1 00:00:02,670 --> 00:00:04,170 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:10,789 --> 00:00:13,790 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk Devotional. We're so glad to have 3 00:00:13,860 --> 00:00:17,619 Speaker 2: you as a listener. Today's topic is the faithfulness of 4 00:00:17,700 --> 00:00:21,600 Speaker 2: God when we are unfaithful. We'll be right back with 5 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:37,220 Speaker 2: a brief message from our sponsor. The Faithfulness of God 6 00:00:37,300 --> 00:00:41,780 Speaker 2: When We Are Unfaithful, written by Laura Bailey, read by 7 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 2: Laura Bailey. Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning Abram. They 8 00:00:47,180 --> 00:00:50,180 Speaker 2: sent Abram away with his wife and everything that he had. 9 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:54,900 Speaker 2: My middle daughter, Abigail, is only nine years old, but 10 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,510 Speaker 2: she can ask some deep questions. On the way to 11 00:00:58,590 --> 00:01:02,770 Speaker 2: basketball one night, she asked, Mom, you said that you 12 00:01:02,810 --> 00:01:05,090 Speaker 2: made a lot of bad choices before you got married. 13 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:10,260 Speaker 2: But thankfully, God protected you and his purpose prevailed. Does 14 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 2: that mean we can do whatever we want and God 15 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:17,350 Speaker 2: will still make things happen? That's a lot for a 16 00:01:17,340 --> 00:01:23,090 Speaker 2: 10-minute car ride. Gratefully, another example of God's providence, I've 17 00:01:23,110 --> 00:01:27,009 Speaker 2: been studying about Abram and how even though he was unfaithful, 18 00:01:27,230 --> 00:01:31,830 Speaker 2: God was still faithful. While God wasn't pleased with Abram's disobedience, 19 00:01:32,410 --> 00:01:35,869 Speaker 2: God used Abram's sinful choices in the fulfillment of his 20 00:01:35,930 --> 00:01:40,250 Speaker 2: plan for his life. Genesis 12 is a beautiful example 21 00:01:40,420 --> 00:01:43,180 Speaker 2: of how God uses the sense of humanity to achieve 22 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:47,460 Speaker 2: his purposes. This chapter opens up with God telling Abram 23 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:50,500 Speaker 2: to go from his country to a new land. God 24 00:01:50,540 --> 00:01:53,820 Speaker 2: promised to make Abram a great nation, and God's blessing 25 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:57,900 Speaker 2: will be upon him. Ultimately, all of the families of 26 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:00,650 Speaker 2: the earth will be blessed through Abram. Genesis 12, 1-3 27 00:02:02,530 --> 00:02:06,350 Speaker 2: That's a pretty weighty promise. Abram responds by packing up 28 00:02:06,410 --> 00:02:09,540 Speaker 2: his family and moving to the land of Canaan as instructed. 29 00:02:10,300 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 2: Once settled, Abram builds an altar as a sign of 30 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:18,140 Speaker 2: worship and dedication to the Lord. It would appear that 31 00:02:18,260 --> 00:02:20,970 Speaker 2: Abram is fully bought in and trusts in God's plan, 32 00:02:21,430 --> 00:02:24,030 Speaker 2: but we see in the following verses that's not the case. 33 00:02:24,810 --> 00:02:27,410 Speaker 2: Due to a drought, Abram and his wife, Sarah, had 34 00:02:27,450 --> 00:02:30,530 Speaker 2: to travel to the land of Egypt. Sarah was very 35 00:02:30,550 --> 00:02:33,220 Speaker 2: beautiful and and Abram was afraid that they would kill 36 00:02:33,260 --> 00:02:37,260 Speaker 2: him and take her as Pharaoh's wife. Abraham decided it 37 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:39,340 Speaker 2: would be better for him if they claimed to be 38 00:02:39,380 --> 00:02:42,970 Speaker 2: brother and sister. As a result, Sarai ends up living 39 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:46,010 Speaker 2: with Pharaoh. Some time passes, and it is revealed that 40 00:02:46,130 --> 00:02:49,710 Speaker 2: Abram and Sarai are not siblings but married. The Pharaoh 41 00:02:49,730 --> 00:02:54,050 Speaker 2: gets pretty angry, rightfully so, considering God sent plagues on 42 00:02:54,110 --> 00:02:57,700 Speaker 2: Pharaoh and his household. When confronted, Abram didn't have a 43 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 2: good excuse. Not to the Pharaoh and not to the Lord. 44 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:05,450 Speaker 2: Genesis 12, 10-20. His actions, his deception, were born out 45 00:03:05,490 --> 00:03:08,930 Speaker 2: of fear. Abram didn't trust that God would protect and 46 00:03:08,970 --> 00:03:12,690 Speaker 2: provide even though he said he would. But even though 47 00:03:12,850 --> 00:03:16,930 Speaker 2: Abraham was unfaithful, God was still faithful. Abram could do 48 00:03:16,990 --> 00:03:20,890 Speaker 2: nothing to disrupt or distract from God's purposes. God is 49 00:03:21,030 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 2: always present. He never leaves or forsakes his children. Deuteronomy 31, 8. 50 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:29,640 Speaker 2: It is easy for me to look at Abram with 51 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:32,109 Speaker 2: a critical eye. Why didn't you just trust that God 52 00:03:32,150 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 2: would protect you? He said he would. Look at the 53 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:36,820 Speaker 2: mess that could have been avoided if you had simply 54 00:03:36,860 --> 00:03:40,480 Speaker 2: let God stay in control. But someone could easily say 55 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 2: the same was true for me. I had free will 56 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:45,340 Speaker 2: and used to make decisions that were in counter to 57 00:03:45,380 --> 00:03:48,530 Speaker 2: God's word and could have faced consequences that would have 58 00:03:48,570 --> 00:03:51,990 Speaker 2: radically changed the outcome of my life. I am eternally 59 00:03:52,050 --> 00:03:55,050 Speaker 2: grateful that because of God's mercy and grace, the same 60 00:03:55,090 --> 00:03:58,730 Speaker 2: he has shown throughout humanity's existence. I ended up marrying 61 00:03:58,770 --> 00:04:01,510 Speaker 2: my husband and becoming a mom to three beautiful blessings. 62 00:04:02,670 --> 00:04:05,250 Speaker 2: I admitted to Abigail that I don't know how exactly 63 00:04:05,270 --> 00:04:08,170 Speaker 2: it all works. We have choices, but God is in 64 00:04:08,210 --> 00:04:11,380 Speaker 2: ultimate control. But what I do know is that as 65 00:04:11,420 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 2: God's children, we can trust that God is working all 66 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 2: things for our good and his glory. No matter how 67 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:18,980 Speaker 2: hard we try, we don't have the power to thwart 68 00:04:19,020 --> 00:04:23,599 Speaker 2: God's plan or purpose. Praise the Lord. Intersecting faith in life. 69 00:04:24,339 --> 00:04:27,250 Speaker 2: How does knowing that nothing you can do to thwart 70 00:04:27,290 --> 00:04:29,770 Speaker 2: God's plan, give you the desire to walk in obedience 71 00:04:29,810 --> 00:04:34,060 Speaker 2: to His will. For further study, Genesis 12, or check 72 00:04:34,130 --> 00:04:36,180 Speaker 2: out Unwavering Faith and Men in Certainty. 73 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to today's devotional. 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