Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev—he, his wife, and all he had, and Lot with him. Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. He went by stages from the Negev to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been, to the site where he had built the altar. And Abram called on the name of the Lord there. Genesis 13:1- 4 CSB
Spiraling Back
Have you ever felt like you are spiraling out of control? Or maybe you have been out of control for a while, and you are wearing thin. Anytime we move away from God, we will start spiraling and it will wear us out eventually. That is when you realize how far away from God you have gotten and that something has to change.
How can we dig ourselves out of a hole? How can we spiral back to God? There is no way we can do this in our own power so relinquishing control back to God and surrendering to Him is the first step. The next step is to turn from whatever you have followed after that has brought you to where you are. Turn around and go the opposite way and shift your focus back on God. Taking just one thought captive can shift all our thoughts and get us back on the right track – the one that leads upward.
Abram (later to be named Abraham) spiraled out away from God’s will for his life for a while. From Abram’s story we can learn some good steps to take to regain God’s control in our life.
Abram was called by God to basically pick up everything and go and God would show him where later. That must have been very hard to just pick up all your family and possessions and go when you do not know where you are going. Abram was faithful and obedient. God had a vision for Abram and He made Him three promises – I will make of you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great, and I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. Everywhere they stopped along the way, Abram built an alar to the Lord and called upon His name. They got to Egypt and Abram was afraid that they would kill him to take Sarai (later to be named Sarah) if they knew he was her husband, because she was very beautiful. So he asked her to lie and say she was his sister. Sure enough, Pharaoh took her for his wife and treated Abram well for her sake. But the Lord sent great plagues on Pharaoh’s house because of Sarai. Pharaoh found out that she was Abram’s wife and told Abram to take his wife and go.
Abram started out great, but he got off track like we all do. He decided that God must not know what He is doing because Abram didn’t understand, so he took control. Now he had to make some different choices to regain God’s control of his life.
How to Regain God’s Control of Your Life
· Retrace Your Steps – Go back and see where you lost the vision for your life. Abram had to back up to where he started this spiral.
· Return to The Previous Victory – Remember what God has done for you and through you. Review the promise and vision given. Remember where you started from.
· Renew Your Walk – Abram we He went back to his altar. He is now a different man in his faith. Recommitment to God's plan occurs when we confess our prideful activity and humble ourselves to His desire for our lives and His design to bring it to pass.
What can we learn from Abraham? Abram’s choices didn’t get him what he wanted. Only having God in control of his life got him the vision and promise that was intended for him. No matter how much we don’t understand what He is doing at the time, taking the control away from Him and managing our own circumstances will never get us the outcome we think we want. Trust Him with the path, surrender your own expectations, and you will never be disappointed.
Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.
Psalms 27:14
