Everybody talks about "the great faith of Abraham"—how Abraham believed God for decades and decades and decades. My question is, "Why did it take decades and decades and decades?" The answer is obvious: because with every step he took, Abraham messed up the plan of God. That's why it took so long!

God says, "You and Sarai, come by yourselves." So Abram brings his daddy and his nephew, Lot, which delays the plan. God says, "You are going to have a baby," so Abram sleeps with Hagar, and that delays the plan of God a few more years.

Abraham personally delayed God's will for his life for many, many years. Why in this world, then, does the Bible give him as an example of somebody that we should imitate or act like?

Because with every mistake he made, with every wrong turn that he took, and with every gross error in judgment, he never lost his passion and he never became neutral.

In his own eyes and from his own level of knowledge and understanding, Abraham believed he was doing everything in his power to fulfill the will of God for his life. He may have missed it by many, many miles, but he was still following after the voice of God.

It is not Abraham's behavior and his actions that are given to us to imitate, it is his zeal for God. Don't look for a perfect person to imitate, because you are not going to find one other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

Look for believers who have an ever-burning flame in their hearts for God, who maintain their fire through the years and through all manner of adversity. These, like Abraham, are going to be found in the "Hall of Faith" of Hebrews, Chapter eleven.

Look for a believer who refuses to release the dream in their heart and who perseveres until they see their dream fulfilled. This is a faith worthy of imitation!

Source: Dream Thieves by Rick Renner
Excerpt permission granted by Albury Publishing