Warren Wiersbe BE Bible Study Series – A Compromise (11:27-32; 12:4)
Resources chevron-right Warren Wiersbe BE Bible Study Series chevron-right A Compromise (11:27-32; 12:4)
A Compromise (11:27-32; 12:4)

A Compromise (11:27-32; 12:4)

First steps of faith are not always giant steps, which explains why Abraham did not fully obey God. Instead of leaving his family, as he was commanded, Abraham took his father and his nephew Lot with him when he left Ur, and then he stayed at Haran until his father died.

Whatever you bring with you from the old life into the new is likely to create problems. Terah, Abraham’s father, kept Abraham from fully obeying the Lord, and Lot created serious problems for Abraham until they finally had to agree to part. Abraham and Sarah brought a sinful agreement with them from Ur (Gen. 20:13), and it got them into trouble twice (12:10-20; 20:1-18).

The life of faith demands total separation from what is evil and total devotion to what is holy (2 Cor. 6:14–7:1). As you study the life of Abraham, you will discover that he was often tempted to compromise, and occasionally he yielded. God tests us in order to build our faith and bring out the best in us, but the Devil tempts us in order to destroy our faith and bring out the worst in us.

When you walk by faith, you lean on God alone: His Word, His character, His will, and His power. You don’t isolate yourself from your family and friends, but you no longer consider them your first love or your first obligation (Luke 14:25-27). Your love for God is so strong that it makes family love look like hatred in comparison! God calls us “alone” (Isa. 51:1-2), and we must not compromise.