Acknowledge and Worship God - Life is a Journey, part 2
Is fear holding you back? You can rely on God to keep His promises even in seemingly impossible and messy circumstances. A decision to acknowledge God is the first step in deciding to believe in God’s promises.
Through this series, you’ll learn how to live well & enjoy God's promises. You are loved by God; He knows your name. He has a plan for your life. Get helpful advice, encouragement, and hope for a life well lived in 2021 and beyond.
Are you walking in faith and victory? Set your eyes on the promises of God. You only have one life journey; say yes to Jesus. Like Abraham, live by faith and allow God to be God in every situation.
Stop the foolishness of living by fear.
YOUR DECISIONS DETERMINE YOUR DESTINY.
We are all on a journey. Life is a journey, beginning at birth, filled with choices. At times, we are not certain where life’s choices will take us.
Have you considered the consequences of your choices lately? What should you do when you get to a fork in the road? Do you stop or continue; turn left or right? Do you trust God or will you do your own thing?
The decisions you make will determine your physical and spiritual destiny. The decisions we make along the way have consequences, some good, some not so good. But in both cases, we can learn from them and try to make better decisions the next time.
How we respond when we make wrong decisions is key in our physical and spiritual journey. We will either journey forward in faith and victory with God or fall back in fear and live in the bondage of self-preservation and hopeless lies that refuse to believe in the promises of God.
God Keeps His promises
In Genesis 12 1-5 we learned Abraham followed God’s call to go to Canaan. In Genesis 12:6 to 13:3, we learn that Abraham is traveling through the land and then decides to head for Egypt, because of a famine. Abraham will learn a great deal more about God as he journeys through life.
‘Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. 9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev. 10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”’ (Genesis 12:6-13, NIV).
God reaffirms His promise to Abraham that his descendants would possess the land. Still Abraham has no children of his own. It is at this point Abraham decides to build an altar to the Lord. Abraham decided to acknowledge God who appeared to him, as he built this altar. A decision to acknowledge God is the first step in deciding to believe in God’s promises. This would soon lead to Abraham being blessed and growing in faith, obedience and victory.
The first altar Abraham built in Canaan near Shechem appeared to acknowledge God, but with the second altar he built (between Bethel and Ai), we find Abraham calls on the name of the Lord. It appears that Abraham is taking another step of faith in his physical and spiritual life journey.
It is here, where Abraham calls on the name of the Lord, that it might be said that Abraham identifies himself to be a follower, a worshiper of the Lord and he is beginning to realize God as God over all creation.
The word Bethel means (house of God) and Ai (a heap of ruin). Let me suggest that we often find ourselves somewhere between Bethel and Ai almost every day: Between the house of God and a heap of ruins; between obeying God and following our selfish desires.
For the Christian, our life’s journey is a physical and spiritual pilgrimage between the old way of life and our future life being with Christ. Let me remind every believer and all who walk on this earth: this life you are living is a journey. Do not settle down in this place and do not think that this is all there is, this is not your final home.
Live as strangers in the land and walk by faith. Remember the promises of God and know He is God of all creation.
Notice, in these verses Abraham pitches a tent for himself and then builds a permanent altar to call on the name of the Lord. The only permanent fixture Abraham leaves behind once he entered Canaan are the altars he builds. Abraham never settles down in one place after he arrived in Canaan. Abraham traveled the countryside the remainder of his life.
Abraham will learn time and again that God is Lord everywhere.
In Genesis 12:10-20 we find Abraham going down to Egypt because of a famine in the land. This event will become a learning experience for both Abraham and Sara. Abraham needs to learn and know that God is watching over them everywhere they go. Abraham will need to learn to trust and obey God. Abraham needed to learn that he could rely on God to keep His promises even in seemingly impossible and messy circumstances.
Now I do not know if it was wrong for Abraham to travel to Egypt due to the famine. But we do not see God confronting Abraham about his decision. We also need to realize God could have provided for Abraham in the land of Canaan even during a famine, but that God allowed Abraham to make this decision that would soon become a test of faith. One thing Abraham did wrong, is that he attempted to save himself by encouraging Sara to lie to save his life and that he did not trust God with their future.
Are you letting fear blind you?
It is fear, not faith, that drove Abraham to Egypt. Abraham appears to have failed his first big test after entering the land of Canaan.
Abraham feared that he would be killed by the Egyptians and for Sara to remain alive if it was known that they were husband and wife. Abraham knew Sara was good looking and she was better than he deserved. So, he convinced Sara to lie and say that she was his sister (which was a half-truth) and she did not mention that they were married.
What was Abraham was thinking? Did he even consider what might happen to Sara? Pharaoh takes Sara to be his own wife and then treats Abraham well, by giving him sheep, cattle, donkeys, servants and even camels. Abraham may have thought his plan was working at first. He was still alive. But what about Sara, he did not consider Sara’s future. What about God’s promise and plan that Abraham’s descendants would possess the land? How is that going to happen now that Sara is Pharaoh’s wife? What about all the blessings of God? Did Abraham forget about God?
Did Abraham forget, or did his fear of what might happen grow so large that it caused him to doubt God? Abraham was spiritually blind because of his disbelief.
Abraham scheme of trying to trick the Egyptians was born out of a lack of faith in God. The situation got messy when it did not need to be, all because Abraham did not trust God.
Understand this key truth on life’s journey: “helping” God and acting out of fear make us spiritually blind.
When we try to do things on our own, we sin and things get messy.
When we are acting out of fear and selfishness, rather than in faith and obedience in God, we will find ourselves outside of God’s plan.
Remember, God’s way is always best. Acting outside of God’s plan is messy and spiritually unhealthy.
In Genesis 12:17 we find that God steps in and takes control of the situation.
‘But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had’ (Genesis 12:17-20).
The fact is, our disobedience and lack of faith affects not only ourselves but lives all around us. Abraham, Sara, Lot, Pharaoh and Pharaoh’s entire household, and countless others were all affected by Abraham’s lack of faith in God’s ability.
Abraham’s son Isaac, followed in his father’s footsteps and attempted to save his life the same way his father did:
‘When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.” 8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.”’ (Genesis 26:7-9).
Here Isaac follows his fathers poor example and attempts to save his own life by having Rebekah lie.
Friends, our lies will be found out one way or another. Why cause yourself and others to go through the pain of disobedience and a lack of faith? Learn from your poor decisions the first time. Learn from someone else’s poor decisions and choose to obey God.
What if Abraham had chosen to trust God and not lie? God certainly could have spoken to both Pharaoh and Abimelech in a dream and all the pain and drama would have been avoid.
The fact is, when we trust God and live by faith, people’s lives will be blessed rather than suffering the pain caused by a lack of faith.
Abraham will learn over time to trust God. He will also learn that when God steps into the messy situation that he created by trying to save himself, everything will change.
Live by Faith and Allow God to be God In Every Situation
Let us choose to believe and walk-in faith daily. Chose to acknowledge and worship God in all things and stop trying to save yourselves. Allow God to be God in every situation.
Take some advice from Abraham. Learn from Abraham’s mistakes:
Do not stop short of your calling and do not try to save yourself.
Do not act out of fear or doubt.
Acknowledge God’s presence in life’s journey.
Build and remember key events and worship times along life’s journey.
Allow God to be God in the situation.
In times of pain or wrong turns in life, choose to return and reflect upon the promises of God. Take time to renew, a time of worship of God.
Friends, every person alive is on a life journey. Do not make the mistake and stop short on your life journey and decide to hold up in a place like Haran. You may not know everything about where you are headed in life, but you will never go wrong when you trust and obey God. The blessings of God and His hand on your life will reveal his presence in your situation and your faith will grow stronger.
Abraham acknowledged the presence of God, before he ever worshiped God. Abraham returned to the altar near Bethel and worshiped and called upon the name of God once God delivered him from the bondage of Pharaoh and his sin.
Please consider all God has done for you and decide today who you will worship, obey, and serve: GOD or a selfish desire.
Abraham witnessed God’s hand of deliverance from the mess he made due to his foolish plan to save himself, and his lack of faith in God. Abraham’s lack of faith caused havoc in so many lives.
Like Abraham, we must stop the foolishness of living by fear and live by faith. We need to worship the Lord with all our heart.
If you have made a poor choice lately, begin today to call out to God and turn back to the Lord and worship the Lord once again. The Lord will receive you back with open arms as you seek Him with all your heart.
Learn from Abraham’s decision to walk in faith and victory all through life’s journey. Build spiritual altars of worship throughout life’s journey, so that when you do make a poor decision you know where to return to worship the Lord.
Understand your physical life journey is a visible indication of your spiritual life journey. Let your light shine. Let your life be a visible example of faith in Christ for all to see. Remember in all your ways acknowledge him and He will make your path straight.
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Suggested Praise and Worship
This and other sermons brought to you by Faith Chapel, an Assemblies of God church in Pleasanton, CA.
Genesis 37:2-4, 50:18-21: Learn how to live with integrity and see past your circumstances. God will use you if you let Him. Like a spiritual marathon runner, keep the faith and see the hand of God in your life.