What Abraham And Isaac Can Teach You About Your Heart’s Desires

“God tested Abraham’s faith.” ~ Genesis 22:1

There is a vision in my mind that I carry with me always. It is of Jesus standing in front of me, and lovingly asking me “Am I not still your God?” 

I know Christ died for me, but am I willing to sacrifice my desires to follow Him?

Am I surrendered enough to “die” to my will? Jesus has said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me (Matthew 16:24).

The vision I describe above was impressed upon my heart many years ago when my husband and I were reconciled after an eighteen month separation. Shortly after our reconciliation I had had a disturbing dream one night. In this dream my husband was moving out again. I woke up with an overwhelming sadness and fear. I laid in bed believing this lie to be truth, and began to sink into the depths of despair.

All of a sudden I sensed Jesus saying to me “Tweeny, am I not still your God?“

In that moment I learned a powerful lesson that changed my life. I learned that no matter what would happen in my marriage, or in my life, Jesus Christ would never leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5).

He will always be my God.

Psalm 27:10 says “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.” This is a powerful truth. There is nothing that we can do to change God’s love for us (Romans 8:38-39). However, like every relationship, it takes two people to have one. We know God loves us, but So how about you? Do you love God? Is the sacrifice of His only son, Jesus Christ, enough for you? Here are two questions to help you answer this.

Question #1: If you had to list things that were most dear to you in life, what would be on the top of your list?

The answer to this question can be answered by thinking about the thing in your life that brings you great JOY. It can be a person(s), a dream, a job, or a desire.

Question #2: What would you feel towards God if your answer for question number one was taken from you?

Be honest with yourself. Take a minute to really imagine it.

Let’s go to the Bible for further understanding. In Genesis 22 we read the story of how Abraham’s faith was tested.

Whatever you said for question #1 is what’s called your “Isaac.” For example, for me my Isaac is my family. This is because the thing that I love the most in life are my husband and my children.

Is loving my family a bad thing? Of course not.

But when “good” things start to take priority before God, something has to change. When we give more attention to any area of our life more than we do to God, we have made that “thing” our god. This is called idolatry.

Sometimes God tests our loyalty and love for Him (Psalm 26:2), like He did with Abraham. The Bible says in Exodus 34:14, “You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.” Jesus says He wants us to give up everything to be His disciple (Luke 14:26).

The bottom line is that God wants to be enough for you.

Is He still your God when your health is bad?

Is He still your God when your marriage falls apart?

Is He still your God when the finances are so tight you don’t know where the next meal is going to come from?

Will you still follow Him when someone near and dear to you is taken away?

It is your choice how you are going to handle life’s trials. Are you going to become a bitter and angry person? Or are you going to allow Jesus to be Lord over your circumstances too?

The way to really know the answer to that question is by honestly answering the two questions I asked above.

Do you need to let go of something, a person, a dream, a desire in order to put Christ first? Ask God to reveal the condition of your heart to you (Psalm 139:23-24).

Here are some other questions to ponder…

What do you think about the most throughout your day? What is taking priority over God in your life?

Who or what do you need to surrender to God?

What is your Isaac?

Who or what needs to be put on the altar in sacrifice so that Jesus Christ is truly sitting on the throne of your heart? Whatever “it” is, may you decide today to take baby steps towards allowing your lord and savior to sit in His rightful place in your heart. May you surrender your Isaac today and give Jesus priority.

“A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.”~ Luke 14:25-26