God Said It, God Did It, God Gets the Glory

There is a growing tendency in our world to point to ourselves and say, "Look what I did." But Scripture is clear that God will not share His glory with any man. The story of Abram in Genesis 14 gives us a powerful picture of what it looks like to trust God's promises, recognize His provision, and give Him every bit of the credit.

What Does God's Promise to Abraham Have to Do With You?

To understand Genesis 14, you have to go back to Genesis 12. That is where God makes a promise to Abram: "I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse Him that curseth thee." (Genesis 12:2-3, King James Version)

Every believer has a promise from God. When you know what that promise is, it changes how you carry yourself. When the God who possesses the entire world has spoken something over your life, you stand on what He says and not what man says.

Why What Looks Good Is Not Always From God

Lot traveled with Abram and prospered because of who He was connected to. But when the time came to separate, Lot looked toward the plains of Sodom. It looked green. It looked good. So he chose it for himself.

But here is the lesson. What looks greener is not always green. What looks good before you get it may not be any good after you get it. Sodom was prospering, but God's hand was not on it. The devil can give shine, fashion, and the things of this world. But when God's hand is on something, it is different.

Be careful what you claim based on how it looks. Stop judging things by their appearance and start asking where God's hand is. Whatever God's hand is on, that is what He prospers.

What Happens When You Stay Connected to God's Presence

Lot's blessings came because of who He was connected to. And when you are in the presence of God, you cannot help but be blessed. It does not matter what is going on in the atmosphere around you. When God's presence is in the room, the situation is already handled.

As the psalmist wrote, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:1-2, King James Version)

The Meeting With Melchizedek: Recognizing Where Your Blessings Come From

After Abram defeats four kings and rescues his nephew Lot, he is returning from battle with the spoils of war. The first person he encounters is Melchizedek, the high priest of the Most High God.

Melchizedek speaks a blessing over Abram: "Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand." (Genesis 14:19-20, King James Version)

What Melchizedek is really saying is this: you serve the God who already owns everything. And when you serve the God who owns everything, there is nothing you need that He does not already have. Stop looking to other people to be your provider when God is your blessing.

Why Abram Tithed From the Spoils of Battle

Right after receiving this blessing, Abram gives Melchizedek a tithe of everything. He does not hesitate. He does not hold back. Why? Because he knows where his blessings came from. When you know who blessed you, you do not mind blessing Him who blessed you.

Giving back to God is not a burden when you understand that everything you have came from His hand in the first place.

How to Respond When Someone Tries to Take Credit for What God Did

Then the king of Sodom approaches Abram with what sounds like a generous offer. Give me the prisoners, and you keep all the money. It seems fair on the surface. But Abram sees right through it.

He says, "I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich." (Genesis 14:22-23, King James Version)

Abram refuses to let anyone else take credit for what God did. He will not allow the king of Sodom to say, "I made Abram wealthy." He knows the source of his blessing, and he will not let that glory go anywhere but back to God.

Are You Giving Credit Where Credit Does Not Belong?

We have to stop giving people glory that belongs to God. When God does something in your life, do not talk about what your boss did or what a person did for you. Recognize that God moved on their heart to be a blessing to you. The glory still goes back to Him.

If someone blesses you and they are quick to say, "Don't thank me, thank God," then you have found a praise partner. But if someone blesses you and wants the credit for themselves, you can still respond rightly. Thank God for moving them to bless you. Because even if they did not want to do it, God caused what belonged to Him to come through their hand to reach you.

What God Is Really Looking For From You

God owns everything. He is not after the stuff. He wants the glory from the person He gave the stuff to. People will see what you have, but they may not see where it came from. God says, "I own all of this already. What I want is the glory that comes from your praise. The glory that comes from your faith."

When you give Him the glory and tell the world that God did it for you and you did not deserve it, that is what He is waiting for. He is waiting for you and me to recognize Him and give Him the credit for everything He has done.

God Tests Us to See How We Handle What He Gives Us

Sometimes God promotes us in certain areas just to see how we will act. He is watching to see if we will give Him the glory in the small things before He trusts us with greater things. If you act right with what God has already blessed you with, He says you have not seen anything yet.

Genesis 12 is where God said it. Genesis 14 is where God did it. And all the glory belongs to Him. Where you are now is not where you started. And on your way to where you are going, be like the leper who turned around and came back to give God thanks. Do not get so caught up in where you are headed that you forget to thank God for where He brought you from and what He carried you through.

Standing on What God Said About You

You need to know what God said about you. Not what the enemy has told you, but what God declared over your life. He said you are blessed. He said you are highly favored. He said you are the head and not the tail, above and not beneath, the lender and not the borrower.

When you know what God said about you, it does not matter what anyone else says. You stand on His Word and not on the opinions of men.

Life Application

This week, make a deliberate effort to give God the glory out loud. When something goes right, when a door opens, when provision comes through, say it plainly: "God did that." Resist the urge to credit your own effort, your connections, or your circumstances. Practice returning the glory to God in your conversations, your prayers, and even in your own thoughts.

Ask yourself these questions as you go through your week:

• Am I standing on what God has promised me, or am I letting what things look like on the surface determine my faith?

• Is there an area of my life where I have been giving credit to people or circumstances instead of giving God the glory He deserves?

• Am I acting right with what God has already blessed me with, or am I waiting for more before I start praising Him?

• Do I know what God has said about me, and am I standing on that Word even when my situation says something different?

God said it. God did it. Give Him all the glory. Not some of it. All of it belongs to Him.