Taking Action

In Genesis 12:1-3, God made a covenant with Abraham.  

As we talked on Sunday, Abraham took the promise that God made him and didn't just believe him, but he put actions behind his beliefs.  Because he believed God, he put his faith into action by:

1. Moving to a foreign land  
   
2. Trusting that at the age of 100 he could have a son
3. Being willing to sacrifice his one and only son

Even though he did those things, it wasn't always easy for him to put action behind his faith.  After all, no one is perfect.

One example of the challenge Abraham faced can be found in Genesis 16:1-6.  Read through it and take a minute to answer the 3 questions.

1. Even though God promised Abraham an heir and many descendants, what did Abraham do?
2. How did that effect Sarah and Abraham?
3. Why do you think Abraham gave in and slept with Hagaar?

Like Abraham, even though we, ourselves, know the promises of God, it can be hard to put action behind our beliefs.  Can you recall a time when you struggled to put action behind your beliefs?

It can be very hard, especially with all the pressure we feel from others and we put on ourselves to be accepted and feel included to take a stand for our beliefs and put them into action.  But, as Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:7, God has given us the spirit of power.  When we choose to live out our faith by what we do and say, there comes the power of God behind it. 

We may not see the fruit of our actions or words immediately, but down the road God will bless what you did in front of others.

Application:

Living for the Lord is hard to do as it is, so why be the lone ranger?  My encouragement for you this week is to find someone who will spur you on (Hebrews 10:24-25) and this week go after the Lord together.  This way, you 2 can spur each other on towards Christ and actively living for him.  My encouragement in your selection process is to:

1. find someone who actively desires to pursue the Lord - someone who is at the same level of spiritual maturity as you. 
   
2. find someone of the same gender

If you do not have someone you can think of to team up with, pray to God that he will provide such a person.

I pray that God will bless you and encourage you when you take the leap of faith and proclaim him in your actions and words.