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Application Afterthoughts (AATs) are for considering how a passage (like Genesis 12) should practically impact our lives today. This looks like rightfully connecting the truths of Scripture to what we do, day in and day out. However, our lives are not just “horizontal,” (what we do on earth) but they are also “vertical,” (how we relate to God). Therefore, our application of Genesis 12:1-9 should be vertical as well as horizontal. Pastor reflects this sentiment in his sermon notes, offering some helpful guidelines: “[we] need to be careful—neither disconnecting God from the primary emphasis of the passage, nor disconnecting ourselves from the teaching of the passage.” God is the central character of the passage, and we must not make a hasty application such as, “God told Abram to ‘go’…He must want me to ‘go’ too, right?”

With this in mind, here are some thoughts/questions to consider in “getting practical” with Genesis 12:1-9.

  1. Though God does not audibly speak to us today, He still speaks to us through His inspired, inerrant word, the Bible. Do you “pay attention to” and prioritize God’s word? I have sought to answer this question by evaluating what activities fill up my leisure time. What I have concluded is that valuing God’s Word in my life means replacing the time spent watching a YouTube video with time spent intentionally reading my Bible and praying.
  2. As you study the Bible, certainly determine how its truths should shape your life (horizontal), but also consider what Scripture teaches you about the character of God (vertical). Personally, I have been challenged as I read my Bible to pay closer attention to the times when God initiates an action or event; it happens quite frequently in both in the Old and New Testament!
  3. What are you doing with God’s Word now? Are you obeying and submitting to it, or are you rejecting and objecting to it? Remember that this is a daily discipline. To give a practical example from my life, I have had days where I believe and trust that God has given me all I need to resist sinful temptation, but then I have also had days where I say of God’s power to resist sin, “that’s impossible!” On those latter days I end up disobeying God’s Word by believing the lie that I had no other choice but to sin. In those times of disobedience, whether great or small, humbly confess your sins to the Lord and continue to depend on His strength for walking obediently!