11:27-32, and 12:1-9
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God told Abram to leave his father and his relatives. But when he first left, he took his father, Terah, and his nephew, Lot, along with him.
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As a result, Abram was delayed in Haran. They stayed in Haran until Terah, Abram's father, had died.
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If you work to follow God's Word, but your friends and community are all unbelievers or negative influences, it will be very hard to do well.
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If you work with people who are lazy, they will be irritation and pain to you. Do not make plans that include lazy people as partners (Proverbs 10:26).
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Verses 2-5. God gave Abram wealth in Haran. If God gives us influence and resources, it is so that we can help others.
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You should want to have an abundance of everything useful, so that you can give to any need that you encounter. Work hard to have wealth—both of wisdom and resources—so that you can help people!
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Verses 10-20
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When Abram had his wife lie, he was acting out of fear, to save his own life. This caused harm to others and unnecessary trouble to himself.
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Fear always leads to bad decisions that will cause harm and more sin. Do not make decisions out of fear.
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Think clearly, and then make your decisions.
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Fear is also selfish. Fear causes you to think about protecting yourself even if it puts others in danger. This is sin.
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Do not do anything that will cause others to sin or be harmed (Romans 14:13b). You are sinning if you do this.
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God had promised to Abram that he would live, and have descendants to live in the land of Canaan. Abram was not going to die. He was afraid only because he did not trust God's Word.
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If you want to help yourself not be afraid, focus more on what the Word says. This will strengthen your faith.
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Verses 11-13. Lying is sin (Colossians 3:9). It is never right, even if your life could be in danger for telling the truth. Dying for telling the truth is better than living because of sin.
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Yes, there are examples in the Bible where good people told lies in order to protect themselves or others (Exodus 1:19, Joshua 2:4-6), but this doesn't make lying right.
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Even if you have good intentions, lying is a fearful, self-reliant way to protect. Telling the truth uses faith that God will protect you, which is far better. Always tell the truth. If you do, God will honor your faith.
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