What can we learn from Abraham’s decades of walking with God? In this message, Dr. Stanley teaches us how to obey in faith like Abraham did, following God even when the path ahead was dark. Learn how to keep giving God your yes, one day at a time.

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you trust him enough that when he

requires something of you instead of

arguing when you do it

I’ll tell you how you can gauge your

spiritual growth how long does it take

you from the time God tells you to do

something to the time you do it that’s a

pretty good gauge of how committed you

are

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four decades ago we started in touch

ministries to lead people worldwide into

a growing relationship with Jesus Christ

throughout the years we’ve seen God’s

greatness his love and his blessings in

such awesome ways that we just want

everyone to know him so let’s open God’s

Word and seek Him together next on

InTouch the walk of faith

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the title of this message is the walk of

faith if I should ask you are you

walking in faith you walk in my sight

how would you answer that do you walk

according to the will and purpose and

plan of God for your life are you just

walking trusting and hoping things will

turn out God wants us to walk trusting

him for every single thing Abraham for

example of all the people in the Bible

on the second second knowledge of Jesus

is probably one of the most important

people in the Bible

because there are 14 chapters of

scripture about this man Abraham alone

and when you look in the Word of God and

you begin to see all those chapters and

all the things that he did and think

about the fact he’s the father of the

Jewish race and so he’s a very very

important character in the scripture and

he came from a pagan society and when

you think about where he came from and

what he did you think well there’s hope

for me there is hope because he came

from now a pagan society but he probably

was an idol worshiper and somebody says

well what would God choose somebody like

that God makes choices based on his

wisdom not on how we see things and God

reaches down speaks to him and if he’ll

turn to this twelfth chapter of Genesis

listen what he says now the Lord said

Abram go forth from your country from

your relatives from your father’s house

to the land which I will show you and

I’ll make you a great nation I will

bless you

I’ll make your name great so you shall

be a blessing and I will bless those who

bless you and the one who curses you I

will curse and in you all the families

of the earth will be blessed imagine

hearing that from God when you’d been

worshiping idols

and God revealed himself to Abraham in

the very special way so when you look at

what God says to him what he what he’s

desire saw him he says God requires him

to leave his country so when I think

about what God does in Abraham’s life he

desires to do in all of our lives to

some degree and that is he desires that

you not walk by faith we either walk by

faith or by sight

most people they got to see it to

believe it so the first requirement to

walk by faith is to be willing to listen

to God you don’t listen to him you’re

not gonna follow him and this is exactly

what happened to him he listened to God

and they imagined about this they God

had not spoken seemingly to anyone in

all these hundreds of years since Noah

and then he speaks to Abraham and he

says he’s gonna make him a great nation

he chose to speak to Abraham and Abraham

listened to him so if you and I are

going to walk the walk of faith trusting

God the first thing we have to do is

learn to listen to God if I don’t listen

to him I’m gonna make up my own mind

make my own choices make my own

decisions and the fact make decisions

are four times that wrong decisions so

all of us who call ourselves Christians

and say we follow Jesus the question is

have you learned to listen to him

when you get up in the morning what’s

the first thing you think about you plan

the day are you the days already planned

that you stopped to listen to the Lord

speak to my heart about today what have

you got in mind for today what’s your

plan I have this plan because I work at

a certain place but yah – what’s your

plan listening to God is from the basic

lessons we’re to learn as followers of

Jesus in fact if you don’t want to

listen to him you won’t following you

don’t want to listen to

making wrong decisions erroneous

decisions costly decisions painful

decisions God has a will and the purpose

and plan for all of our lives and he’s

willing to speak to us today as he did

in Abraham’s day somebody says well but

that’s thousands of years ago but

remember what Jesus said he said he sent

he would send the Holy Spirit it would

be in US with us and upon us and the

Holy Spirit would speak to us the day as

God spoke directly to Abraham centuries

ago so we have no excuse for not

listening to God because he speaks today

just like he did then only he speaks to

us from within

because the Spirit of God is a gift from

God to give us guidance and direction in

life God always has something to say to

his children and listening to him is the

first of all the activities we should

consider I want to be quiet to say Lord

what do you have to say to me and this

is exactly what he did and as he

listened to God listen to what he said

in this 12th chapter of Genesis

beginning in verse 1 now the Lord said

to Abram changed his name later go forth

from your country and from your

relatives and from your father’s house

to the land which I will show you I will

make you a great nation I will bless you

I’ll make your name great and so you

shall be a blessing and I will bless

those who bless you and curse those who

curse you and in you all the families of

the earth will be blessed

how would he possibly believe that when

they came from worshiping idols God saw

in him the opportunity to use him in a

way that would change the whole world he

was listening to God if he were not

listening he would not have moved now

watch this when God says he’s going to

do something he’s going to do it

and he didn’t say if this that never he

said I’m gonna do all these things well

that being true you have to ask us of

the question that Abraham believe what

God said the reason I know he believed

it is because the scripture says so

Abraham went forth as the Lord had

spoken to him and lot went with him that

Abram was 75 years old when he departed

from Haran listening to God with the ear

of obedience is absolutely essential to

living a godly life and if you don’t

listen to him you’ll miss it and so when

it comes to living a godly life step

number one is you listen to him and he

didn’t listen to him the second step is

that he trusted God because God told him

things who are absolutely ridiculous as

far as men was concerned you mean I’m to

get up leave my family I’m 75 years of

age leave my family leave everybody and

just head out in some direction that

you’ll show me as I go and it was a

ridiculous request he heard him and he

trusted God remember he didn’t come from

a godly family but God spoke to him so

clearly and he was willing to listen and

he was able to discern the voice of God

if he had not been he would not have

gone but he decided he chose to listen

to God now to listen to God your hearts

got to be clean it’s got to be right

first thing you’ll do is doubt in it

it’s not clean second thing you lose

give him all the reasons for not doing

what he required of you listening to God

will be followed by trusting God and if

he had not trusted God he would have

stayed where he was he’d what I said you

know what I must be dreaming making me a

great nation giving me a great name and

you god you’re gonna curse those who

curse me look

as there’s no way he listened to God and

he trusted him so let me ask you a

question has God ever said anything to

you strongly very clearly that you

doubted in your mind that God would

possibly say that to you what would he

have to say to you today to get you to

convince you to do something that you

just never thought about doing because

when you and I yield our lives to the

Lord we have to open ourselves up to

whatever God has to say and I can think

of a few times to know in life when I

was praying and the Lord would say

simply I’d say there’s no way that could

be true so god what else and here’s what

God does he shuts you down until you

willing to listen to the last thing he

said God doesn’t say well I’m going to

the second third fourth and fifth things

when I haven’t decided to be obedient

were the first thing and so I think one

of the reasons we don’t fulfill God’s

purpose will for our life is we can’t

get past the idea that God may require

of us something that we wouldn’t expect

to happen yeah I can look back and see

when I argued with God about different

things and I thought well lord I must be

dreaming I must he what you wouldn’t say

that’s matter I remember when I left it

my last church I’d only been that 11

months and I thought God I’m just the

dream this can’t be true well I’ll tell

you what happened he shut me down

nothing I did worked nothing else it

worked until I was when I say okay I

don’t like the idea I think it’s

ridiculous I’ve only been here 11 months

and you wouldn’t be calling me somewhere

else that’s close but he shut me down so

I was willing to say okay Lord and I

think often times when things don’t work

in their life God shuts us down because

we haven’t agreed to the last thing he

tried to say and so Abraham went forth

as the Lord had spoken to him and watch

this would come like this and lot went

with him

now Abram was 75 years of age took his

wife and lot and so forth so ask

yourself the question do you trust him

enough that when he requires something

of you instead of arguing will you do it

I’ll tell you how you can gauge your

spiritual growth how long does it take

you from the time God told you to do

something to the time you do it that’s a

pretty good gauge of how committed you

are and I think one of the reasons that

people live out of the will of God is

they’re not would it take the first step

God will say something and God will

speak to them people say and I hear

people tell me this whole town well God

doesn’t speak to me yes he does you may

not be listening but he does God doesn’t

play favorites he loves us all but

sometimes he’ll require us something

that doesn’t make any sense whatsoever

if I’m gonna follow the Lord I’ve got to

be willing to listen to him and I’ve got

to be willing to trust him when I don’t

understand it and here’s what I’ve

noticed even if you trust God and make a

mistake if you genuinely make a mistake

y’all has the most awesome ways of

correcting that mistake he knows your

heart he knows you willing to do what he

requires of you and God knows whether we

do that some things he requires of us is

very difficult but the question is are

you listening and secondly are you

trusting that whatever he says for you

to do that you to do well listen to what

happens so Abram went forth as the Lord

had spoken to him lot went with him

Abram was 75 years old when he departed

from April so he could have said well

God if you’d had told me that when I was

40 I could have done it but here I am

ready to retire and a you telling me

take up my family move but Abram took

Sarah’s wife a lot his nephew and all

their possessions which they had

accumulated and the persons which they

had acquired in Haran they set up for

the land of Canaan

thus they came to the land of Canaan and

they had that

they had to travel in that part of the

time in the desert area so god that

didn’t give him an easy trip he listened

to him God said here’s what I want you

to do and they did what God told him to

do and it’s a his old family he passed

through the land as far as the site of

Shechem to the oak of Moray now the

Canaanite was in the land so God told

him to go to sort of enemy territory but

he did what God said do the issue is am

i available to listen to God am i

available to trust him when I don’t

understand what or why when or how

because when you’re not trusting this

what you ask why would you ask me to do

this Lord when is that the owner work

how can I have now if we have lots of

questions we were to live the kind of

life that when God speaks our answer is

not maybe I’ll think about it

probably not me yes Lord because if I

trust him I will trust him always to

give me a direction that is accurately

truthful what he wants to do and so I

have to trust God and I think when I

look at what God said to Abraham and

what he told him to do that was a very

difficult task and he pick up all of his

belongings and all those people who

weren’t with him he had become

prosperous but now and headed out down

to some degree in the arabian desert

with all of his stuff now yeah we talked

about stuff he really had this stuff but

he listened to God he trusted God and so

was it is ooh he packed up if he’d

awaited the pack

the devil would had played havoc with it

but God spoke to him he knew that God

had spoken to him he was confident of

that

and God said here’s what I want you to

do and so he left he obeyed God so let

me ask you this when in your life has

God told you to do something

that you didn’t like it what in your

plans

it looked costly oh it looked like a

disaster in your life or something you

just didn’t want to do when is he ask

you to do something that was very

difficult for you to say yes if you

listen to him if you trusted him you

would have obeyed him and you’re where

you are I’m where I am as a result of

obedience or disobedience it is a

decision we make and listen to this we

make the decision every day every day we

face situations and circumstances in

life that require us to make the right

decision that is that requires us to be

obedient together requires us to listen

to God and no point in no day in our

life are we to live our lives

shut up to ourselves not listening to

God just doing our natural things God

has a will and a purpose and a plan for

your life where you are and the question

is are you walking in obedience ‘when

you say well i had back yonder something

that’s not the issue today can you say I

am being obedient to God as best I know

my heart today I’ve listened to him I’ve

tried to the obedient to him that’s and

so where I am is where I am as a result

of being obedient to God that’s what

that’s the kind of life he wants us to

live and so most people don’t think

about the odd having a will for their

life having a purpose for their life

they don’t think about any of that they

just think about where they don’t get a

job how much money they can make what

are their plans where they won’t spend

vacations what can they possess and how

much of this that they’ll know that’s

nothing will over God the will of God is

Lord whether you want for my life today

he is willing to speak to you every

single day of your life if you’re

willing to ask him because this is God

knows that you and I don’t know what to

do apart from him look at the society

we’re living in

the society we’re living in is very very

uncertain and so people make all kinds

of plans planning for tomorrow plan

number one is I’m going to be obedient

I’m gonna listen to the yard and I’m

going to obey Him no matter what that is

absolutely a choice that never fails it

is a wise choice but I have to make that

choice so he obeyed God listened to him

and so it’s interesting what happens the

scripture says he did exactly what God

tell him to do and the Lord appeared a

remand said to your descendants I will

give this land she built an altar there

to the Lord who had appeared to him then

he proceeded from there to the mountain

east of Bethel pitched his tent and

there he built an altar to the Lord and

called upon the name of the Lord now

what’s the fourth step not only

listening to God trusting him and

obeying him but what else that is

worshiping God very important that I’m

staying in contact with God that I’m

listening to him worshiping him and

worshiping him means I’m living a life

that’s submissive to his will

committed to him don’t understand at all

but I’m committed to it and so Abraham

did what was wise God had led him so far

he protected him on this journey had all

of his stuff with him and what did he do

when he got to a certain point he knew

that it was time to worship God and when

he built an altar to worship God here’s

what he was doing he not only was

talking to the Father and listening to

him he was just putting a stake in that

land God you brought me this far I’ve

listened to you you you you’ve kept your

word I’m putting the stake down here and

that land of course became its rose land

so ask yourself the question it’s best

you know your heart

are you living out the will of God

your life you might think we’ll I should

have made some different choices back

yonder we’ll think about this Abraham

and I’m glad this in the Bible he made

some wrong choices but God didn’t stop

blessing him he didn’t cast them aside

listen before God ever created anything

in this life he knew that his finest

children would make mistakes they would

sin against them they would disobey Him

because living in the world in which you

now live in the way we make mistakes the

times of weakness the times of failure

and God forgives and he keeps moving us

here ahem did the same thing but he

began where God started with him

listening to God so that’s one thing all

of us can do every day listen to God

trust what he says be obedient to what

he says and then thank him that we have

walked in his will for that day one day

at a time sweet Jesus that’s what we

sang one day at a time sweet Jesus one

day the time we live out our lives not

just the day at that time but an hour at

a time often times sometimes you plan

the day and God turns it to another

situation but that you could not foresee

that’s God giving us guidance and

leadership and therefore our worship of

him our obedience to him listening to

him walking his will in his way that’s

that’s his plan for us watch this his

plan for Abraham who came from a lot

dulles his family his plan for him was

absolutely awesome but he would have

died in Haran if he had not done what

y’all tell them to do so wherever we are

somebody says well I don’t know the will

of God for my life I can tell you what

it is here’s the will of God for your

life did the next thing he tells you to

do that’s the will of God for your life

you say well here’s what happens people

say well what about this and what about

that and what about him what about her

what about this one what about

these things you know that’s not the

issue the God who speaks to you is the

God who’s already prepared the way he’s

already prepared the way for whatever he

asks for you so the question is are you

listening are you trusting him are you

obeying him and are you worshiping him

with Thanksgiving and continue to listen

to trust him and obey Him

that’s the message Abraham has that’s

the message John has for all of us

every single day now the thing you’re

one of us can say well I can’t do that

yes you can life at its best is a life

that listens to God

trust God obeys God and thanks God

that’s life in its verse and every

single one of us can do it amen and

father we thank you for giving us this

simple example of Abraham thank you that

you spoke to him in such an awesome way

that he followed your will in his way

and we see that the whole world has been

affected by him we’re not asking to

affect the whole world we’re asking to

be obedient to you we trust that the

Holy Spirit will speak to us clearly and

we submit ourselves to your will and

your way whatever you wants what we want

whatever you will is what we will give

us guidance and direction so that every

day is a day well spent well invested

because we walked in the footsteps of

our Lord we walked according to your

will in your way you know that

somebody’s seated here this morning has

never trusted you as their Savior so all

of this sounds like double-talk to them

how can you trust the God you’ve never

seen and help them to see that if

they’re willing

simply pray to you you will listen and

you will make yourself known to them in

such a way that there’s no question that

you have heard their prayer and that

prayer begins with asking you to forgive

them of their sin the sin of unbelief of

ignoring you surrendering themselves to

you and trust simple trust and then

watching you work in their life and I

pray that anybody sitting here who has

never trusted you of their Savior would

realize what they’re missing what

they’re going to miss and only you know

what they’re going to miss but you don’t

help them to see the living life without

you is a big mistake it’s missing life

at its best it’s only doing what

humanity can do when you’re a

supernatural God is planned the best for

us I pray that your spirit will speak

loudly and clearly that listening is

very important trusting is very

important obeying is very important and

worship be giving during you and very

important we love you and we praise your

father for loving us thank you for

giving us this simple example of a ramp

may it be etched in their mind and heart

may it be a part of our lifestyle in

Jesus name Amen if you’ve been blessed

by today’s program please visit us at in

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