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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