A Journey of Faith, Week 2 - August 16, 2026

Aug 16, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Leaving Familiar Soil for Uncharted Ground

God calls His people to release the comfortable rhythms of "known" places, relationships, and routines to embrace His unseen purposes. Like Abraham leaving Ur’s idol workshops, faith requires loosening our grip on predictable environments. This journey isn’t about reckless abandonment but trusting the One who maps the territory ahead. Every empty seat in the sanctuary, every unresolved detail of God’s promise, becomes an altar of surrender. The blessing waits where obedience outweighs comprehension. [36:29]

The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.”
(Genesis 12:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: What “familiar soil” – a relationship, routine, or comfort – is God asking you to release? How might clinging to it hinder your capacity to bless others?

Day 2: Signing Your Life as a Blank Check

A blank check requires three commitments: destination, amount, and date. God invites believers to write “YES” in bold letters before He fills in the details. Like Abraham at 75 or a businessman leaving corporate security for ministry, radical availability fuels kingdom impact. This isn’t blind impulsivity but banking on God’s track record. The church’s 205-step expansion challenge mirrors this surrender – small obediences birth eternal dividends. [54:43]

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
(Romans 12:1, ESV)

Reflection: Which blank check line feels hardest to sign – “where,” “how much,” or “when”? What practical step could express your “yes” today?

Day 3: Blessed to Be a Blessing’s Broken Jar

God’s promises to Abraham crescendo in a purpose clause: “so that you will be a blessing.” Divine favor isn’t a trophy but a conduit. Like clay jars carrying gospel treasure, believers crack open their lives so others taste grace. The church’s vision for 500 new faces isn’t about crowds but commissioning – every empty seat a prayer for someone’s redemption story. [01:03:53]

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
(2 Corinthians 4:7, ESV)

Reflection: Where has God’s blessing in your life become stagnant? How could you redirect that resource to refresh someone’s spiritual journey?

Day 4: Stepping Forward Before the Path is Clear

Faith walks the tightrope between revelation and mystery. Abraham didn’t receive Genesis 12:7’s confirmation until after packing his tents. Obedience often illuminates the next step only after weight shifts onto the foot. Like the church committing to parking lots before seeing visitors, trust flourishes when we act on what we know while trusting God with what we don’t. [47:18]

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
(Hebrews 11:8, ESV)

Reflection: What current obedience feels like “walking without a map”? How can God’s faithfulness in past unknowns strengthen you now?

Day 5: Celebrating Empty Seats as Unwritten Stories

Every vacant pew whispers potential. The church’s vision to honor empty spaces as divine appointments reframes lack as longing. Like Abraham staring at starless skies before God multiplied his descendants, empty seats become altars for intercession. This holy anticipation mirrors Christ’s heart for the unreached – our discomfort a small price for their deliverance. [44:37]

And the master said to the servant, “Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.”
(Luke 14:23, ESV)

Reflection: Who do you visualize sitting in your church’s empty seats? How could you actively “compel” them through prayer or invitation this week?

Sermon Summary

Genesis 12 sets Abraham in front of a God who calls ordinary people out of ordinary places and does extraordinary things with them. God’s grace reached into a home that likely smelled like carved idols, a house where Terah may have made and sold false gods, and God called Abraham into the search for the one true God. God’s surprises marked Abraham’s life in his calling, his child, and his commitment, because God loves to move beyond neat, tidy, safe, comfortable routines.

The call of Abraham was not a call with all the facts filled in. God called him from his country, his people, and his father’s household, from the known, the familiar, and the comfortable. God called him to “a place I will show you,” which meant the unknown, the unfamiliar, and the uncomfortable. The call sounded like, “Head out, and then the Lord will let the destination be known.” John Calvin’s line fits the moment: “Close your eyes and take my hand.”

The journey of faith requires risk. God is not calling the church to a journey of finances or facts first, but to a journey of faith. A life, a family, or a church that stays only nice and safe may not actually be going with God. God’s word to Millbrook is a fresh call to cross over, to reach Aiken, to make room for one more, to celebrate empty seats as people who still need the hope of the gospel, and to finish the work God has assigned.

God still speaks to his people through his word, prayer, circumstances, and the church. God’s voice is not vague when he truly speaks: God makes clear that it is him, what he has said, and what obedience requires. The Christian life should expect daily and weekly direction from the Lord, because trouble hearing God is trouble at the heart of Christian experience.

The practical picture of “going not knowing” is a blank check before the Lord. The blank check says the answer is yes before the details are filled in: where God sends, what God asks, and when God sends. God’s promises to Abraham show the size, strength, and scope of the blessing. God says, “I will make,” “I will bless,” and “I will curse,” because the calling belongs to God and the provision comes from God. The blessing is never meant to stop with Abraham or with any church. God blesses in order to make a people a blessing.

The moment of truth comes in the simple line: “So Abram went.” At 75 years old, Abraham stepped into the biggest assignment of his life, showing that God is never finished giving fresh words, fresh appointments, and fresh calls.

Key Takeaways

1. Faith begins before details arrive Genesis 12 does not give Abraham a map, schedule, or committee report. God gives a command and a promise, and Abraham has to move before the next word comes. Faith is not pretending to know the destination, but trusting the One who says, “to a place I will show you.” [47:18]
2. God still speaks with clarity God speaks through his word, prayer, circumstances, and the church, not as background noise but as real direction. When God speaks, the issue is not usually whether the sentence was clever, but whether obedience will be costly. A dullness to God’s voice is not a small side problem, because it touches the very heart of life with him. [49:28]
3. A blank check means surrender The call to faith is not mainly a dramatic move to another place, though it may become that. The deeper issue is whether a life is already signed over to God before the amount, the destination, and the date are written in. The safest place is not comfort, but obedience to the God who fills in the details. [54:06]
4. God blesses for multiplication God’s promise to Abraham was never meant to end with Abraham. The blessing was designed to spill outward until many peoples and nations tasted the goodness of God. A church or a person becomes spiritually unhealthy when blessing becomes storage instead of a channel. [63:23]
5. Obedience has a moment of truth Abraham’s life turned on the simple phrase, “So Abram went.” Critical moments do not always look dramatic from the outside, but they divide a life into before and after. Age does not cancel calling, because God can give the biggest assignment at any point in the journey. [65:01]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[36:29] - Genesis 12 Reading
[38:50] - Going Not Knowing
[39:19] - God’s Grace in Abraham’s Background
[41:09] - A Journey That Requires Risk
[43:16] - Millbrook’s Call to Cross Over
[45:56] - From Familiar to Unknown
[49:06] - How God Speaks Today
[53:14] - Living as a Blank Check
[57:20] - A Personal Call to Ministry
[61:26] - The Promises of God
[63:23] - Blessed to Be a Blessing
[64:34] - Abraham’s Moment of Truth
[66:36] - Invitation to Respond
[76:45] - Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Genesis 12:1-4
“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” [36:29]

Genesis 22:2
“He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’” [40:51]

Genesis 12:7
“Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’ So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.” [47:34]

Observation questions

In Genesis 12:1, what three things was Abram told to leave behind, and what does that show about what God was asking him to give up? [46:11]
In Genesis 12:2-3, how many times does God say “I will,” and what kinds of promises are attached to Abram’s obedience? [01:02:27]
What simple sentence in Genesis 12:4 becomes the turning point in Abram’s story, and what details are included in that verse about his age and who went with him? [01:05:19]
In Genesis 12:7, when does God speak again to Abram, and what does Abram do in response? [47:34]

Interpretation questions

God called Abram from the known, the familiar, and the comfortable to a place that had not yet been named. What does that reveal about the way faith often works in real life? [47:22]
God’s direction was tied to his promises, not to Abram’s resources or certainty. How does the repeated phrase “I will” shape the way a believer should think about obedience? [01:01:50]
God’s blessing on Abram was never meant to stop with Abram. What does it look like for blessing to become a channel instead of a storage place in a person’s life or in a church’s life? [01:03:23]
Abram was seventy-five when he stepped into this assignment. What does that say about the timing of God’s call and the idea that a person may be too young, too settled, or too old for fresh obedience? [01:06:01]

Application questions

Faith begins before the details arrive. Where in life is there a strong desire to have the full map before taking the next step with God? What would trust look like there right now? [47:22]
A blank check before the Lord says yes before the details are filled in. Which part is hardest right now: “I will go where you send me,” “I will give what you ask me,” or “I will go when you send me”? Why? [54:43]
God still speaks through his word, prayer, circumstances, and the church. Which of those has been most neglected lately, and what would it look like to become more attentive this week? [49:38]
Nice, safe, tidy living can keep a person from following God deeply. Where has comfort started to become a substitute for obedience? [41:36]
Blessing is meant for multiplication. What has God placed in hand right now—time, resources, experience, encouragement, hospitality, testimony—that could become a blessing to someone else this week? [01:03:39]
“So Abram went” was a moment of truth. Is there a step of obedience that has been discussed, delayed, or analyzed for too long? What would it mean to move from talking to doing? [42:08]
God can give a fresh assignment at any stage of life. What would it look like to stay open to a new word from God in this season instead of assuming the main work is already behind? [01:06:06]

Sermon Clips

54s

#BlankCheckForGod

“``I mean, pastor, are you are are you telling me that God is calling me to to leave my home and my family and my comfortable and and pack up and move on? Is that what you're saying this morning? I would say this, my answer may surprise you. While it doesn't necessarily mean that God is calling you at this moment to leave everything that you know, it means that every person should be ready at any moment to do exactly that. It means that we live our lives with a blank check before the Lord. If you don't hear anything else I say this morning, I hope you'll hear this. God is calling you and for us to give him a blank check.”

49s

#BlessedToBeABlessing

“His calling, which led to a blessing. And the blessing was meant for multiplication. I can't I can't camp here. But why does God bless us, you guys? Why has God blessed you so richly? Why has God blessed your family so richly? Why has God blessed this church so richly? It's answered here in the word of God. God says to Abraham, I'm gonna bless you and you're gonna be a blessing to many people, many nations. We are blessed in order to be a blessing. Amen? That's why God blesses us. He he blesses us not to not to make us just fill up and all about ourselves. Anytime he blesses us is so that we can be a channel of blessing to other people.”

35s

#ObeyThenHeSpeaks

“That's a tough word. That's a challenging word. But that's what God does in the life of Abraham. God basically comes to Abraham and says, Abraham, you head out, and then I'll let you know where you're going. In fact, if you notice, he doesn't get any more instructions until he gets to the place God called him. It's not until verse seven that God speaks again. He had to come into full obedience before God said one other word.”

56s

#NoRegretsFollowingGod

“But here's why I tell you that. Because we we said yes to God, and here's the only reason I tell you that at all Mel Brook is because if you ask me, do I regret it for one minute? The answer is no. I would do it all over again because God has been faithful in our life. I can stand here this morning on Sunday morning at Millbrook Baptist Church and declare at the top of my lungs, all my life my God has been faithful. It wasn't that I bless God, it was that he blessed me. Alright. And I would do it all over again. Because when we give the Lord a blank check, we're the ones that are blessed.”

28s

#JourneyOfFaithNotComfort

“God at this time and in this season is not calling our church to a journey necessarily of finances or a journey of facts. He's calling us to a journey of faith. I said it last week, I repeat it this week. If everything in our lives, in our families, in our churches are nice and neat and tidy and organized and safe and comfortable, it's very likely that we're not going with God.”

34s

#NeverTooOldForGod

“like that. What's that mean? It means you're never too old to get a fresh word from God. It means you never get to a point in your life where God can't do something new. It means God can give you your biggest assignment at any point in your life. It means there's no retirement in the Christian service because God, as long as you're still here, God's got a next assignment for you. He's got a next appointment. And when he doesn't have any more assignments, you'll know it because you won't be here anymore.”

40s

#GodProvidesAll

“God shows up, he always shows out. I want every blessing that God has for me, don't you? I want every blessing that God has for this church. Not only see the size of the blessing, but we see the strength for the blessing. Look what God says to Abraham. Look at it closely. He says, I will make, I will bless, I will bless, I will curse. The great thing about answering the call of God is that he promises to provide everything we need to complete his calling. That's why when I was preparing the message this week, I called Bills, man, we gotta do that song. Everything I need, he provides.”

52s

#GodSpeaksClearly

“And then he speaks through the church. He speaks through his people. What does that mean? That means that at every stage and in every season, there's somebody more spiritual than you. Amen? There's somebody further down the road. There's somebody in the church that could could could could look at your situation and from a more godly point of view, give you some advice. Give you some direction. But when God speaks, there's three things that are always clear. Number one, we know it was God. When God speaks, you don't have to wonder if it was God, you know it was God. Number two, you know what God said. It's clear what he said. And number three, there's no doubt what you, what God wants you to do. Those things are always true about how God speaks.”

45s

#GiveItAllToGod

“Not only will I go where God calls me, I will give what God asked me. Living our lives at a blank check is saying, you know what? It all belongs to God. 100% will give what you ask me. The answer is yes. I realized that my talents were not given for self gratification, but for God glorification. That gift God gave you, that experience God gave you, that trial God gave you, it wasn't for your personal benefit, it was for the benefit of somebody else. So, God, I will give what you ask me. The answer is yes.”

56s

#ReadyWhenGodSends

“But third, every check's got a date on it. You know what I mean? When I was in the insurance business, people used to ask if they could post post date that check. You know what I'm saying? Like, I can't cover it right now, but maybe one day. Man, I could tell so many stories, but I won't. I'll be disciplined. But, it's got a date. And, the third part of that living our lives with a blank check is, God, I will go where you send me. I will give what you ask me. And finally, I will go when you send me. You want me to go is yes. My my life is a blank check before you, God. Fill in the details because my answer is yes.”

54s

#FromComfortToCalling

“I'm calling you from your father's house. Watch this closely, Milbrook, because this is extremely important. from the comfortable and the familiar. here's where I'm calling you to. You ready? Put yourself in Abraham's shoes. I'm calling you from the known, the familiar, and the comfortable. Alright, God. Where are you calling me to? To a place I will show you. That's all? Really? To a place I will show you. So, God comes to Abraham and he says, I'm calling you from the known, from the comfortable, from the familiar to the unknown, the uncomfortable, and the unfamiliar. That's a tough word. That's a challenging word. But that's what God does in the life of Abraham.”

48s

#MomentsThatChangeEverything

“But don't miss it, Milbro. This is the moment of truth. This is the moment that changed everything about Abraham's life. This Without this moment, we aren't having this meeting this morning. There's critical moments in our life. There's critical moments in the life of our families. There's critical moments in the life of our churches that change everything. And God calls us to such critical moments. So, Abraham went as the Lord had told him.”

68s

#LiveLikeABlankCheck

“It's a practical way a fresh journey of faith looks like. You say, what do you mean a blank check? Now, I'm not asking you for a blank check. Alright. That's not what I'm saying. Nobody's asking for a blank check. We're asking that you give you live your life as a blank check before the Lord. What does that mean? Number one, it means this. I will go where you send me. You know, when you put the I don't know. Y'all probably have everything drafted now. Y'all probably don't write any checks. I'm just saying. to live our lives with a fresh journey of faith means, God, I will go wherever you ask me to go. Yes, God, before you ask the question. So, my life is not about where do I wanna go to college and where do I wanna work and what I wanna do. The question is where does God want me to work and where does he want me to go to college and what does he want me to do? Amen?”

33s

#ObeyDontDebate

“And I say it I say it again this week. God is calling us as a church to this journey of fresh faith. And we're gonna come to a moment, I believe, in this series where where the Lord is calling us as a church to not analyze it, not discuss it, not debate it, not call a meeting about it, But the word is gonna be to obey it. To step forward in obedience, going not knowing.”

37s

#GodUsesTheOrdinary

“Abraham likely grew up in a home where dad carved false idols. And God took this this man an ungodly household where dad carved idols and likely sold them to to others and called him in search of the one true God and ultimately as the father of many nations. The incredible grace of our God to take ordinary people like us and do extraordinary things.”

37s

#BuildingPeopleNotPlaces

“He's not trying to build a building, he's trying to build a body. Like that. His, he, his, God's focus is not a place, it's his people. Because he's not trying to build an audience. He's trying to deploy an army. Which brings us this morning to the call of Abraham going not knowing. In Genesis chapter 12 and verse one, I would call your attention if I could to the call of Abraham.”

34s

#GodStillSpeaks

“Let's stop just for a minute. I told you in this series, I feel like God wants us to dig deeper. To slow down just a little bit and not miss out on anything God's got to say to us. How do we know when God speaks? Because God speaks right here to Abraham. How do we know when God speaks? How does God speak in 2026? Or or does God speak? Millbrook, I still I believe with all my heart that God is still speaking to his people in 2026.”

30s

#GodSpeaksInManyWays

“does God speak? God speaks to us as we take the word of God. It's not that God has new revelation. I'm certainly not saying that, but God takes the inspired revelation and uses the spirit of God to apply that passage in our lives. He speaks through the word. Secondly, he speaks through prayer. And a lot of times, it's not as important in prayer what you say to God is what he says to you. A lot of times, we do a lot of talking and no and no listening, don't we?”

44s

#GodSizedPromises

“He speaks through circumstances. What do you mean circumstances? I said a little bit last week, but you know, there's no there's nothing accidental about your life. There's no there's no coincidences about where you were born or what streets you live on, or what birth order you were, or who your parents were, or grandparents. None of that is by accident. And a lot of times if we wanna look at where God is calling us, we can look back to see where he wants to do in the future. Cause our God is not a God of disorder. And many times our spiritual markers in the past give us direction as to what he wants to do in our future. As you're praying about what God wants to do, look back and see what he's already done.”

37s

#SayingYesToGod

“The second thing we see is not only do we see the plans of God, but secondly, we see the promises of God. And I'll be brief. Number one, we see the size of God's promise. He didn't just say I'll make you a nation, he said I'll make you a great nation. Your name will become great because when we follow God's call, we don't just get a blessing, we receive a God sized blessing. Amen? You you said, why in the world would I do such a thing? Because you don't wanna miss out on one blessing from this God.”

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