The Same Mistake
Read This Week: Genesis 20
Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. – Genesis 20:1-2 NIV
It is often easy for us to assess someone else’s situation, mistake, or the reasoning behind why they did something and critique it objectively and retrospectively. It is convenient to put ourselves into the moments of others when they face a decision or a challenging instance and offer commentary about what they should have done or how they should have reacted. We can be a people of unrelenting critique, keen hindsight, and timeless wisdom just as long as we’re not the ones under the microscope. However, the key to analyzing the movements and behavior of other people and our own is not to adjudicate or condemn but to learn from it.
In Genesis 20, we see Abraham in a situation that is familiar to him. It is a very similar set of circumstances to Genesis 12. After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham moved. Verses 1-2 tell us that Abraham moved into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while, he stayed in Gerar. While in this area, the King of Gerar, Abimelek, thinks that Sarah is Abraham’s sister because that is what he is told, takes her, and seeks to have relations with her.
During that night, God comes to Abimelek, who is not a believer in Yahweh, and tells him that by doing what he did toward Sarah, he doomed his people and himself to destruction. But Abimelek pleads with God, says that he did not know Sarah was married, and asks Him to spare his people and country. The Lord then says to him in verses 6-7:
Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.
Unfortunately, Abraham didn’t learn from the mistake and lie he told in Genesis 12. This account of his life shows us how easy it is to fall back into sin and bad habits. Abraham messed up in an area that he had struggled in before. Instead of trusting God and His sovereignty to keep his family together, he came up with his own plan. A plan that he tried one other time and a plan that failed completely then and did again. It was the same mistake. The same mistake that nearly cost an entire nation their lives and vitality.
We can relate to Abraham here. We also have propensities and tendencies to slip back into bad habits and repeat mistakes that we should have learned from. A lot of times, it comes about the same way as it did for Abraham. We fail to trust God and his promises for our lives and seek to rely on ourselves in sticky or difficult situations. We think, as Abraham did that human means and approaches are the best. We forget that the word of God is true and all we need to rely on for the whole of our lives, especially in moments when we can’t seem to figure things out.
We should constantly examine our faith and the depth to which we trust the Lord to guide and steer us. Greater trust in God and his principles over reliance on our own intellect, conventional wisdom, and experience can prevent the committing of the same mistakes and will allow us to grow through the little detours and mishaps that we perpetuate. It all turned out well for Abraham at the end of this chapter once he got honest with himself, with others, and acknowledged God’s way. This led to resolution and healing for everyone involved. Verse 17 says, then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek. May we choose to follow God and therefore choose healing instead of the same mistakes.
God said to me:
“Your faith will always be tested as it is necessary to do so. The stronger your faith, the easier it will be for you to see the tests and excel through them. I know your heart and I will not let you destroy yourself as its not what your heart wants. For some it is exactly what it wants which is unfortunate.”
God knows our heart and won’t let us fall if our hearts are pure and with Him. It all comes down to trust in God. If God says jump then we have to trust that God is telling us to jump because he knows our heart and its what we need. Thank you God!
Genesis Chapter 20 Verse 11
And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely there is no reverence or fear of God at all in this place, and they will slay me because of my wife.
Genesis Chapter 20 Verse 12
But truly, she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father but not of my mother; and she became my wife.
Genesis Chapter 20 Verse 13
When God caused me to wonder from my father’s house, I said to her, This kindness you can show me; at every place we stop, say of me, He is my brother.
~Lies Verses Truth~
God Is Saying To Me:
My child, reverence and fear of me is shown by your actions and faith in me to protect you in all things. Fear of consequences should not exist in the literal form. If you are trusting in me, there should be no fear. Shifting blame from yourself to others is a sin and requires repentance and acceptance of your actions and wrongdoing. Reverent fear of me is different. I am all knowing and have great plans for you, but you must wholeheartedly trust me. Not all situations represent at face value and assuming others have little faith in me will cause you to fall. So, be truthful, trust my promises to you and my timing, fear consequences of sin, stop shifting, blame, be accountable for your actions and allow my plan for your life to be fruitful. I love you, my daughter and have much grace and mercy for your life.
What This Means To Me:
Trusting God is a lifelong journey! Having reverent faith is a must in being a Christian. We cannot judge other’s walk with God, faithfulness to God and cannot pull other people into our own plan of obedience to God. We are responsible for our actions and cannot shift blame onto others. We cannot judge a book by its cover but must rely on the contents of God’s Holy Book to pave our path to righteousness and servitude. Admit fault to Father God, ask for forgiveness and trust by obedience to wait on him to consecrate our journey with him. Father God is capable to fulfill his promises and bestow many blessings to us at any stage of our lives. Do not get caught up in repeating sins over and over creating a weak area in our lives only to have to have Father God rescue us once again. Creating sin to save ourselves in the eyes of others opens doors that only God can close. Let’s get it right the first time around! I love you Father God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ! ❤️❤️❤️
Embrace the profound truth: God’s love for you is unwavering, and He stands firmly by your side. Your significance to Him is immeasurable, your value beyond compare. His desire is for you to thrive, steering clear of worldly norms and embracing the divine principles of His kingdom.
Discover the richness of living in sync with God’s ways – a path that transcends the mundane. As I delve into understanding God’s boundless love and aligning myself with His guidance, it becomes evident that this journey is a transformation into a superior way of life.
1. Revel in God’s boundless love and unwavering support.
2. Experience His protective embrace, where His grace proves more than sufficient.
3. Cultivate the art of listening, follow His divine guidance, choose righteousness, and savor the richness of a truly elevated existence.
What God was saying to me
Everyone who loves me is learning to be a light!
You will be faced with situations in life always.
Sometimes you may stumble and fall
Always remember I am the one who helps you out of it!
I love Abraham and I love you and I love others too!
The more you become confident in our relationship knowing My love for you you will Trust Me more and more and you’ll come to me first and I will lead you in the right direction. I love you with My whole ❤️
What this means is in my walk with Father God does not mean I’ll ever be perfect until I go home to be with Him.
So I have to remember I am learning to be a light for Him every day!
When somethings go wrong only He can make it right but I have to do it with Him!
Thank you Father God, Jesus and Your Holp Spirit that I can Trust you and Your always looking after me!
Thank you so much for Your Love❤️️
Learning to Be the Light
When the stars came crashing down
In tiny pieces to the ground
I was all alone down here
Trapped beneath the atmosphere
Then I, thought somebody called my name
I spun around and caught a flame
I gave into a God I didn’t know
And now everything is falling into place
A brand new life is calling and I owe it all to grace
It’s so much brighter living in your world
Savior what you did for me
You gave me something I want everyone to see
When we sttumble and it all goes wrong
Only you can make it right
So I say
Oh oh oh oh oh
I’m learning to be the light
Whoa, whoa
I’m learning to be the light
Whoa, whoa
When a heart is cold as ice
You can’t melt it with advice
No one wants to listen to
A list of things they shouldn’t do
So I build a city on a hill
And I light a candle on the sill
Knowing you’ll be always knocking at the door
Oh God I just want to love on everyone
All I have is yours to give so let the people come
It’s so much brighter living in your world
Savior what you did for me
You gave me something I want everyone to see
When we stumble and it all goes wrong
Only you can make it right
So I say
Oh oh oh oh oh
I’m learning to be the light
Whoa, whoa
I’m learning to be the light
Whoa, whoa
Im learning to be the light
That makes the shadows hide
The light that breaks the curse of pride
The light that takes the weary in it’s arms
When it all came crashing down
There was only darkness all around
But in the distance I could see
A Flame
It’s So much brighter living in your world
Savior what you did for me
You gave me something I want everyone, and I mean everyone to see
When we stumble and it all goes wrong
Only you can make it right
So I say
Oh oh oh oh oh
I’m learning to be the light
Whoa, whoa
I’m learning to be the light
Whoa, whoa
I’m learning to be the light
Whoa, whoa
I’m learning to be the light
Whoa, whoa
I’m learning to be the light!!
This Week in the Life: Genesis 20
For the best experience, we suggest you listen to the first song, the message, and the second song.
1. Sunday Worship – First Song: https://reachchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/20231126-Worship1.wav
2. Sunday Message: https://reachchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/20231126-Message.wav
3. Sunday Worship – Second Song: https://reachchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/20231126-Worship2.wav
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This week in Genesis chapter 20 I have a song
Gods love
Let’s come together to worship our Lord let’s come together to worship our Lord given thanks for all of his love, his love is overwhelming he only wants the best for you and me let’s focus on our Lord, being the best that we can be loving others being in the light in the darkness lifting our hands, helping others, let’s come together to worship our Lord, lifting our hands, praying and singing, we believe in you, Lord, we believe in you our Lord Amen
God loves when we worship praise and show others his love Sharing his love gives us peace and lets us be humble.