Prepare your heart for the Sermon by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together hearing God's Word.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and prayerfully seeking wisdom to deepen your understanding of the passage to be preached this Sunday.

Carefully Think

• Read Genesis chapter 12. The upcoming sermon will focus on vs. 4-20; the first three verses will help set the context. What was Abram instructed to do? How did he respond?
• How was Abram’s obedience recognized by God? What difficulties did he face? List the evidences of faith in Abram’s life, just from this chapter.
• At what point does Abram begin to respond inconsistently to the promise he received from God? What are the results for himself and the people around him?
• While in Egypt, how were Abram’s fears realized? What part did his actions have to play in bringing those fears to reality, in spite of his plan otherwise?

Prayerfully Meditate

• Thinking about God’s instructions, and Abram’s response in vs. 4-5, how do you think you would have been tempted to respond differently than Abram did? What do you suspect would have been some of the major complications for Abram to make this type of move at this stage in his life?
• Thinking about vs. 10; what would have been a temptation for you at that moment? What would have been your thoughts about God’s will and direction in your life, if you had been there?
• Recall a specific decision in your own life in which a desire for self-preservation influenced your actions, more than faith in God’s promises. What was the outcome of that situation? Recall a specific situation in which you responded by faith, contrary to self-preservation. How has the outcome of that decision played out?