This Bible study is all about how Abraham continued to tell the same lies and yet was considered the father of faith because of his complete trust in God.
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Do you struggle to have complete trust in God? All throughout the Bible, we find stories of righteous people who also had this struggle. But God is faithful and gives many chances for restoration. This Bible study shows how God gives us all the opportunity to have complete faith and trust in Him.
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Read about the same lies of Abraham and complete trust in God before reflecting on it below.
Genesis 20-23
Abraham tells the same lies (again)
Although Abraham is the father of faith, he again lies about his wife telling everyone that she is his sister. He again shows that he does not believe that God will keep his promise to protect himself and his family.
Are you guilty of committing the same sin over and over? Ask God for His forgiveness and His guidance then next time you are tempted to repeat past behaviors. Thank God for His faithfulness, even when you are unfaithful (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
Related Post: Embrace the Journey | Bible Journaling Through Genesis
When sin becomes unprofitable
Abimelech returns Sarah because it was unprofitable to keep her. But when he returns Sarah he rebukes Abraham because Abimelech had to be the one to do the right thing, even though it was Abraham’s God. Abraham makes excuses for his behavior, saying “There is no fear of God in this place.” Instead, he should have respected God from the beginning and had the fear of the Lord in himself.
Do you hold on to the wrong things until it becomes unprofitable to keep them? What would it look like in your life to trust God’s voice immediately instead of waiting for more consequences to occur (Matthew 6:25)?
Hagar shows complete trust in God’s blessing
In Genesis 21:14, Abraham sends Hagar and his son, Ishmael away with God’s blessing. While Hagar and Ishmael were in the desert, they finished all their provisions and thought they were going to die. But God heard their cries and opened Hagar’s eyes to a well, providing the water they needed, in so doing, He provided a way so Ishmael could become the father of a nation.
God saw Hagar and Ishmael in the desert and provided for them, blessing Ishmael and making him into a nation. Do you know that God sees you and desires to bless you (Ephesians 3:20)?
Abraham has complete trust that God can raise the dead
God appeared to Abraham and told him that he would have to sacrifice his only son – Isaac, who was now a man himself. So Abraham woke up early the next morning, prepared for the trip, and went on the journey with Isaac. It would take three days of walking to reach the place God had set aside for the sacrifice, and when they did, Abraham prepared the alter in the faith that God would raise Isaac from the dead – even though there is no mention of God raising anyone from the dead yet.
Abraham was obedient to God, fully trusting that God could do the impossible with Isaac. Do you trust that God can and will do the impossible in your life (Psalms 77:14)?
Reflect on your trust in God
Do you have complete trust in God, or do you keep making the same mistakes because you do not believe that God will fulfil His promises? How can you strengthen your faith in God (Romans 10:17)?
