Where Lives Change

Pause

2012-02-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

Last October I ran my first 5K in long time. I spent weeks training for this run; therefore, I fully expected to do well. Unfortunately, I did not live up to my expectations. My goal was to be able to run the whole distance, but I was unable to do it. I also wanted to run it within 32 minutes. Instead, I finished in 38 minutes. The only goal I met-and I am proud of it-was to run a 5k. So, one out of three goals isn't bad.

One thing did catch my attention during the race. There was a young lady who passed me during the race. About every 3 minutes, she would stop running, and walk for another minute, and then run again. She repeated this the whole race. I thought that I would eventually pass her, and finish the race long before she did. I thought wrong. Her stopping and running enabled her to finish the race several minutes before me. Her taking time to pause during her run did not slow her down, but actually sped up her pace and time.

I learned a valuable life principle from this young lady. Life is a marathon, and we would do well to pause occasionally. The Lord created this principle when he established the Sabbath. Most of us are way to busy; therefore, we really need to pause. When we take regular periods to rest, we will find that they are very useful interruptions. They will give us time to refuel our relationship with the Lord. It will renew us physically, intellectually, and emotionally. In addition, it will give us time to aim our efforts more accurately. Take some time to pause.

“The Frank and Manly Mr. Ryle” — The Value of a Masculine Ministry

2012-02-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

“The Frank and Manly Mr. Ryle” — The Value of a Masculine Ministry

The Ultimate Standard

2012-01-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

One of my passions is discipleship. I am fortunate to be working with 6 guys at this time. Two of those guys are in high school. In my last study with the two students we learned about the characteristics of God. I challenged one of the students, Collin Battaglia, to write a song or a poem based upon what he learned about God. Below is his response to the challenge.

The Ultimate Standard

What is perfect, what is blessed?
Only in God can this rest.
What is freedom, what is pure?
Only one can ensure.
If it's the King you want to know,
Search his word and closer you'll grow.

And moments are here and then they're gone,
But he sees them all in one.
Still, we ponder the gift called time,
And how the sun continues to shine.
His presence binds everything tight.
The hourglass, the atoms, and the light.

God is the source if unending love,
And of countless blessings from above.
God is the source of consuming wrath, to all sin and the disobedient path.
God is the standard of righteous and just,
So it's in his word that I will trust.

For who could be more wise?
And against him, who could rise?
For who could be more faithful, more true,
Than the one who created me and you,
Than the one who sent a sacrifice, that we may see,
The type of men we're called to be.

Collin Battaglia

The Secret Struggles of Many Pastors

2011-12-28T07:11:00.000-08:00

I came across this interesting blog post by Ron Edmondson. I have taken his 10 Secrets of Most Senior Pastors and posted them below. I'm calling them secret struggles. I would encourage you to go and read his blog in its entirety. I would also encourage you to pray for your pastor and his family.

Here are 10 “secrets” about many senior pastors:

Leading from this position is overwhelming at times. We know Christ is ultimately in charge, but we also know it often seems everyone looks to us to have all the answers.
People tell the senior pastor all kinds of things about what is happening in their life or in the lives of others…many we would rather not know sometimes…and sometimes the weight of others problems we carry is enormous.
Most pastors walk with a degree of uncertainty, which keeps us in prayer, but also makes us question our abilities at times. It makes depression common for many senior pastors. (Need a Biblical example…see 1 Kings 19)
Many senior pastors fear the possibility of failing in their role, so they thrive on the encouragement and prayers of others.
Sometimes we allow insecurity to cause us to become overprotective of our reputation and our position.
We face the same temptations and occasional spiritual dryness as everyone else. This means we need accountability, but are often afraid to seek it.
Our spouse is sometimes the loneliest person in the church and often feels extreme pressure to live up to unrealistic expectations.
Loneliness can exist for all leaders and many pastors suffer from it.
We seldom know who we can trust, which is why we become guarded and appear hard to get to know. Most senior pastors have been burned by someone they once trusted.
We suspect the staff , church leaders and congregation sometimes talks about us behind our back.

FSBC: A Christmas Greeting

2011-12-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

Luke 2:11

“Today in the town ofDavid a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord”

I love this time of the year. It always boggles my mind to think that out of the 199,987,707,791 babies born in history of the world, one of those babies was the Son of God, the Savior of the world.

On behalf of the Mead Family, we love you! We are grateful that God has allowed us to serve one of the great churches in Arkansas. May your Christmas be filled with awe for Christ, and your New Year started with a fresh commitment to Christ.

In His redeeming love,

Patrick, Christy, Abigail, Maribeth, and Caroline.

Seek Week: A Hunger for More!

2011-12-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

A Hunger for More

Idon’t know about you, but every time I read the book of Acts, I get thisfeeling that something is wrong. Not with the first century church, but with the modern church. There is a stark difference between thetwo. One has power, and the otherdoes not.

Theearly church lived in a pagan society, much worse than the one that we areliving in today, yet they were able to turn the world upside down. Why? Theyhad received power. The HolySpirit was upon them.

Thedifference between today’s church and the first century church is not onlypower but Holy Spirit Power. Thereason that the early church experienced such power is prayer. The early church was dedicated tocorporate prayer. The result oftheir worship-based corporate prayer was Holy Spirit Power.

Imust admit that I am not content with business as usual. I long and hunger to see life-changingrevival in my life, my family, and my church. The only way that this will happen is through prayer.

TheLord has impressed upon me to set aside at least a week each year for FirstSouthern to do nothing but seek the Lord through fasting and prayer. This will take place at the beginningof every New Year.

Theverse that he has given Seek Week 2012 is Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me andfind me, when you seek me with all your heart.” This verse is a wonderful promise to anyone who will seekthe Lord. Therefore, we will seek the Lord through worship, prayer, andfasting.

Seek Week: What It’s All About

Severalyears ago, I had the opportunity to spend three weeks at a premiere preachingconference. The three weeks weregreat, except I was separated from my new bride. Needless to say, I was homesick; my hope was strengthenedwith the return home on the horizon.

SeekWeek is about our souls being homesick for God. It is about a people who have tasted the goodness of theLord, and want more.

Wecan’t be totally satisfied until the consummation of our salvation. Until that happens, our souls shouldand must long for more of the fullness of God in our lives.

Youwill be challenged to pray and fast during this time. For some, you are not sure about fasting. Let me give you a couple ofsuggestions. First, a fast can befrom food, media, or activities. The idea is that whatever you give up, you replace with prayer andworship. For example, let’s say I give up some of my television shows for the week(Thank the Lord for DVR). During that time, I will seek the Lord throughworship and prayer.

Second,realize the potential to change the course of history through prayer andfasting. In the Old Testament wefind Ezra leading the people of God to fast and pray for God’s protection, andthe Lord heard their prayers (Ezra 8:21-31). In the New Testament we find the early church fasting andpraying. The Lord used that timeto send out Paul and Barnabas on a mission movement that changed the world(Acts 13:1-3). Imagine the livesthat can and will be changed during Seek Week 2012!

Believewhat God says! Seek Him with all your heart and you will find him. I am excited to see what God will do inus, through us, and around us as a body of believers during and after Seek Week2012!

ExpectingRevival,

PastorPatrick

Devotion: Cultivating Courage

2011-12-08T13:11:00.001-08:00

2 Chronicles 15:7

“But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your workshall be rewarded.”

“Success is never final; failure is never fatal; it is courage thatcounts.”

--Winston Churchill

An active faith is a courageousfaith. In 2 Chronicles 15:1-8, wefind the prophet Azariah bringing a word from the Lord to King Asa. We glean four truths from these verseson how to cultivate courage.

1. Courageis cultivated by seeking the presence of God.

“The Lord is with you while youare with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you.” (2 Chronicles 15:2a) Courage is cultivated as we seek theLord daily.

2. Courageis cultivated by fearing the discipline of God.

“If you seek him, he will be foundby you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” (2 Chronicles 15:2b) A healthy fear of God enables thebeliever to overcome an unhealthy fear of circumstances and people. Don’t fear what man can do to you. Fear God!

3. Courage is cultivated by trusting thepromises of God.

“As Soon as Asa heard thesewords, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage…” (2 Chronicles15:8a) Asa cultivated courage bytrusting the promises of God. Thepromises of God must be believed and trusted so that we don’t grow fearful anddiscouraged.

4. Courageis cultivated by focusing on the rewards from God.

“But you take courage! Do not letyour hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” ((2 Chronicles 15:7) Godrewards those who trust his promises, seek his presence, and fear him. God rewards faithfulness!

· What are you facing now that requires courage?Relationship? Situation at work or school? Job opportunity?

· What steps do you need to take to cultivatecourage this week?

· Take some time to pray about cultivating couragein your daily walk with the Lord. If you are going through a situation at this time, commit it to the Lordin prayer. Share how God helps youthis week with someone you know.

God Determines Our Steps

2011-12-01T09:41:00.001-08:00

Proverbs 16:9

"The mind of man plans his way, but the Lorddirects his steps."

I know in my mind that God is sovereign and incontrol, but I wrestle with trusting His sovereignty. If I really trustedGod’s rule then I would not battle with worry and anxiety so much.

What I am learning about God’s control is that nodoor will open for me, unless God opens it, and no door will close, unless Godcloses it. (Rev. 3:7-8) A good illustration of this is found in a true storythat happened in Swan Quarter, North Carolina, in 1876.

The Methodist Episcopal Church South needed a new building. When an individualdonated a lot on Oyster Creek Road, the congregation gratefully accepted thegift. The property was in a low-lying area, so the church constructed the newbuilding on brick pilings. A few days later, a terrible storm passed throughthe area. The town flooded! The new church building was lifted from the brickpilings by the rising waters, and it floated down the road. People witnessed asthe church building, still intact, moved towards the center of town. Then, atthe town’s center, the building made a sharp right turn and drifted with thewater until it landed in a vacant lot.

Amazingly, the church sits on the same lot 130 years later. It is now calledthe Providence Methodist Church. Even more astonishing, however, the site wherethe building landed was the original location selected by the church for theirnew building. The landowner had refused to sell the lot to them. The morning after the flood, thelandowner presented the pastor with the deed to the property.

Honestly, we can make our plans, but Goddetermines our steps. It is wise to start each day with a dynamic trust in theLord. May our motto be: "Trustin the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your ownunderstanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make yourpaths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

· Take time to trace the Lord’s meticulous plan inyour life. Think of people, events, and meetings that God orchestrated. How did they influence you in bringingyou to where you are now?

· How can tracing God’s providence in the past giveyou courage for the future?

· Thank God for the people that he has placed inyour life! Ask God to use you as an agent of his grace this week. If you are in need, ask God to send youa Boaz!

· Shareyour God story with someone before next Sunday.

Discovering God's Will for Your Life

2011-11-22T14:21:00.001-08:00

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to presentyour bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is yourspiritual worship. Do not beconformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, thatby testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptableand perfect.” Romans 12:1-2

Christians need to remember that God isnot hiding his will from them. Therefore, we must get beyond the thought that we must find what God ishiding. Here are some Biblical steps that will help you in understanding God’sguidance in your life, and with making choices that are pleasing to God. Youcan’t bypass a step when using this guideline!

First, read your Bible. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and alight for my path.” (Psalm 119:105) When you want to know God’s will for yourlife, always begin with his preceptive will. What does the word of God say? This will take daily discipline inreading, memorizing, and obeying the scriptures.

Second, cultivate a heart for God. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and Hewill give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4) When you walk in obedience to God’sword and keep in step with the Holy Spirit, you will develop a heart forGod. The Holy Spirit will give youdirection.

Third, you may need to get counsel fromgodly Christians. “Let the wiselisten and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.”(Proverbs 1:5) When you walk with the wise you become wise.

Fourth, look for God’s providence. God will open and close doors ofopportunity. “A man makes plans in his heart, but the Lord establishes hissteps.” (Proverbs 16:9)

Fifth, use sound judgment. Sometimes God allows us to use what wecall “common sense.” But only after we have made our way through the first foursteps. “Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choosesome of their own men and send them to Antioch.” (Acts 15:22)

· It is important to understand that thekey to discovering God’s plan for your life is consistently walking with theLord on a daily basis. What areyou doing to cultivate a daily walk with the Lord? Are their some things youneed to change?

· With 2012 right around the corner,write down some spiritual goals that will help you cultivate a closer walk withthe Lord.

· Commit your goals to daily prayer.

To Dream Again

2011-11-22T09:46:00.001-08:00

“ThenMoses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wildernessofShur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water.When they came toMarah, they could not drink the water of Marahbecause it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbledagainst Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" And he cried to theLORD, and the LORD showed him a log,and he threw it into the water,and the water became sweet.” (Exodus 15:22-25).

The Israelites’ journey fromEgypt to the Promise Land is a great illustration for the journey of life. Life is full of differentexperiences. Like the Israelites inthe above passage, some arebitter experiences. We all findourselves, at times, at the water of Marah in life.

Even so, wemust remember that no matter how bitter our circumstances might be God is ableto make them sweet. For theIsraelites, the Lord told Moses to throw a tree into the water and it becamesweet. For us, God sent his Son,Jesus Christ to hang on a tree for our sins. Yes, Jesus, the sweetest name I know makes all things sweet.

When we findourselves in bitter experiences, we must cling to Jesus, and wait patiently for the Lord to act on our behalf. Recognize that bitter circumstances make us candidates forGod’s blessings. Notice whathappened to the Israelites after the water was made sweet; “Thentheycame to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees,and they encamped there by the water.” (Exodus 15:27) The next stage after the bitter experience was blessing.

If you are at the water of Marah,hold on, because Elim is around the corner. Your bitterness is about to becomeblessings.

· Take sometime and count your blessings. Don’t forget that even the bitter situations in life can be a blessing.

· Pray forgreater faith for your daily walk with the Lord. Pray for people you know who are currently at the water ofMarah. Ask the Lord to turn theirbitterness into blessings.

· Take some time to call or write someone who needs someencouragement.

Shattered Dreams: Dead-end or Doorway?

2011-11-15T08:41:00.001-08:00

“ForI know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah29:11)

The above passage has been a wonderful promise andencouragement for God’s people throughout redemptive history. From the very first Jewish audiencethat heard the words for the first time to modern day Christians, God hasassured His people of His plan and purpose for them. Even so, many believers don’t grasp the significance, becausethey do not understand the context in which it is given.

God gave this wonderful promise to Israel, one that would befulfilled after they experienced God’s judgment. Jeremiah was sent to Israel to call the Israelites back tothe Lord. They didn’t listen;therefore, God brought destruction upon Jerusalem, the temple, and the peopleof God. A remnant of the peoplewas exiled for 70 years. In otherwords, their dreams were shattered.

Nevertheless, in God’s economy, shattered dreams are not adead-end, but a doorway for God’s grace. Notice what the verse before the one above says, “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completedfor Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bringyou back to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10). God was going to enable them to dream again. Shattered dreams are a doorway for God to do great and higherthings in our lives.

· Think of discomforting times in yourlife that caused distrust. How didyou respond? What are some of the lessons God taught you?

· Think of a time of devastation in yourlife that became a doorway for greater and higher dreams. If you are a parent, share it with yourchildren and teach them about the forgiveness and faithfulness of God.

Pray for a greaterawareness of God’s activity in the lives of your family. Pray for opportunitiesto share God’s faithfulness with those around you.

By Faith: The Waiting is the Hardest Part

2011-11-14T06:50:00.001-08:00

THEWAITING IS
THE HARDEST PART

Genesis 16:1–16

Introduction

If you live in Dallas, one of the “privileges”you have is dealing with the enormous traffic problem. I was reminded of thisproblem recently when I took a day trip there. To make matters worse, it rainedon the day I went.

That particular day the traffic seemed to be bumper tobumper and I never got over forty miles per hour. Needless to say, I grewimpatient. I gripped the steering wheel waiting for something to happen,waiting for someone to move. I was frustrated because I had a destination inmind, but it seemed as though I would never get there.

My story illustrates a well-known fact about human nature:we don’t like to wait. We have fast-food restaurants because we don’t like towait, and we’ll avoid sit-down restaurants if the line is too long.

The ABC show 20/20 once aired an experiment with childrenon waiting and self-control. The children were given two choices: they couldhave a cookie right away or they could wait while the reporter ran an errandand then they could have two cookies. Some of the preschoolers grabbed thesingle cookie immediately, while others waited up to twenty minutes to receivetheir two cookies. Those who wanted the two cookies used all kinds of tacticsto sustain themselves. Some covered their eyes so they would not see thecookies set before them. Some rested their heads on their arms, talked tothemselves, sang, and even tried to sleep. The follow-up of this study revealedthat those who were able to wait and forgo the instant gratification kept thatsame temperament throughout their adolescence. The more impulsive kids, those whogave into instant gratification, grew up to be more stubborn, indecisive, andstressed.

In the life of faith, waiting on God is the hardest part.Just as we dislike waiting at restaurants, in lines, and in traffic, we alsodislike waiting on God to act on our behalf. It is not that we don’t want Godto act; it is just that we want him to act on our behalf according to our timing, not his. We know that God wants to teachus patience, but we want him to hurry up and do it. In Genesis 16 we see Abramand Sarai struggling with waiting on God. They are growing impatient. In Abramand Sarai’s growing impatience we see why the waiting is the hardest part.

The Waiting Is the Hardest Part

Genesis 16:1 shows that Abram and Sarai are inGod’s waiting room, “Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children.” Westarted our study in the last part of Genesis 11 where we were told that Saraiwas barren. Yet God had promised Abram that he would be a “great nation” andthat his descendants would outnumber the dust of the earth and the stars of theheavens, but still they had no child. Abram and Sarai were in God’s waitingroom, in God’s holding pattern. Genesis 16:3 tells us they had been in thispattern for ten years. This was the ten-year time period between God’s promiseof a child (Genesis 11 and 12) and their current situation (Genesis 16). Theyhad been waiting for God to fulfill his promise of a seed for a decade.

From Genesis 15, we remember that Abram wondered how Godwould fulfill his promise when he asked the Lord if it would be Eliezer, hisservant, who would be the heir, and the Lord told him that Abram’s heir wouldbe from his own body.

Now the Lord never specifically said that the seed wouldcome through both Abram and Sarai, but it sure is implied in verse 16:1 wherethe narrative says that Sarai was Abram’s wife. This designation of Sarai asAbram’s wife points us back to Genesis 2 where we see God creating theinstitution of marriage—a man shall leave his father and mother and become oneflesh with his wife. God’s creative intention is that there be one man and onewoman in marriage and that procreation would take place through thisinstitution.

The scene is set. We find Abram and Sarai in God’s waitingroom, longing for God to fulfill his promise. But the waiting is the hardestpart, and during that time we are often tempted to question God’s timing andability in our situation when he seems to be doing nothing about it.

We Are Tempted to Question
God’s Timing and Ability in our Situation

We are told in verse 1 that not only was Saraichildless, but also that she had a maid whose name was Hagar. Hagar is animportant character in Genesis 16, one that we will see more of in followingverses.

After the setting of the scene in verse 1, the authorreveals that Sarai is beginning to question God’s timing and ability in thissituation, “So Sarai said to Abram, ‘Now behold, the Lord has prevented me frombearing children.’ ” To some degree Sarai is right about the Lord preventingher from bearing a child, but she is not making a statement of fact; insteadshe is complaining and even blaming God for her childless situation. We need torecognize Sarai’s frustration, which is directed toward the Lord.

When Sarai was promised a child she was no spring chicken,but now, some ten years has passed and it is very possible that menopause hadset in, eliminating any human possibility for her to have a child. Thereforeshe directed her frustration with the Lord to Abram. Sarai questioned not onlyGod’s promise, but also his character. This is the temptation that can arisewhen we are in God’s waiting room, a temptation that is presented before usfrom the Devil himself.

What took place in Genesis 16 parallels what happened inGenesis 3. When the serpent (the Devil) tempted Eve, he did so with questionsabout God’s truthfulness and God’s character. The Devil was at it once again;he wanted Sarai to give into the temptation and to question God’s timing andability.

The Devil had a vested interest in tempting Sarai. Youhave to remember that the Lord sentenced the Devil to ultimate defeat back inGenesis 3 when he said that the seed of the woman would crush the seed of theserpent. This was an indication of the Devil’s ultimate doom, a doom that wouldcome through the seed of the woman, through the seed of Abraham, and that wassealed by the person of Jesus Christ. The Devil did not want the promised childto come about because he did not want to meet his ultimate destiny ofdestruction.

In the same way that the Devil tried to thwart the plan ofGod’s unfolding redemption, he also tries to thwart God’s plans for our liveswhen we are waiting on God to act on our behalf. In thwarting that plan he willtempt us so that we will begin to question God’s timing and ability.

It is important to note that even after Genesis 16 and allthat takes place in it, Sarai will still have to wait about another fifteenyears to see the promise of a child fulfilled. The reason for the long wait isthat God wants Abram and Sarai to be in a situation where only God’s abilityand power could bring about the fulfillment of the promise.

Similar temptations take place with people who sign up forshort-term mission trips. They put their name down to go even though they don’thave the money. They make their needs known, but the money does not come. Theybegin to question God’s timing and ability almost to the point of backing out.I tell people like that to wait because the Devil wants to keep people fromgoing to share the gospel, but God likes to get us to where we know without adoubt that he, and he alone, provides.

If we fail to overcome the temptation of questioning God’stiming and ability, it can lead us to more troubles. When we get frustratedwith God, then we are tempted to look to the world for solutions to oursituation.

We Are Tempted to
Look to the World for Solutions

That is exactly what Sarai did. Past the pointof no return, she let the temptation of the Devil cast doubt about the Lord andseduce her senses, and with this she would now look to the world for a solutionto her situation.

Sarai had a plan, a worldly strategy, but at least shecould see something in action. That seemed more than what God was doing at thispoint. Sarai devised her own plot with her maid Hagar and Abram as the maincharacters, “Please go into my maid; perhaps I will obtain children throughher” (Genesis 16:2). You can see her thinking at this point, “God gives us theability to make decisions and act on them, so maybe he’s waiting for me to dosomething.” At this point, Sarai, like Eve, decided to be like God and help himout with fulfilling his promise. But in reality she resorted to a humansolution to a divine situation.

What Sarai proposed was a regular and accepted practice inher culture. If the wife was barren, it was not uncommon for the husband totake another wife for the purpose of having children. We should not think ittoo odd; it is similar to our having surrogate mothers today. But the realityof this solution is that it was a worldly way out.

Further evidence this was a worldly resolution is found inthe fact that Hagar was an Egyptian. Most likely, Abram and Sarai attainedHagar during their journey into Egypt, a journey they took because Abram,instead of waiting on God, looked to the world for solutions. Also, you mayremember that for the most part when God’s people went to Egypt they did sobecause they were not trusting in the Lord, but looking to the world forsolutions. That is what Sarai did; she looked to the world instead of waitingon the Lord.

What may seem to be an acceptable practice to the worldmay not be from the Lord. The Lord intended for man to be married to one womanand to have children with his wife. Thus, the world may accept a commonsolution to a situation, but that does not mean that it is God’s will. Yet weare quick to act on our own, as evidenced by Abram’s response to Sarai’ssuggestion. Here, Abram reveals one more temptation: when waiting on God welisten to other voices for our supervision.

We Are Tempted to Listen to
Other Voices for Our Supervision

Sarai told Abram the plan and then heresponded, “And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.” (Genesis 16:2). Who didAbram listen to? He listened to his wife. This is exactly what happened inGenesis 3 with Adam; he listened to the voice of Eve. In both instances thehusbands relinquished their responsibility of leadership by listening to thevoices of their wives when they should have listened to the voice of God. InAdam’s case he should have remembered that the Lord told him personally not toeat of the tree. In Abram’s case he should have told Sarai that the Lordpromised him in a vision a child through Abram and his God-ordained wife. Don’tget me wrong; sometimes it is wise for husbands to listen to their wives, butnever in disobedience to God’s word, which is the context of Adam and Abram’ssituations.

When we are in God’s holding pattern, we will begin tohear many voices, voices of doubt, temptation, and despair, voices with worldlysolutions. But the one voice we must listen to is that of the Lord. Waiting onGod is the hardest part because we are often tempted to question God’s timingand ability, to look to the world for solutions, and to listen to those whosecounsel is not godly. When we give into these temptations instead of waiting onGod, we will find that the troubles we are trying solve will not depart.

The Troubles Will Not Depart

Sarai might have had good intentions when shetook things into her own hands, but her plans would cause problems. When Saraiand Abram tried to solve a divine situation with a human solution, they learnedtwo lessons. First, they learned that when you fail to wait on God and resortto human solutions, troubles are not solved; instead, they become worse.

Human Solutions Can Make Troubles Worse

In verses 3 through 6 Sarai and Abram resortedto the human solution for fulfilling God’s divine plan, “After Abram had livedten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian,her maid, and gave her to her husband as his wife.” This designation of Hagaras “Abram’s wife” elevated Hagar from her lowly position as Sarai’s servant tobeing her equal. The change in status also shows a transfer of authority andresponsibility. Hagar was previously Sarai’s responsibility, but now she wouldbe Abram’s responsibility.[1]

Verse 4 tells us that Abram and Sarai had relations andthat Hagar conceived. Their plan was successful. Or was it? Sarai would soonfind out that in addition to this not solving her infertility problem, she hadmade things worse.

Hagar, enjoying her elevated status and the fact that shewas carrying Abram’s child, let pride take over. “He went into Hagar, and sheconceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despisedin her sight.” Hagar had an attitude problem. We are told that she despisedSarai in her sight. The Hebrew word translated “despised” in this verse is thesame root of the Hebrew word translated “curse” in Genesis 12:3 where the Lordpromises Abram that he will curse those who curse Abram. Hagar showed greatdisrespect and dishonor toward her former mistress. Not only did that makethings worse between Hagar and Sarai, but it also caused problems betweenhusband and wife.

The once quiet and peaceful home was now a battlefieldwith Hagar despising Sarai, Sarai in turn despising Hagar, and now Saraiblaming Abram for Hagar’s attitude, “And Sarai said to Abram, ‘May the wrongdone me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that shehad conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the Lord judge between you andme.” Sarai, in so many words, attacked Abram and blamed him for her problems.Isn’t that just like human nature? Instead of taking responsibility for our ownsins we blame others.

Abram would respond by once again acquiescing to his wifeinstead of assuming leadership, “But Abram said to Sarai, ‘Behold, your maid isin your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” Abram put Hagar backunder the power and responsibility of Sarai by moving Hagar back to her servantposition.

Sarai would use her rank to get back at Hagar, “So Saraitreated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.” The word “harshly” is thesame word used to describe the treatment of the Israelites when they were inbondage in Egypt. Hagar received treatment so cruel that she had to flee fromAbram’s home.

The human solution to a divine promise did not work out.Things got terribly worse within the household of Abram. Disunity as well asabuse plagued the home. Why? Human solutions often intensify troubles. Oneperson has rightly said, “In whatever man does without God, he must failmiserably, or succeed more miserably.”[2]Though the conception might have seemed like a successful solution to theirproblem, their troubles multiplied—and they became permanent.

Human Solutions
Can Make Troubles Permanent

After Hagar fled, she made her way into thewilderness and stopped by a spring on the way to Shur. It is by this springthat Hagar would have an encounter with the angel of the Lord. The appearing ofthe angel of the Lord is what theologians call a theophany. In this theophanywe see God address Hagar’s affliction. What took place between the Lord andHagar demonstrates the concern God has for all people. Abram was God’s chosenman, but God was and is still concerned for those (like Hagar) outside thecovenant.

The Lord would take care of Hagar and her child; however,another gross effect of Sarai and Abram’s human intervention would result inHagar’s son Ishmael becoming a permanent problem for the nation of Israel. InGenesis 16:10, the Lord told Hagar that he would “greatly multiply herdescendants, so that they will be too many to count.” The angel of the Lordwent on to say, “Behold, you are with child, and you will bear a son; and youshall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has given heed to youraffliction. He will be a wild donkey of a man, his hand will be againsteveryone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; and he will live to the eastof his brothers” (Genesis 16:11–12). Ishmael’s future would be characterized byhostility. To be a “wild donkey” means to be in constant conflict. Ishmael andhis descendants would always be in conflict with Abram’s promised child, Isaac.

Even today, looking at the relations between the MiddleEast and Israel, we witness the enduring and permanent nature of the problemthat Sarai and Abram created by resorting to their own solution. Despite thegreat deal of talk about peace in the Middle East and between the Israelis andArabs, it will truly never happen because the Lord says here that there will beconstant conflict between Ishmael and his half brother Isaac. Every time youread about an explosion in Israel or about Israel attacking the Palestinians,remember that the conflict is the fruit of not waiting on God.

How can we avoid making mistakes like Abram and Sarai? Howcan we keep ourselves from the temptation to act on our circumstances while weshould be waiting on God? The answer is found in the heart.

The Answer Is in the Heart

Let’s examine the dialogue in Genesis 16between the Lord and Hagar. In this discourse the Lord reveals a truth thatAbram and Sarai knew, but because of their impatience they forgot. What theLord promised Hagar and how she responded reveals the great truth of thischapter—answers are found in who God is and can be attained only from withinthe heart of God’s people. To wait for the Lord, not resorting to our own hastyactions, we need a heart that prays.

A Heart that Prays

The dialogue between Hagar and the Lord saysnothing about prayer, but the implication exists in the name the Lord gave toHagar’s son, “Behold, you are with child, and you will bear a son; and youshall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has given heed to youraffliction.” The name Ishmael means “God hears.” It does not say that Hagarprayed, but we know that the Lord heard her affliction, her crying out becauseof the harsh treatment at the hands of her mistress Sarai.

When Hagar went back to live in the house of Abram andgave birth to the child, Abram did indeed name him Ishmael. Hagar told Abrameverything the Lord told her when he appeared to her in the wilderness. Everytime Abram and Sarai said the name Ishmael they would be reminded of theirfailure to fervently pray and wait on God instead of resorting to humandevices. Too many times God’s people have the attitude “when all else fails,pray.” But the reality is all else will fail, unless we pray. Unfortunately,Abram and Sarai found this out the hard way.

Are you in God’s waiting room? Then pray. God hears youand he understands the affliction you are in. Don’t question God. Don’t look tothe world. Don’t listen to other voices for direction. Pray fervently to theLord, for he hears you and he sees you, he knows what you need and when youneed it. Have a heart that not only prays, but that also believes.

A Heart that Believes

Genesis 16:13–14 proves that Hagar believedwhat the Lord told her, “Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her,‘You are a God who sees’; for she said, ‘Have I even remained alive afterseeing him?’ ” What a great declaration of faith and hope. She believed thepromise of God, put her hope in the promise, and then made her way back toAbram and Sarai as the Lord commanded.

God puts us in his waiting room, sometimes in long holdingpatterns for a reason. He makes us wait so we will learn to seek him in prayerand take him at his word. He doesn’t answer right away so that he can producewithin us a character that perseveres. His purposeful delay helps us learn totrust in his wise and sovereign will. The more quickly we learn to submit andyield to him, the less trouble we will bring upon ourselves and the moreblessings God will shower upon us.

As I was writing this section of the book, a secular songthat I listened to as a teenager kept coming to my mind, The Waiting byTom Petty and the Heart Breakers. The lyrics speak of a man waiting for arelationship to flower into full-blown love. But the chorus of the song canreally speak to the journey of faith and walking with God. In fact, I“borrowed” words from the chorus for the title of this chapter.

The waiting isthe hardest part

Everyday you see one more card

You take it on faith, you take it to the heart

The waiting isthe hardest part

Certainly on the journey of faith the waiting is thehardest part. It is hard because of the temptations that will come as we waitfor God to act. It is difficult because when we give into those temptations andresort to human solutions apart from God the troubles do not really depart, butoften become worse and sometimes permanent. The answer for waiting is found inthe heart that knows that God hears and sees, leading us to pray and believe,yielding patiently to God’s wise and sovereign will.

Are you waiting on God? To give you guidance? To bring youdeliverance? Pray, believe, and wait patiently because the Lord hears you andsees you. Pray and believe because “the Lord fulfills the desires of those whofear him; he hears their cry and saves them” (Psalm 145:19). Keep waiting—Godwill act on your behalf in his perfect timing.

[1]Hartley 165.

[2]Wiersbe 56.

By Faith: Standing on the Promises of God

2011-11-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

STANDINGON
THE PROMISES OF GOD

Genesis 15:1–21

Introduction

J. Hudson Taylor, the great missionary toChina, traveled to a bank in England to open up an account for the China InlandMission. While filling out the application, he came across a question askinghim to designate his assets. Taylor wrote, “ten pounds and the promises ofGod.” Hudson Taylor was a great man of faith, and the foundation for his lifeof faith stood on the promises of God. The promises of God are stepping-stonesupon the path of life that enable his people to move forward in the life offaith.

The promises of God in Genesis 12:1–3 enabled Abram totake a step of faith toward the Promised Land. The promises of God saved Abramwhen he took a different path, a path that was not in line with God’s plans.The promises of God gave Abram the victory over the four kings in Genesis 14,and in Genesis 15 we’ll see how they enabled Abram to continue on his journeyof faith.

The promises God declares in Genesis 15 are not new;rather, they are God’s confirmation of promises he gave to Abram in Genesis 12.God’s continuous confirmation and reassurance of his promises keep Abram goingin the right direction.

Genesis 15 is a pivotal chapter both in the narrative ofthe life of Abram as well in the story of God’s great plan of redemption forall humanity. It begins a significant transition from a focus on the PromisedLand to a focus on that of the promised seed, or the heirs of Abram. Of greatimportance is the glimpse Genesis provides of God’s unfolding plan ofredemption. Genesis 15 is mentioned three times in the New Testament, twice bythe apostle Paul and once by the apostle James. In all three occurrences wefind them defending justification by faith and expounding on the nature of truesaving faith.[1]

All those who are on the journey of faith can stand on thesame promises that Abraham was able to stand on. Charles Spurgeon has rightlysaid that the promises of God are the Christian’s “Magna Charta of liberty,they are the title deeds of his heavenly estate. They are the jewel room inwhich the Christian’s crown treasures are preserved.” The first observationthat we make in Genesis 15 is that God’s people stand on his supernaturalpromises.

Standing on God’s Supernatural Promises

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in avision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall bevery great.” (Genesis 15:1)

As I’ve mentioned before, God’s people are mostvulnerable to temptation and discouragement after great victories won by theLord. Abram, after making a great declaration of no-compromise to the king ofSodom, would become discouraged and somewhat dismayed. After the great battlewe read about in Genesis 14, God, knowing Abram’s thoughts and feelings, wouldaddress them in a supernatural way, “After these things the word of the Lordcame to Abram in a vision.” Before we examine the nature of the word of Godthat came to Abram, we would do well to recognize the means by which Abramreceived this word.

The text tells us that the word of the Lord came to Abram“in a vision.” This type of vision was one way that God’s prophets wouldreceive a word from him. The manner in which Abram received the word suggeststhat Abram was a prophet, a title that in Genesis 20:7 would be specificallygiven to Abram.[2]

In addition, the vision that brought about the word wassimilar to other instances in the Bible where God’s word was used to bringencouragement to certain people or groups. The Lord also calms fears as well asencourages. In the New Testament three such occurrences (Acts 18:9; 23:11;27:23) take place with the apostle Paul.[3]God’s vision to Abram would come to calm his fears as well as to encourage him.

The very first thing the word of God addresses is Abram’sfear, “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision,saying, ‘Do not fear.’ ” We can only speculate as to what caused Abram to fear.It could have been the reality of the hostility that he would have to face onhis journey of faith. Perhaps while he was waiting for God to fulfill hispromises, doubt and fear set in. One thing we know for sure: the Lord is goingto address Abram’s fears and he does so through his supernatural promises. Thefirst promise he gives to Abram is one of supernatural protection.

The Promise of Supernatural Protection

The promise of supernatural protection is foundin the Lord’s declaration to Abram, “I am a shield to you.” The Hebrew wordtranslated here as “shield” is the same root of the Hebrew word in Genesis14:20, which is translated “deliver.” The context of the latter is whenMelchizedek declared that the Lord was the one who brought Abram’s deliverancefrom the enemy. In Genesis 15:1 the Lord confirmed his blessing upon Abram bypromising him continual supernatural protection. The word translated as shieldis appropriate because a warrior would carry a shield for protection. In thesame manner, the Lord promises Abram that he would deliver him from the enemy,that he would be his protection in the midst of a hostile territory. Just asthe Lord supernaturally protected Abram from Pharaoh, and just as the Lordsupernaturally protected Abram from the power of the four kings, the Lord wouldcontinue to give Abram supernatural protection throughout his journey of faith.

King David trusted in the Lord’s supernatural protectionwhen he said in Psalm 3 that the Lord was his “shield.” Likewise, when Daviddeclared in Psalm 23, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow ofdeath, I fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff theycomfort me,” he was declaring that the Lord would protect him with asupernatural protection.

The Promise of Supernatural Provision

The Lord also gave Abram a promise ofsupernatural provision in the latter part of verse 1, “Your reward shall bevery great.” The idea the Lord conveyed to Abram is that of “payment.” Thisphrase is tied in with the previous chapter. It was after the blessing ofMelchizedek that Abram responded by giving a tenth of all the plunder that heaccumulated from the battle. By tithing on the plunder, Abram acknowledged thatthe Lord was truly the “possessor of heaven and earth” and that God was thesource of victory.

After tithing ten percent of the plunder, the king ofSodom offered Abram all the plunder for himself; however, Abram did not acceptit because he did not want to compromise his faith and bring dishonor upon theLord.[4]The Lord affirmed to Abram that his faithfulness did not go unnoticed and thatthe Lord would take care of his provisions.

Some translate this verse to mean that the Lord is Abram’sreward, that is, because Abram has the Lord he does not need the taintedplunder of earthly kings.[5]I would say that because Abram has the Lord as his reward, he could be sure ofthe Lord’s provisions. Abram does not have to take tainted plunder because theLord, the King of kings, is greater than any king, including Pharaoh or theking of Sodom. Abram did not have to compromise his faith to get ahead becausethe Lord would reward his faithfulness.

The apostle Paul declared this truth when he wrote, “MyGod will supply all your needs according to the riches in glory in ChristJesus” (Philippians 4:19). Just as the Lord promised to reward the faithfulnessof Abram, he also promises to reward the faithfulness of all his children.

The promise of supernatural provision reminds me of one ofthe stories that I heard while I was serving at First Baptist Church of Dallas.A woman in the church was a very generous giver to kingdom purposes. She alwayswore a necklace with a gold shovel pendant. She said that she wore it becauseit reminded her that she could never out give the Lord and that her “rewardshall be very great.”

Many men would have been totally satisfied with thesupernatural promises of protection and provision given to Abram, but Abramwasn’t. This is not to say that Abram disrespected these two great promises orthat he did he not care for them. But Abram was looking for somethinggreater—the fulfillment of the promise of a supernatural progeny.

The Promise of a Supernatural Progeny

Up to this point we have seen monologuerecorded on the part of the Lord, but now we will “listen in” on a dialoguebetween Abram and the Lord. Genesis 15:2 presents the first recordedconversation between God and Abram.[6]Abram responded to the Lord’s promises with what seems at first like acomplaint, “Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, since I amchildless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ ” The “complaint” that Abram made is by no means from a lack offaith in God or from unbelief, rather it is a show of Abram’s confidence thatGod would, as promised in Genesis 12 and 13, make him a “great nation”[7]and make his descendents “as the dust of the earth.”[8]

In Abram’s mind the promises of supernatural protectionand provision meant nothing if he had no son to benefit from the inheritance.If anything, the question Abram posed arose out of trust. Abram believed theLord would make him a great nation and make his descendants as many as the dustof the earth, but he wanted to know when and how God would fulfill his promise.

Abram and Sarai were already up there in years and, fromAbram’s perspective, God seemed to be taking his time in fulfilling hispromise. Their biological clocks stopped ticking a long time ago and Abramthought a delay was not going to help. Cultural practices were also at theforefront of Abram’s mind when he said to the Lord, “I am childless, and theheir of my household is Eliezer of Damascus.” It was common practice that ifthere were no blood heir, the head of the household would adopt a servant inthe household to be the heir.[9]But as we read further, we see that the Lord addressed Abram’s concern. Godrevealed how he would bring about the fulfillment of his promise, and then heillustrated the magnitude of the promise.

First the Lord addressed the “how.” “Then behold, the wordof the Lord came to him, saying, ‘This man will not be your heir; but onewho will come forth from your own body” (Genesis 15: 4, emphasisadded). The Lord told Abram to have no doubt about how he would bring aboutthis promised seed. Though Abram and Sarai were childless, God would bringthrough them a promised descendent.

To be without a child in Abram’s day had differentconnotations than it does today. In Bible times, people thought being childlesswas a sign of God’s judgment from their wickedness. But in Abram’s case it wasan opportunity for God to show his supernatural power. Abram and Sarai wereboth well past childbearing years and the prospect of having a child eludedthem long ago, but God would use their childlessness as an opportunity to showhis power. The Lord would use his supernatural power to turn Abram and Sarai’shopeless situation into one filled with hope.

The Lord confirmed his promise of a supernatural progenywith a sign in verse 5, a sign that showed the magnitude of God’s promise, “Andhe took Abram outside and said, ‘Now look toward the heavens, and count thestars, if you are able to count them.’ And he said to him, ‘so shall yourdescendants be. ”

Obviously, from this verse we learn that Abram’s visioncame to him while he was in his house. The Lord took Abram outside to look intothe sky and count the stars. Imagine Abram’s thoughts as God revealed theenormity of his promise in this great object lesson. The first time the Lordreaffirmed his promise to Abram he had him look down to the ground and countthe dust. Some say that this was to reaffirm the Lord’s commitment to giveAbram the land. This time the Lord had Abram look up to the stars.

Most likely the use of “stars” to reaffirm the promise ispointing back to Abram’s earlier declaration in Genesis 14:22 when he said tothe king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the Lord, God Most High, possessor ofheaven and earth.” To declare God to be possessor of heaven and earth pointedto the creative power of God. It was God’s creative power that made the heavensand the earth, and it will be God’s supernatural, creative power that wouldenable Abram to have descendants that outnumber the dust of the earth and thestars of the sky. Just as the Lord was faithful in his supernatural andcreative power in the past, he would also be faithful to demonstrate this powerin Abram’s future.[10]

Abram could stand on the Lord’s supernatural promises ofprotection, provision, and progeny. In the same way, we who are living the lifeof faith can stand on the promises of God, knowing that the all-powerful Godwho made the heavens and earth will uphold his promises.

When we claim a promise such as the one given in Isaiah41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God; I willstrengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous righthand,” God’s people can be assured that an all-powerful, supernatural God willkeep that promise because of his supernatural power. Not only do we stand onGod’s supernatural promises, but we also stand on God’s saving promises.

Standing on God’s Saving Promises

Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him asrighteousness. (Genesis 15:6)

Abram will respond to the Lord’s reaffirmationof his promise in verse 6. We find that this was a saving response to God’spromise. It is important that we understand before we get into this verse theimportance it plays in God’s unfolding plan of redemption and justificationbefore God by faith alone. This great verse is used in the New Testament toteach how one is saved, by faith alone. That is why I call it Abram’ssaving response to God’s promise.

The Response to God’s Saving Promise

“Then he believed in the Lord”(Genesis 15:6).This declaration is a transition statement for the whole chapter, showing usthe response to the first appearance that Abram had with God in this chapterand preparing us for a second appearance (which might never have happened hadAbram responded differently).

To say that Abram believed the Lord in this verse is notto say that this is the first time Abram had faith in the Lord, for it was byfaith that Abram left his home of Ur and traveled to the Promised Land. Abram’sfaith had been demonstrated by his actions, that is, by his obedience to theword of the Lord. We need to view Genesis 15:6 not as Abram’s initial step offaith, but instead as his response to the supernatural promise of Godreaffirmed in the first five verses of Genesis 15.

This is the first time the word “believed” is used in theBible. It is the Hebrew word “amen.” The idea conveyed by this word is that ofcertainty. Faith is not something that we deem possible or hopeful, butinstead, biblical faith means to believe with total firmness and certainty inthe object of belief.[11]This invites the question concerning that which Abram believes with certainty.In what did Abram place his total trust concerning the Lord’s supernaturalpromises?

From the immediate text we can conclude that Abrambelieved the Lord would protect him, provide for him, and ultimately give him achild. All of these promises are directly related to the promises given toAbram back in Genesis 12. His belief revealed in Genesis 15 is connected morewith the supernatural progeny than with anything else, and it is connected withthe promises to become a great nation and to have descendants that outnumberthe dust of the earth and the stars of the heavens. If all we had was the bookof Genesis, we could conclude that this is exactly what Abram “believed in theLord.” But the New Testament, especially the teachings of Paul found in thebook of Galatians, gives us greater insight into exactly what Abram believed.

In Galatians 3 we see three indications of exactly whatAbram believed here in Genesis 15. First, Paul told us that Abram believed inthe gospel, “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles byfaith, preached the gospel before hand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the nationswill be blessed in you’ ” (Galatians 3:8). Paul pointed back to God’s promiseof Genesis 12 and declared that Abram understood the statement, “All nationswill be blessed in you” as more than a physical blessing, but rather as thegreatest spiritual blessing of all, salvation.[12]

Second, we learn from the third chapter of Galatians thatAbram believed in redemption. According to verses 10 through 14, Paul declaredthat Christ redeemed us from the curse of sin. This was done in Christ Jesus,who as Paul says “is the blessing of Abraham.” Christ made the payment that setus free from the penalty and the power of sin. Abraham believed in God’sredemption.[13]

Third, we learn from the teachings of Paul that Abrahambelieved in Christ. Paul points to this truth in Galatians 3:16 when he wrote,“Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘Andto seeds,’ as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘And to your seed,’ thatis, Christ.”

If we go back to the book of Genesis we can confirm thatPaul is referring to the use of the Hebrew word translated “descendants” or“seed.” The literal translation is the singular form of the word “seed.” Paulexplained that Abraham understood this promise as more than just a promise ofmany descendants, but as a promise of one particular descendant—the RedeemerJesus Christ—who would bring justification from sin to the whole world.[14]

Abram believed in God’s good news, in God’s redemption,and in a specific descendant who would bring salvation and justification. Didhe understand the promise fully? No! But what he did understand completely isthat he believed in the Lord. This was Abram’s saving response to God’s savingpromise, which brought about a saving result.

The Result of God’s Saving Promise

The result of Abram’s belief in God’ssupernatural promise is declared in the latter part of verse 6, “and Hereckoned it to him as righteousness.” There are two words we need to understandin the saving result of God’s promise: reckoned and righteousness.

As Abram placed his faith in the gospel, in redemption,and in the coming of a particular descendant whom we know as Christ, and God“reckoned it to him as righteousness.” The word “reckoned” has the connotationof crediting or paying something to someone’s account. The Lord imputedrighteousness to Abram’s account on the basis of his faith.

Some say that “righteousness” refers to Abram’s act offaith, that is, his act of faith is an act of righteousness, and to some degreeit is. But, what this verse means is that when Abram believed in the promisegiven to him about a particular seed, a seed that would bring eternalblessings, the Lord enabled Abram to have a right standing before God.

Since the fall of humanity recorded in Genesis 3, man hasbeen condemned before God, objects of his wrath. The question that has beenasked throughout the ages is, How can a person be righteous before God? Someargue that good works will give a person right standing before God, but theBible clearly says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”(Romans 3:23). No matter how good our works are before God, our works ofrighteousness are as filthy rags before a perfect God (Isaiah 64:6).

Only God can make a person righteous before him. Only Godcan give a person right standing before him. The way God made this possible isthrough the seed of Abram, who is Christ. Christ took upon himself our sin andhas given us his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). The only way that we canhave righteousness credited to our account is through faith in God’s provisionof salvation. For Abram, his faith was in the promise of salvation, but for youand me our salvation is in the fulfillment of that promise, the fulfillmentbeing Christ.

Abram demonstrated a great theological truth, a truth thatPaul declared in Ephesians 2:8–9 when he said, “For by grace you have beensaved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not asa result of works, so that no one may boast.” The only way one can truly havesalvation, the only way one can have a right standing before God is by standingon God’s saving promise of salvation in Christ. And the way that we stand onthat promise is with a confident trust, not a probable trust, not a hopefultrust, but a certain trust that Christ and Christ alone is our salvation. Oneof the hymns of the faith describes this truth well.

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When he shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh may I then in Him be found;

Dressed in his righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand.[15]

Any other promise of salvation is no promise at all; it issinking sand. Abram was standing on the Lord’s supernatural promises, theLord’s saving promises, and the Lord’s sure promises.

Standing on God’s Sure Promises

After Abram demonstrated his certain belief inthe promise of eternal life, the Lord would then make a sure covenant withAbram, a covenant that came only after Abram placed his total trust in theLord’s saving promise.

The Sure Covenant of God

The covenant that is made in the next verse isone primarily concerning the land the Lord promised to Abram and hisdescendants, but it is also a covenant that guaranteed the Lord’s fulfillmentof both the promise of land and seed.

The Lord said to Abram in verse 7, “I am the Lord whobrought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.”Here the Lord reaffirmed the promise of land to Abram, and Abram responded inverse 8, “How may I know that I will possess it.” Abram believed, but he neededa little help with his faith. In giving Abram help, the Lord made a covenantwith Abram, as we’ll read in the verses that follow.

This is not the first time we read of a covenant inGenesis. The Lord made a covenant with Noah in Genesis 6 and with all humanity inGenesis 9, right after the flood. This next covenant the Lord made dealt withAbram’s physical descendants and applies in a secondary manner to Abram’sspiritual descendants, those of us who have placed our faith in Christ Jesus.[16]

Covenants were very common in the ancient Near East. Theywere made between parties for the purpose of defining the nature of therelationship that was being entered into. The covenant defined theresponsibilities and the obligations of both the parties entering into covenanttogether.[17]But the covenant the Lord made with Abram was different. It was one-sided. Godgave the directions to Abram concerning the covenant in verses 9 through 11,telling him to gather animals for sacrifice. The Lord then prophesiedconcerning the future of Abram’s descendants and how they would suffer underEgyptian bondage and how the Lord would deliver them to back to the PromisedLand. After he prophesied, the Lord ratified the covenant, “It came about whenthe sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smokingoven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces” (v. 17). The Lordpassed through the animal pieces that Abram had cut.

Normally, a covenant like this would require that Abrampass between the cut-up animals; however, it is significant that Abram did nothave to pass through. This one-sided covenant was not dependent upon Abram, butupon the Lord himself. The sure covenant of God was based upon the surecharacter of God.

The Sure Character of God

The covenant was dependent upon God’s grace andupon God’s character. Though potentially Abram would fail at times to fulfillhis covenant obligations, the Lord would never fail his. That is why the Lordtold Abram that he could be sure that after Egypt he would bring Abram back tohis land; God would uphold his end of the covenant. And just as the Lord hasbeen faithful throughout history to his covenant with Abram, Christians can beassured that the Lord is always faithful to his promises. For the eternalcovenant that the Lord made is made not with the blood of animals, but with theprecious blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:18–19). God’s promises are surebecause they are not based on what we do, but on who God is.

What promises are you standing on? The only sure promisesto stand on are the Lord’s supernatural and saving promises. The only way wecan stand on those promises is through total trust in Christ Jesus. If youstand on anything else, you are on sinking sand.

[1] Romans 4:3,Galatians 3:6, James 2:23.

[2]Hamilton 418.

[3]Hamilton 418.

[4]Hartley 155.

[5]Hamilton 419.

[6]Hamilton 419.

[7]Waltke 241.

[8]Genesis13:16.

[9]Walton andMatthews 41.

[10]Sailhamer151.

[11]Gleason L.Archer, Jr., R. Laird Harris, and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Workbook ofthe Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980) 51.

[12]Boice 549.

[13]Boice 549.

[14]Boice 550.

[15]“My Hope IsBuilt on Nothing Less,” words by Edward Mote, circa 1834; music by William B.Bradbury, 1863, verses 1 and 4 and refrain.

[16]Boice561–562.

[17]Hartley157–158.

By Faith: Spiritual People Involved in Spiritual Warfare

2011-11-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

SpiritualPeople
Involved in Spiritual Warfare

Genesis 14:1–24

John Milton, in his great works ParadiseLost and Paradise Regained,spoke about the great cosmic combat that occurs in Revelation 12. In describingthat chilling chapter of Revelation, Milton says that heaven and hell are thecentral focus, and earth is the battleground in which the cosmic combat takesplace.[1]That is an accurate description of the spiritual battle that happens within ourworld.

With all the talk about war going on in our own societyand around the world, Christians often forget that we are in a war of our own,a spiritual war, a cosmic combat. The battle is between heaven and hell, butthe fight is here on earth.

The church often loses sight of the truth of spiritualstruggle. American Christians have become so comfortable in our Christianitythat the thought of spiritual warfare hardly even crosses our minds. But it isparamount that we understand that the Lord has called his people to fight aspiritual battle, to wage war against the forces that oppose God’srighteousness and rule.

Understanding the nature of spiritual warfare begins withunderstanding the nature of the life of faith. You could say that the life offaith is really a “life of war.” Yet, the war that we fight is not fought withconventional weapons nor is it fought against flesh and blood. Instead, wefight spiritual wars with spiritual weapons against spiritual enemies.

There is no greater description of this type of spiritualwarfare in the New Testament than that found in the book of Ephesians wherePaul gave Christians a command to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength ofhis might” (Eph. 6:10). To be “in the Lord” is to be a spiritual person, onewho has started the life of faith by following Jesus Christ. Thus, it takesspiritual people to handle spiritual combat.

Furthermore it takes spiritual weapons to fight aspiritual enemy. Paul describes these weapons as the armor of God, whichconsists of truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, the HolySpirit, the word of God, and prayer. We need spiritual weapons because “ourstruggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against thepowers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritualforces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12, emphasis added).

Our study of the life of Abraham supports that what istrue of those who live the life of faith under the New Covenant was also trueof believers under the Old Covenant. But notice in Genesis 14 that thespiritual battles Abram fought often worked themselves out in physical battlesagainst the enemies of God and his people. This was also true of Moses and ofJoshua. And because these physical battles were the manifestation of spiritualstruggles, we as God’s people can glean great truths for our own cosmicconflicts.

The life of faith is a life of war with spiritual bulletsand missiles flying overhead. Those who are on the journey of faith cannotmerely ignore the fight; they must be aware of it, but even more importantly,they must get involved.

The Involvement in SpiritualWarfare (v. 1–16)

In the first sixteen verses of Genesis 14, wesee conflict, casualties, and contribution. The conflict is described in thefirst eleven verses of the chapter.

The Conflict

And it came about in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar,Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim,that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah,Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (thatis, Zoar). All these came as allies to the valley of Siddim (that is, the SaltSea). Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year theyrebelled. In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him,came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham and theEmim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in their Mount Seir, as far asEl-paran, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came toEn-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and conquered all the country of the Amalekites,and also the Amorites, who lived in Hazazon-tamar. And the king of Sodom andthe king of Gomorrah and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim and the kingof Bela (that is, Zoar) came out; and they arrayed for battle against them inthe valley of Siddim, against Chedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiimand Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five.Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom andGomorrah fled, and they fell into them. But those who survived fled to thehill country. Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and alltheir food supply, and departed. (Gen. 14:1–11)

The conflict recorded in these verses is on theinternational level—as “international” as Abram and his contemporaries knew,not on the international level we know. This is the first record of war andconflict in the Bible; some say it is the first record of war within the annalsof history.[2]

The conflict takes place between nine kings, four on oneside and five on the other. Because of the advantage of numbers, it would seemthat the five kings would have more power, but as the record of the conflictunfolds, it is quite obvious that the smaller group of rulers was much morepowerful.

Verse 1 introduces us to the four kings, “Amraphel theking of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedoorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidalking of Goiim.” The four rulers were located east of the five kings, whichtoday is in Iran and Turkey.[3]The five kings they warred against were the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah,Zeboiim, and Bela. They reigned in the same region Abram lived.

The reason for the war was not an uncommon one. Verse 4gives an indication of why the war was taking place, “Twelve years they hadserved Chedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled.” The five kingsserved the four others for twelve years, but they finally had enough, so theyrebelled. It was customary for the more powerful to ally together to subjugatethose who were less powerful into serving them by paying tribute through meansof money, produce, and other goods.[4]After twelve years of paying tribute, the western kings decided that enough wasenough.

It was highly probable that the five kings decided torebel against the four because there were troubles in the eastern kingdoms thatwould keep them from taking action against the rebellion.[5]For though the rebellion took place in the thirteenth year, it wasn’t until ayear later that the four kings would respond (v. 5).

When the four kings finally did act against the rebellion,they began to make their way westward, a journey recorded in verses 6 through8. Scholars believe they sojourned on what was known as the King’s Highway. Asthe four kings made their way down the King’s Highway to deal with therebellion of the five kings, we are told in verses 5 and 6 that the four kingswould defeat many others along the way. Most likely the rumors of their comingand their power was making its way to the five kings because we are told inverse 8 that the five kings came out to meet the four at the valley of Siddim.

It did not take long for the five kings to see theirenemy’s power, so they retreated. Some did not fair well in the retreat becausethey fell into the tar pits that made up that area. Those who did not fall intothe tar pits retreated to the hills.

The retreat of the five kings left the town of those kingsvulnerable. The four kings in verse 11 capitalized on this vulnerability. “Thenthey took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and their food supply, anddeparted.” If the five kings were not going to voluntarily pay tribute, thenthe four kings would take it by force.

Up to this point in the narrative it seems the story hasnothing to do with Abram, but that changes in verse 12 when Abram would bebrought into the battle, “They also took Lot, Abram’s nephew, and hispossessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom.” Abram’s nephew wouldbecome one of the casualties of the battle.

The Casualties (12)

It is interesting to see the digression of Lotrevealed in verse 12. According to Genesis 13:12, Lot moved his tents justoutside of Sodom. But now Lot is no longer outside of Sodom; he is living inSodom. In Genesis 13 we were warned about the poor choice Lot made to live inSodom, and Genesis 14 reveals why it was a mistake.

But Lot is not the only casualty of the battle. One mustunderstand that the four kings are being unjust. Subjugating weaker people forthe purpose of personal gain is a grave injustice. Because the people who dweltin the weaker cities were subjugated to the injustice, they also werecasualties of the battle.

Furthermore, the scope of the spiritual war taking placesurpasses any war that has ever taken place on earth. The spiritual war is aglobal war that is taking place in every country, city, church, home, andfamily. The casualties of this war are wayward Christians, who like Lot, letthe world consume them. Though we know from Scripture that God saved Lot (2Peter 2:7–8 tells us that God rescued “righteous Lot”), Abram’s nephew did notput on the full armor of God and stand firm against the schemes of the devil(Ephesians 6:11).

This is why those in a life of faith must get involved.This is where spiritual people must be concerned for those who have gone astrayfrom the family of faith. This involvement in spiritual warfare is demonstratedby Abram’s involvement in hand-to-hand combat with the ungodly kings.

The Contribution (vv. 13–16)

Abram has not been mentioned in this story upto this point, but we see his involvement beginning in verse 13. “Then afugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was living by the oaks of Mamrethe Amorite.” Abram had not moved since he and Lot separated for the sake ofpeace. He was exactly where God wanted him to be. He was comfortable and thingswere peaceable because Abram made allies with those around him. But hispeaceable and comfortable situation was about to change.

God, in his providence, had someone escape so that Abramcould know about the battle, the casualties, and especially the fact that thefour kings had taken his nephew Lot captive. The news brought to Abram would bea test of Abram’s faith. Abram now had to make a decision. Was he going to getinvolved in world affairs or was he going to isolate himself?

Abram could very well have rationalized away hisinvolvement in this matter. In regard to helping the five kings he could havesaid, “You know, that king of Sodom is an ungodly man. In fact, Sodom andGomorrah is filled with sinners. They are only getting what they deserve.” Inregard to his own nephew he could have said, “Lot made his own decision; hedeserves what he is getting. He did not give me one thought when I gave him thechoice. It serves him right.” Abram could have rationalized staying out of thematter, but he chose not to.

He realized that the life of faith does not mean isolationfrom the world, nor does it mean identification with the world. Abramunderstood that if he was going to be the blessing bearer to the world, if hewas going to declare the truth of the one true God, he was going to have to getinvolved. Paraphrased, Jesus put it this way, “Be in the world, but not of theworld” (John 17:14ff). That would be the balance that Abram would have to find.

After the news of the conquest of the four kings, Abram,moved by his love for his nephew and his desire to be involved with worldaffairs for God’s glory, went into action. We are told in verses 14–15, “WhenAbram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trainedmen, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as faras Dan. He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, anddefeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.”

Abram got involved in the battle for the sake of thecasualties. In doing so he gathered three hundred and eighteen men from withinhis house. At first one may think that three hundred and eighteen is not verymany, and it’s not—if the one you are fighting has more. But the number of menthat came from Abram’s house gives an indication that Abram was prospering. Tohave three hundred and eighteen servants in one house is impressive.

We can only speculate on how many troops the four kingshad, but one could speculate that they had quite a few. The number of men thatAbram brought may well have been fewer than the ones they were fighting, butthe fact that they surprised them by night and that God was on their sideenabled them to have victory of the four kings, “He brought back all the goods,and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also thewomen, and the people.”

Abram’s concern went beyond his nephew Lot; he was alsoconcerned about all the people who were subjugated to the unjust rule of thefour kings. Abram understood that being the blessing bearer and a witness forthe one true God meant he had to be in the world, but not of the world. Heunderstood that he had the responsibility of declaring the righteousness andthe salvation of God, and to do this he had to be involved.

Those who live a life of faith today are in a battle, aspiritual battle, one that we must be involved in. We must avoid isolatingourselves from the world. Yes, there are sinners out there, and yes, there areungodly people out there, but these are not the enemy, they are the casualtiesof the war. They need a witness of the righteousness, hope, and salvation ofGod found only in the person of Jesus Christ. God accomplishes his will byusing his people, as they get involved in the spiritual battle.

Our Lord gave us marching orders when he said, “You shalllove the Lord your God with all your heart … and your neighbor as yourself(Luke 10:27)” and “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing themin the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them toobserve all that I have commanded” (Matthew 28:19–20). To love our neighbor asourselves means that we will get involved in the spiritual battle because wedon’t want our neighbors to be casualties of the war. To go and make disciplesof all nations means that we get involved for the purpose of saving people fromdestruction.

God’s people must step into spiritual warfare by using theweapons of truth and righteousness, by advancing the kingdom of God through theproclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and by standing up forrighteousness and justice. God’s people can do this only by getting involved inthe battle. The life of faith is a life of war. Another truth that we see inthis Genesis 14 concerning spiritual warfare is the truth concerning theattitude for spiritual warfare.

The Attitude for Spiritual Warfare(vv. 17–20)

After the defeat of the four kings, Abram wouldencounter two kings. The arrival of the two kings brought spiritual opposites.One king ruled over the excessively sinful city Sodom. The other king ofrighteousness reigned over the city called Salem, which means “peace.”

The Arrival of Spiritual Opposites

The arrival of the two spiritual opposites isstated starting in verse 17, “Then after his return from the defeat ofChedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out tomeet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedekking of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God MostHigh.”

As was stated earlier these two kings were spiritualopposites. Sodom ruled an ungodly city, a city that would eventually bedestroyed on the basis of God’s judgment, but Melchizedek is quite theantithesis. The very name Melchizedek[6]means “king of righteousness” or “my righteous king.” He ruled over Salem,which many people believe was Jerusalem. Melchizedek suddenly just showed up onthe scene. The Bible records no genealogy. But the text does tell us that hewas a “priest of God Most High.” It is in the blessing that Melchizedek givesto Abram that we see the source of the victory of Abram’s battle and also thesource of the victory of the spiritual battle.

The Source of Spiritual Victory

It is important that we understand what theblessing of Melchizedek means, because it is central to understanding the wholechapter.[7]The blessing is set forth in verses 19 and 20, “He blessed him and said,‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessedbe God Most High who has delivered your enemies into your hand.’ ” Theblessings that are given are both outward and upward.[8]

The outward blessing is directed toward Abram when hesays, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High.” Abram is blessed because he belongsto God, because he bears the name of the one true God. The upward blessing isdirected toward the Lord, “Blessed be God Most High who has delivered yourenemies into your hands.” Melchizedek had the proper perspective concerningAbram and his defeat. He understood that the source of Abram’s victory was “GodMost High, possessor of heaven and earth.”[9]The Hebrew word “El-Elyon” which we translate “God Most High” refers to thesuperiority of God. The phrase “possessor of heaven and earth” refers to Godbeing owner not only of Abram’s plunder, but also of all creation.[10]

What do we understand from this blessing about the wholefourteenth chapter of Genesis? We learn from Melchizedek that what Abramexperienced was only realized because the “God Most High, possessor of heavenand earth” empowered Abram to win this great victory.[11]

Abram responded to this blessing by tithing his plunder asan act of honor toward God who empowered him to be victorious. Abram’s tithewas a declaration of trust in the Lord as well as an acknowledgement that thesource of his victory was the Lord. The source of all spiritual victory is theLord and it’s important that God’s people cultivate this attitude so we remaintotally dependent on the Lord.

In Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby tells the storyof how he and about two thousand other churches in Vancouver’s BaptistAssociation were convinced that the Lord wanted them to reach the more thantwenty-two million people who would come to the World Expo Fair in 1986. Theybegan making the plans two years before the fair. The budget of theassociation, two years before the fair, totaled nine thousand dollars. For theyear of the fair, they set the budget for over two hundred thousand dollars.They had gained commitments that would cover thirty-five percent; the remainingsixty-five percent would have to come though prayer. The whole associationprayed fervently for the Lord to provide what they needed. By the end of thefirst year the Lord had provided two hundred and sixty-four thousand dollars.The outreach at the fair that year brought twenty thousand professions offaith. Blackaby said, “You cannot explain it except in terms of God’sintervention. Only God could have done what was done.”

This is true of all spiritual victory; only God can bringthe victory. And it is paramount that the life of faith cultivates such anattitude for spiritual warfare. God’s people involved in spiritual warfare mustsay with Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says theLord of hosts.”

Abram was granted great victory because the Lord empoweredhim to defeat the powerful kings, but the battle was not over. A test of faithwould come to Abram, one that could bring defeat if he did not pass the test,one that reveals the temptation within spiritual warfare.

The Temptation within Spiritual Warfare

The most vulnerable time for believers inspiritual warfare is immediately after great victories won by the Lord. Thiswas the case with Joshua after the triumph over Jericho. In Joshua 6, we learnthat God gave the Israelites great victory, but in Joshua 7 we read that theywere defeated.

Elijah is another example of this truth. In 1 Kings 18,Elijah was victorious on Mount Carmel, but soon after that victory, he ran forhis life, afraid of what Jezebel would do with him. Again, the reason for suchcollapse of faith on Elijah’s part is that God’s people are most vulnerable totemptation after great victories won by God.

The late preacher Andrew Bonar understood this when hesaid, “Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle.”[12]And what is true of Joshua and Elijah is going to be true of Abram. After thisgreat victory that the Lord gave him, Abram is going to be vulnerable andtempted.

The Temptation Presented (v. 21)

We see the temptation presented in verse 21,“The king of Sodom said to Abram, ‘Give the people to me and take the goods foryourself.’ ” The proposition from the king of Sodom at first glance seemsproper in light of what Abram just did for the five kings. It was usual thatthe defeating general got the spoils of the war and for the people to go backto the king who was rescued. But within this offer was a subtle temptation, atemptation of compromise. Yet unlike his time in Egypt, Abram would now passthe test and avoid the temptation.

The Test Passed (vv. 22–24)

Abram responded to the king of Sodom, “I havesworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will nottake a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours for fear you wouldsay, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ I will take nothing except what the young menhave eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre;let them take their share.” Abram’s response reveals that he was learning totrust the Lord rather than to manipulate circumstances for his own gain.

Abram made an oath with the Lord of no-compromise.Although he deserved the spoils from the fight, Abram recognized that thespoils were not from the Lord and that to take them would compromise the Lord’shonor as well has his total trust in God.

The actions of Abram in these verses are completelydifferent than those he chose in Genesis 12:16. In Egypt Abram had no problemreceiving the goods Pharaoh gave him. Why such different actions? In EgyptAbram had compromised his faith, but Abram had learned his lesson andtherefore, before he was tempted again, he made an oath to the Lord ofno-compromise when tempted by the things of this world. If Abram were going tobe involved instead of remaining isolated, he had to be indifferent to the waysof the world. The only way Abram could be in the world, but not of the worldwas by making an oath of no-compromise.

A few years ago, before my wife and I had children, somedear friends of ours took us on a trip to Colorado. While there we were able tovisit the Continental Divide, a ridge of mountains that separate streams thatflow west into the Pacific Ocean from those that flow east into the AtlanticOcean.[13]The snowcap was full of snow and it seemed that the snow was in unity, but itreally was a great illusion. It was an illusion because it set on a greatdivide. When the snow melts in the spring, the water on the western side makesits way to the Pacific Ocean and the water on the eastern side makes its way tothe Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. What seemed unified at one pointwould end up thousands of miles apart. The Continental Divide marks a dividingline.

There is a great dividing line between being in the worldand living the life of faith. There is a great dividing live between being inthe world, yet not being of the world. God’s people have to be careful to endup on the right side of the dividing line. We have to be careful not tocompromise godly principles by accommodating the prevailing culture. For whenwe compromise, our involvement and effectiveness in the spiritual battle isdiminished.

It was A. W. Tozer who put it well when he said, “Religiontoday is not transforming people; rather it is being transformed by the people.It is not raising the moral level of society; it is descending to society’s ownlevel, and congratulating itself that it has scored a victory because societyis smiling accepting its compromise.”

There is a war taking place in every community,city, and church. A war that is global. God’s spiritual people must getinvolved having total dependence upon the Lord who gives the

[1]Philip Yancy,“CT Classic: Cosmic Combat Part 3,” Christianity Today Magazine 1December 1999 .

[2]Phillips 125.

[3]Walton andMatthews 39.

[4]Ross 298.

[5]Hartley 147.

[6]This is thefirst mention of a priest in the Bible. Melchizedek is mentioned again about900 years later in Psalm 110, and then another 1,000 years later in the book ofHebrews. There is much scholarly debate on whether Melchizedek was thepre-incarnate Christ or a type of Christ; however, for the purpose of ourstudy, we’ll discuss Melchizedek only in the context of Abram’s life.

[7]Ross 302.

[8]Hamilton 412.

[9]Hamilton.412.

[10]Hartley 150.

[11]Hartley 150.

[12]Wiersbe 37.

[13]“ContinentalDivide,” Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia, CD-ROM (MicrosoftCorporation, 1997).

By Faith: How the Life of Faith Deals with Conflict

2011-10-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

HOWTHE LIFE
OF FAITH DEALS WITH CONFLICT

Genesis 13:1–18

Introduction

Through experience I have learned that a greatdeal of conflict that occurs within the family of faith is often among churchstaff members. There’s the story about the friction between one pastor and hismusic director—conflict that was so great it spilled out into the worshipservice.

One Sunday the pastor preached on total commitment to theLord, and the music minister followed with the congregation singing “I ShallNot Be Moved.” The next Sunday the pastor preached on giving and how God’speople should give generously to the Lord. The disgruntled music director ledthe congregation in “Jesus Paid it All.” The following Sunday the pastorpreached on gossip and the need to control the tongue, and the music leaderfollowed with “I Love to Tell the Story.”

At this point the pastor was frustrated and he told thechurch that he was considering resigning on the next Sunday. The music leaderthen led the song “Oh, Why Not Tonight.” The following Sunday the pastor stoodin the pulpit and said, “Jesus led me to this church and it is Jesus who isleading me away.” The song leader’s selection that day was “What a Friend WeHave in Jesus.”

Our study of the life of Abram will teach God’s people howto deal with conflict when it comes our way. The lessons we will learn in thischapter of Abram’s journey of faith are in stark contrast to those we learnedin the previous chapter when Abram failed to trust the Lord. Now we are goingto learn from Abram’s ability to trust in the Lord in the midst of friction andconflict. Why such a stark contrast between the two narratives? What was thesource of Abram’s previous failure and his upcoming success?

Both Abram’s success and his failure in the life of faithhinged on one crucial ingredient: fellowship with the Lord. As we noticed inthe verses we’ve studied so far, the key ingredient missing in Abram’s failurewas the altar of the Lord. Worship, fellowship, and communication with the Lordwere non-existent in Genesis 12:10–20. But not so in Genesis 13.

The Lord, faithful to discipline Abram’s faltering faithand deliver him from the situation, was also faithful to direct him back towhere he needed to be. “He went on his journeys from the Negev as far asBethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Betheland Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and thereAbram called upon the name of the Lord” (Genesis 13:3–4).

God brought Abram back to where he needed to be in thefirst place: the altar of the Lord. If Abram were going to have success andkeep his faith from faltering, he would need to maintain constant worship ofand fellowship and communication with the Lord. Let’s see it in practice now.

Genesis 13 begins with Abram at the altar and ends withhim at the altar. “He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, tothe place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to theplace of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram calledon the name of the LORD” (Genesis 13:3–4, emphasis added). Also, “Then Abrammoved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron,and there he built an altar to the Lord” (Genesis 13:18, emphasisadded). The key to success in the life of faith is constant communion with theLord. This steadfast fellowship with the Lord will give Abram success as hefaces friction within the family. His success in dealing with this strife canteach us how to deal with conflict. But before we learn how to deal withconflict, we must come to grips with the fact that conflict is inevitable, evenwithin the family of faith.

Conflict Will Be Experienced
within the Family of Faith

The following verses set the scene, as weunderstand the nature of the conflict that is experienced between uncle andnephew. Verses 5 and 6 reveal the source of the conflict.

Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds andtents. And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for theirpossessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. And therewas strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsman of Lot’slivestock. Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the Land.(Genesis 13:5–7)

The Source of the Conflict

We are told in verse 5 that Lot was with Abramwhen he went into Egypt. Some have argued that the phrase, “who went withAbram” is artificial and was placed there only to make it appear that Lot wasin Egypt. They argue this on the basis that Lot is not mentioned in verses 10through 20. However, the absence of Lot in the previous narrative was becausehe was not a central figure of the situation. The main characters in thoseverses were Abram, Sarai, and Pharaoh.

While Lot was in Egypt with his uncle, he was able toobserve first hand his uncle’s faltering faith. He saw his uncle put his owninterest before his wife’s. Lot watched as his uncle took things into his ownhands, walking by sight rather than by faith. What Lot witnessed of his uncle’sfaltering faith would have an effect on the choices he would make.

Our text not only implicitly declares that Lot was able towitness Abram’s faltering faith, but it also explicitly states that theblessings given to Abram were conferred upon Lot as well. Verse 5 reveals thatLot also had “flocks and herds and tents.” Lot profited by the illegitimateblessings gained by his uncle.

The blessings Abram and Lot enjoyed came about by Abramnot trusting in God, taking things into his own hands, and lying and schemingto save his own life, while forgetting about the danger that he put his wifein, and even the danger he put his nephew in. These illegitimate blessings thatAbram and Lot received would become a source of conflict within the family.

The reason for contention within the family is revealed inverse 6, “And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, fortheir possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together.”Abram and Lot were so prosperous that the land of promise given by the Lordwould not supply all they needed. For all their livestock, Abram and Lot had aninadequate supply of pasturage and water.[1]Because Abram and Lot were not the only ones dwelling in the land (they sharedthe land with the Canaanites and Perizzites, v. 7), the availability ofpastureland and water was limited. The result of limited natural resourcescaused problems, “And there was strifebetween the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot” (v. 7). Prosperity didnot bring comfort to the family, instead it brought conflict, which beganbetween Abram and Lot’s herdsmen.

There issomething very interesting in these verses that I want to point out. It wasback in Genesis 12:10 that Abram, who was exactly where God wanted him to be,experienced famine in the land. Back in Genesis 12:16 Abram was in Egypt whereGod did not want him, yet everything went well for him there. And here inverses 5 and 6 of Genesis 13, Abram is exactly where God wants him, but now heis facing conflict within the family. Even when we do exactly what God wants,he allows trials. This passage of Scripture shows the Lord sending anotherchallenging circumstance Abram’s way to test his faith. This time, Abram willpass the test.[2]

Just as conflictwas experienced in the family of Abram, we will also experience contention inthe church. The sources of conflict are many, but the need to deal with them ina way consistent with the life of faith is paramount. The family of faithsuffers serious implications when we do not deal with conflict in a biblicalmanner.

The Seriousness of the Conflict

Theseriousness of conflict is implied in verse 7, “Now the Canaanite and thePerizzite were dwelling then in the land.” This verse not only declares thereason for the land’s inability to sustain Abram and Lot’s livestock, but italso reveals the dangers that take place when there is strife within thefamily. The first serious consequence of conflict is that the family of faithwill become ineffective and vulnerable.[3]

When the Lord called Abram to leave his country, he calledhim to leave a peaceful country and go to a land that would be filled withhostility. There would be people in the land who would be enemies of Abram andhis descendants; the Canaanites and the Perizzites were those enemies.

Internal conflictamong Abram’s relatives would weaken the family and leave them ineffective andvulnerable in fighting the true enemy at hand. The battle that God’s people areto be fighting is not on the inside, but on the outside. When conflict aboundswithin the family of faith it weakens the family’s effectiveness in fulfillingGod’s purpose and plan, which is to bless all the families of the earth withthe good news of salvation found in Christ.

A father asked his young son to break a bundle of sticks.The boy raised the bundle off the ground and smashed it with his knee leavingthe bundle unbroken and his knee bruised. He then took the bundle and set itagainst the wall and stomped on it with his foot, but the bundle still did notbreak. He came back to his father frustrated from the chore that his father hadgiven him. The father, seeing the boy’s frustration, took the bundle of sticksand untied it. He then took the sticks and broke them easily, one at a time.When the family of faith is united they are strong and effective, but a dividedfamily of faith is weak and ineffective for the work of the Lord.[4]

Another serious implication of conflict is that it makesthe family of faith repulsive. Abram was to be a blessing bearer to the world.He was to carry the light of the one true God to the pagan nations. Conflictwithin his family could hinder the testimony of God’s people. Conflict overmaterial possessions was a poor testimony to the ungodly Canaanites in theland. Likewise, when conflict abounds in the church, it gives an appallingtestimony to the ungodly outside the church.[5]Nobody in his or her right mind would want to be a part of such a situation.

The world is looking for a safe haven, a place where peaceand love abounds, and that place must be the family of faith, that place mustbe the church of Jesus Christ. People should come and experience the love andacceptance of Christ when they come to the family of faith, not the constantbickering and conflict. And while conflict is inevitably experienced within thechurch family, believers must resolve the conflict in a manner consistent with thelife of faith.

Resolve Conflict in a
Manner Consistent with a Life of Faith

Abram’s conflict would put his faith to thetest once again, but this time his faith would flourish, not falter. Abramwould trust the Lord to take care of him in the midst of this test, rather thanto take things into his own hands. His response to the conflict is consistentwith those who trust in the Lord to take care of them. The first quality we seein the life of Abram that is consistent with the life of faith is the desire ofa peaceful resolution.

The Life of Faith Desires a Peaceful Resolution

So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strifebetween you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we arebrothers.” (Genesis 13:8)

Abram’s desire in the midst of this conflict isa peaceful resolution. Though the previous verse (v. 7) spoke of the strifeonly being between the herdsmen, Abram understood that this conflict wouldspill over into the family. Therefore, Abram pleaded with Lot for a peacefulsolution, knowing there could be serious repercussions if the conflict was notdealt with properly. He knew that it could weaken the family, make themvulnerable to their real enemies, and that the testimony of the Lord could behindered. These are great reasons for dealing with conflict, but Abram gave theparamount reason at the end of verse 8.

The most significant reason that Abram sought a peacefulsettlement is stated in the prepositional phrase “for we are brothers.” Abramdid not say that he and Lot were brothers in the literal sense, for we knowthat Abram was Lot’s uncle. Abram used the word “brother” to declare theirclose relationship to one another. That Abram and Lot were family was reason toseek a peaceful resolution. Yes, it is valuable to pursue peace for the sakeeffectiveness, and it is worthy to seek peace for the sake of testimony, butmore importantly, it is necessary to seek a peace to maintain the family bond.

We who are a part of the family of God are brothers andsisters in Christ. We are in a relationship with one another that will lastthroughout eternity. Therefore, since we are bound together by the blood ofChrist, we must seek a peaceful outcome when conflict arises. Jesus said,“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew5:9).

One story has it that during the Civil War, the North andthe South were camped on opposite sides of the Potomac River. The Unionsoldiers would play a patriotic tune that was dear to their hearts. Inresponse, the Confederate soldiers would play a patriotic tune precious tosoutherners. Then one of the bands started to play the tune “Home, Sweet,Home.” The other side stopped its musical composition and joined in. Soon afterthat you could hear voices from both sides singing, “There is no place likehome.”[6]

Though division existed between the Union and Confederatesoldiers, the song reminded them that their home and their destiny were thesame. Likewise, members of God’s family must remember that as brothers andsister we have the same eternal home; therefore, we must desire a peacefulresolution when conflict arises.

The Life of Faith Initiates a Peaceful Resolution

Abram not only desired a peaceful resolution tothe situation, but he also took the initiative to bring it about. How did Abramtake the initiative? He put his total trust in the Lord to take care of hisneeds as implied in Genesis 13:9, “Is not the whole land before you? Pleaseseparate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right, or if to theright, then I will go to the left.”

Abram could have demanded his rights regarding who goeswhere. After all, he was the uncle, the elder, and God had given him the land.Abram could have told Lot exactly what to do, but he didn’t. This time, Abramput God first in his life. He had learned a great lesson in Egypt: trust theLord in all situations. Because Abram put God first and trusted in the Lord totake care of him, he was able to put others second and still take care of theirneeds.[7]

William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, becamevery sick in his latter years—so sick that he was unable to attend the annualSalvation Army conferences. Each year Booth would send a message to be read tothe delegates. One time he sent a simple message that read, “Others.” Thephilosophy of the Salvation Army was to look out for the interest of others.[8]All Christians need the same attitude. Paul told the Philippians to “not merelylook out for [their] own personal interests, but also for the interests ofothers” (Philippians 2:4).

When God’s people put God first and trust him to take careof their needs, it is revealed in selfless living. The Lord Jesus Christ is thegreatest example of one who demonstrated total trust in the Lord and unselfishliving. He was entitled to demand his rights, but instead he suffered at thehands of sinful men for the sake of others. He emptied himself of his glory,became a servant, and was obedient unto death. Christ trusted in the Father totake care of him, he put others first, and the Father exalted him. And nowevery knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord(Philippians 2:5–11).

Abram’s total reliance on the Lord and hisself-sacrificing living is contrasted with Lot’s distrust in the Lord and hisselfish ways. Lot’s choice in verses 10–11 resemble the choice that his unclemade when he went into Egypt. Like his uncle, Lot would choose based on sightinstead of faith.

When Abram gave Lot the choice, the proper godly responsewould be to defer to his elder uncle. “Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all thevalley of the Jordan.” Instead of deferring to the true warranted rights of hisuncle, Lot looked out only for himself instead of putting God first and otherssecond.

What did Lot see when he lifted up his eyes and gazed uponthe valley of the Jordan? The text says that Lot saw that “it was well wateredeverywhere—this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like thegarden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar” (v. 10). At aglance, what Lot saw looked profitable and appealing, but we’ll soon see thatit would not be beneficial at all.

Verse 10 forewarns the readers that Lot’s self-gratifyingand self-seeking response would bring blessings, but those blessings would betemporal.[9]Nestled within the description of what Lot saw is the statement, “this wasbefore the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.” Lot was seeking to take care ofhimself without the Lord’s help, and his self-centered choice would bringdisaster. “So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lotjourneyed eastward” (v. 11). Lot’s choice was all about himself; he exhibitedno concern for his uncle. One scholar commented, “Lot selfishly intends toadvantage himself by disadvantaging his uncle.”[10]

It is significant to notice that when Lot made his choicehe “journeyed eastward.” Since the banishment of Adam and Eve from the Gardenof Eden the “east” came to symbolize distance and exile from the presence ofGod. Lot would soon find out that being distanced from the divine presencewould not lead to divine blessing.

Fortunately, Abram’s response to the conflict did notmirror Lot’s response. For had Abram responded in selfishness as Lot did, theconflict would not have be dealt with in a peaceful manner, and theeffectiveness and the testimony of God’s people would have been hindered.Because Abram dealt with the conflict in a manner consistent with the life offaith, he gained a peaceful resolution.

The Life of Faith Gains a Peaceful Resolution

So, Abram and Lot went their separate ways inpeace. “So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lotjourneyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in theland of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley and moved histents as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom werewicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord” (Genesis 13:11–13).

Can you imagine what the outcome would have been if Abramresponded to the conflict in the same manner that Lot did? It would have beendisastrous. Had Abram responded with selfish motives, with self-gratificationin mind, there might have been a civil war. But Abram trusted the Lord to lookout for him, enabling him to look out for Lot and stay at peace.

How did they gain a peaceful resolution? Through separation.There are times when, for the sake of peace, the family of faith needs toseparate. If there are disagreements about methods, then separate peacefullyand reach people for the cause of Christ. Separation should take place toprevent the church from feuding and warring against one another. Unfortunately,it has been my experience that separation takes place only after feuding andfighting has permeated the family of faith. (Note that I do not use the term“separate” to condone separation between husband and wife—the context here isabout unmarried believers within the body of Christ who are not married to eachother and who are at odds.)

Abram saw the potential of prolonged conflict; therefore,he took the initiative to bring about a peaceful resolution, and he gained itbecause he dealt with the conflict in a manner worthy of a life of faith.Abram’s trust in the Lord during conflict would not go unnoticed. For the Lordwould affirm his approval of Abram’s faith and trust by showering divineconfirmation. “The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, ‘Nowlift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward andsouthward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I willgive it to you and to your descendants forever. I will make your descendants asthe dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, thenyour descendants can also be numbered’ ” (Genesis 13:14–18).

The Confirmation upon the Life of Faith (14–16)

Genesis 13:14–18 is set apart by the words,“The Lord said to Abram.” These are words of comfort as well as cause. They arecomforting because God is reaffirming his promise to Abram and he is telling usthat when we trust in him, even in the midst of conflict, he will take care ofhis own.

These words of the Lord were also the cause of Abram’sfaith. Abram took the Lord at his word; therefore, Abram could give Lot firstchoice because he had learned what the Lord has said to him when he called himto the life of faith—that God would take care of his needs. Abram could lookout for the interests of others because he knew that the Lord would be faithfulto fulfill his promises, even when Abram was unfaithful.[11]At this point Abram knew that God meant what he had said, and that it did not matterwhat choice Lot made because God had enough room in his plan for every man, andGod would take care of Abram.[12]

In these verses the Lord reaffirmed his promises to Abram,which he initially gave in Genesis 12:2–3. In reaffirming his promises, noticethe stark contrast between Abram and the narrative of Lot in the previousverses.

The Lord said to Abram, “Lift up your eyes and look fromthe place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; forall the land that you see, I will give it to you and to your descendantsforever.” Here, the Lord commanded Abram to lift up his eyes, whereas in theprevious verses Lot lifted up his eyes. In this passage, the Lord told Abram tolook, whereas in the preceding passage, Lot was the one who saw. Now we readthat the Lord gave all the land to Abram, whereas before, Lot chose all theland of the valley. Abram waited for God to take the initiative, Lot simplytook his own initiative. Abram waited for God to give him the land, Lot simplytook for himself.[13]

It is hard to believe that this is the same Abram who wentinto Egypt. It is safe to say that this stage of Abram’s journey of faith wassuccessful. It was a period when Abram was tested by inward strife, but insteadof his faith faltering it flourished, and the Lord took care of him.

The Communion of the Life of Faith (17–18)

The key to Abram’s flourishing faith is foundonce again in his communion with the Lord. When Abram walked with andworshipped the Lord, his faith was strong. But when he turned from the Lord andforsook sweet fellowship with the Lord, his faith faltered. Observe Abram’sacts of communion and worship in verses 17 and 18 after God spoke to Abram.

“ ‘Arise, walk about the land through its length andbreadth; for I will give it to you.’ Then Abram moved his tent and came anddwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar tothe Lord.”

In verse 17 the Lord commanded Abram to “arise” and “walkabout.” God’s purpose in this command was to remind Abram that he would giveAbram and his descendants the land. We also see Abram maintain communion withGod through his worship. Verse 18 declares that Abram built an altar to theLord, a sign of Abram’s devotion and gratitude toward the Lord. It was Abram’smaintained daily communion with the Lord that enabled him to respond to theconflict in a manner consistent with the life of faith. Abram’s daily walk withand worship of the Lord made it possible for him to respond correctly to theconflict with Lot and allowed him to put God first, then others, and finallyhimself.

A 1970s poet once wrote, “All I ask of life is a constantand exaggerated sense of my own importance.” Obviously ego was in charge ofthis person’s life. But for one who lives in daily communion with the Lord, ourmotto should be, “All I ask of life is a constant and exaggerated sense of theimportance of trusting the Lord and putting others before myself.” Only one whofully trusts in the Lord can claim this motto.

A father was in his study reading when he overheard hisdaughter and her friend outside. What began as harmless play suddenly soundlike an argument. The conversation between the two girls became heated andargumentative. The father decided it was time to step in, so he opened thewindow and said, “Stop it. Honey, what’s wrong?” His daughter quicklyresponded, “But, Daddy, we were just playing church.”[14]

There is no doubt that the family of faith will experienceconflict. It takes humility to deal with conflict in a manner consistent withthe life of faith. We can cultivate humility only if we individually foster ourdaily walk with the Lord and reverently worship him. We can also put othersbefore ourselves knowing that the Lord will take care of our every need.

[1]Walton andMatthews 38.

[2]StewardBriscoe, Mastering the Old Testament: Genesis (Dallas: Word Publishing,1987) 132.

[3]The NETBible 54.

[4]Michael P.Green, 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker,1989) 66.

[5]JohnPhillips, Exploring Genesis (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1980) 122.

[6]Green 68.

[7]Warren W.Wiersbe, Be Obedient (Colorado Springs: Chariot Victor Publishers,1991), 28.

[8]Wiersbe 28.

[9]Ross 289.

[10]Waltke 222.

[11]Ross 288.

[12]Ross 288.

[13]Ross 288.

[14]Charles R.Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart (Nashville: Word Publishing,1998) 95.

By Faith: How to Keep Your Faith from Faltering

2011-10-05T12:13:00.000-07:00

HOWTO KEEP YOUR
FAITH FROM FALTERING

Genesis 12:10–13:4

Introduction

One of my favorite hymn writers is FannyCrosby. Though she was blind, Fanny Crosby wrote over eight thousand hymns. Ilove the story of how she came to write the hymn All the Way My Savior LeadsMe. Apparently, Fanny was worried because she needed five dollars to payher bills. She had no idea where she would get the money. Fear consumed her.One day, while stressing over her predicament, she heard a knock at the door.Whoever it was had no idea of her need, but felt led to give Fanny exactly fivedollars. Fanny, considered this experience a rebuke to her lack of trust, andshe wrote these lyrics of her loving Guide:

All the way my Savior leads me,

Cheers each winding path I tread,

Gives me grace for every trial,

Feeds me with the living bread.

Though my weary steps may falter,

And my soul athirst may be,

Gushing from the Rock before me,

Lo! a spring of joy I see,

Gushing from the Rock before me,

Lo! a spring of joy I see.

Fanny Crosby’s faith faltered, we’ll soon see that Abram’sfaith faltered, and inevitably in our own journey of faith we too will livethrough periods when our weary steps may falter.

As we study Abraham to learn lessons for the life offaith, we want to recognize the attitudes and choices that can encumber ourjourney. The journey is a process—with steps that lead to maturity—those ofgrand success and others of vast defeat. But our faithful God uses bothsuccesses and failures to mature us in our faith.

We already noted that though Abram started his journey offaith in Ur, he was sidetracked, and he and his father Terah settled in Haran.There Abram heard the summons to renew—the summons of a second chance—and heresponded in faith and continued on his journey until he made it to Canaan.

As we study the next passages in Genesis, we find Abram inCanaan, the place where God wanted him to go. You could say that Abram is nowin the center of God’s will, but as we will see, trying circumstances will testAbram’s faith. His faith will falter and he’ll crash. But the collision willnot be terminal, for God, in his faithfulness, will use Abram’s failure tobless him and grow him in his life of faith. From Abram’s example in thispassage, we can learn how to keep our own faith from faltering when we facedifficulties, and remember that our faith matures through challengingcircumstances.

Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down toEgypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. It came aboutwhen he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I knowthat you are a beautiful woman; and when the Egyptians see you, they will say,‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Pleasesay that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, andthat I may live on account of you.” It came about when Abram came into Egypt,the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. Pharaoh’s officials sawher and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake; and gave him sheep and oxen anddonkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels. But theLORD struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’swife. Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me?Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is mysister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take herand go.” Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him away,with his wife and all that belonged to him. So Abram went up from Egypt to theNegev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him. NowAbram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold. He went on hisjourneys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had beenat the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he hadmade there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. (Genesis12:10–13:4)

The Challenging Circumstance

Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down toEgypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. (Genesis 12:10)

Abram’s challenging circumstance involvedhunger. Verse 10 indicates that the famine in Canaan was severe. The Hebrewword translated “severe” means “burdensome” or “difficult.” Remember that whenAbram first heard the call of God, he was in his birthplace, Ur of theChaldeans—a port city of luxurious comfort, fed by two great rivers, resultingin rich soil and plentiful harvests. Canaan, on the other hand, had anexceedingly fragile ecology, making it subject to famine at any time. If rainsdid not come at the needed time, or if it rained too much or too little,planting and harvesting were adversely affected.[1]

Can you imagine what Abram thought as he realized the landthe Lord promised him would not be able to feed his family? He probably startedquestioning the will of God for his life. How many times have you stepped outin faith, and when you arrived and were faced with difficulty thought, “I madea mistake.”

That’s our tendency as humans. Often the challenge we facewhen hurdles come our way is that we doubt the will of God. Somehow we get thenotion that being in the center of God’s will means everything will runsmoothly. Quite the contrary! God will often send us through demandingcircumstances to mature us. We must meet the challenge, trust the will of God,and recognize that trials come from the hand of a sovereign Lord.

It’s not surprising that Abram doubted God when weremember the promises the Lord gave to him in Genesis 12:2–3. God told Abramthat he would take care of him and bless him as he set out on his journey, yethere was Abram faced with hunger and fear—a fear that undermined his ability totrust God.

We live in a sinful environment that is spiritually,physically, emotionally, and mentally challenging to the life of faith. Becausesin consumes our environment, we may be faced daily with circumstances thatwill test and try our faith. If we respond with a wholehearted trust in God,our faith will not falter, but if fear overcomes faith, faith will falter.[2]

Abram did not pass God’s test of faith. His lack of trustcaused him to take matters into his own hands. Fear overcame faith, and Abramfaltered as he used his wife and lied to attempt to override the sovereignty ofGod. How can we keep our faith from faltering? We must realize that fear is thegreatest enemy to the life of faith.

The Greatest Enemy to the
Life of Faith is Fear (12:10–16)

Franklin Roosevelt once said, “The only thingwe have to fear is fear itself.” In our spiritual life, fear is our greatestenemy. Now, fear can be a friend to faith if we let it strengthen our faith(for example, if we exhibit a reverential fear of God), but more often than notour fear will overcome faith. Genesis 12:10–16 illustrates how Abram gave intofear and how our fright can speak louder than the Father.

Fear Can Speak Louder than the Father

In verse 10 we are told that because of thefamine in the land, Abram decided to leave the place where God commanded him togo and make his way into Egypt. At first glance this seems like the wise thingto do, but when you take a closer look at the verse you notice that somethingis missing.

We know from the previous passages that the Lord broughtAbram out of Ur of the Chaldeans with his father Terah. We know from Genesis12:1 that it was the Lord who commanded Abram to leave Haran and go to Canaan.What is missing in this journey? The voice of the Lord telling Abram to go toEgypt. The absence of God speaking to Abram is no coincidence; it reveals thatAbram was letting his fear speak louder than the Father.

Abram now placed God’s promises in the background and lethis fears speak to him. He probably thought, “Will God really take care of me?Is he really going to bless me as he promised?” These doubts started to chipaway at Abram’s trust in the Lord and began to overshadow his knowledge ofGod’s promises. Abram’s view of reality became distorted, and he lost sight ofGod.

Let’s not be too hard on Abram. He’s certainly not alone.In Numbers 13 and 14, God’s people let their fears speak louder than thepromises of the Father when God commanded Moses to take leaders from the twelvetribes of Israel and send them into the land of Canaan. Twelve men spent fortydays spying out the land. When they returned, they declared that the land hadmuch to offer, but ten of them were terrified to go in. They saw that thepeople were gigantic and incredibly strong; therefore, they thought theIsraelites should not go in. However, two of the twelve men, Caleb and Joshua,disagreed. Needless to say, the ten whose fear overtook them influenced therest of the sons of Israel, and the people cried and rebelled against the Lord.They forgot the Lord’s promise to give them the land. They forgot God’s promiseto take care of them. Their fears spoke louder than the Father’s promises.

Much like the Israelites, Abram fell into this pattern offear and, if we are not careful, so will we. We will take things into our ownhands instead of trusting the Lord.

Fear Causes Us to
Take Things into Our Own Hands

Notice that in verse 1, God took the initiativeto summons Abram to the journey of faith. However, beginning in verse 10, Abramtook the lead. He determined on his own to “[go] down to Egypt.” The reason issimple: his faith had faltered on account of his fears. Abram took things intohis own hands and left God out of the equation.[3]

Abram’s sojourn into Egypt was a clear indication that hewas operating on his own terms and not on the Father’s. There are a few timesin the Bible where we see the Lord commanding or allowing his people to go toEgypt. A subsequent account in Genesis informs us that “God told Jacob to go toEgypt” (Genesis 46:3). In the New Testament, an angel of the Lord told Josephto take Mary and baby Jesus to Egypt to keep the baby from harm (Matthew 2:13).But for the most part, when Egypt is mentioned in the Bible, it usually refersto that which is of the world. To go to and to rely on Egypt is symbolic ofrelying on human resources rather than trusting in the Lord.[4]Typically, when God’s people find themselves in Egypt, it is because theirfaith has faltered, they have taken things into their own hands, and they aretrusting in human instead of divine resources, which usually results in adownward effect. That is, the lack of faith often leads to more sin. And thatis exactly what happened to Abram; he continued on this downhill spiral of sin.When faith falters it can cause God’s people to do things in the flesh.

Fear Causes Us to Do Things in the Flesh

When you see the actions of Abram in verses 11through 13 you begin to think that Abram never responded to God’s summons tothe life of faith. Abram’s actions in this passage were no different than anunbeliever’s actions. Abram acted totally apart from God. Like an unbelieverwho has no faith, Abram feared famine and doubted God’s ability to provide himwith daily sustenance, and he feared the Egyptians and doubted God’s ability toprotect him from danger. Therefore, Abram resorted to scheming and deceptionfor the purpose of protecting his own life. Notice the conversation that tookplace between Abram and Sarai just before they entered Egypt. “And it cameabout when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I knowthat you are a beautiful woman; and it will come about when the Egyptians seeyou, that they will say ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but theywill let you live. Please say that you are my sister so that it may go wellwith me because of you, and that I may live on account of you” (Genesis12:11–13).

Abram knew that the Egyptians would kill him on account ofSarai. If he told the Egyptians he was Sarai’s brother, it would buy them timeto escape because the Egyptians would negotiate with Abram for the right tomarry his sister. But if they knew Abram was Sarai’s husband, then they wouldjust kill him.[5]

Therefore, Abram took things into his own hands. There issome truth that Abram is Sarai’s brother. Genesis 20:12 says that Sarai isAbram’s half sister, but why would Abram resort to deception and half-truths?Because at this point it was all about him. He didn’t want to die, so he didthings in the flesh. He made a plan to protect himself and to “help” the Lordkeep his promise.

A former classmate of mine had a pastorate in a small townjust north of Denton, Texas. One Monday evening he called me to tell me how badhis day went. He had spent the morning at the hospital because one of hisdeacons had passed away. When he arrived back at the church and the parsonage,he found the fire department there putting out a massive grass fire that hadconsumed the cemetery and about thirteen acres of a church member’s propertybehind the church. What made this situation even worse is that my friend knew thatthe bonfire he and his youth minister started behind the church the nightbefore caused the destructive fire. Then the church member who owned the landbehind the church asked my friend if he knew how the fire started. In fear, myfriend lied and told him that he didn’t. Of course the Holy Spirit did not lethim get away with the lie, and he had to tell the member the truth. My friend,as many of us have done, let his fear overcome his faith for self-preservation.

In the same manner, Abram’s fear caused him to act in theflesh and devise his own plan for preservation, but as we’ll soon see, Abram’sfleshly and ungodly plan would backfire on him. “It came about when Abram cameinto Egypt, the Egyptians saw the woman was very beautiful. Pharaoh’s officialssaw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’shouse. Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake; and gave him sheep andoxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels”(Genesis 12:14–16).

Abram was correct in saying they would see that Sarai wasvery beautiful. Abram was also correct that if they thought he was Sarai’sbrother, it would go well with him and his life would be spared. But Abram waswrong about having enough time to negotiate with the Egyptians. His falsecalculation would put his wife and his marriage in danger.

Though Abram experienced the blessings bestowed upon himfrom Pharaoh, these blessings were not divine; instead, they came through humaninitiative. Just because a believer is being blessed materially does notindicate divine favor. Abram prospered materially, but he was spirituallyrundown. Furthermore, God’s promise to make Abram a great nation and bless allnations through him was based upon the seed of Abram, a promise that was now injeopardy because of Abram’s faltering faith.

You could say that Abram left one problem only to findhimself with another. He left a physical famine and found himself with aspiritual hunger, one that came upon him on the basis of his faltering faith inthe Lord’s ability to take care of him. When our faith falters and we takethings into our own hands, we can be assured that our problems will not besolved. We merely exchange one challenging circumstance for another.

The greatest enemy to the life of faith is unhealthy fear.Fear can either draw us close to God or drive us far from him. The latter isthe greatest enemy of God. When fear begins to drive us away from God it doesso by speaking louder than the promises of God. When fear speaks louder thanthe Father, we are often tempted to take things in our own hands, that is, todo things “in the flesh” rather than to rely on God. But all is not lost whenour faith falters, for when our faith falters we can be assured that ourfaithful God will not.

When Our Faith Falters, Our Faithful God Will Not (12:17–13:4)

In verse 17 we see the faithful Lord intervene, “But theLord …” Those three words are a declaration of God’s faithfulness. In fact,this story of Abram’s faltering faith is more about a faithful God than it isabout a faithless servant. Though Abram’s faltering faith would jeopardize thepromise of God, God’s faithfulness to his word would bring the promise about.In making sure that his promise would be fulfilled, we see God’s faithfulness revealedin three different ways. The first thing we see is God’s faithfulness tointervene and discipline the faltering faith.

Faithful to Discipline

But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with greatplagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. Then Pharaoh called Abram and said,“What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was yourwife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife?’ ”(Genesis 12:17–19)

If we are tempted to think that the Lordapproves of Abram’s behavior, then verses 17 through 19 should dispel any suchnotions. Abram left one challenging circumstance and found himself in another.It would seem that trouble was on the horizon. Abram was helpless to save hiswife Sarai, but God was not.[6]God would intervene by first bringing discipline upon Pharaoh and then by usingPharaoh to discipline Abram’s faltering faith.

Verse 17 declares that the Lord struck Pharaoh and hishouse with a plague or disease. Without any question, Pharaoh understood thatthe disease was the consequence of taking Sarai into his household. In theancient world the assumption was that when disease or sickness occurred it wasalways a direct result of a god’s displeasure. The pagan religions saw diseaseand sickness as a direct result of sin.[7]The Lord revealed to Pharaoh that Sarai was Abram’s wife, and as a result theLord struck Pharaoh and his household with disease.

Pharaoh then called Abram to him and rebuked him for hisfaltering faith. But don’t think for a minute that the source of the rebuke isPharaoh. The Lord used a pagan ruler to rebuke his servant. Twice Pharaoh askedAbram why he lied to him. This rebuke is indicative of just how far out offellowship Abram was with the Lord. Before Abram left for Egypt the Lord spoketo him personally, appeared to him, and Abram worshipped and called upon thename of the Lord. But in Egypt the Lord was silent, Abram’s worship was absent,and the Lord used an ungodly man to rebuke a man of God.

Listen to Pharaoh’s questions once again, but this timehear them as coming from the very mouth of the Lord, “Why did you not tell meshe was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her formy wife?” The Lord confronted Abram on his faltering faith, and if Abramwere honest with God he would have to say that he lied because his faithfaltered back in Canaan. He lied because he failed to trust God in the PromisedLand, and he took things into his own hands to try to take care of himself.Really all Abram had to do was to trust the Lord.

The Lord’s rebuke through Pharaoh demonstrates God’sfaithfulness to discipline his straying children. God intervened in the life ofAbram because his word and his character were at stake. The Lord deals with allof his children the same way he dealt with Abram. He is faithful to disciplineand to deliver when his people’s faith falters.

Faithful to Deliver

Verse 20 shows us that not only is the Lordfaithful to discipline, but he is also faithful to deliver, “Pharaoh commandedhis men concerning him; and they escorted him away, with his wife and all thatbelonged to him.” Amazingly, Abram put himself and his wife in a predicament,one that could harm both of them, yet the Lord faithfully delivered them bothunharmed. But we must be very careful to understand God’s deliverance.

In this case, God delivered Abram from the consequences ofhis faltering faith, but God does not always do that. We can be assured thatthe Lord will deliver us spiritually by providing forgiveness and cleansing ofour sins, but God often does not deliver us from the consequences of our sins.[8]We see that take place time and again with the people of Israel. We especiallysee that take place in the life of King David. David committed adultery andmurder, the Lord forgave him, but he did not deliver him from the consequencesof his sin.

Some time ago a story came out about a pharmacist who waswatering down chemo treatments to make money. It turned out that thispharmacist was a Christian man who was trying to pay off taxes and a financialcommitment he made to his church. This Christian brother confessed hisfaltering faith and the Lord has forgiven him, but the Lord did not deliver himfrom the consequences of his sin—he served time in prison.

Faithful to Direct

The first four verses of Genesis 13 reveals afinal observation about God’s faithfulness when Abram’s faith faltered. “SoAbram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged tohim, and Lot with him. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver andgold. He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the placewhere his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the placeof the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on thename of the Lord.”

In these passages, God in his faithfulness, directed Abramwhen his faith faltered. Abram went as far as Bethel, which means “house ofGod.” He went back to where he started, that is, back to where he was beforehis faith faltered. Compare this to verse 8 of chapter 12, “Then he proceededfrom there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, withBethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an alter to the Lordand called upon the name of the Lord.” God was faithful to forgive Abram’sfaltering faith and direct him into full fellowship once again.

Abram came full circle. His faltering faith led him awayfrom the Lord, away from worshipping him, away from calling upon him andlistening to him, but the Lord led Abram back to the place he never should haveleft, the presence of the Lord.

A pastor visited one of his church members who happened tobe a farmer. When he got out of his car he noticed an inscription on thefarmer’s windmill: “God is faithful.” The pastor asked the farmer, “Is that tomean that depending on what direction the wind is blowing God is faithful?” Thefarmer said, “Absolutely not! I put that there to remind me that no matter whatdirection the wind blows or whether the wind blows, God is always faithful.”

The lesson for keeping our faith from faltering should notbe centered on the faithlessness of Abram. If we are truly going to keep ourfaith from faltering, then we need to focus on the faithfulness of God that isrevealed in this passage. When fear comes our way, we don’t need more faith.Instead we need a greater understanding of the object of our faith. We mustremember that the Lord is always faithful, in feast or in famine, whether thewind blows or not. Because our God is absolutely faithful, when challengingcircumstances come our way, when fear is creeping at our door, we can beassured that the Lord will take care of us.

[1]Walter andMatthews 36–37.

[2]Gene A. Getz,Abraham: Holding Fast the Will of God (Nashville: Broadman and Holman,1996) 41.

[3]Kidner 116.

[4]Boice 472.

[5]Ross 275.

[6]Henry M.Morris, The Genesis Record (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976) 300.

[7]Walton andMatthews 38.

[8]Ross 277.

Everyday God

2011-10-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

Recently, I sharedwith a golf partner that I prayed for my golf game. He laughed at me,thinking that I was kidding. I wasn't. He then proceeded to tell me thathe would never pray for his golf game because the Lord had more importantthings to deal with than a golf game.

Now, I would agree with him about theimportance of a golf game in the grand scheme of things. However, I woulddisagree with the belief that God doesn't care about our golf game, or otherinsignificant matters.

I believe in the providence of God;that is, God is involved in every aspect of our lives. God didn’t justcreate the world and then leave us on our own. No, he created the worldand now is intimately involved with the world. This means that though mygolf game improving may not fulfill God’s eternal purposes, he still wants tobe involved with the little details of life. Why? Our God is an everydayGod! And I have a recent experience to illustrate my point.

Back in February of this year, I wasspending the morning hours with the Lord. I was crying out to him aboutthe struggles I have with my earthly father and how it has tragicallyinfluenced my view of my heavenly Father. During this time of prayer, theLord had an individual text me this verse, “As a father has compassion on hischildren, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him” (Psalm103:13). Coincidence? No. Providence.

God is an everyday God involvedintimately with the details of our lives. He will always be faithful tohis people, and many times his faithfulness shown to his people comes throughhis people.

Acceptance

2011-09-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

Weall face hardships in life.Adversity does not discriminate. This is true for both Christians and non-Christians. However, as Christians, how we respond to adverse situations will determine whether our walk with the Lord is a winningwalk.

Thereare three areas of adversity in our lives:pressures, problems, and people. When adversity comeshow can God's people respond in a way that is pleasing to the Lord?

First,we must realizethat God's purpose for adversity is character development. God is not concernedabout our comfort, but ourcharacter. He desires for his children to share in his holiness; therefore,he uses adversity as a tool to develop that character. Sometimes theLord uses adversity for correcting hischildren. Other times he uses adversity forperfecting his children. Both are equally painful.

Second,we must understandthat God's motive for adversity is love. God wants us to be more like Jesus; therefore, he uses pressures,problems, and people at tools to develop godly character. He does this because he loves his children. We belong to him, and he wants the best forus. He wants us to experiencethe blessings of having a winning walk with the Lord.

Third,when we realize God's purposefor adversity is character development, and his motive is love, then we are able toaccept our situations, and truly trust God to finish in us what he started. We canalso trust the Lord to work all things thathappen to us for good. The ultimate blessing, of course, is being conformed in theimage of Jesus Christ.

Ihave learned that the most beneficialexperiences in my walk with the Lord have been the most painful experiences.

What kind of trials are you going through now? Whatis your attitude towards God? What is your attitude towards the trial?

Letme know if I can pray for you!

God's Game Plan: Honor

2011-09-19T03:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday’s message was from Proverbs 3:9-10. How we relate toGod with our money reveals the Christian’s trust level. It is no wonder that the Lord followshis command to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart” with “Honor the Lordwith your wealth.”

God really doesn’t want our money; he wants our heart. How the Christian relates to Godwith money is a good indicator of life-change in Jesus Christ. Here are some life-changequestions from yesterday’s message:

1. Whereis your heart?

2. Isyour heart in Jesus?

3. Isyour heart in heaven?

4. IsJesus Lord of all your life?

5. Doyou trust God with your finances?

6. Willyou give your all to Jesus?

Why Pray?

2011-09-15T06:14:00.000-07:00

Why Pray? Here are some reasons God commands us to pray.

1. We move from knowing about God to truly knowing God when we pray.

2. We express our trust in the Lord when we pray. The more we pray the more we trust.

3. We deepen our relationship with God when we pray. The more we pray the more our love for God deepens and grows.

4. We become a part of God’s great plan when we pray. Prayer allows us to be involved with activities that have eternal significance.

5. God’s kingdom is advanced when we pray.

God's Game Plan: Trust

2011-09-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

Trust

Proverbs 3:5-8

1. God wants His children to trust Him without any reservation.

2. Trust without any reservation is not based upon the amount of your trust, but the object of your trust.

a. You can trust the Lord’s providence and power.

b. You can trust the Lord’s promises and provisions.

3. You are trusting God without reservation when you…

a. Trust the Lord completely

b. Trust the Lord exclusively

c. Trust the Lord relationally

d. Trust the Lord expectantly

4. Life Application

a. Have you trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

b. Write down some of the things that may be keeping you from trusting the Lord without any reservations.

c. What area in your life do you need give over to the Lord?

Don't Stop for God's Sake!

2011-09-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, I started my eighth week of my couch to 5K running program. I did not want to run. My body and my mind were telling me not to run. I was about to give up when I looked up and saw one of my neighbors running toward me. Her presence, and knowing that she has completed the route encouraged me to go on.

Ten minutes later, I was ready to stop running again. Then, at just the right time, I saw the shadow of a runner coming up behind me. It was another neighbor running the same route I was running, even though his pace was much faster than mine. His presence was just what I needed to finish a three-mile run that I never wanted to start in the first place.

My experience caused me to start thinking about my church family. As followers of Christ, we are all in the race together, and we need each other to finish strong. We need to continually encourage one another to stay the course.

I found great satisfaction in finishing my three-mile run. And I owe a great thanks to the Lord for placing people around me to encourage perseverance. I am also thankful for the great people the Lord has put around me to continue to run the race called Christianity.

Be encouraged today. Don't stop running the race. The reward will far outweigh your temporary struggle.

Dear Church Family, It is with Great Sadness that I Submit...

2011-09-05T04:24:00.000-07:00

Gotcha!

Yesterday, I shared some application questions after my sermon. I thought I would post some of them here and allow you to share. Here is the message outline and a few application questions. I would love to have some of your thoughts and testimonies about what God teaching in the area of obedience.

God’s Game Plan: Obedience

Proverbs 3:1-4

1. Obeying God is the basis for sustaining a right relationship with the Lord (1-2).

a. A right relationship begins with a covenant relationship with the Lord.

b. A right relationship is sustained by obeying God’s commands (1)

c. A right relationship results in a life well lived (2)

2. Loving God is the reason for sustaining a right relationship with the Lord (3-4)

a. God devotes his love to his children (3a)

b. God’ deserves love from his children (3a)

c. God demands loyalty from his children (3b)

3. Life Application Questions:

a. Share a story of how you have experienced God’s faithfulness and steadfast love in your life recently.

b. How are you doing in showing your love for God? Are there areas in your life keeping you from loving God the way you should? Is God moving you outside of your comfort zone?

c. Are you loyal to God? Are you encountering situations that may keep you from being faithful to the Lord?

Are You Ready for Some Wisdom?

2011-09-03T03:47:00.000-07:00

I am excited about the new sermon series starting this Sunday called "God's Game Plan." The third chapter of Proverbs teaches basic truths for winning at the game of life. If God's people are going to live a life well lived, then there are some fundamentals that must be followed.

It is said that when legendary coach Vince Lombardi started a new football season, he always started by holding up a football and saying,

"This is a football."

This Sunday's message is the most fundamental message for winning in life. You don't want to miss it.

Phil Cooke: 10 Secrets for Building Great Teams

2011-08-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

Phil Cooke: 10 Secrets for Building Great Teams: "Create a powerful, creative culture, and trust me – a vision will happen."

A Tribute to My Bride: Sweet Sixteen!

2011-06-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

On June 24, 1995 God gave me someone far more precious than gold, silver, or jewels. God gave me someone whom I do not deserve. He gave me an excellent wife. He gave me Christy Dawn Brashear.

For sixteen years, I have put trust in a wife and mother who is faithful to her God and family.

For sixteen years, she has creatively made our house into a home. It didn't matter if we were living in a parsonage next to the church, or even a church gym; she has always made our house a home.

For sixteen years, she has not been afraid to adventure out and find different ways to provide for our family. She definitely has an entrepreneur spirit and can do just about anything she decides to do.

For sixteen years, she has been an example of Christ-like love to the girls and me. She has been patient with me as God continues to perfect me into the image of Jesus. She obediently has followed my leadership even though much of her struggles in life have been a direct result of my struggles with insecurities and fears.

For sixteen years, she has faithfully served alongside of me in the ministry and has proven to be the best pastor's wife to ever grace this fallen world. She has helped me keep the focus of God's call upon us as a couple and the family; always pointing us to our family verse, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

For sixteen years, she has proven to be a great wife and mother, and is extremely worthy to be blessed and praised.

For sixteen years, she has shown consistency in living out this verse, "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised" (Proverbs 31:30).

I praise my excellent wife for being a woman who loves God and people, and who wants to serve the Lord no matter what the cost.

I love you Christy Dawn. I look forward to spending the rest of my living years by your side. You will always be my best friend.

Happy Anniversary!

Gifts From God

2011-06-07T14:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes in the midst of intense struggles God will send you gifts to let you know that he hears you, and he is with you. Last week, God gave me two gifts all in one day. I was prayer walking early one morning and found myself wresting with regrets about past decisions. I was struggling with those decisions and wondering if I could move forward in my walk with God. While I am crying out to God in prayer, a song comes on my headphones that basically gave the answer I needed. The song was "The Blood" by Shane and Shane. It speaks about how the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all our sins. The moment the song started playing, I knew it was from God. It was his way of saying, "I love you, and I forgive you. Move forward." I started weeping with joy knowing that God was working in me and conforming me into the image of his Son.

Another struggle I was having in my prayer time was my preaching. I must admit that the last few months I have been under attack in the area of preaching. Some of the attacks have been external, and others internal. Within an hour of my prayer struggle with God, I received an email that I knew was a gift from God, one that encouraged me to persevere in my preaching.

I have decided to start praying for God to send little gifts to others just to let them know that he hears them and is with them.

Unbelieving Generation

2011-04-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

What happens if we don't pray? Have you ever considered the ramifications of a life without prayer, or a church without prayer?

Recently, I was reading the story of Jesus' disciples who were among a large crowd a the base of a mountain (Mark 9). When Jesus reunited with them, He found the disciples arguing with the crowd. The argument, of course, stemmed from the disciples' inability to cast a demon out of a young boy.

Jesus, after hearing why they were arguing, said to the disciples and the crowd, “O unbelieving generation” (Mark 9:19). Jesus then proceeded to cast out the demon from the young boy.

When the disciples were in a private place with Jesus, they asked him, "Why couldn't we drive it (the demon) out?" Jesus replied, "This kind comes out only by prayer" (Mark 9:28-29).

What amazes me about this story is the fact that the disciples had already experienced success in casting out demons in a previous chapter. In the sixth chapter of Mark, we see Jesus sending out the disciples in groups of two, and they were able to do that which they could not do in chapter nine—cast out demons.

What happened? They did the same thing they did last time—they followed the same program, the same method, used the same authority that they used last time—so what happened?

Clearly, the reply that Jesus gave reveals the problem. They didn't pray. However, the fact that they didn't pray reveals a deeper issue. The deeper issue is unbelief. A prayerless church is an unbelieving church.

If we really believed that God wants to do a great work then why aren't more Christians praying?

If we really believe that God is the one that provides all of our needs, such as volunteers or finances, then why aren't more Christians praying?

If we really believe that God wants to add people to His flock, that is to say, grow the church through corporate prayer, then why aren't more Christians praying?

Why isn't the church truly a house of prayer? I am afraid that the answer is found in the discerning words of Jesus "O unbelieving generation."

My prayer is that we won't be numbered with the unbelieving. “… when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).

Praying for Revival,

A Marriage that Works

2011-04-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

In my experience as a pastor, I have had many opportunities to give counsel to couples who desire to marry. I ask the couples to take a test that will help them see the strengths and weaknesses of their relationship. One of the areas that is dealt with on the test is marriage expectations. Every couple that has taken the test has always had a low score in the area of expectations. The reason that most score low in this category is found in their unreal expectations concerning marriage.

Every couple has a picture of marriage that is many times far from reality. They often think that the problems they face now will magically go away when they get married. They think that the fights that they have now will go away when they get married. They are wearing rose colored glasses when it comes to marriage.

My job in the counseling sessions is to take off those glasses and graciously aid them in understanding that marriage is a beautiful gift from God, but it is hard work. I try to tell them that successful marriages, that is to say, marriages that truly work are marriages where the devoted couples work hard to make it work. I communicate to them that a marriage that works is one where the married couples work hard at making it work.

If I was only allowed one piece of advice to give to married or about to be married couples it would be these words from the Lord Jesus Christ, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Marriages that work are marriages where God’s people are denying self and following Christ, meaning that God’s people are truly wanting to be disciples of Christ. Marriage is discipleship, and the sooner couples understand that reality, the sooner they can enjoy the fruit of discipleship in their marriage.

This study from the book of Malachi will give great principles to married couples on how to have a working marriage. The principles will be gleaned from marriages that were not working, and because they were not working they were not pleasing the Lord.

A Vision for Generations to Come!

2011-04-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

Blessed!

2011-04-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

I have been blessed by a wonderful church with a trip to Israel. I can't say enough how thankful I am for their generosity. I am excited to see in person what I have studied all these years. Thank you First Southern for allowing me this opportunity.

Where Lives Change

Pause

“The Frank and Manly Mr. Ryle” — The Value of a Masculine Ministry

The Ultimate Standard

The Secret Struggles of Many Pastors

Here are 10 “secrets” about many senior pastors:

FSBC: A Christmas Greeting

Seek Week: A Hunger for More!

Devotion: Cultivating Courage

God Determines Our Steps

Discovering God's Will for Your Life

To Dream Again

Shattered Dreams: Dead-end or Doorway?

By Faith: The Waiting is the Hardest Part

Introduction

The Waiting Is the Hardest Part

We Are Tempted to Question God’s Timing and Ability in our Situation

We Are Tempted to Look to the World for Solutions

We Are Tempted to Listen to Other Voices for Our Supervision

The Troubles Will Not Depart

Human Solutions Can Make Troubles Worse

Human Solutions Can Make Troubles Permanent

The Answer Is in the Heart

A Heart that Prays

A Heart that Believes

By Faith: Standing on the Promises of God

Introduction

Standing on God’s Supernatural Promises

The Promise of Supernatural Protection

The Promise of Supernatural Provision

The Promise of a Supernatural Progeny

Standing on God’s Saving Promises

The Response to God’s Saving Promise

The Result of God’s Saving Promise

Standing on God’s Sure Promises

The Sure Covenant of God

The Sure Character of God

By Faith: Spiritual People Involved in Spiritual Warfare

The Involvement in SpiritualWarfare (v. 1–16)

The Conflict

The Casualties (12)

The Contribution (vv. 13–16)

The Attitude for Spiritual Warfare(vv. 17–20)

The Arrival of Spiritual Opposites

The Source of Spiritual Victory

The Temptation within Spiritual Warfare

The Temptation Presented (v. 21)

The Test Passed (vv. 22–24)

By Faith: How the Life of Faith Deals with Conflict

Introduction

Conflict Will Be Experienced within the Family of Faith

The Source of the Conflict

The Seriousness of the Conflict

Resolve Conflict in a Manner Consistent with a Life of Faith

The Life of Faith Desires a Peaceful Resolution

The Life of Faith Initiates a Peaceful Resolution

The Life of Faith Gains a Peaceful Resolution

The Confirmation upon the Life of Faith (14–16)

The Communion of the Life of Faith (17–18)

By Faith: How to Keep Your Faith from Faltering

Introduction

The Challenging Circumstance

The Greatest Enemy to the Life of Faith is Fear (12:10–16)

Fear Can Speak Louder than the Father

Fear Causes Us to Take Things into Our Own Hands

Fear Causes Us to Do Things in the Flesh

When Our Faith Falters, Our Faithful God Will Not (12:17–13:4)

Faithful to Discipline

Faithful to Deliver

Faithful to Direct

Everyday God

Acceptance

God's Game Plan: Honor

Why Pray?

God's Game Plan: Trust

Don't Stop for God's Sake!

Dear Church Family, It is with Great Sadness that I Submit...

Are You Ready for Some Wisdom?

Phil Cooke: 10 Secrets for Building Great Teams

A Tribute to My Bride: Sweet Sixteen!

We Are Tempted to Question
God’s Timing and Ability in our Situation

We Are Tempted to
Look to the World for Solutions

We Are Tempted to Listen to
Other Voices for Our Supervision

Human Solutions
Can Make Troubles Permanent

Conflict Will Be Experienced
within the Family of Faith

Resolve Conflict in a
Manner Consistent with a Life of Faith

The Greatest Enemy to the
Life of Faith is Fear (12:10–16)

Fear Causes Us to
Take Things into Our Own Hands