genesis

509 Walk Forward In Faith

In a move of radical faith, Abram moved forward. He left his house, his comfort, his stability and security, and he left all that he knew to go somewhere else and to be something else.

Genesis 12 ¹ 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. ² “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. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” ⁴ So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.

So Abram Left

Abram is the father of faith because of these words.

He left all that he had and knew and walked into the unknown.

And he did it at the moment God commanded him to.

Scripture tells us (in Hebrews 11) that people who act in faith are looking forward to a city with foundations, that they are foreigners of this world, that they are looking for a better country–a heavenly one. It tells us that they are willing to do radical things.

It tells us (Again in Hebrews 11) that when we receive His promises that it somehow fulfills what they started.

As you walk through the changes and the challenges and the corruption that all of us are destined to face, remember Abram. In a moment of truth—Abram obeyed. He didn’t wonder how he would manage his wealth. He didn’t ask about how he was going to travel in such a tough environment. And he didn’t wonder what it might do to his security.

As scripture (Again in Hebrews 11) assures us–Faith is being sure of what we hope for and CERTAIN of what we do not see.

As I listen to this song by Consumed By Fire, I am compelled and convicted to be better.

And I think that we could all learn a thing or two from Abram. Because he clearly had one, and only one, influence on his decisions—His Holy God.

And that God showed up in Jerusalem some 2000 years ago and fulfilled everything that He had promised.

Thank you to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

You, and You alone, hold the keys to eternal life.

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Coach J

July 10, 2025 0

488 Called By His Glory

Abraham had the hand of God on him no matter what he did. Even when he was a coward, God protected him.

Afraid for his life, he told King Abimelech that his beautiful wife Sarah was his sister. So when Abimelech took her, God punished him immediately. (Genesis 20)

I have always struggled with this verse. Why would God punish a man who did not know he had done wrong?

What does this mean for us today?

The reality is that God is watching over all who would dare to declare Him King. And He isn’t watching us and deciding whether to give us an “Abraham Reward” or an “Abimelech Punishment”. We aren’t under karma and we don’t have to walk in fear over every decision that we make.

That being said, the power of bad human choices and sin have cursed our society. It isn’t that we made a bad choice, it is that we live in the midst of Romans 3 … For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. ALL.

We live in corruption and we are constantly facing off with it.

And today, instead of fighting against it, much of society has chosen to celebrate it.

This did not work in the time of Abraham, and it won’t work now.

And so I can declare that the need for the good news of the gospel has never been greater.

Our reality is this:

2 Peter 1 ³ His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

To those of us who would declare Him King, we have all that we need.

God has given us the power to overcome, the power to live a Godly life, and the knowledge of who He truly is.

There is no better word than this.

We have to simply follow the Savior who gave His life as a ransom to set us free.

And we can walk in that freedom … every day. We are called in His glory and His divine power … and we have everything we need.

And that … is good news.

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Coach J

February 18, 2025 0

All of us have choices before us. And as we make those choices we must understand that we are being watched by God Almighty … and when God watches us, He knows not only what we did but what we were thinking when we did it.

I have read Genesis 4 many times. Today, as I read it, I am convicted by three things: Honesty, Entitlement, and Responsibility.

Genesis 4 ² … Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. ³ In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord . ⁴ But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, ⁵ but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. ⁶ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” ⁸ Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. ⁹ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Cain’s offering was not good enough. And it was not received. In that moment, he had a choice to make. This situation made me wonder: How often have I laid down an offering thinking that it was “all I had” when in reality, it was not. How often has my sacrifice been no sacrifice at all? If God is honest with us … we must be honest with ourselves. And if we are to be honest, we must know that what we give God does not amount to very much. He tells us in Isaiah 64 that even our good works are like “dirty rags”. The Honesty required in the Bible is something that is very difficult. We must be honest with … OURSELVES.

Genesis 4 also contains Entitlement. And God was merciful with Cain … even trying to warn him. But Cain thought that he was somehow entitled to something more. And because of that, he was taken captive by sin to the point of murder. The reality is that Cain was not Entitled to anything … and neither are we. We are sitting ducks for Hell that bring nothing before God. And He owes us nothing. He chooses to offer us a chance to have Him.

My last thought from Genesis 4 is that of Responsibility. Cain’s very question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” is easily answered. Yes. Yes you are your brother’s keeper. This means that if your enemy hurts you, if your friend overlooks you, if your trusted colleague makes you look bad … no matter the situation … you are the keeper. Not just of the person … but of the gospel. What Jesus did, and what God did in sending Him, can not be brought down to the level of our individual grievances. Ever. And so … YES … YOU are your brother’s keeper. ALWAYS.

This gospel is the ticket to eternal life.

It is a scandalous event that allows us to know God in spite of our unpayable debt.

It is the hope of the world … and it is our only hope.

Jesus’ blood is the key. The cost He paid is beyond anything we could ever come up with. It is not to be undervalued or overlooked. And it certainly can’t be compared to anything that any man has done …

But isn’t that the reason that we needed Him to show up some 2000 years ago?

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Know anyone who might like these? Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

2 MINUTE WARNING

WITH DOUG JOHNSON

Tag

509 Walk Forward In Faith

488 Called By His Glory

480 Honesty, Entitlement, And Responsibility