Genesis 12: 10-20 In a lifestyle of faith we quickly learn that trusting God does not mean we will never have any problems. Living by faith means we are trusting God to help us work through whatever problems life may bring our way. A faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted. The only way to advance in the “School of Faith” is to take the examinations. Faith is not only something we study; it is also something we learn to practice. Faith cannot grow without taking some risks. 

ABRAM’S DISAPPOINTMENT 

When Abram arrived in Canaan one of the first things, he learned was that the land was inhabited by the Canaanites, who are not your ordinary neighbors. They were very wicked and cruel people who practiced a lot of witchcraft. Without doubt this was a great disappointment to Abram who had just come from a country full of idolatrous people. When the land of Canaan suffered a severe famine, Abram looked for another opportunity and decided it was time to leave and go to Egypt. 

ABRAM’S DECISION 

Godly people do fail, and it was a bad mistake for Abram to go to Egypt. God did not forbid him to leave, but Abram knew that Egypt was not the place God had promised to him and it never was a part of God’s plan for his life. But he was only planning to stay a short time. The result of his bad decision is seen immediately by his fear. His fear should have been a warning sign to him that he was going the wrong direction. He asked his wife to lie and call him her brother instead of her husband. He had forgotten that God promised him a son and was only thinking of himself. He should have been protecting Sarai instead of asking her to protect him. 

Pharaoh welcomed Abram to Egypt, and because of Abram’s lie about Sarai being his sister, took Sarai to be his wife. Abram had made a bad decision of placing temporal gain ahead of God’s promise. Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts as a dowry payment so he could marry Sarai, but riches gained by deceit are vain riches. Everything Abram gained in Egypt later caused him trouble. Proverbs 15:27 

ABRAM’S DISHONOR 

If Abram could have only seen what the results of his bad decisions would be, he no doubt would have lived differently. 

1. Abram lost the respect of Pharaoh and caused the house of Pharaoh a lot of pain. As a believer Abram was a blessing but as a backslider he was like a plague. The Bible says, “They sent him away.” Genesis 12:20 He had lost his testimony to the world and they wanted nothing to do with him or his God. 
2. Abram lost the respect of his wife. Later you find Sarai was willing to permit her husband to marry Hagar, a servant girl she acquired while in Egypt. The seeds of that terrible decision were probably planted at this time. Genesis 16:2 
3. Abram lost the respect of his nephew. The decision to go to Egypt had a great effect on Lot. He never forgot the well-watered valleys he had seen in Egypt. Lot had learned to look out for his own selfish interests. Genesis 13:10 

Even the riches that Abram gained in Egypt became a source of trouble, for soon his servants and the servants of Lot were quarreling over the scarce water supply for their cattle. Their riches became the cause of their division. Genesis 13:6 

ABRAM’S DELIVERANCE 

God’s will never lead us where His grace cannot keep us. Abram realized he had totally missed the will of God for his life and started immediately on his return trip to Canaan. Genesis 13: 1-4 

1. He came to Canaan. But the problem had not been with the land.
2. He came to the place where he had pitched his tent. But he discovered the problem was not his tent. 
3. He came to the place where he had built his altar and there he finds
4. The problem had been his heart. Only the altar can restore the backslider! 

ABRAM WISELY CALLED UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD! 

Please notice while Abram was in Egypt there was: 

• No Altar made to God. 
• No Fellowship with God. 
• No Promises from God. 

In Egypt There Was Only A Desolate Home, And A Wretched Sense of Being In The Wrong Place, Doing The Wrong Things.