Day 2: “Lord, Help Me Walk Away from the Old!”

Beloved, do you want to move forward into your future, unencumbered by your past? Do you want to receive newness of life in every way from Jesus, so you can accomplish great exploits? If so, today’s word is for you!

Welcome to Day 2 of 21 Days of Great Exploits.

Each day in this series, we will study some Biblical event or key about great exploits. Then, we’ll pray a short prayer together at the end of each devotional, asking the Lord to help us do great things for Him, and to carry you and each of us right into all the MORE He has for us!

Remember, Daniel 11:32b says, “… but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” Do you know your God, beloved? If so, then you are definitely called to do great things. And remember, nothing is impossible with God!

Related: Click here for the 21 Days of Great Exploits FREE blog series table of contents, so you can read all the other articles in this series as well.

For Day 2 of 21 Days of Great Exploits, let’s read Genesis 12:1-5.

This passage says:

“Now the Lord had said to Abram:

‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’

So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan” (Genesis 12:1-5 NKJV).

In this passage, God gives Abram (later to become Abraham) a really startling commandment.

In today’s modern-day vernacular, God basically said this:

Get out. Leave everything. Leave the ones you love, the ones you’re trying to honor and take care of. Leave them all except for your wife, and leave everything you’ve ever known. I’ve got great things for you.

This would have gone completely against the culture of that time, where families were big and family loyalty was important. It also went against human nature, because most people don’t like to be told to leave everything they know behind and start fresh.

Nevertheless, that is exactly what God told Abram to do. And Abram obeyed … sort of.

(He actually didn’t obey thoroughly, because he took his nephew Lot with him, and that one act of disobedience caused him nothing but headache later. But at least Abram did obey the command to leave everything he knew and go out to a land the Lord would show him.)

But Abram did obey and leave everything he had ever known, and that was in itself a great exploit that took great faith–and which resulted in far greater exploits, not only in his own life, but which continued in his family line for thousands of years.

That decision to leave everything worked out well for Abraham in the end.

The Lord did, eventually, give Abraham’s descendants all the land that He promised He would give them. He did, eventually, give Abraham children and grandchildren and great- great-great-great-great-to the millionth degree-grandchildren. And He did keep His promises to Abraham, even though it cost Abraham a lot to walk in those promises.

Well, beloved, it would be great if we each could receive all the great exploits God has for us today without having to make any similar sacrifices, but unfortunately it’s just not reality. God often requires the same types of sacrifices from us today.

When you set out to do great exploits, you’re going to have to leave some things behind.

You might have to leave either tangible OR intangible things behind, like:

• The old ways of thinking and doing things;
• The limitations you have placed on yourself;
• The negative thoughts you have entertained about yourself and others for many years;
• Refusal to handle your life, relationships, and money God’s way;
• Laziness and apathy that keep you from getting up in the morning and spending time alone with Him, reading His Word and praying;
• You might have to leave behind the city you prefer to live in;
• You might have to go to a school other than the one you had planned to attend;
• You will definitely have to part ways with the sinful friends you used to keep;
• Giving up destructive habits, like alcohol use, drug addiction, and more.

However, friend, any sacrifices Jesus calls you to make will be worth it.

When God asks you to give up something for His sake, He will always give you something better. For example, He might ask you to give something up so He can give you:

• Good health;
• Mental and emotional wellbeing;
• Holy relationships;
• That divinely-appointed spouse you’ve been longing for for so long;
• A job or business that is your passion, not just a time-wasting, soul-sucking source of employment;
• More intimacy with Him than you’ve ever experienced before (which is the #1 thing we could ever gain in Heaven or on earth);
• More of His power and anointing than you’ve ever walked in before;
• Greater opportunity to operate in your spiritual gifts and be used in the Kingdom; and more!

There are no limits to what God can do for you, in you, and through you when you leave your past behind and move forward.

But, you do have to get up, get out, and get moving … leaving behind all the old things and walking right into the new.

Are you ready to leave the past behind and move forward? If so, pray this simple prayer with me:

“Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You in Jesus’ name.

Abba Father, I know You have great things for me. You have good plans and a huge vision for my life, and I want to experience absolutely everything You have in store for me.

But, Holy Father, I know that I’m going to have to leave behind all the things that You’ve been asking me to give You for so long. And this is one of the many reasons why I need Your help today.

Father God, in Jesus’ name, please help me walk away from the old things:

• Every bad behavior and sin;
• Every faulty mindset;
• Everything in my life that doesn’t line up with Your Word;
• Every bad habit and stronghold;
• Every unhealthy or unholy relationship;
• Even territory and things that are simply good, but are not Your BEST.

Lord, please help me walk away from the old and into the new:

• Give me wisdom, understanding, prudence, discretion, discernment, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord!
• Instruct me and teach me in the way I should go, and guide me with Your eye.
• Make it clear to me exactly what and when I should give any specific thing up, or stop doing something, or walk away from something.
• Convict me strongly about each and every thing, Lord, until I obey You.
• Give me no rest until I have fully departed from everything You have asked Me to hand over to You, Lord, please, in Jesus’ name!

Abba Father, I want to move forward into all that You have for me.

I want to walk in the great exploits, the big dreams, and the huge future You have ordained for my life. Please help me to walk away from the old things You are asking me to give up, and hold my hand as You lead me into the new.

Thank You, Abba Father. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”

Friend, God has great things for you–but He doesn’t like anything lukewarm.

In Revelation chapter 3, Jesus said,

““And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: ‘I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth’’” (Revelation 3:14-16 NKJV).

Beloved, we can’t hold onto the past and try to move forward too. You can’t be apathetic about the future and hope to still walk in God’s good plans for you.

No; you have to be fully on board, fully engaged, fully surrendered to God in order to receive all of His good plans for your life–and in order to walk in all of His great exploits. You can’t be lukewarm; you have to go after God with all your heart, being willing to obey anything He asks of you–and that includes being ready to walk away from the old so you can walk into the new.

Will you let go of the past today, leave anything behind that God is calling you to leave, and walk forward without regret into your bright and wonderful future, following the leading of Jesus the Good Shepherd?

Leave a comment below if you will!