Legacy of Faith- Hebrews 11Sample

“Choosing Obedience”

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” —Hebrews 11:8

One Sunday, in the middle of preaching, a phrase just flowed from my heart: “Faith is found in your choosing. It is in your choosing that blessings and favor flow.” We all love the idea of blessing and increase, but often, we find ourselves limited because we are not choosing the direction that brings the blessing.

In Genesis, chapter 12, the Lord said to Abram, “‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you, and in you all the families of the Earth shall be blessed.’ So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him.” We can celebrate all the amazing things God promised would happen in Abram’s life and through his life, but none of it would have come to pass if Abram had never departed.

As I mentioned earlier, we desire to be blessed, and we want God to use us greatly. But will we be like Abram and depart? Will we choose to obey? What are some things you need to depart from? What are some things you need to let go of? There is blessing on the other side of choosing obedience.

There is something else I want us to see in this encounter between the Lord and Abram. When Abram departed, it opened him up to receive the promise found in verse one. When he left his country, family, and father’s house, God was then able to show him where to go. This speaks to me of relationship and closeness. God can’t show us things if we are not close to Him.

As we look at the life of Abraham, although we know he wasn’t perfect, he lived a life of obedience. We can see the blessing and favor that flowed from that. Faith is found in choosing obedience, and in that choosing, blessing and favor flow.