WEEK ONE

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. 

And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

At age seventy-five, Abram wasn’t a young man with a head full of youthful dreams and plans. For all intents and purposes, his life was complete and he was looking back on the life had had lived with perhaps a sense of completion. However, Abram’s life wasn’t over until God said it was over. 

God called him to leave his country and his father’s household, that must have been overwhelming.  Abram didn’t have a Bible, a pastor, or a church. All he had were these very Words of God. What faith! One might think that Abram was desperate to move out from his parent’s house, especially at the age of seventy-five! However, the culture was different then and he was in an extremely comfortable place in life with no need to take risks or needless ventures.

What we see here is an awe-inspiring covenant God set before Abram. Can you imagine hearing those words from the Lord? The promise of great influence, and blessing to not only his nation but other nations around the world; a promise of protection, security, and a legacy. All of these and more were promised by God. What Abram was giving up was of no comparison to what God promised to give and to do.

Something we have to understand is that God’s promise to Abram extended far beyond just Abram. The promise had implications and effects for the whole entire world and world history. This covenant was beyond just one man.

How often do we feel that prompting of God’s Spirit to get up and go, but talk ourselves out of it because we don’t have all the details or we’re just plain scared? How often do we see a command in Scripture but we ignore it because we are afraid? How often do we lack faith to believe in the promises of God in our life, and we try to do things only God can do in our own strength?  This passage doesn’t give all the details, but it appears that Abram just went! No bantering back and forth with God, no getting all his ducks in a row…he just did what God told him to do. He walked away from the “known” and the comforts of his life, and into the unknown because God promised if he did, the blessing on his family, his nation, and beyond would be immeasurable.

Abram’s obedience and then God fulfilling His covenant changed the world forever.   It was through Abram’s descendants that Christ came to earth to save all mankind.

Throughout this week we are going to see that Abram messed up. A lot. He lied and cheated. He tried to do things in his own strength and the consequences of these actions can still be felt today. But, even though he messed up a lot, God was still faithful to do what He said He would do. The very fact that you’re reading this testifies to that truth.

As we approach this Advance Initiative, God will prompt you to do something. He may prompt you to take a radical step of obedience. How will you respond? Will you respond like Abram? Or, will you stay in the comfortable, and miss out on all of the things God wants to accomplish in and through you? It was financially risky for Abram to leave his home, but it was not a finance issue or a money issue. It was a heart issue, an obedience issue, and a faith issue.

• Have you ever given something up in order to obey the Lord?
• What are some potential reasons one may not want to take radical steps of obedience?
• What is one simple act of faith and obedience you can do this week?
• What is meant by the statement, “It was not a finance issue or a money issue. It was a heart issue?”
• Will you pray and seek the Lord to guide you in what next step of obedience He wants you to take?