November 23, 2025
Genesis 15:1–7 (NLT) 1 Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great. (NKJV: I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward),” 2 But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. 3 You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.” 4 Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.”
5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” 6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. 7 Then the Lord told him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.”
During thanksgiving time, people ask the question,
“What are you thankful for?”
Some say, for my family, for my job, for my friends, for my health, etc.
Let’s Remember to be thankful for Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross for our sins.
Before Abram (later named Abraham) became a man of Faith in God,
he was a Pagan, a Heathen.
He was a wealthy man and grew up in the land of Ur of the Chaldeans (Today is Iraq), serving many gods.
Even though Abraham served many gods,
the God of Heaven appears to him and gives him a promise.
Genesis 12:1–5 (NLT) 1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
4 So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan,
The amazing thing is that Abraham believed in God.
Hebrews 11:8–10 (NLT) 8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
God led Abraham to leave his home, and pagan culture,
And Abraham followed.
Abraham Is now the greatest example of faith and a model of how to trust and obey God when things seem impossible.
Abraham received a vision from God.
It was a time when Abraham had fears and doubts.
He had just come from defeating the enemy in battle,
rescued his nephew Lot, and received the blessing from Melchizedek.
Genesis 14:17–20 (NLT) 17 After Abram returned from his victory over Kedorlaomer and all his allies, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 18 And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine. 19 Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you.” Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.
Abraham received a Vision from God.
God gives him a Word of encouragement:
Genesis 15:1 (NLT) Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram,
for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.
(NKJV: I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward),”
Abraham tells God what He is worried about:
Genesis 15:2-3 (NLT) 2 But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. 3 You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”
God responds to Abraham
Genesis 15:4–6 (NLT) 4 Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” 5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” 6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.
Let’s be thankful for the Vision:
Each star represents a person who believes in God by faith.
If you believe the Promise of God and live by faith in God,
one of those stars represents you.
God revealed His vision to Abraham about you and me (the Gentiles).
Galatians 3:6–9 (NLT) 6 In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.
8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.
Children of Abraham:
Are Not the Biological children.
Are those who:
Believe in God,
Put their Faith in God,
Follow in Abraham’s footsteps by believing in God.
Vision starts in the Heart of God,
then is placed in the heart of His chosen servants.
God’s Vision is for everyone to go to heaven:
1 Timothy 2:3–4 (NKJV) 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men (everyone) to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
When God showed Abraham the Vision,
He had Jesus in mind to pay the price for our sins.
Galatians 3:13–14 (NLT) 13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.
Be Thankful to God for the Vision!
Vision is God’s revealed purpose, guidance, and plans.
Proverbs 29:18 (KJV 1900) Where there is no vision, the people perish: But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Proverbs 29:18 (NLT) When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.
Proverbs 29:18 (TPT) When there is no clear prophetic vision, people quickly wander astray. But when you follow the revelation of the word, heaven’s bliss fills your soul.
I’m thankful for this Vision God gave to Abraham
thousands of years ago.
It was a vision of Jesus dying on the cross
for my sins and giving me eternal life.
Galatians 3:13–14 (NLT) 13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.
Victory Outreach has a Vision too:
God told Abraham to count the stars.
God told Pastor Sonny Arguinzoni Sr.
“I will give you the Treasures in out of Darkness”
Isaiah 45:2–3 (NKJV) 2 ‘I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.
Isaiah 54:2–3 (NIV) 2 “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. 3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.
Isaiah 59:21 (NIV) 21 “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.
In Victory Outreach, we hear the expression:
“Catch the Vision”, “Internalize the Vision”, “Run with the Vision”.
Victory Outreach Mission Statement
Victory Outreach is an international, church-oriented Christian ministry called to the task of evangelizing and discipling the hurting people of the world, with the message of hope and plan of Jesus Christ.
This call involves a commitment to plant and develop churches and training centers, in strategic cities of the world.
Victory Outreach inspires and instills within people the desire to fulfill their potential in life with a sense of dignity, belonging, and destiny.
Victory Outreach works cooperatively with others of mutual purpose in accomplishing the task before us
Being Thankful for the Vision, blesses your life:
Be thankful for your Salvation: You know you are going to Heaven.
Being Thankful for the Vision:
1. Gives you Joy.
Psalm 13:5–6 (NIV) 5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.
Psalm 35:9 (NKJV) And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; It shall rejoice in His salvation.
2. Keeps you from complaining, murmuring.
Example of the Children of Israel in the desert:
Numbers 11:4–10 (NIV) 4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” 7 The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. 8 The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. 9 When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down. 10 Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.
God had done miracles for them:
Crossed the Red Sea on Dry Ground.
Delivered from Slavery in Egypt.
Given them the Promised Land.
Provided Manna from heaven every day.
The Rabble influenced the Israelites
(non-Israelites who had left Egypt with them.)
Began to crave food they ate in Egypt:
Fish, Cucumbers, Melons, Leeks, Onions and Garlic.
God wanted to Give the Israelites the Promised Land.
A Land flowing with milk and honey.
God Gave them Manna from Heaven.
God was preparing them to confront
the enemies and battles that were coming.
The Israelites forgot the Promise of God
and looked at the Position they were in.
The devil plan is to get God’s people to be un-thankful.
2 Timothy 3:1–5 (NIV) 1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in
the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,
boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
Being ungrateful:
Makes you focus on yourself.
Causes you to see the negative and complain.
Blinds you from your blessings.
Dilutes the Power of God in you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NIV) 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 5:20 (NIV) always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Guilds you to your Destiny
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.