Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

January 9
Saturday


FEAR OF THE
UNKNOWN

READ:
Hebrews 11:8-12
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Has God ever asked you to do something that seemed unreasonable? Something that took you into the territory of the unknown? What if He asked you to refuse a long-awaited promotion or resist a longed-for relationship? What if He called you to a remote part of the world or asked you to release your children to serve Him in a faraway place?

The unknown is full of haunting "what ifs." Yet God often calls us to chart unknown territory as we follow Him. Obeying His commands to forgive, to give away our treasures, or to give up things that provide security and pleasure often leave us in the scary territory of unknown outcomes.

Imagine how Abraham felt when God asked him to move his whole family without telling him where they were going (Gen 12:1-3). God also asked Abraham to persevere-to stay in an unknown land even when the lure of past comforts may have threatened to seduce him and his family back to their comfort zone in Ur.

Entering a new year is like entering uncharted territory. The fear of the unknown could cripple our capacity to follow God's leading through the days ahead. Yet, like Abraham, when we cling to the One who knows all things, we're in good hands--regardless of where He leads. __Joe Stowell
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``````````````````````Many things about tomorrow```````````````
``````````````````````I don't seem to understand;````````````````
````````````````````But I know who holds tomorrow,`````````````
````````````````And I know who holds my hand. __Stanphill````````
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Never be afraid to entrust the unknown future
to the all-knowing God.

**************Today's Bible Reading __ Hebrews 11:8-12**********

8 By faith Abraham obeyed
when he was called to go out
to the place which he would
receive as an inheritance.
And he went out, not
knowing where he was
going. 9 By faith he dwelt in
the land of promise as in a
foreign country, dwelling in
tents with Isaac and Jacob,
the heirs with him of the
same promise; 10 for he
waited for the city which has
foundations, whose builder
and make is God.

11 By faith Sarah herself
also received strength to
conceive seed, and she bore
a child when she was past
the age, because she judged
him faithful who had
promised. 12 Therefore from
one man, and him as good as
dead, were born as many as
the stars of the sky in
multitude--innumerable as
the sand which is by the
seashore.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Abraham's faithful obedience (v.8) reminds us that there are two
kinds of promises in the Bible-conditional and unconditional. In
unconditional promises, the fulfillment of the promise is predicated
on Gods' trustworthy character alone. So, when God promises
in Hebrews 13:5 that He will never leave us nor forsake us, His
commitment to that promise is not dependent upon our actions,
but on His character. However, God's promise to make of Abraham
a great nation (Gen. 12:1-3) was conditional upon his leaving his
home in Ur and going where God directed. Humanly speaking,
had Abraham not obeyed, we may have never heard of him, and he
might not have been the patriarch of God's chosen people
__BILL CROWDER