Genesis 12:2 NLT, “I will make you into a great nation."
Who are you to God?-- You are a game changer.
No matter what station I flip to on TV there always seems to be a commercial popping up about discovering your ancestry. Apparantly what you have to do to unlock the mysteries of your heritage is spit into a plastic vial and ship it to some magical lab that analyzes your DNA. Voila! You really are half Irish, or maybe you have roots in East Asia that you never knew about. Why is this such a popular trend right now?
Ancestry helps us to define our identities. Many times, knowing ancestral history is necessary in order to be proactive against or to treat health conditions, negative family behavioral patterns, addictions, etc... Ancesestral history leaves us with a better idea of what influences our belief systems, values, and character traits. Intimate knowledge of their stories provide motive and understanding of their decision making process. It also gives us insight to where we come from, who we are, and how we operate.
Abram’s ancestry included moon worship and many other bizarre and evil practices. Although Abram walked away from all that, he did pass down some negative traits to his physical descendants such as lying and deception. He was far from perfect. Still, God had a plan for Abram to be a game changer who would pass down a legacy of faith.
God asked him to remove himself from his family and renounce allegiance to his current nation and all of its practices. If he decided to accept God’s offer of covenant, then God would give him a new identity, begin a new family, birth a new nation and create a new ancestral lineage. In other words, God saw Abram as a game changer, not only in his own family but for the entire world.
Abram did accept God’s offer of covenant. He renounced his false gods and united himself with the one true God. Abram left almost all of his family members behind and began his own family and tribe. He relocated from the country he dwelt in, renounced all of its heathen practices, and birthed a new nation. Did Abram continue to make mistakes? Yes. Did Abram continue to look to God for mercy and help? Yes. Did God work with him and walk him through his weaknesses and trials? A resounding yes! Why? Because Abram was now His son. God, as his Father, patiently redirected and retrained Abram’s thinking from his personal past and from his ancestry. What negative characteristics he previously inherited no longer dominated his decision making process. Abram transformed into 'Abraham' and he became the father of our faith (Hebrews 11).
There are situations in life where it is necessary to renounce what is false, harmful, and negative and unite to what is true, beneficial, and godly.
Like Abram, we all have a pre-existing family ancestry. Some of it we could be very proud of. Some of it could be extremely humiliating or embarrassing. Like Abram, God is offering us a new identity, a new family, a new citizenship, and a new ancestral lineage. We could become a son or daughter of God. We could join the family of God. We could become a citizen of a new nation, a citizen of the Kingdom of God. We could be included into Abraham’s lineage of faith. If you haven't become a child of God yet, click here to read the salvation prayer.
Like Abram, we must decide if we want to accept God’s offer of covenant. Be a game changer in your family. It is the best decision you will ever make.
Pray It:
Father, I appreciate how You see me as an intelligent person, a game changer, with the freedom to choose the God I wish to worship. I choose You. You are good and You are the best Father in the world. I choose to join Your family, to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God. I choose to be included in Abraham’s lineage of faith. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Say It:
I am not limited by my natural ancestry.
I choose to unite myself to God.
I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
I am included in the lineage of faith.
Do It:
Read Hebrews 11 and include your name on that list.
No matter what station I flip to on TV there always seems to be a commercial popping up about discovering your ancestry. Apparantly what you have to do to unlock the mysteries of your heritage is spit into a plastic vial and ship it to some magical lab that analyzes your DNA. Voila! You really are half Irish, or maybe you have roots in East Asia that you never knew about. Why is this such a popular trend right now?
Ancestry helps us to define our identities. Many times, knowing ancestral history is necessary in order to be proactive against or to treat health conditions, negative family behavioral patterns, addictions, etc... Ancesestral history leaves us with a better idea of what influences our belief systems, values, and character traits. Intimate knowledge of their stories provide motive and understanding of their decision making process. It also gives us insight to where we come from, who we are, and how we operate.
Abram’s ancestry included moon worship and many other bizarre and evil practices. Although Abram walked away from all that, he did pass down some negative traits to his physical descendants such as lying and deception. He was far from perfect. Still, God had a plan for Abram to be a game changer who would pass down a legacy of faith.
God asked him to remove himself from his family and renounce allegiance to his current nation and all of its practices. If he decided to accept God’s offer of covenant, then God would give him a new identity, begin a new family, birth a new nation and create a new ancestral lineage. In other words, God saw Abram as a game changer, not only in his own family but for the entire world.
Abram did accept God’s offer of covenant. He renounced his false gods and united himself with the one true God. Abram left almost all of his family members behind and began his own family and tribe. He relocated from the country he dwelt in, renounced all of its heathen practices, and birthed a new nation. Did Abram continue to make mistakes? Yes. Did Abram continue to look to God for mercy and help? Yes. Did God work with him and walk him through his weaknesses and trials? A resounding yes! Why? Because Abram was now His son. God, as his Father, patiently redirected and retrained Abram’s thinking from his personal past and from his ancestry. What negative characteristics he previously inherited no longer dominated his decision making process. Abram transformed into 'Abraham' and he became the father of our faith (Hebrews 11).
There are situations in life where it is necessary to renounce what is false, harmful, and negative and unite to what is true, beneficial, and godly.
Like Abram, we all have a pre-existing family ancestry. Some of it we could be very proud of. Some of it could be extremely humiliating or embarrassing. Like Abram, God is offering us a new identity, a new family, a new citizenship, and a new ancestral lineage. We could become a son or daughter of God. We could join the family of God. We could become a citizen of a new nation, a citizen of the Kingdom of God. We could be included into Abraham’s lineage of faith. If you haven't become a child of God yet, click here to read the salvation prayer.
Like Abram, we must decide if we want to accept God’s offer of covenant. Be a game changer in your family. It is the best decision you will ever make.
Pray It:
Father, I appreciate how You see me as an intelligent person, a game changer, with the freedom to choose the God I wish to worship. I choose You. You are good and You are the best Father in the world. I choose to join Your family, to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God. I choose to be included in Abraham’s lineage of faith. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Say It:
I am not limited by my natural ancestry.
I choose to unite myself to God.
I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
I am included in the lineage of faith.
Do It:
Read Hebrews 11 and include your name on that list.
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