Once Upon a Marriage pt. 3 - Faithful or Faithless

Title of message:  Faithful or Faithless   What do you want out of your marriage? (Genesis 12:1-2) “The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing."   (Hebrews 11:8) By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.   God will often call us to a life of blessing and the only way there is the faith road.   During seasons of required faith:   1.    We can fall victim to fear.   (Genesis 12:11-13) As (Abram) was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you."   April 10, 2007   God has been working in our lives for the last 18 months or so preparing us for a new place in ministry. We have been called to plant a church in Lebanon, Indiana, a life-giving church called Freedom. We are so excited and can't wait to see what God will do with our obedience. It's quite scary, but we know we are doing what He wants us to do. 2.    We can get ahead of God.   (Genesis 16:1-2) Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."   3.    We can give up on God’s promise.   (Genesis 17:17) Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?"   (Genesis 18:12-13) So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" Then the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?'   (Genesis 18:14) Is anything too hard for the Lord?”   (Romans 4:19-21) Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead — since he was about a hundred years old — and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.   (Proverbs 19:21) Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.