Our Scripture Of The Week Is:

Matthew 6:13 KJVS 
[13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Everyone faces temptation. As Jesus’ disciples, we can ask God to deliver us from these trying times and to protect us from Satan (“the evil one”) and his deceitful schemes. All Christians struggle with temptation. Sometimes the temptation is so subtle that we don’t even realize what is happening to us. 

God has promised that He won’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we can stand but will always provide a way out so we can endure (1 Corinthians 10:13). Ask God to help you recognize temptation, to give you strength to overcome it, and to choose His way instead.

Our topic today is:

GOD’s Shield And Reward Revelation – Abram Encouraged By GOD Discussion

Genesis 15 consists entirely of an extended encounter between the Lord and Abram, the man who will later be renamed Abraham. This concludes with the formal establishment of God's covenant promise to Abram: to give him and his descendants the land of Canaan. The chapter begins with the "word of the Lord" coming to Abram in a vision. 

Specifically, we're told that the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. This language is sometimes used in the Bible to describe God's relationship with a prophet. As with other prophetic visions, this encounter will involve dramatic imagery. God addresses Abram's emotions: It is safe to set aside your fear. I will serve as your shield, your protection against harm. The reward will be worth the wait.

God's first words to Abram arrives with reassurance to Abram about God's continued commitment to him: Don't be afraid. I am your shield. Your reward will be great. 

Abram did indeed have questions about how God would keep the enormous promises He had made to Abram. Abram, though, takes the opportunity of this visitation from the Lord to ask some hard questions. He is curious about God's repeated promises to him.

First, addressing the promise that God will make of him a great nation, Abram respectfully points out that his current heir is a servant, not a son. He has no children. And, at this point, Abram is well over seventy-five years old (Genesis 12:4). Given that Abram had been called by God at the age of seventy-five (Genesis 12:4), and had not yet had any children, his concern is understandable. 

Abram is not necessarily questioning God's ability, but he is asking God for more details on how God plans to accomplish His purposes. Up to this point in Abram's relationship with God, we have seen him silently receive the promise that his descendants would become a great nation. 

Now, after receiving another assurance, Abram speaks back to God. His current heir is a servant, not a son. He boldly—but respectfully—says to the Lord, "What will you give me?" Though it sounds like a complaint, Abram's question is built on his faith in God's power and promises. Abram believes God, but he cannot yet see a path to the things God has promised. 

Instead of ceasing to believe, Abram takes the opportunity to ask his hard question to the source of his hope. Sometimes asking a hard question in prayer is the most faithful step a believer can take. Acknowledging our own limitations to God, while asking for His wisdom, is a much better approach than suffering in silence or ignorance. 

At times, admitting that we cannot understand God's plan is part of submitting ourselves to it. As we'll see through Abram's example, God is always fully faithful to keep His Word. Abram responds with his heartfelt concern: God has given him no children. If Abram died at that very moment, all that he owned would be passed on to one of his servants. 

Being well over seventy-five years old, this is not an unreasonable fear on Abram's part (Genesis 12:4). So far, Abram has responded in faith to the promises of God. All the same, he cannot help but wonder what they could mean to a man who is aging and childless. Even in this, Abram manages to express faith in God. Those who ask hard questions of God are, in fact, acting in faith. 

Abram had not ceased to believe. If so, why speak to God, at all?

He is not accusing God or rejecting God. Instead, Abram is taking his questions to the source of his hope and waiting, in faith, for God's answer. God's response is to show Abram the stars. Using this as an analogy, God repeats His promise that Abram's descendants will be so numerous as to be uncountable.