There are many people who would like to walk with God but are convinced that their weaknesses, fears and foolish mistakes make it impossible. They might say something like this: "I know God is powerful, but it isn't God I'm worried about; it's me. I don't seem to have what it takes to live a victorious life. I'm afraid I have already or will in the future mess up His plans for me. I make bad choices, I fear stepping out in faith, I'm weak in the face of temptation. Don't I have to perfectly obey God for Him to be in control of my life?" Mercifully, the answer is no. Abraham and Sarah are examples of God's ability to overrule disobedience, slow obedience and partial obedience. Poor choices delayed God's purpose and created hardships for Abraham and Sarah, but it didn't prevent Him from accomplishing His plan for their lives. The record of their lives ought to give us great hope, because it proves that what God requires of us is not impossibly out of reach because it relies on His power and faithfulness much more than it does ours.

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at [email protected] and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

Hagar was only an Egyptian slave who had been given as a maid-in-waiting to Sarai by the Pharaoh of Egypt. She was part of the dowry he paid to Abram for Sarai's hand in marriage (Ge 12:15,16), so whatever Hagar knew about the true God she had learned from this Hebrew couple she served. Sadly, she was drawn into the middle of their marriage as a solution to their painful barrenness. Trouble quickly erupted, as one would expect, but in her darkest hour she discovers the heart of God. She learned that He sees and cares about even a household servant and has a wonderful plan for her. She learned that He is a God who sees all things, and we need to learn the same truth.

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at [email protected] and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

Just as a natural parent conceives life and nurtures a growing child, it is possible to be a spiritual parent who reproduces spiritual life in another and nurtures a growing believer. As we are go through the life of Abraham and Sarah, we see that the main thing God is doing is preparing this couple to not only be physical parents of one son but spiritual parents of many people. Like them, we are also spiritual parents. God wants to bring spiritual life through us as well. 

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at [email protected] and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

When we try to motivate people to do something, we can either use a carrot or a stick. In other words, we can motivate a person with a bribe or by frightening them. Some people think using fear or bribery motivates people to tithe, but God does not raise us to tithe with these techniques. God motivates His people entirely differently. He places His Holy Spirit inside us, and He changes our desires from the inside. And He becomes our Heavenly Father who commits Himself to our development. So our attitudes, how we treat each other, and even how we use our finances are changed because God is in the process of training us. He has a completely different perspective. 

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at [email protected] and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

We are going to see in this account, and in the account of Chapter 14, that Abraham is free from the love of money. We see it when he refuses the treasure of the Mesopotamian kings; we see it when he lets Lot choose which way he would go. Abraham takes some remarkable steps in generosity.

Many of us feel we have to fight for what is ours or else we will be run over. And in the world, that's the way it is. But if we can have the revelation in our hearts and understand what Abraham did, that God is our source, it frees us to be generous and peaceful. Ultimately, we can't obey what Jesus has commanded unless we understand this principle of generosity.

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at [email protected] and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

The Bible teaches us that God sees people very differently than we do. We look at appearances and actions, but God is able to look at motives (1Sa 16:7). He sees not only what people do, but He knows why they do it. And this knowledge seems to play heavily into how He deals with each person. I believe this truth helps us explain why He showed mercy to Abram and Sarai, even though Abram had made foolish choices that had gotten them into such trouble.

One person may make a mistake and God will intentionally bring upon him the painful consequences of his actions, while another might do the same sort of thing, but this time God comes to his assistance, helping him out of the mess he's made. In order to understand why He treats people differently, we need to try to identify some of the things He's looking for when he examines our motives. Hopefully we may learn something about ourselves in the process.

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at [email protected] and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

Not only does it take faith to find God's will for our lives, but it also takes faith to stay in His will. Predictably, after we finally arrive at a place where we are confident we are doing what God asks us to do, forces rise up to oppose us. One of the most devastating is the drying up of financial support. If we don't have enough money for the basic needs of life then we can't remain in a place. This was the predicament that Abram and Sarai faced upon arriving in the land God promised them. They knew they were where God wanted them (Ge 12:7), but the region was experiencing a drought. It appeared there was no way they could get enough water to care for their flocks and herds. So, without consulting God, Abram made the decision to travel down to Egypt (Ge 12:10). It seemed that he had no option. Yet, his "logical" choice nearly destroyed God's plans for his family. How many of us have also felt that there were times when circumstances, rather than God, were controlling our lives. Like Abram, we too felt forced to move, even though God was using us powerfully in that place.

Today we're going to discover that Abram had options available to him that he didn't know about when he felt forced to move to Egypt. He had not yet discovered that God can provide "rivers in the desert" (Isa 43:19).

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at [email protected] and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

Some people think God randomly chose Abraham to leave his land because God really liked him. But the Lord was not playing favorites. In Abraham and Sarah, He finally found someone who would obey Him! That's why God chose them. God found someone who was willing to obey His call and walk in faith. 

The Bible is full of lessons on walking in faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith, it is impossible to please God." Faith is not just something you believe. Faith is something that changes you so that you DO. And your life is changed. Think about the men and women of the Bible. Each of them did powerful exploits by faith: Abraham, David, Debra, Esther, etc. We are to live lives in the same way. 

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at [email protected] and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

When God prophetically speaks a promise to us, He's telling us what He plans to accomplish through us. But He is not predicting the future as if to say this is what will happen to you no matter what choices you make. In order for God to accomplish great things in our lives, He must first grow our faith to a level where we can receive His promise. God promised great blessings to Abraham and Sarah, but as we see in this passage they had a lot of growing to do before the promises could become reality. The troubles faced by Abraham and Sarah played important roles in growing their faith. To begin with, their faith was far too small to allow God to fulfill His promises to them, but God didn't let that stop Him. As a father He used their troubles, and even their mistakes, to strengthen the depth of their spiritual lives. As we know Abraham and Sarah successfully realized God's promises. But it wasn't easy and at times they made foolish decisions.

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at [email protected] and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

Something recoils in all of us at the sight of blood. Some may even faint when they see it. So when we open the Bible and find so many references to blood, it can be a bit disturbing. In the Old Testament animals are sacrificed and their blood sprinkled on people and things, and in the New Testament Jesus uses shocking analogies involving His own blood (Jn 6:53-56; Mt 26:27, 28) and his apostles went on to refer to His blood repeatedly in their writings (Ac 20:28; Ro 3:25; 5:9; Eph 1:7; 2;13; Heb 9:12; 1 Pe 1:2; Jn 1:7; 5:6; Rev 1:5). So, we need to ask, "Why all this talk about blood?" Is it necessary, or can we assume it was just an ancient way of expressing a spiritual truth that we today prefer to describe with different language?

In this study we'II look at what the Bible says about blood in order to understand why it's so important. Then we'll look at how blood was applied in the Old Testament and later on in the New Testament. And, finally, we'll examine how believers today can apply the power of "the blood" to their own lives.

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at [email protected] and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.