A Journey of Faith, Week 3 - August 23, 2026

Aug 23, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Building Altars Where God Guides

When Abraham arrived in Canaan, his first act was to erect an altar—not to secure blessings, but to honor the God who’d already proven faithful. Worship wasn’t an afterthought; it was his lifeline. This altar represented both gratitude for the journey and surrender to the unseen road ahead. True worship costs something: time, vulnerability, and the courage to celebrate God’s goodness even when the destination feels uncertain. It’s in these moments of intentional praise that we realign our hearts with His purposes. [49:55]

“So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.”
(Genesis 12:7–8, ESV)

Reflection: Where has God’s faithfulness marked your journey, and what “altar” could you build today to honor Him? How might prioritizing worship reshape your perspective on uncertainty?

Day 2: Lighting Fires in Enemy Territory

Abraham built a second altar surrounded by Canaanites—people hostile to his God. The flames of that altar weren’t just for sacrifice; they were a bold declaration. In a culture of idols, he refused to hide his allegiance. Evangelism isn’t a program; it’s the daily choice to let your life—and lips—declare Christ’s worth where darkness feels thickest. [56:49]

“At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 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.”
(Genesis 12:6–7, ESV)

Reflection: What “Canaanite territory” do you navigate daily? How can your actions or words this week visibly point others to Christ’s light?

Day 3: Returning to the Place of First Fire

After failing in Egypt, Abraham didn’t wallow—he returned to Bethel, rebuilding the altar he’d abandoned. Restoration begins by retracing steps to where we last met God. It’s humbling to revisit abandoned commitments, but grace meets us there. God’s altars aren’t relics; they’re invitations to reignite surrendered hearts. [01:06:13]

“And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD.”
(Genesis 13:3–4, ESV)

Reflection: Is there a “Bethel” in your past—a place of obedience or passion—you need to return to? What step will you take this week to rebuild there?

Day 4: Faithfulness Forged in Unfamiliar Land

Abraham’s journey through Canaan wasn’t a victory march—it was a gritty trek through enemy lands, famine, and his own failures. Yet each struggle became a thread in God’s faithfulness tapestry. Our trials aren’t detours; they’re classrooms where we learn to trust the Guide more than the map. [50:51]

“Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country… to the land that I will show you.’ So Abram went, as the LORD had told him.”
(Genesis 12:1, 4, ESV)

Reflection: What current challenge feels like “enemy territory”? How might God be using it to deepen your reliance on His promises rather than your plans?

Day 5: Obedience That Costs Comfort

At 75, Abraham left Haran’s familiarity for a land he’d never seen. Surrender isn’t a one-time event—it’s the daily choice to loosen our grip on safety. Every altar he built marked a death to self-reliance. True obedience always demands something, but it’s the only path to the God-sized life. [47:00]

“Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions… and they set out to go to the land of Canaan.”
(Genesis 12:4–5, ESV)

Reflection: What comfort is God asking you to release for His calling? How might saying “yes” today position you for a future only He can orchestrate?

Sermon Summary

Genesis 12 shows Abram stepping into a fresh journey of faith, not when he was young and just getting started, but when he was 75 years old. God had called him from the known, the familiar, and the comfortable into the unknown, the unfamiliar, and the uncomfortable. God had promised to make him a great nation, and God had also promised to provide the strength for what He commanded. Where God guides, He always provides.

Abram’s obedience matters because God did not give him the next word until his feet were standing in the land God had already named. The text shows that obedience to God leads to fresh revelation from God. God’s people may want fresh direction, fresh instruction, and fresh clarity, but God’s word presses the question first: has every previous word already been obeyed? Fresh assignment and fresh revelation do not come to a life that is holding back a blank check from the Lord.

The first altar shows the priority of worship. Abram arrives in the promised land, looks back over miles of enemy territory, and knows that God has been faithful. The first thing he does is not settle in, make a plan, or check his schedule. The first thing he does is build an altar and worship. Worship costs something. Abram had to gather stones, wood, and sacrifice, and the altar says that meeting the living God is not casual, lazy, or last-minute business. Worship must be built or rebuilt where it has become slack, cold, or secondary.

The second altar shows evangelism. Abram stands in a dark land with Canaanites all around, builds an altar, lights the fire, and calls on the name of the Lord. The altar becomes a public declaration that his God is not made with human hands and not hidden in an idol. Calling on the name of the Lord is the language of salvation, and it also becomes the call for God’s people to stop hiding out and playing it safe. The altar of evangelism must not lie in ruins while programs, crowds, and busyness go on without gospel witness.

Egypt shows what happens when Abram makes a logical plan God never commanded. There are no altars in Egypt. There is hiding, fear, lying, and damage to his wife, his family, and the community around him. Yet Genesis 13 shows Abram returning to the place where the altar had been at first. The altar of forgiveness and restoration points beyond animal sacrifice to Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, whose finished work pays the debt in full and welcomes the repentant back with open arms.

Key Takeaways

1. Full obedience opens fresh direction. God does not give Abram the next word until Abram stands in the place God had already commanded. The desire for fresh revelation cannot be separated from the call to obey what has already been made plain. A life that wants God’s next assignment must first stop negotiating with God’s last instruction. [48:23]
2. Worship must be built intentionally. Abram’s altar was not accidental, convenient, or casual. Worship required priority, preparation, and sacrifice because meeting the living God is never a box to check on the way to something else. A cold altar often reveals not a lack of information about God, but a loss of holy urgency before God. [53:08]
3. Evangelism cannot lie in ruins. Abram called on the name of the Lord in enemy territory, where everybody could see the fire and hear the witness. Gospel silence can hide beneath church activity, good programs, and full rooms. A rebuilt altar of evangelism means Jesus is not only in the life, but also on the lips. [58:14]
4. Egypt has no altars. Abram went to Egypt with a plan that made sense, but God had never told him to go there. Egypt became the place of hiding, fear, and silence, where no altar was built and no public witness was given. Logical plans can still become disobedience when they move a person away from God’s presence and God’s promise. [63:41]
5. Restoration returns to the altar. Abram did not stay in Egypt, but returned to the place where he had called on the Lord before. Forgiveness begins where excuses end and the heart comes back to God’s appointed place of surrender. The cross means the altar is no longer filled with another animal, because Christ has already paid the debt in full.

## [66:13]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[37:16] - Journey of Faith Introduction
[39:53] - Reading Genesis 12
[43:21] - A Clear Word From God
[44:44] - Leaving Comfort for the Unknown
[47:00] - Fresh Assignment at Seventy-Five
[48:23] - Obedience Before Fresh Revelation
[49:26] - Abraham’s Altar of Worship
[55:26] - Abraham’s Altar of Evangelism
[60:09] - Calling on the Name of the Lord
[61:54] - Egypt and Abraham’s Failure
[66:13] - Returning to Forgiveness and Restoration
[68:29] - Christ, the Finished Sacrifice
[77:39] - Closing Prayer and Commission

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Genesis 12:1-20
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. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 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. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb. Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife,’ then they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had. [39:53]

Romans 10:13
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” [01:00:09]

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [01:07:41]

Observation questions

In Genesis 12, what does Abram do after the Lord appears to him in Canaan, and what does he do again near Bethel and Ai? [49:26]
What details in Genesis 12 show the difference between Abram’s life at the altars and Abram’s life in Egypt?
In the passage, what specific fear leads Abram to tell Sarai to say she is his sister? [01:01:54]
According to Romans 10:13 and Genesis 12:8, what phrase connects Abram’s public calling on the Lord with the language of salvation? [01:00:09]

Interpretation questions

Abram did not receive the next word until he had come into the land God named. What does that suggest about the relationship between obedience and fresh direction from God? [48:23]
Abram’s first response in the land was to build an altar. What does that reveal about what worship is meant to be when God has been faithful? [50:57]
Abram called on the name of the Lord while surrounded by Canaanites. What does that show about how faith is meant to live in a dark or hostile setting? [58:14]
Egypt seemed like a sensible solution to famine, yet it became a place of fear, silence, and compromise. What warning does that give about plans that make sense but are not clearly from God? [01:03:41]

Application questions

Abram stepped into a fresh assignment at seventy-five years old. Where might there be a tendency to think, “That season of obedience is behind me,” and what might it look like to stay open to a fresh assignment from God now? [47:00]
Fresh revelation follows full obedience. Is there any earlier word from God that has been delayed, resisted, or partly obeyed? What would it look like to stop negotiating and obey fully? [48:23]
Worship must be built intentionally. What has helped worship stay warm and real in this season, and what has quietly pushed it toward convenience, routine, or last-minute leftovers? [53:08]
The altar of evangelism means Jesus is not only in the life but also on the lips. In what setting is it easiest to stay quiet about Christ right now—work, family, school, friendships, or somewhere else? What would simple boldness look like there this week? [59:33]
Egypt has no altars. Where might there be a move toward “playing it safe,” hiding spiritual identity, or choosing what feels logical over what God has made clear? [01:04:06]
Abram’s failure in Egypt affected Sarai, his household, and others around him. How does that challenge the idea that private compromise only harms one person? Is there any area where sin may be touching more people than first realized? [01:05:10]
Restoration begins by returning to the place of surrender, and Jesus has already paid in full for sin. What would it look like to return honestly to the Lord instead of making excuses, and to receive His forgiveness with faith? [01:08:29]

Sermon Clips

81s

#PaidInFull

“And so, Abraham gets back to that place and he and he builds the altar where he like he did it first and he finds a animal and he lays the animal on the altar and he sacrifices the animal to pay the price for his sin. And he walks away forgiven. Can I can I remind us this morning as we close that Jesus Christ is the the precious, the spotless, the sinless lamb of God that washed away the sin of this world? You don't have to go and on your altar this morning, you don't have to bring an animal to the altar because he's already paid for that sin. At the cross, he paid for your past sin, your present sin, your future sin, and mine. And at the cross, when he said it is finished, he declared that your debt had been completely paid in full. And, when you come this morning to your altar of restoration, you just come to the finished work of Christ Jesus and Jesus says to her, he promises to welcome you back with open arms. Let's stand together please.”

34s

#GodOverPlans

“And God wants to say to us this morning, listen to me closely. God wants to say to an individual. God wants to say to a family. But God wants to say to Millbrook Baptist Church, be very careful about devising a plan. Be very careful about devising a strategy. Be very careful about doing things that are logical and make sense if God didn't say it. Because usually when God says something, it ain't logical and it didn't make sense. If everything's logical and makes sense in your life, God's probably not in it.”

44s

#EvangelismFirst

“Calling on the name of the Lord is the key verse. Calling on the name of the Lord is New Testament evangelism. It is New Testament evangelism. And God's got the word for us, man. Please don't check out. Please lean into this word. Because if we're honest this morning, myself included, we are so careful. It is a great temptation for the altar of evangelism to lie in ruins. We can be doing everything in the church, but the one thing we've been called to do, and that's tell people about Jesus. We can have good programs and good presentations. Man, we can have a even a full crowd. We can have good attendance and not baptize anybody or tell anybody about Jesus.”

36s

#DontHideYourFaith

“You know, the other thing missing in Egypt? The first thing missing is a directive command from God. The second thing missing is Egypt. In Egypt is there's no altars. There's no altars in Egypt. You go to Egypt, you won't find any altars. Why? Because, watch this. Before, in the dark place, he was building an altar and he was calling on the name of the Lord, letting everybody know who he was and what he was about. When he went to Egypt, he didn't want anybody to know who he was.”

32s

#BeBoldWhereYouAre

“Maybe they won't discover me. Maybe they won't know who I am. I'm just hiding out, playing it safe, being quiet, not building any altars, not drawing any attention to myself. For somebody this morning, God's word for you is, you need to stop hiding out and playing it safe in your workplace or on your ball team and in your school. It's time to move from Egypt to the promised land. Instead of hiding out and not letting anybody know that you're a Christian, it's time to call upon the name of the Lord where God has placed and planted you.”

48s

#ObedienceUnlocksDirection

“That's a powerful statement for individuals as an and as a church. Well well, God, where do you want me to go and and what do you want me to do and how do you want me to do it? And I've got all these questions for you and for somebody this morning, God would come to us and say, I can't give you any new fresh direction. I can't give you any new fresh instruction until you go back and you do every other thing that I've already called you to do. Church, is there anything in our lives, myself included, church, this is as much for me as anybody. Is there anything in your life this morning that you haven't obeyed? As you look back over what God has told you up to this point, is there any word where you haven't stepped into full obedience? Because God wants to give you fresh revelation, but it requires complete obedience.”

49s

#StayInGodsPromise

“The first thing I would draw your attention to is Egypt. Let me ask you a question. What went missing in Egypt? Because God's got a word for us y'all if y'all stay with me. In Egypt, now watch this. God told Abraham to go to Canaan. He told him to go to the land of promise. Do you see any do you see anywhere in there where God told Abraham to go to Egypt? You ain't gonna find it because it ain't there. never told Abraham to go to Egypt. Abraham said, you know what? I got a plan. There's a famine, there's a lack. I gotta get out of here. I know God called me here, but I gotta leave. And he went down to Egypt because he had a plan.”

45s

#WorshipRequiresPreparation

“It was a priority. It was the first thing that he did. He said, you know what, God? You've been good, and I just wanna let you know it. But not only was there a priority in worship, but there was a preparation for worship. It cost him something. He was he was preparing to encounter God. He was gonna meet God. He was gonna sacrifice to God. He was gonna thank God. So, it was very intentional, man. He had to get the stones and he had to get the wood and he had to get the sacrifice. There was an effort required if he was gonna encounter the living God. Can I say it this morning? There's still an effort, there's still a sacrifice, there's still a commitment required if we wanna meet the living God.”

53s

#ExpectFreshAssignments

“And I would remind you that that I closed with last week is, we never get to a stage, we never get to a season in our lives where there's not a fresh assignment. Where there's not a fresh word. You say, well, man, I'm 75 years old. Well, that's just when Abraham got started. So, maybe God's gonna come to you this morning and say, hey, time for you to get rolling. I've been preparing you for seventy five years. Now's the time. In fact, I would say it this way. When God doesn't have a fresh assignment for your life anymore, you'll know it because you won't be here anymore. So, so so there's this work, but but feel this this morning because there's this there's this tension in the room. There's this word from God. Don't ever get too settled in. Don't ever get too comfortable because I might have a new thing for you. I might have a fresh word. I might have a fresh assignment.”

45s

#ObedienceLeadsToRevelation

“He changed assignments when he was when he was 75 years old. But the second thing I closed with last week was is that Abraham traveled all the way from Ur of the Chaldeans. He made his way to Haran and then finally he got to the promised land. And when his feet, his two feet were settled in the promised land, when he was standing where God had told him, then God came and told him something else. had to get all the way to full obedience before God gave him any more instructions. And I would remind us this morning that obedience to God leads to fresh revelation from God. That's a that's a that's a powerful statement.”

36s

#TurnAndTrustJesus

“Abraham was calling on the name of the Lord publicly stating his belief, his faith, his dependence on the one and true and living God. And that's what it takes to be born again. It says, it's coming to the place where we say, you know what? I turn away from every false god. I turn away from every idol. And I believe that Jesus Christ is the only way for me to ever get to heaven. I turn for my sin, I turn for myself, and Jesus, I trust in you and you alone to be my savior. I'm calling on the name of my God.”

54s

#AltarOfRestoration

“It was a place of forgiveness. I wonder if there's anybody here this morning. Listen, I know this is a sensitive topic. I wonder if there's anybody in the house of God this morning where you'd say, you know what? I I need to build or rebuild an altar of forgiveness and restoration in my life. Man, I don't know what how it happened. I don't know what I was doing. But somewhere along the way, man, I was headed on God's plan. And somewhere along the way, I got diverted to Egypt. And this morning I find myself out of touch with God, and out of his fellowship, and miles from his plan. And my sin is impacting my family and others, man. And I need to rebuild or build an altar of forgiveness, man. I wanna be restored to God, my savior.”

49s

#WorshipInDarkness

“He's he's in the promised land. But if you look back up at verse six, the Bible goes out of its way to say, but the Canaanites were there. The Canaanites were in the land. He was where God had called him, but he was surrounded by enemies. He was in a dark place. He was on is in a lost place. This was not the land of promise yet because the enemy was still there. And get this picture, man. Get this picture of Abraham building this altar and getting a sacrifice and lighting the fire. And in the midst of a dark world, in the midst of a lost world, in the midst of enemy territory even, he lights the altar and the the the flame begins to rise and Abraham begins to call out the name of the one and true living God.”

36s

#WhereGodGuidesHeProvides

“And so, God took this man to a place that he had to a place that he didn't even know. But he did say, Abraham, if you trust me, I'll make you not a nation. I'll make you a great nation. Because when God does something, he does it big. He doesn't have man sized goals, he has god sized goals. And he says, and if you go, it'll be a I'll do something great, and and I'll give you the strength. I will make you. I will bless you. I'll provide you the strength because where God guides, he always provides. If he calls you to it, he'll see you through.”

52s

#HereAmISendMe

“And so we see Abraham getting to this moment in in verse four where he has this this defining moment where he has to lay his life down as a blank check before the Lord. And the challenge last week was would we as individuals and families as a church, would we be willing to come before the Lord with such a blank check? God, you know what? I'll go wherever you send me. God, I'll give whatever you ask me. And, God, I'll go whenever you ask me. The answer is yes, God, before you even ask the question. Here am I, Lord, send me. It, I mean, it is a a critical thing that God is trying to lead his church at Millbrook to this fresh journey of faith.”

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