Even when we’re led astray by fears and temptations, God knows how to get us back on His track. In this message, Dr. Stanley examines a time when Abraham lost sight of God’s promise and took things into his own hands. From this story, we can learn why trusting God is always the best option. But when we fail, He’s still the ever-present help in our times of trouble. Don’t let fear tell you what to do—trust God to keep His promises to you.
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when my faith gives way to my fears I’m
going to make a mess of things no matter
what don’t forget this lesson when your
faith gives a way to fear so that you
step out of the will of God for fear of
whatever it might be all you’re doing is
getting in deeper trouble
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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 when faith gives way to fear
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have you ever felt God told you to do
something and you started out that way
and then somewhere along the way you
either got discouraged something
happened and you decided you would do it
some other way and you realized shortly
thereafter you may have made a wrong
turn that maybe you decided to do it
another way because it looked easier
because your future looked difficult
because that’s not exactly what you
wanted in life and so what happens
you probably didn’t stop to ask yourself
the question why would I change routes
that God has given me and I think one of
the primary reasons is that our faith
gives a way to our fears that’s what I
want to talk about in this message when
our faith gives way to our fears when
that happens we lose when that happens
we disobey God when that happens we
oftentimes never get back to where God
intended for us to be so a perfect
example of that is in Genesis chapter 12
and I want you to turn there if you will
then and we’ll talk about what it says
and Genesis chapter 12 beginning in
verse 10 now while you have it there
let’s go back to the first few verses of
12 and remember what God said
here’s his unconditional promise to
Abraham now the Lord said Abram go forth
from your country from your relatives
from your father’s house
to the language I’ll show you here’s a
Sevenfold unconditional promise God made
to Abraham I’ll make you a great nation
I will bless you I will make your name
great and so you shall be a blessing and
I will bless those who bless you and the
one who curses you I will curse and then
you all the families of the earth will
be blessed period did you see any fans
and butts in that no that’s an
unconditional promise of God if it’s
unconditional that means that nothing is
gonna offer it so Abraham had the
seventh and eighth verse he’s on his way
to Canaan out of there of the counties
that is he’s come up north and round
heading toward Canaan and the scripture
says the Lord appeared to Abram and said
to your descendants I will give this
land so he built an altar that to the
Lord who had appeared to him then he
proceeded from there to the mountain on
the east of Bethel and pitched his tent
with Bethel on the west and aí on the
east and there he built an altar to the
Lord and called upon the name of the
Lord so twice here’s what he does when
he swaps and prays that means he not
only was honoring God but he’s claiming
that land he’s claiming a land that God
said he was going to give him and then
if you’ll notice in verse nine Abraham
journeyed on continue until the Negev
that is going south now now there was a
famine in the land so Abraham went down
to Egypt to sojourn there for the famine
was severe in the land it came about
when he came near to Egypt that he said
to Sarah his wife see now I know that
you’re a beautiful woman and when the
Egyptians see you they will say this is
his wife and they will kill me
but they will let you live please say
that you’re my sister so that it may go
well with me because of you
and that I may live on account of you
too bad for you but I may live on
account of you it came about when Abram
came into Egypt the Egyptians saw that
the woman who was very beautiful
Pharaoh’s official saw her and praised
her the Pharaoh and the woman was taken
into Pharaoh’s house
therefore he treated Abram well for her
sake and gave him sheep oxen Duncan’s
male and female servants and female
donkeys and camels
then as he swamped off this beautiful
woman four oxen donkeys camels and sheep
now today that would be Mercedes a
Bentley and a rolls-royce
that he something but the Lord struck
Pharaoh in his house with great plagues
because of Sarah Abraham’s wife then
Pharaoh call a ram and said what is this
that you’ve done to me why did you not
tell me that she was your wife what did
you say she’s my sister so that I took
her for my wife now then here’s your
wife take her and go Pharaoh commanded
his men concerning him and they escorted
him away and his wife and all that
belong to him he said well what’s that
got to do with me today a whole lot so
listen carefully
because the theme of this is simply this
when theta gives way and you start
becoming fearful of doing the will of
God the first thing I would say is
simply this and that is when that
happens it’s because our focus has moved
from God through our circumstances I
remember that twice he built an altar
claimed that land for the Lord moved on
to Canaan which is promised of Almighty
God and the scripture says that he moved
there and naturally he would build
altars there and when he got there he
got surprised there was a famine in the
land he started out with faith but when
circumstance has changed
he had a change of mind a change of
heart he built an altar twice and so
thinking about this God’s never caught
by surprise so God knew that there was
going to be a famine he knew before
Abraham ever started that Abraham was
going to walk in the big situation that
was going to demand him to trust the
Lord and so I think about when I look at
that we reason obeying God say yes Lord
yes Lord and then when things don’t turn
out the way we expect them to our yes
Lord yes Lord is maybe Lord maybe Lord
no Lord no Lord so what happens is our
focus moves from God to the
circumstances whenever we allow that to
happen we’re gonna get in trouble
circumstance is always changing that
focus has to say on who God is what he
promised he always keep his promise so
what he did to get size of God to
forgive me I forgot all about these two
times he built altars before the lord
and worshiped him then when things that
you know he going so well he chooses to
go by the reason reason is there’s food
in Egypt there is a famine in Canaan and
so he moves in the opposite direction so
here’s the truth and as a full of truth
so much of unum and that is because my
circumstances change does not mean that
I should change if God shows you his
will and a certain thing and tells you
to do it he intends for us to walk in it
so remember this when we step out of the
will of God the plan of God the purpose
of God the Word of God we’re gonna get
in trouble
secondly faith gives way to fear when we
begin making decisions based on human
reasoning rather than on faith in God
and that’s what he did human reason said
there’s a famine in the land I don’t
want my family to starve and I lose all
my servants and my cattle and all the
rest and so based on him and reason he
did what human reason would tell him to
do just find it where is the food and
kill there that’s not what God said that
promise of God was the seventh Oh
unconditional
but there was a reasonable thing to do
we had a big family with all of his
servants and everything like cattle and
so forth and so here’s what he reasoned
he reasoned was and he’s forgetting for
the Yonsei he reasoned well I go down to
Egypt for a verse short period of time
and I’ll get enough food and we’ll just
come on back and do what y’all tell us
today listen the reasonable thing to do
is not always the right thing the third
point I want you to get is this when we
forget that God is both provider and
protector we take things in their own
hands and what should he have done he
should have gotten on his knees or as we
would say or built another altar right
there and it came where the food was so
scarce and everything is looking bad and
gotten on his knees and said Yad it’s
what you told me to do here’s the
promise you made me that Lord look at
this mess and Lord we don’t have enough
food that God you my provider you’re my
protector what am I to do God is never
at a loss as to what to do he should
have stayed right ray was and trusted
God even in a famine to provide for him
but he didn’t do that he did what human
reasons said to do because he forgot
that God was his privada as well as his
protector and we do the same thing we
look around look at our circumstances
and say well I know that’s what God said
but and this always gets us in trouble
well we make a substitute for the Word
of God the will of God the plan of God
we get in trouble so the question is
what should he have done
he should have trusted God and knowing
and a memory
vii all unconditional promise not if
there’s a famine or if if I’m attacked
or if this God said here’s what I’m
gonna do and so he decided to look
around and ask himself the question well
what should I do what can I do at this
point and what happens is this
when God tells us to do something and we
start looking to see what we can do we
get in trouble we’ll always come up with
I can’t this and I can’t bet and I can’t
the ever forgetting the fact that
sometimes God with holes withdraws or
puts us in a place where we are
absolutely totally dependent upon him
not realizing that he wants to teach us
something that he wants that he wanted
to teach Abraham I made you a promise
that I’d provide for you protect you no
matter what unconditionally that’s my
word and instead of believing that he
forgot what God said or he looked at his
circumstances and said this is not gonna
work and he probably said I am sure God
understands have you ever said that I
know God will understand no he’s gonna
stick with the best and so he should
just stop right there made himself an
altar and said God I’ve come this far
what do you want me to do next
he forgot that God was the provider God
is the one who called him God is the one
who made this awesome promise God is the
one who had taken hear him so far God is
the one who have given him servants his
beautiful wife everything and now
because circumstances are not very good
he decides to take a step watch this you
take one wrong step you’re prone to take
a second wrong step and the third wrong
step obedience is doing what God says do
when he says do it how he says do it and
if we don’t what happens is we paid the
penalty and so this is what he did so
instead of trusting God for everything
he needed he decided he’d do it his way
and I think here’s a good example that
when we were willing to sacrifice our
most precious possessions in order to
gain the favor of others we get in
trouble now watch what happens his fear
led him into Egypt out of the will of
God now he’s facing something even
greater because he said to her I know
you’re a beautiful woman and he said
that a couple of times and she must have
been a beautiful
and I know if we go down to Egypt what
we gonna face and because that was the
way Pharaoh’s and the way Kings often
did they just took what they want and
who they wanted and so he’s heading in
the wrong direction listening when you
take a step in the wrong direction step
number two is easier step number three
is easier that’s why I got him wants us
to walk in his will and trusting that
he’ll do what he promised to do and so
he said to I know that you’re a
beautiful woman and so I want you to go
back to verse 12 for a moment in that
twelfth chapter now when the Egyptians
see you they will say this is his wife
and they’ll kill me watch this you talk
about selfishness let’s look at this
when the Egyptians see you they gonna
say this is his wife and they’ll kill me
but they will let you live that’s what
they got to think please say that you’re
my sister so that it may be well with me
because of you and that I may live on
account of you who is he talking about
he’s thinking about himself I’m willing
to give you up to save my life
now he doesn’t think about what’s gonna
happen after that he doesn’t think about
what’s yet what really is gonna happen
he’s just saying I’ll give you up in
order to save my own neck and so what
happens he gets down there and the fifth
one I wanted to make is this when we
forget the unconditional promises of God
and begin to fear man something happens
we are in trouble now I’m not saying
that God makes you an unconditional
promise every day in your life there are
unconditional promises in the Word of
God but after you’ve trusted Jesus
Christ for a season of time you
shouldn’t realize that he is going to
keep his promise and God made such a big
deal of this
he gave him all those promises and with
no exceptions just what I’m gonna live
in your life period
and now he is in Egypt where he should
not be and remember this when you go
when you shouldn’t be you gonna do
something you shouldn’t do and you’re
gonna feel something you shouldn’t feel
and you’re gonna pay a price you don’t
want to pay and so now he stepped out of
God’s will
he’s in Egypt and now he’s preparing how
am I going to work this thing out and
the only thing he can figure out is to
be willing to sacrifice his beautiful
wife that’s what he said she was
beautiful and when Pharaoh’s servant saw
they said she was beautiful so Pharaoh
he took her his say he must have thought
she was beautiful I’m gonna sacrifice my
beautiful wife to save my own neck and
when you think about that and think
about how that fits and gods plan D it
doesn’t fit this is why and you hear me
talk about this often here’s when we
talk about the will of God the will of
God is the plan of God it’s the message
of God it’s a direction of God and God
wants us to trust him and to obey Him
and we can stand up in church and just
sing trust and obey then walk right out
disobey God and so God had given him
this awesome promise and now he’s in a
situation where he knows what’s going to
happen because that was their custom
they would take anybody he wanted as
much as he wanted and so he took her in
that taken Renea doesn’t mean that he
just said on a platform somewhere he
treated it like his wife and so when
when we forget God’s unconditional
promises we begin to fear our
circumstances we get ourselves in
trouble and this is such a perfect
example of that faith gives weight to
fear when we make decisions that are
ungodly decisions that are in
contradiction to God’s will
he said you to go to Canaan he didn’t
say you to have a bypass and you go to
Egypt he didn’t say unless there’s a
unless there is a famine and can he said
I’m sending it I’m sending you to Cannon
that’s that’s where my people are gonna
grow up and he only listened as long as
he was comfortable and so here he is now
and he’s facing a situation that he
knows is going to be very difficult the
only way he’ll be able to survive this
he knows is to give up this beautiful
life because that’s just the way it was
in those days if Pharoah said I want
something he got it
there was no question so the sixth point
I want you to jot down is when we’re
willing to cause others pain and great
harm in order to protect ourselves when
we do we’re gonna face difficult in
hardship and what happens is when faith
gives way to fear that’s their response
when we stop trusting God and start
fearing circumstances we will have the
cause of us pain and great harm in order
to protect ourselves that he said they
will kill me and let you live
so if you say you’re my sister I’ll be
treated well and my life will be spared
because of you period
then what then you live with Pharaoh the
rest of your life and I go on to where
I’m down here in Egypt where I shouldn’t
be so if you say you’re my sister I’ll
betray well my life will be spared
because of you and so think about this
whenever you will do something wrong you
can usually find a pretty good reason
for doing it right if you want to
something wrong you can find a pretty
good reason for doing it
he knew that was wrong and he was
willing to give her up
and this is what he was doing he was you
see what happened was he made a decision
when he got to can it wasn’t what he
expected so he turned to what he thought
was his on a resource which was Egypt
wasn’t God’s plan he made a choice based
on human reasoning I can’t stay here and
starve to death and I can turn and go to
Egypt stay there for a little while till
things are better up here then I’ll come
back when you step out of the will of
God your next plans never assured you
step out of the will of God it doesn’t
make any mess what’s your next plan is
you have the will of God you can’t bet
on the next step unless you return
turning around with the odd and all he
was saying is it’ll save me so what
happens the scripture says but the Lord
struck Pharaoh and his house with great
plagues not just one plural plagues
because of Sarah Abraham’s wife then one
thing you’ll give on Pharaoh he is wise
enough to catch on then Pharaoh call
abram and said what is this you’ve done
to me why did you not tell me she was
your wife why did you say she is my
assistant so that I took her to be my
wife now then here is your wife take her
and get going
Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him
and they escorted him away and his wife
and all that belong to him listen when
God says I’m going to do something he’s
gonna do it so what does he do he sends
a play strong enough to turn the Pharaoh
upside down in this old Kingdom take
this woman and get out of here and and
don’t come back and all of this it
really simply says when faith gives way
to fears we get in awesome trouble did
you get that
when faith gives way the fears his the
process his what happens and naturally
God preserved Sarah she had a son DTrace
all whether Jesus nobody said listen to
this and I love how God said it I’m
gonna make you I’m gonna make you a
great nation I’m not gonna make you a
great man I’m gonna make you a great
nation who what nation is it Israel Jews
I’m gonna bless you and make your name
great and we’re still talking about him
so you’re gonna be a blessing and he was
and I’ll bless those who bless you the
one who curses you I’ll curse and in you
all the families of the earth will be
blessed and cludes all of us that God
kept his word but the lesson is real
simple and that is when my faith gives
way to my fears I’m going to make a mess
of things no matter what don’t forget
this lesson when your faith gives a way
to fear so that you step out of the will
of God for fear of whatever it might be
all you’re doing is getting in deeper
trouble
you’re stepping off from two feet of
water in the 20 feet of water and you
can’t swim that’s a great story because
it’s a great warning then we step out of
the will of God we step out of the will
of God because we don’t believe God
listen to what he said I’m gonna make
you a great nation I’m gonna bless you
nothing trap you make your name great
you be a blessing I’m gonna bless those
who bless you curse those who curse you
that would have included Pharaoh and in
you all the families of the earth will
be blessed yds unconditional promise but
when my faith moves from my trust in the
word of God to what I can do what seems
better what’s the most profitable thing
the most acceptable thing
then I’m in trouble so when you go home
this afternoon maybe tonight you get on
your knees to pray or however you pray
maybe you ought to ask the Lord Lord am
i where hold of me am i spiritually
over here in egypt when i will be in
canaan obeying you walking in your will
walking in your way
answering your will for my life it’s
either gonna be trusting him or making a
mistake in life and you know what I wish
I can sit down with every teenage in say
listen listen carefully if you don’t
ever hear anything else to listen to
this this is a divine pattern if you
sacrifice anything for sin you’re in
trouble
amen father we thank you for this story
thank you for this truth thank you for
this warning and I pray that you’ll sink
this into the mind and heart of every
person who hears in this room and around
the world that doesn’t make any
difference who where when what the
principal never changes then when we
step out of your will we are going to
find ourselves in fear and maybe even
tragedy I pray that if there’s somebody
here today who’s never trusted use their
Savior give them a wisdom God to ask you
to forgive them of their sin
asked you to help them overcome their
past surrender their life to you without
any question and begin living a godly
life I pray this in Jesus name Amen
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