Scripture Text: Genesis 26:12–14 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.”
My brothers and sisters, I’ve learned that sometimes you’ve got to make up your mind that no matter the storm, no matter the struggle, no matter how heavy the load gets, I’ve made up my mind that I will walk in the favor of God.
I refuse to break, I refuse to bow, I refuse to back down, because I’m determined to be blessed.
When the odds are stacked against me, when the banker says no, when the creditors turn their backs on me, when life doesn’t look like what God promised. I still believe.
I believe because he promises that he would never leave me.
I believe because he promises never to forsake me.
I believe because he promises that I can be the head and not the tail.
Because my blessing isn’t based on the situation that I’m in, it’s based on all of the God’s promises.
I’m not moved by what I see; and I’m not moved by what I don’t see. I’m moved by what God has said, and if God said I’m that I am blessed, I believe it.
Through the tears, through the trials, through the testing, my heart is fixed, my faith is firm, and my eyes are on Jesus, and I won’t let disappointment define me, or delay me. I’m pressing my way, because I’m determined to be blessed.
Wait a minute Pastor. What if the road gets rough?
I’m still determined.
What if people leave me? I’m still determined.
What if it doesn’t look like it’ll work? I’m still determined. What are you determined to do? I don’t know about anyone else, but I am determined to be blessed.
I’ve must say it again. You see, being blessed is not about convenience; it’s about conviction. It’s not about everything going right; it’s about knowing who holds your life in His hands.
Isaac didn’t get blessed in the best of times. He was blessed in the middle of a famine.
When everything said stop sowing, Isaac kept sowing.
When everyone else was packing up, Isaac was plowing. And the Bible says, the Lord blessed him.
Here is a nugget. Determination requires faith beyond what you are familiar with.
The land was dry. Nothing was growing. But Isaac did something that made no sense at all, he sowed in that land.
Sometimes, your determination to be blessed means you’ve got to sow in the place that doesn’t look promising.
Sometimes you’ve got to keep serving even when you’re tired.
Sometimes you’ve got to keep praising when you’re hurting.
Sometimes you’ve got to keep giving when you feel empty.
Because faith doesn’t wait for conditions, faith creates conditions.
Look at what did Isaac did. He sowed in that land, and what happened is the Lord blessed him.
We must understand that determination requires a forward mindset
The text says, He waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great.
When you are determined to be blessed, you refuse to go backward.
You may not be where you want to be, but you’re not where you used to be.
Every day you wake up is a sign that God still has plans for your progress.
Every sunrise is heaven’s reminder that your story isn’t finished yet. If you opened your eyes this morning, it means God still has purpose waiting on your obedience.
Wait a minute here: The very fact that you’re still here means destiny refused to die in the darkness. That means each new morning is God whispering, I’ve got more for you.
The very fact that you’re still here means that means each new morning is God sharing with you that I’m not through showing you why you had to survive.
It means what broke you is about to bless you.
Your story still carries purpose.
I kept you because what’s in you is needed for what’s next.
This season won’t end in defeat—it will end in divine reveal.
You didn’t just survive the storm, you’ve been chosen to speak to it.
The light I placed in you was never meant to bow to the night.
What the enemy buried, I’ve already scheduled to bloom.
You are the evidence that grace doesn’t quit when life gets heavy.”
Somebody shout, “I’m going forward!”
Now I must tell you that determination provokes opposition, but produces overflow
The Philistines envied him. That means not everyone will celebrate your blessing.
Some people will criticize you, others will question you, but God will still increase you right in front of them.
This is for somebody here at PTMC this morning.
Sometimes envy is a sign that you’re in your season. When people start talking, it’s because your testimony is about to talk louder than their gossip.
When critics start whispering, it’s only because they can sense what God is getting ready to reveal. Understand that the noise around you is just the sound of your next blessing being announced.
Don’t be distracted by the chatter of people; because sometimes God allows conversation to rise before confirmation arrives.
Sometimes their words are just the background music to the song of your breakthrough.
When you’re determined to be blessed, you stop focusing on who’s mad, and start focusing on what God’s doing.
Let me ask a question this morning. Who blessed Isaac? I’ll tell you who. The Lord did it.
Who turned his famine into favor? Who made the dry ground produce fruit? It wasn’t man, it wasn’t luck, it was happenstance, it was the Lord who did it.
It wasn’t Isaac’s strength, it wasn’t his strategy, it was the supernatural hand of God that blessed him, it was the Lord Himself made it happen.
Determination Aligns You With God’s Promise
Isaac’s blessing wasn’t random; it was connected. It flowed from a promise made to Abraham.
When you stay determined, your blessing doesn’t just stop with you, but it can sets up a generational flow. Your determination becomes your children’s foundation.
Every time you refuse to quit, you’re building a legacy that says, my house will be blessed, my seed will be blessed, my name will be blessed.
I’m reminded of a story about a Farmer Who Refused to Stop Digging”
There was once a farmer in a dry village. For years he dug wells searching for water. The first well, there was nothing. The second well, still nothing. The third well, it’s still dry again. The neighbors laughed at him and said mannnnn you are wasting your time.
But the farmer said, I believe there is water beneath this ground.
He kept digging, and on the seventh try, he hit a deep spring that filled the village with fresh water for generations.
They named that place Determination Well.
That farmer didn’t see the water right away, but he believed that if he kept digging, he would be blessed.
So this morning I came to tell somebody don’t stop sowing, don’t stop serving, don’t stop praising.
Even if it looks dry, keep digging. Even if others don’t believe, keep believing. Because the same God who blessed Isaac in a famine can to bless you.
Are you determined?
Well, lift your hands and declare:
No matter what I face, no matter how long it takes, I’m determined to be blessed.
I’m determined because God promises to fight for us.
Exodus 14:14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
God promises to give you strength.
Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint.
God promises to hear your prayers. Jeremiah 33:3 – Call unto me, and I will answer thee.
God promises to forgive your sins. 1 John 1:9 – He is faithful and just to forgive.
God promises to guide your steps. Proverbs 3:6 – He shall direct thy paths.
God promises to make all things work for good. Romans 8:28 All things work together for good to them that love God.
