Let Go in Faith and Trust God - Life is a Journey, part 3
Feeling stuck? Or maybe you made poor decisions? This message teaches us how to let go of the things that don’t serve us or God, and cling to the promises of the One who knows and loves us.
Choose to believe the promises of God over the lies of the enemy. We need to let go of what we are trying to hold on to and trust God with our future. God’s blessings are real and are for those who have placed their faith in Jesus.
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, walk in faith and victory, and be blessed in life’s journey.
Will you let go and receive the promises and blessings of God?
YOUR DECISIONS DETERMINE YOUR DESTINY.
We are continuing our series, “Life is a journey.” At times, we are not certain where life’s choices will take us. 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.
We need our own altars to help guide us.
We’ve been following Abraham’s journey, his good decisions and bad decisions; his faith and failures. By now, Abraham is beginning to trust God in his life journey. Abraham has made a few poor choices, and he will make more poor choices on life’s journey. We all will. The question you must ask yourself is: am I learning from my poor choices and will I let God be God in my heart and along life’s journey?
Abraham built altars in the land God was showing him. The altars where Abraham acknowledged God, along with those he built where he called upon the name of the Lord, were permanent places of worship. The altars were like markers along life’s journey that Abraham could use to remember and reflect upon the times of worshiping God. They could also become a place to return to after having made some poor choices, and a place to recommit and worship God in faith once again.
We do not build physical altars of stone as Abraham did when he worshiped God. However, each time you fall on your knees and humbly call upon the name of the Lord, it is like you are building an altar of worship at that moment. A place of worship might be by a bed, in a church, in a hospital room, in your car or at a desk. It might be following a Sunday service, on a mountain top, in a valley, or a jail cell.
Where you worship the Lord is not what matters so much as bowing your heart in faith. Remember those times in life’s journey. Those times are spiritual guideposts. They are important markers in life that we should remember. Times of worship and times of spiritual surrender on life’s spiritual journey should always be remembered.
When you find yourself wandering spiritually because of a poor decision, return to those times of worship and spiritual refreshing. Return to a time of spiritual surrender to God. You will be glad you do. Do not stop short of God’s call or stop short of His promises for you in your life’s journey.
You may not consider the life you live to be anything special, but I think Abraham, the Apostle Paul, and a multitude of others would disagree with you. You are special to the Lord no matter what you may think now. It does not matter how far you stray from God, there is still a path back when you seek the Lord with all your heart.
Life is a journey filled with choices—just look at Abraham’s life. He chooses to:
Leave behind past ties of Ur and Haran, and go to Canaan.
Obey.
Acknowledge God.
Worship God.
Trust and believe.
A life journey is filled with ups and downs, yet choosing to trust God and believe all the promises of God will change your life, and know the promises are real.
Abraham weighs the consequences of his choices and decides to trust God in his life’s journey. Abraham will continue to have ups and downs; times of doubt. But through it all, Abraham will learn to walk in faith and in the assurance of God’s promises.
What about you? Have you considered the consequences of your choices lately?
Abraham Trusted God, and We Should Too
In Genesis 13, Abraham decides to trust God. Abraham and his nephew Lot both had large herds of animals. So much so that the land could not support them. Their herdsmen began to quarrel, and Abraham decided that they should split up and no longer travel together. Scripture tells us that the Canaanites, and now the Perizzites, were living in the land at that time.
‘So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” 10 Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13 Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord. 14 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” 18 So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord’ (Genesis 13:8-18, NIV).
Abraham was the senior of the two. Abraham would have had first choice because of his age, but instead he allowed Lot to choose.
Lot noticed the good grazing land and chose that area for himself. Lot let his physical eyes, selfish heart, and greedy desires choose which way to go. Lot chose to live in and around the cities where some of the Canaanites and Perizzites made their homes; cities filled with immorality. Lot would soon be influenced by foreign cultures and he, by his silence, condoned the worship of other gods.
Lot’s decision to live in and by the city of Sodom, was born out of a selfish desire. A decision to ignore the immorality and sin, for the pleasure of rich grazing land and a life of ease. In time, Lot will have two daughters and they will marry men from the ungodly nations in the area.
Lot’s short-sighted decision will cost him almost everything. One day in the future Lot will need to flee Sodom with his wife and two daughters, with only the clothes on their backs.
Abraham’s decision to part ways with Lot might have been a difficult one because they were family and Abraham—acting as a father figure—may have felt responsible for Lot. But it became necessary because their herdsman were arguing over grazing area, plus Lot was old enough to make his own decisions.
Abraham’s decision to separate was to avoid the arguing and caused Abraham to unintentionally fulfill the command of God to leave his family household. At times, being forced to let go of something is a blessing, as in this case for Abraham.
Abraham allows Lot to choose where he will live and graze his heard. Lot gave no thought to his uncle. Lot reveals his heart and self-centeredness.
Lot will become friends with the people of Sodom who were wicked and living far from God. On the other hand, Abraham will live in the land of Canaan and travel throughout the land. It is after the two separate that God once again reaffirms his promise to Abraham and his decedents.
Is there anything God is asking you to let go of?
Friends, at times we need to let go of what we are trying to hold on to and trust God with our future. Abraham has now cut all ties to his father’s household and his past. Except for his wife and those who were apart of his household, Abraham will be alone in a strange land. But he will not really be alone. God will be with him. The promise of God is clearly before him. Abraham was to walk through the land God was giving him, and his decedents would one day be unable to count.
Sometimes we need to sever relationships to be blessed. But that does not mean that we should not care for that person. He still cared about Lot. When Lot was taken captive (Genesis 14), Abraham took 318 trained men from his household and rescued Lot and others who were taken captive. Later in chapter 18, when the city of Sodom was about to be destroyed, Abraham pleaded that the Lord spare Sodom, most likely because his nephew was living in and near Sodom.
Abraham pleaded with the Lord to spare the cities on account of righteous people living in the city, attributing Lot to be righteous. The Lord honored Abraham’s request to not destroy the righteous by removing Lot and his family from Sodom.
Yes, Abraham cared for his nephew Lot, but he chose peace over quarreling with close relatives. Abraham chose to separate from Lot to keep peace. Abraham chose to do what was right rather than be entangled in strife.
Each of us will need to decide what is best. To separate from entanglements that want to divide us or live in peace and obedience regarding the things of God. We are to leave old worldly desires behind and separate from those situations that will tempt us to sin. Abraham let go and separated from his family ties. But he never forgot about Lot and his responsibility for Lot.
Abraham let go and he gained all the promises of God.
Abraham let go of his right to choose where to live.
Abraham let go of his previous lifestyle of living in cities.
Abraham let go of his personal privilege and trusted God.
Abraham let go of a permanent home to wander the land as a stranger.
Abraham let go of all these things that seemed important to him at the time, but God had bigger plans for Abraham!
When we let go of our personal desires, we let go of:
The right to demand something for ourselves.
The right to follow worldly pleasures.
The right of feeling we have everything under control.
The right to demand our way and be our own authority.
When Abraham yielded to God in complete faith, God reaffirmed all of His promises once again to Abraham. Then Abraham traveled to Hebron and built an altar to the Lord and worshiped God again.
Know that God’s blessings are real and are for those who have placed their faith in Jesus.
Let me suggest that letting go, separating from a past way of life, is a spiritual battle of the heart in the believer every day.
It is a battle of deciding whether to follow the flesh or the spirit.
A battle of whether to yield to fear or stand strong in faith.
A battle of following God or the world.
A battle of opposing lifestyles.
A battle of staying or letting go.
A battle to do what you want or to obey God and let God direct your path.
Consider the contrasting deeds of the flesh and the fruits of the spirit:
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other” (Galatians 5:19-26).
Abraham was choosing to live God’s way, by trying to live by the fruits of the spirit without realizing it. Avoiding the infighting and displaying self-control and selflessly allowing Lot to choose first took an act of faith on Abraham’s part. Abraham’s actions displayed a heart of faith and trust in God. Lot, on the other hand, displayed none of these. Lot displayed a heart of selfish ambition, dissensions, and no regard of the factions that were occurring. Lot was willing to associate with those of impure hearts for selfish gains. Lot, like many today, think nothing about the moral atmosphere that surrounds them. Rather than separating, rather than letting go of worldly ways of life, they remain on the same path.
Will you let go and receive the promises and blessings of God?
As I said before, Abraham loved and cared about his nephew Lot, otherwise why would he go and rescue Lot from his captures? Separating did not mean that Abraham did not care about Lot.
Abraham had a choice to make: let go and separate from Lot and walk with God; or separate from God and live in rebellion to the word of God and away from the blessings and promises of God. Abraham chose God.
What will you choose? You will choose one way or another. Who will you serve? God or self? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Let me close with a simple thought: in Matthew 5, you will find the Sermon on the Mount; this is where Jesus taught the Beatitudes. As with most things, there are two sides: we can be happy and blessed or be miserable and regretful.
My prayer is that you walk in faith and victory, and be blessed in life’s journey like Abraham. How? Trust Jesus with all your heart, walk in faith and victory in life’s journey. You will be glad and blessed that you do.
God told Abraham to lift up his eyes and see the land I am giving to you and your decedents. I pray you will open and lift your spiritual eyes to see heaven’s glory that is yours when you choose to separate from living a worldly life and live a life of faith in Christ.
Do not allow the lie of losing everything this world has to offer stop you from believing and receiving all God has offered you, in His word.
After separating, Abraham traveled to Hebron, where he built an altar and worshiped God.
Take a moment and thank the Lord, worship Him for He is worthy.
Decide today what is profoundly important in life. Choose to believe the promises of God over the lies of the enemy and the empty promises of the world.
Suggested Praise and Worship
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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.