active today. The same principles that worked then still work now.

Just like Abraham, he had to see it before it came to pass.

If you have not visualized clearly in your heart exactly what you hope for, it cannot become a reality to you.

So i challenge you today to look up ! Visualize what God promised you and watch it come to pass .

Prophetic Activation: Do this twice a day for 30 days and watch what God does.