Fear leads us to stupid choices, but faith overcomes it
Journey of Faith
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By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where he was going.
Hebrews 11:8 (NET)
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This one is one of the more encouraging — and mind-blowing — stories of the Bible.
Abraham didn’t have the Scriptures to rely on.
He had an amazing faith in God, with only the oral tales of God’s work told to him.
Yet he trusted God would take care of him and prove His promise.
We know that Abraham didn’t perfectly trust God with his whole life.
We have a couple stories of him fearing for his life and lying about his wife. God intervened despite the faithlessness of Abraham at that time.
Maybe we shouldn’t judge him too harshly.
After all, how many situations have you or I been in where it would be reasonable to expect the king of the land to destroy us?
Fear can drive us to do a lot of stupid stuff.
It usually feels like the only viable option in the moment, but slowing down and reflecting on a situation often shows how dumb a decision actually is.
And as believers, we have some big advantages over father Abraham:
1. We have the Scripture written down for us.
2. We have the Holy Spirit living within us, guiding us through life.
Abraham had neither of those things and still lived out a faithful life that was credited to him as righteousness.
If God is so gracious to him, how much more is He for you and me?
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2026 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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