Dear Friends,

Our life is a journey of Faith.  We will take many steps of Faith along the way… some may be routine or ordinary, such as prayer and giving our tithes.  Other steps may be life-changing, and extremely significant in our lives.

Abraham took several steps of Faith in his life – at God’s Instruction.  It is important to note that it is only at God’s Instruction,that what you do can be called “Faith”.  When you do things by your own will, then you are being self-led and not God-led.  You can expect God’s Results when you follow God’s Instructions.

The first major step of Faith that Abraham took, was to leave his home, family and life in Ur of the Chaldeans.

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.  By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents…”  (Heb.11:8, 9a NIV)

This was quite a dramatic lifestyle change for Abraham.  Not only did he not know exactly where God was taking him, but he now lived a nomadic lifestyle moving around the country with his family and livestock.

How many of us would boldly do this?  Don’t we want to know all the details before we step out in Faith?

It was by faith, that God gave Abraham a son, Isaac.  Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.  Sarah had been barren and was past child-bearing, so it was quite miraculous that this child was conceived and born.  How special Isaac must have been to them!

Isaac was the culmination of a prophetic word given to Abraham, by three men or angels the year before.  (Gen. 18)  Once again, God had spoken, and directed Abraham’s life.

And it was by faith that “Abraham when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.”  He “was about to sacrifice his one and only son…”  (Heb. 11:17)
Abraham must have gone through a heart-wrenching struggle when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac.  It sounds so barbaric that God would even ask such a thing, but God wanted to know if Abraham would be willing to give up what was dearest to him.

And it was by faith that Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac from among his own people.

“I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”  (Gen. 24:3-4 NIV)  This was Abraham’s request.

The servant came back with Rebekah, the grand-daughter of Abraham’s brother, Nahor.

Rebekah too, took a major step of faith to leave her home to marry a man she had never met, and to live a nomadic lifestyle beside him.  She was courageous herself.

Sarah had died, and Isaac needed a significant female influence in his life.  God saw this need, and met it, and “Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death”.  (Gen. 24:67b NIV)

Steps of faith are an integral part of a Christian’s lifestyle.  We follow God’s instructions, not fully aware of all God is doing, but knowing we are in God’s Perfect Will, and that He is positioning us for His Divine Purpose.

If we want God’s very best for our lives, we must obey Him unconditionally.  He is faithful.  He is the compass for our life’s journey.  When we follow Him, we will accomplish our life’s Purpose.  Ultimately, we will have a deep sense of satisfaction in living a godly life well-lived.