When I was 7 years old, my parents went on a vacation. They left me in the care of my sisters at our house in New York, and they headed south to a place that was filled with warmth, sunshine, and Mickey Mouse. I was thinking that they just needed some time away from their 5 kids…I had no idea that this was a scouting trip and that they were putting a down-payment on some real estate! Little did I know that less than a few months from then, I would be a Floridian. I was leaving the snow for 3pm downpours... When my parents told me the news, I had

questions - Why is this happening?! Why do we have to go there?! Do we really

need to leave?!…Everything I know is here!!

“Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing” - Genesis‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭2

What you are experiencing now is not the result of what you’re currently doing. What you are experiencing now is a result of what you have done or haven’t done in the past.

This Scripture that we just read from is the very beginning of the Jewish people… This is the first conversation that we see with Father Abraham… He’s just not "Father" Abraham yet. Why? Because he had to leave some things behind...

In order for you to get where God wants you to be… you have to make the choice and leave some things behind. God tells Abram to leave everything he knew...family, friends, country, home, everything.

Colossians 3:1-4 — "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory."

If you're not where you want to get, look at where you are now as preparation. Preparation time is not wasted time.

1. Part of Preparation is Separation

You have to separate from some things:

⁃ Sin (not optional) - Hebrews 12:1

⁃ Comfort - Get out of your comfort zone

⁃ Your past - forgive yourself - you can't see what's ahead if you're always looking behind - Philippians 3:13-14

⁃ Relationships - the right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing - Protect your heart!!!

⁃ Plans and expectations - God may ask us to surrender our plans and ambitions in order to embrace His higher purposes - Proverbs 16:9

⁃ Control - Trust His sovereignty and His timing.

2. Part of Preparation is Navigation

- Genesis 12:1 — The Lord had said to Abram, leave…, and GO to the land that I

will show you.

- You need to create distance between you and the things you need to leave.

- Learn His voice

- Sometimes we find ourselves praying for certainty when God wants us to have faith. What we need is to trust Him, not our understanding of what He's doing.

3. Submission to Preparation leads to Fabrication

- Genesis 12:2 — I will make you into… a great nation. I will bless you and make

you famous, and you will be a blessing to others

- When we submit to God in the preparation time, He begins to transform us so He can bless us.