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Faith & Obedience: A case study on Abraham Pt 1

Initially, this blog post was going to be focused on Abrahams obedience. However, I did not know how to go about the blog though the vision was clear. Then it dawned on me, I cannot talk about Abraham's obedience without touching on his faith. His faith is the one that fueled his obedience. His faith made it easier to obey God because he trusted God.

Genesis 12 vs 1 - 3 (NKJV):

1 The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you.

2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.

3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you"

These three verses show God's promises to Abram (before his name was changed to Abraham). God did not just tell Abram to leave his country, but He gave Abram promises. We see here that God knows his people. If we are being realistic, you wouldn't leave your country and your family without reason. It is impractical, and ofcourse, you would not heed that call. But here, God gave Abram promises, He gave Abram reasons to heed the call of God. 

God spoke and it was now up to Abram, for we know that God is a God of freewill. Abram trusted what God said unto him, he left his nation and his relatives. Abram's obedience was fueled by his faith. Hebrews 11 vs 1 describes faith as the reality of what we hope for, it is the evidence of things not seen. When God spoke to Abram, he hadn't become a great nation but because God's promises brought hope, his faith was ignited, making it easier to obey. 

When I first read chapter 12 ages ago, I was baffled by how easily Abram obeyed God. Obedience is not easy as a result of our sinful nature because we are prone to rebellion. Rebellion is the opposite of obedience. Now I understand that Abram trusted God and had faith in Him, which is why obedience was easier. 

In Genesis 18, the Lord appears to Abraham (his name was changed from Abram to Abraham in Genesis 17). Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. Abraham tended to the three men by washing their feet and feeding. I am uncertain whether Abraham knew that he was caring for angels, but I would like to believe that Abraham was able to discern the Lord's presence. In verse 10 of the same chapter, one of them spoke and said that Sarah would have a child a year later. 

Sarah was eavesdropping on the conversation and when she heard that statement, she laughed. In verse 14, the Lord asks, "Is anything too hard for the Lord". I am highlighting this part because I see myself in Sarah. My faith is still lacking in many ways but I am a work in progress. Instead of believing God's word, it's easier to doubt. It is easy to forget his promises, goodness and power when times get hard. In Sarah's case, she thought that her old age would make it impossible for her to give birth but the Lord God fulfilled his promises and she had a baby.

My call to you (and me) is: do not be a Sarah, be more like Abraham. There is nothing too hard for the Lord and that is shown throughout scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, from the Old Testament to the New Testament, there is nothing too hard for the Lord. Abraham's faith was rooted as a result of him trusting God's word. The Bible is full of God's word and that is what we can use to build our faith every day. 

(Part 2 coming soon 💕)

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