Mensa Otabil - The Lord Will Show You a Place (10/02/2025)
Welcome to a brand new week. We’re starting a new study, and we will look at Abraham. We will examine his calling. Abraham is the man whose faith led us to the knowledge of one true God. So, Genesis chapter 12, verse 1: «Now the Lord had said to Abram, 'Get out of your country, from your family, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.'» This passage introduces us to Abraham; at this time, he is called Abram, and he is living in a land called the Chaldeans. It was from this place that God called him to start a journey with Him that would lead to a new revelation of God.
Abraham was called to move from his land. He had to be uprooted from the place of his safety and his security into a new relationship with God. Noah’s flood had wiped out the human race, but pretty soon, as humans started repopulating the earth, wickedness began anew, and the knowledge of God diminished all over again. So, Abraham is the man that God called to reintroduce the world to God. He is called out of his nation, which is a form of sin; he is called from a sinful state to a walk of righteousness, and God’s message to him is very strong. He says to him, «Get out from your father’s house.» The word «get out» is a very strong command; it is not a suggestion. It requires that Abraham must do something very bold. It’s urgent, and it is a call for him to leave behind his ungodly lifestyle and beliefs so that he can walk with God.
God then says to him, «To a land that I will show you.» God called Abraham from a land he could see to a land he couldn’t see. Many times, when God calls us to obedience, He calls us from the known to the unknown, from what we see to what we don’t see, from what we are familiar with to something we don’t know. That is why every walk with God is a walk of faith. God takes you from what you know to what you don’t know, and the only way you can get to that new place is for you to trust Him. You have to trust Him, you have to depend on Him, and you have to know that His promises are sure.
For each one of us, like Abraham, at various points in our lives, God calls us to do something. When He calls us to do something, we have to choose whether we will obey Him or stay with what we are familiar with. If we choose to obey God, then we will see His power and His goodness at work in our lives. So, is God calling you to do something? Is He telling you to step out with Him? Is He giving you an instruction? If He is, then it’s good for you to obey Him: «Get out from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.» For each one of us, He has given us this call.
This week, in ICGC (International Central Gospel Church), it is our anniversary week, and 37 years ago, around this time, we also started a journey similar to what Abraham began—a journey from the known to the unknown. At the time God called us to start, we had no idea He would bring us to this land, to this place, and do what He has done with us. For each one of us, God is going to call us from the known to the unknown. Are you ready to take a walk with God? Let’s pray.
Say with me: «Heavenly Father, I’m ready to follow Your will. Lead me by Your Spirit into Your perfect will. In Jesus' name, Amen.» It’s going to be an exciting week as we discover all the ways in which we can walk in obedience with God and see His power at work in our lives. I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace and life to you.