EPIC, How to Walk in the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 1
Faith is a journey.
When God told Abraham to leave his home and go to a land He would show him, it marked the beginning of an epic journey. Abraham was a guy, just living his life, until he heard from God. God said, "Go to the place I’ll show you." Abraham believed God, so he went, and this is the essence of faith. "Without faith, the bible says, it is impossible to please God because whoever comes to God must believe that He exist and the He rewards those who diligently seek Him." Some may see faith as a blind leap into the unknown, but it's realy just trusting what God has said. God told Abraham to go, and Jesus calls all who hear his voice to take up their cross and follow him. There is still a call to every beiiever, take up your cross and follow me. Hebrews 3:15-17 say "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts..." Has God called you, are you going where he calls? There's a great adventure ahead of us if we will take the first step of trusting God. Abraham didn’t know where he was going, or what it would cost to get there, he only knew that he was following God. He trusted that God wouldn’t let him down, or give up on him along the way. He believed God would take him somewhere better than he could take himself.
In Genesis 12:1 “The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” Can you Imagine having this conversation with your family and friends?
“Hey everyone, I’m leaving!”
Where are you going?
I don’t know yet.
Why are you going?
God told me to.
God...?
Can you imagine what Abraham’s family and friends must have thought, and what they must have said?
He’s lost his mind!
He’s hearing voices.
Who does he think he is?
He always did have an overactive imagination.
And what did they say to his wife?
You have to talk some sense into him.
This will ruin your family!
He doesn’t even know where he’s going!
It’s dangerous out there.
all your family is here!
Don’t you care about us?
Why are you doing this to us?
What’s wrong with you?
What’s wrong with us?
Hearing from God
As we set out to follow Christ, and live by faith, we should be aware that our faith will be tested, often by our closest relationships. In Matthew 10:36-37 Jesus says, “A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household." Our families may not want to cause harm, but like Peter telling Jesus He would never die, they can stand in the way of where God is leading us to go. Peter's hopes and aspirations unwittingly align with the desires of Satan. Maybe Abraham’s family fully supported him on his journey, but it's likely that they tried to talk him out of it, just as Peter tried to talk Jesus out of going to the cross. Jesus said, “Anyone who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” If family and friends hold us back from following God we will never experience the blessing that comes through obedience. What does such a commitment look like in our lives today? Is the church filled with the testimonies of thoses who follow Christ in spite of the oppostion they recieved at home?
Jesus was teaching a group of His followers when He was told that His mother and brothers had come, and they were waiting outside for Him. They had been hearing rumors, and they were concerned that He was embarrassing himself, and by extension, embarrassing them. People were starting to talk, so they had come to take Him home. He wasn't from the right tribe to be teaching in the church. He didnt have His Min-div, he was just a poor carpenter, from a poor family. Jesus responds to their request by saying “Who are my mother and my brothers?" Then he looked to those seated in the room around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” These were the people who joined Him on the journey, they were going somewhere. We must choose to follow Jesus in this (all or nothing) way.