A Lesson About Separation [from Genesis 12:1]

After Terah passed away, God spoke directly to Abram. Even though God had chosen Abram long before this moment, Abram was unaware of this divine selection. Prior to this encounter, there is no indication of any prior relationship between Abram and God mentioned in the scriptures. It remains unclear whether Abram's first awareness of God occurred during this encounter or if he had learned about God from his ancestors—possibly his father or grandfather—who belonged to Shem's lineage (Genesis 11:10-26).

The first recorded conversation between God and Abram involved an instruction. The Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you" (Genesis 12:1 ESV). This command was a call to separate himself:

• Leave his country

• Depart from his relatives and lineage

• Distance himself from his extended family

For Abram to fully grasp God's purpose and to fulfill God's plan, which included being the ancestor through whom redemption would ultimately come (through his descendant Jesus), he needed to be completely devoted and separated unto God.

God should occupy the foremost place in a person's life—above all persons, things, activities, and purposes. Our attention and devotion should be steadfastly centered on God. Without God, we are devoid of true significance and purpose.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SEPARATE?

1- Being separate means that nothing other than God should define you.

Abram had to leave his country, shedding his identity as a Mesopotamian. His roots were no longer in that land; it no longer defined who he was. He had to separate from his relatives, meaning he could not cling to his lineage anymore. He couldn't attribute his traits or personality type solely to his ancestry or past generations. He had to separate from his father’s house, relinquishing the identity of being a Terahian. He could no longer introduce himself as Abram, son of Terah, as was customary in biblical times.

Nothing from his past was permitted to define him anymore. As a believer in Christ, nothing should define you other than God Himself. He is not only your life but also your source of existence and the purpose for your being. Each day and every moment of our lives should be dedicated to pleasing God and living wholly for Him.

• Deuteronomy 30:20a says, "Loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days..."

• Colossians 3:3-4 - "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

2- Separation is about “Surrender”

To surrender means to "give up." It is saying, "It's no longer about what I want; do with me as you will." When someone is called into separation, they no longer prioritize their own desires but allow themselves to be influenced by God (through the Holy Spirit). Romans 6:13 urges believers to yield themselves, offer themselves, give themselves, or surrender themselves to the Holy Spirit to become instruments of righteousness for God. For Abram, his own opinion didn't matter; he simply raised his hands and said, "Yes, Lord."

• Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

3- Separation Requires Obeying Without Hesitation.

When God spoke to Abram, He didn't say, "Leave everything familiar and go to Nineveh or Canaan or Egypt." Instead, He instructed Abram to leave and go to a place that God would reveal in due time.

Abram: "Where to?"
God: "Just pack up and keep moving."

At that moment, Abram had a wife, a nephew, numerous servants, and a substantial amount of possessions (Genesis 12:5). Despite knowing all this, God didn't provide specific details; He simply commanded Abram to keep moving, promising to guide him along the way.

What explanation could Abram have given his wife, nephew, and servants for uprooting their lives? It didn't make sense to Abram, and it doesn't have to make sense to us either. When God says to go, we go. We trust Him to take care of everything else.

• Matthew 7:21 - Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

• Philippians 2:5-8 - Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

4- Separation Denotes “Trust”

It requires immense faith and trust in God to let go of what is familiar and place oneself entirely under His control. True surrender to God is impossible without trust. Trust means resting assured in God, believing that He will not fail or abandon you. Abraham exemplified this trust in God, and his faith is now recognized as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). Despite not having all the details, Abraham trusted God completely.

Here are a few verses you can turn to when you need to reaffirm your trust in God:

• Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

• Psalm 37:5 - Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

• Isaiah 26:3-4 - You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

• Philippians 4:6-7 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

• Jeremiah 17:7-8 - “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
  

5- Separation Leads to Blessings

Blessings follow obedience. When a person separates themselves from the world, they enter into God's realm where abundant blessings flow. In Genesis 12:2-3, God promised Abram eternal blessings if he obeyed Him. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 outlines that the Israelites would experience plentiful blessings by remaining faithful to God's covenant and avoiding the territories of their enemies.

Separation from the world means distancing oneself from sin, sickness, premature death, poverty, pain, sorrow, regret, disappointment, and failure. It entails entering into grace, righteousness, peace, joy, faith, abundance, prosperity, promotion, and success.

• Deuteronomy 28:1-2 - And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.

As followers of Christ, we are called to be separate (set apart):

• As God is holy (set apart) – 1 Peter 1:16

• Out of darkness into God’s marvelous light – 1 Peter 2:9

• From every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God – 2 Corinthians 7:1

• As God’s chosen people for His treasured possession, out of all the people of the world – Deuteronomy 14:2

• To present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God – Romans 12:1

• Not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds – Romans 12:2

• To put off the old man and put on the new man which is being renewed after the image of God – Colossians 3:10

• To not love the world or the things that are in the world – 1 John 2:15

• To put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh – Romans 13:14

• Not take part in the sins, and hence, plagues of sinful people – Revelation 18:4

• For obedience to Jesus Christ – 1 Peter 1:2

• To set our mind on things above and not on things on earth – Colossians 3:2

• Not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers – 2 Corinthians 6:14-17

Nourish Your Spirit