Genesis 22:1-12

Abraham Tested

1Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

2Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

3Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

6Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

9When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

12“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

GOD test our commitment even though He knows exactly how you will respond to every situation. GOD’s purpose on testing our commitment to Him are;

* GOD wants to reveal something to us. GOD wants us to discover how committed we are to GOD. We will never know how committed we are to Him to LORD Jesus Christ until we are tested.

* GOD wants to reveal to us His faithfulness when we are tested. GOD puts you in stretch that if GOD does not come through we will sink. That’s how we discover the faithfulness of GOD. We will be in a position to say ‘LORD if you don’t do it, it cannot be done’. We discover the faithfulness of GOD in those most difficult times, trial times.

* At every testing and trial, GOD always teaches us new truth. GOD teaches us about Himself, about the way He operates in our lives. His purposes always directed toward us and on our behalf.

* GOD also wants us to grow for us to understand how He operates. When we are tested we understand the way GOD operates. GOD puts us to test to grow us up in our spiritual life.

Ultimately GOD wants to reveal something about yourself, reveal something to you about Himself and teaches you His ways. The more we understand the ways of GOD then we understand when we get into these situations we know how to respond. Because we learned it in the past GOD goes by certain principles.

* He wants us to grow us in our devotion to Him to LORD Jesus Christ.

* GOD always interested in growing our faith.

Trust and obey when you learn to trust Him, you obey Him. You are obeying Him because you are trusting Him. And the more you obey Him the more you trust Him and the more you trust Him the more you obey Him.

GOD always has a definite purpose driving you to the edge, you say GOD I cannot take anymore.

There is a promise that GOD gives us;

Control and companionship whenever GOD test our commitment He promise His control and companionship in the testing.

1 Corinthians 10:13

13No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

GOD does not show you as soon as you are saved all the things you are going to experience all your life, if He did that you will think you cannot achieve those.

He says “I will never leave you nor forsake you” Hebrews 13:5. GOD is in it with you in the circumstances you are facing.

Joshua 1:9

9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Almighty GOD has the trial under His control and I have the promise of His companionship and He will walk through with me at every step of this. Rest assured my GOD is closer than my heart beat because He has become your life and my life.

* He will test you in every area of your life and the greatest profit is knowing that I have obeyed GOD. You will say LORD at least I have obeyed you. In fiery test, trials and difficulties obey the GOD at crucial point in your life. The more you intimately live with Him, the more you obey Him, the more sensitive you become grieving Him.

The greatest lesson you can teach your children is son obey GOD at all cost and GOD will honour you.

Genesis 22:15-18

15The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

If you obey GOD if you trust Him to get you through this, He will get you through this, there will be overwhelming relationship developed between you and LORD Jesus Christ and intimacy, a sense of overwhelming assurance and confidence in your life. You may have been bruised and broken but you have obeyed the mighty GOD. There is no substitute in life for that.