008 Trust: What Did You See? Part 2

Good Monday morning.

Here is a question that has helped me GROW as a man in my faith in Christ:

What did you see that made you do this thing?

It’s the question Abimelech king of Gerar asked Abraham in Genesis 20:10, when Abraham lied about Sarah being his sister instead of his wife. As we talked about last week, Abraham had an x+y=z pattern in his life.

Whenever Sarah was with him (x), and he encountered a man he thought was more powerful than him (y), Abraham would lie (z). I wrote about this from a married perspective in my Elevate Your Marriage newsletter too.

But I want tap into this from a man’s perspective. Because Abraham isn’t alone, when the right set of circumstances hit us, we too have “default “z” reactions. Recognized or not, take time to see if from dating to money matters, to things we say or do - we live by patterns.

Golfers talk about how a hole “fits your eye”. One person may see water & hit the ball in the water - every time. Another person sees the water but unfazed hits right over it - every time. Again, question is: What did you see…

Yes, answering that question actually helped me stop freaking out on the golf course. But it’s also become a filtering system for me to grasp: Why do I do what I do when I do what I do?

Abraham lied, but why do I do z? Abraham’s explanation just might help us in our own x+y=z pattern(s):

1. I Thought: “I did it because I thought, There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.” Genesis 20:11. Logically, Abraham may be right but, “I thought” is never a good way to start an answer, as it keeps God out of the conversation and keeps the stress to know what to do on us.

2. Spiritual Arrogance: Abraham lied because he thought no one else there knew God. So, he takes on the stress of doing what he thinks God can’t. 

3. Half Truth: Abraham was half right, Sarah was also his sister. Yep, it's complicated, same father, different mother. Complicated - for sure. Yet, half-truths are fully lies - for sure. Abraham trusts the Lord but can’t fully tell the truth.(ouch)🤔

4. Re-Write God: For our inner x+y=z to make sense, Abraham has to re-write his story with God 😳. Abraham says, “And when God caused me to wander…”. Umm, Abraham, God didn’t cause you to wander, He ordered your steps. He was where he was because God led him there - intentionally. x+y=z re-writes maximize us and minimize God.

5. Pass It On: The big 1 for me…Abraham’s son Isaac does the same x+y=z pattern in Genesis 26. Uggh. Our x+y=z patterns impact those connected to us (No, Christians don’t live under generational curses).

Prayer Focus: Lord, help us to see our own patterns, how we get stuck in our own thinking, bear unneeded stress, re-write the truth of who you are in our lives and impact others…

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Have a Great Week. Grow in the Grace & Knowledge of Christ

Edward

P.S. Next week: How Regular Men Pray Regularly 🔥