Stepping Out in Faith: Embracing God's Call

 

Summary

In Hebrews 11:8, we learn about Abraham's journey of faith. God called Abraham to leave his familiar surroundings and venture into the unknown, promising him an inheritance. This narrative is a powerful reminder that God often requires us to step out of our comfort zones to fulfill His plans for us. Abraham's obedience, despite not knowing his destination, exemplifies the essence of faith. God calls every Christian to leave behind worldliness, which is characterized by attitudes and actions that exclude Him. This doesn't mean abandoning our responsibilities in society but rather ensuring that God is central in our lives.

Worldliness is not about physical locations but a mindset that dismisses God. It's akin to various "worlds" like finance or fashion, which revolve around specific focuses. The enemy desires us to exclude God, but God calls us to leave such mindsets. Our lives should not be defined by sporadic engagement with God, like a spare tire used only in emergencies. Instead, we should seek a consistent relationship with Him. To discover God's plans for us, we must be willing to leave behind worldly attachments. God has a unique purpose for each believer, but He won't reveal it if we're clinging to worldly desires.

Our spiritual growth is evident when our passion for God surpasses our love for the world. If the world holds our affections, it hinders our relationship with God. Abraham's story teaches us that our inheritance in God is more valuable than our current circumstances. We must decide if we value God's plans more than our present comfort. Are we willing to leave behind what we've known to embrace the destiny God has for us? This decision requires faith, trusting that God knows where He is leading us, even if we don't have all the details.

Key Takeaways:

- Faith requires leaving the familiar: Abraham's journey teaches us that faith often involves stepping into the unknown, trusting God's promises even when the path isn't clear. This requires a willingness to leave behind what is comfortable and familiar. [00:08]

- Worldliness is a mindset: Being worldly isn't about where we live or work but about attitudes that exclude God. It's a philosophy that prioritizes other things over God, and we are called to leave this mindset behind. [01:31]

- Consistent relationship with God: Our relationship with God shouldn't be sporadic, like a spare tire used only in emergencies. Instead, we should seek a consistent, daily walk with Him, ensuring He is central in our lives. [02:12]

- Spiritual growth is evident in our passions: As we grow spiritually, our passion for God should increase while our love for the world decreases. This shift in affections is a sign of maturing faith. [03:40]

- Valuing God's plans over comfort: We must decide if we value God's plans more than our current comfort. Like Abraham, we should be willing to leave behind what we've known to embrace the destiny God has for us. [04:46]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:08] - Abraham's Call to Faith
- [00:19] - Living as an Alien
- [00:33] - God's Plan for Abraham
- [00:46] - Leaving Worldliness
- [01:02] - Worldliness vs. Society
- [01:16] - Exclusion of God
- [01:31] - World as a Philosophy
- [01:45] - Enemy's Desire
- [01:58] - Affections and Actions
- [02:12] - Consistent Relationship
- [02:30] - Inheritance and Destiny
- [02:45] - God's Purpose for Believers
- [03:12] - Communication with God
- [03:40] - Spiritual Growth
- [04:06] - Challenges of Leaving
- [04:46] - Decision for God's Plans

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Hebrews 11:8-10

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Observation Questions:

1. What did God promise Abraham if he obeyed and left his familiar surroundings? [00:08]
2. How does the sermon describe worldliness, and how is it different from living in society? [01:02]
3. What analogy is used in the sermon to describe a sporadic relationship with God? [02:12]
4. According to the sermon, what is a sign of spiritual growth in a believer's life? [03:40]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. Why might God require believers to leave their comfort zones to fulfill His plans, as seen in Abraham's story? [00:46]
2. How does the sermon suggest that worldliness can affect a believer's relationship with God? [01:31]
3. What does it mean to have a consistent relationship with God, and why is it important according to the sermon? [02:12]
4. How does the sermon illustrate the importance of valuing God's plans over current comfort? [04:46]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you felt God calling you to step out of your comfort zone. How did you respond, and what was the outcome? [00:08]
2. Identify a mindset or attitude in your life that might be excluding God. What steps can you take to change this? [01:31]
3. How can you ensure that your relationship with God is consistent and not just a "spare tire" used in emergencies? [02:12]
4. In what ways can you shift your passions from worldly desires to a deeper love for God? [03:40]
5. Consider your current circumstances. Are there comforts you need to leave behind to embrace God's plans for you? How can you begin this process? [04:46]
6. What practical steps can you take this week to prioritize God's plans over your own comfort and desires? [04:46]
7. How can you encourage others in your small group to pursue a consistent relationship with God and leave behind worldly attachments? [02:12]

Devotional

Day 1: Stepping into the Unknown with Faith
Faith often requires us to leave behind the familiar and step into the unknown, trusting in God's promises even when the path isn't clear. Abraham's journey exemplifies this kind of faith, as he obeyed God's call to leave his homeland without knowing his destination. This act of obedience highlights the essence of faith—trusting in God's plan and promises despite uncertainty. As believers, we are called to embrace this kind of faith, stepping out of our comfort zones to follow God's leading. This journey of faith is not about abandoning our responsibilities but about prioritizing God's will above our own comfort and familiarity. [00:08]

Hebrews 11:1-2 (ESV): "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation."

Reflection: What is one area in your life where God might be calling you to step out in faith, even if the path ahead seems unclear? How can you take a step in that direction today?


Day 2: Transforming Worldly Mindsets
Worldliness is not defined by our physical location but by a mindset that excludes God. It is a philosophy that prioritizes other things over God, often manifesting in various "worlds" like finance or fashion. The enemy desires us to adopt such mindsets, but God calls us to leave them behind. This transformation requires a conscious effort to ensure that God remains central in our lives, influencing our attitudes and actions. By doing so, we align ourselves with God's purpose and resist the pull of worldly desires. [01:31]

1 John 2:15-17 (ESV): "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."

Reflection: Identify a specific mindset or attitude in your life that tends to exclude God. What practical steps can you take to shift this mindset and prioritize God in that area?


Day 3: Cultivating a Consistent Relationship with God
Our relationship with God should not be sporadic, like a spare tire used only in emergencies. Instead, we are called to seek a consistent, daily walk with Him, ensuring He is central in our lives. This involves regular communication with God through prayer, reading His Word, and being attentive to His guidance. A consistent relationship with God strengthens our faith and helps us navigate life's challenges with His wisdom and peace. [02:12]

Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV): "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."

Reflection: What is one habit you can incorporate into your daily routine to cultivate a more consistent relationship with God? How can this habit help you keep God central in your life?


Day 4: Shifting Our Passions from the World to God
Spiritual growth is evident when our passion for God surpasses our love for the world. As we mature in our faith, our affections should shift from worldly desires to a deeper love for God. This transformation is a sign of growing spiritually and aligning our lives with God's purpose. By nurturing our passion for God, we become more attuned to His will and less influenced by the fleeting attractions of the world. [03:40]

James 4:4-5 (ESV): "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, 'He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us'?"

Reflection: Reflect on your current passions and interests. Are there any that compete with your love for God? How can you redirect your focus to nurture a deeper passion for Him?


Day 5: Embracing God's Plans Over Present Comfort
We must decide if we value God's plans more than our current comfort. Like Abraham, we are called to leave behind what we've known to embrace the destiny God has for us. This decision requires faith, trusting that God knows where He is leading us, even if we don't have all the details. By valuing God's plans over our comfort, we open ourselves to the incredible inheritance and purpose He has prepared for us. [04:46]

Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV): "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Reflection: Consider an area of your life where you are prioritizing comfort over God's plans. What steps can you take to trust and embrace God's direction, even if it means leaving your comfort zone?

Quotes

God says I have a I have something for you to do, I've got a plan for you Abraham, but in order for me to fill my plan you got to leave here, in other words stay with me, if you want to see where I want you to go I'm not going to show you where I'm taking you till you leave where you are. [00:33:44]

God has called every Christian to leave worldliness he's not called us to leave the world that is to to not live in society not work in society not not not have responsibility in society, no but worldliness is different, worldliness are attitudes and actions that leave God out. [00:57:28]

You're worldly when there are attitudes and actions where God is dismissed from, God has saved us out of this world, the world is not as we've said many times a place, the world is a philosophy it's like the world of finance the world of fashion the world of politics the world of sports while they involve places. [01:16:32]

The enemy wants you to exclude God and God says leave there, that is, your life and my life cannot be defined by leaving God out or just putting him in piecemeal when we like it as a spare tire taking him out the trunk when life goes flat putting him back when we can roll on up by ourselves again. [01:13:04]

You will never know where God is taking you unless you leave where you are, the world, you will never find out he will he will never show you what motivated him to leave, God said I have an inheritance for you says he left to get his inheritance, and inheritance is like a will it's something bequeathed to you. [01:37:12]

God has something for every believer here if you are a Christian he has a purpose that he wants you to fulfill, but he will not show you your destiny if he can't leave get you to leave the world, as long as you're hanging on to the world you're at enmity against God God cannot communicate with you. [01:42:80]

So you won't hear heaven talk you won't get answered prayers you won't get direction you'll be aimless, because your affections are not with him they are elsewhere, you visit him on occasion but you live with affections and actions that leave him out, in fact, one of the ways you know you're growing as a Christian. [01:50:16]

Is when your passion for the world is dying and your passion for him is growing, if you're loving the world more than him that's because the world has your affections it has your passions, it has grabbed you so he says you must leave this paganism that doesn't include me, without me giving you all the details. [01:54:80]

You have to walk by faith and believe I know where I'm taking you, the problem was or is that that's where he was born, that's where he grew up, that's where all his people are that's where his businesses were bible says he was a filthy rich guy that's where all of it his activities were so it's hard. [02:01:12]

To leave something you've grown up in because that's that informs your frame of thinking, but it says when he heard the voice of God, he obeyed and left, because his inheritance was more important than his current location, so here's the decision we have to make that is if you really want to experience God. [02:08:00]

Is what God has for you more important than where you are, do you love the world so much you're willing to lose your destiny, because God knows where he wants to take you, but you must be willing to leave, say goodbye. [02:14:08]

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Transcript
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