It’s hard to leave something that is familiar to us. It takes courage and wisdom to know when to stay or went we should go. The line between the two is often blurry and not easily recognizable. In our lives today we must be careful to not allow ourselves to get stuck in these places.
We often stay in places and in relationships for a myriad of reasons such as:
- We are afraid of change.
- We are afraid of disappointing others.
- We are afraid of making a mistake.
- We are afraid of failing.
- We are afraid of ________________.
In the book of Genesis we read where Lot accompanied Abraham to the Promised Land. They both started on the same path, but some time later, their lives ended up in two very different places. Lot ended up living in Sodom, while Abraham chose to live in the plains. Lot chose following his flesh over the Lord’s path.
On two different occasions Abraham had to bail Lot out of trouble. The first time is when Abraham and his men went and fought the kings who came against the king of Sodom. In a miraculous battle, Abraham and his small band of 318 men defeated an army of kings. The second time is when God was going to destroy Sodom for it’s wickedness. Abraham interceded for Lot and the Lord sent angels to escort Lot and his family out of the city. It was clear that Lot was blessed and alive because of his relationship with Abraham.
In the time of all this, Abraham was still waiting on his promised child from God. It’s interesting that while Abraham was waiting on his dreams, he was helping someone else find theirs.
Finally, in Genesis 20:1 it says, “Now Abraham moved on from there…”
Abraham finally separated himself from Lot and then God came to Abraham and he saw the promises of God begin to unfold in his life. After this we never hear from Lot again in scripture. The reason is because God won’t use someone who follows their flesh.
From this we can learn there are often people, relationships, mindsets and past mistakes that are holding us back from what God has for us. Sometimes we can start off with good intentions, but they can quickly deteriorate into something that is not life giving for us.
The lesson to be learned in all of this is that sometimes God won’t give us our “Isaac” until we move from places in our lives that hold us back.
What place, relationship or mindset do you need to get moving from?
It’s interesting to note that the reason Abraham and Lot had to separate was because they were both so prosperous that the land couldn’t support them. Even if everything is going well, sometimes you have to separate in order to grow.
That’s true. It’s interesting to think that Abraham sought the Lord and built altars, while Lot was more interested in seeing how close he could get to Sodom (the world).
I just wanted to say that was awesome! Good job Pastor Eric!
Thanks Haley. I hope it ministered to you.