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So Abram went, as the Lord"); document.writeln("had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he"); document.writeln("set out from Harran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the"); document.writeln("possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran,"); document.writeln("and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. Abram traveled"); document.writeln("through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At"); document.writeln("that time the Canaanites were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said,"); document.writeln("\'��To your offspring I will give this land.\'�� So he built an altar there to the"); document.writeln("Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he went on toward the hills east of"); document.writeln("Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There"); document.writeln("he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. Then Abram"); document.writeln("set out and continued toward the Negev.¹

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Faith can be weakened"); document.writeln("when we focus on our own comfort rather than God\'��s plan. Abraham did not fall"); document.writeln("into this trap. He exchanged the familiar for the unknown and received many"); document.writeln("blessings.

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Living by faith is the"); document.writeln("right thing to do when God calls us forward. His call can come at any time, no matter"); document.writeln("what our age or position. Abraham was 75 years old when he began his journey,"); document.writeln("while David was still a child when he was anointed king (1 Samuel 16:11-13)."); document.writeln("And Paul, at the height of his power and strength, was on his way to Damascus"); document.writeln("to arrest Jewish believers when he met the Lord (Acts 9:1-6).

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Following God also"); document.writeln("involves times of trial. Abraham, like all of us, had successes and failures."); document.writeln("He acted in faith at the call to leave his country, and God promised to bless"); document.writeln("him and his descendants. But in the face of famine he acted differently: he went"); document.writeln("down to Egypt, hid his relationship with Sarah and was reprimanded by Pharaoh."); document.writeln("Our response to God matters.

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Obeying the Lord can be"); document.writeln("uncomfortable, but faith will keep us moving forward in obedience. It helps us"); document.writeln("stay on track and experience the blessings that come with a relationship with"); document.writeln("Christ.

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Suggested Prayer: Dear"); document.writeln("Heavenly Father, at times I have felt that my faith is so weak, and I am afraid"); document.writeln("to move forward, but You call me to put my focus on You and the plans You have"); document.writeln("for me. Lord, obeying You can be scary, because You ask me to move forward by"); document.writeln("faith, trusting in You. But I\'��m afraid of what I don\'��t know, and most of the"); document.writeln("time I want to know the results beforehand, but You ask me to trust. Thank You"); document.writeln("for reminding me, through Your Word, that You are, and will be, with me. In"); document.writeln("Jesus\'�� name, Amen.

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1. "); document.writeln("Genesis"); document.writeln("12:4-9 (NIV).

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Today\'��s Encounter"); document.writeln("was written by: Rosina N.

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