"When God Says Move"

Genesis 12:1–4 NKJV

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. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

I. Portion

Notice the portion God demands of Abram. Everything! He tells him to leave everything much like when our Lord tells us to move. To leave everything behind our Lord tells us. Since the biblical genealogies indicate that Abram is the 10th generation from Shem, the son of Noah, it has been 10 generations since Yahweh spoke directly to anyone according to the biblical account. Previously, God gave humanity a blessing and promise after the flood. Now, after the judgment of the Tower of Babel (11:1–9), God speaks a blessing to the world again through Abram.

This “call” to move came with directions. God will move us but not without demands and commands. He tells Abram to leave his family, his heritage, his land and his plans. Those who are planners sometimes have a difficult time moving at the will of God because they want to know what’s next. What to expect or what’s the itinerary. The Lord doesn’t owe us an explanation or require for us to give Him our imput. He is seeking those that move to the beat of obedience. Look at Matthew 10:37-39

Matthew 10:37–39 NKJV

37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

The Lord often times doesn’t ask your opinion on the travel plans. He just gives the command and desires for you to follow it. The mighty fishermen had no idea what fishing for men would look like but they dropped their nets and followed Him. Matthew 4:19-20

Matthew 4:19–20 NKJV

19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

The Lord doesn’t ask for a part of your life by faith but the whole portion.

II. Promise and Prominence

While this verse of scripture has a personal promise to Abram the application is also true for us. He tells Abram that through obedience He will bless him and the same is for every believer in that we will be blessed in everything we give to Him. Our lives are mundane and meaningless without His sovereign grace ruling over our existence. We are called to leave everything behind and deny our own selves in order to truly come after Him. When God says move He is giving us an invitation to come to Him. It is by His invitation that real meaningful blessings actually occur. Look at Matthew 10:32

Matthew 10:32 NKJV

32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

This is a promise in while confessing Him to all who hear that He will confess us before His Holy Father.

He further shares with the promise to those who come to Him in Matthew 11:28-30

Matthew 11:28–30 NKJV

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

And again we see in Paul quoting Isaiah in Romans 9:33

Romans 9:33 NKJV

33 As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

In obedience we see promise and prominence. Genesis 12:2

Genesis 12:2 (NKJV)

2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.

Abram came from Ur a place that was once a part of Babel where all man had gathered to build a great tower to show their defiance to God in order to make a name for themselves. The Lord makes a name for us in Him. He tells us in Revelation the apostles names shall be written on the twelve foundations of the walls of Heaven! The Lord tells us our names will be written down in His book of life. If you are looking for meaning and prominence look no further than placing your identity in Christ. He is the one who makes our lives matter and He desires to make your life have purpose.

III. Protection

To leave everything familiar and go to a land that is unfamiliar requires faith but also Abram knew that the God who makes the covenant is the God who will fulfill the covenant. We don’t need to worry about the outcome. Christ is victorious and so shall we be.

Paul says in Romans 8:31-37

Romans 8:31–37 NKJV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

There is a pretty good level of protection when we live in obedience to the Almighty! What is there to fear in knowing that He has a purpose for our lives here and in His Kingdom that’s coming. When we live a life realizing that we are more than conquerors because our Lord has conquered all then we don’t have to worry about what tomorrow holds because He holds tomorrow. There is nothing that can separate us from God’s love or His divine purpose for our lives.

IV. Pursuit

Our response should be one of pursuit! When God says move we should get our feet to moving. Why? Because we know that where ever He is moving us to it is because there is divine reasons behind it. What purpose could there possibly be to believe anything different? Wasn’t it Him who called? Wasn’t Him that saved? Wasn’t His Holy Spirit that now lives within you? The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:8-16

Hebrews 11:8–16 NKJV

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

When God says “MOVE” know that He is bringing you towards your eternal home and all of heaven is cheering you on.

Hebrews 12:1–2 NKJV

1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.