🕊️ PRAY HERE Devotion 🕊️ What’s Delaying Your Blessings? Family Feuds & Conflicting Connections
Scripture: Genesis 13:14–15 (NIV)
Verse 14: After Lot separated from Abram, the Lord told Abram to look around in every direction—north, south, east, and west.
Verse 15: God promised to give Abram and his offspring the land he could see, as an everlasting inheritance.
(Scripture passage summarized from the NIV.)
Devotion :
When we get on this new path to follow God, it is a GOOD THING! 🙌🏽
We’re excited about our new journey! We’re praying more, reading our Bibles, going to church, and doing all the things we believe will help us grow closer to God.
But sometimes, we have people traveling with us who were with us BEFORE we started this journey.
And here’s something we need to understand:
EVERYBODY WHO WAS WITH YOU BEFORE YOU STARTED FOLLOWING GOD MAY NOT BE GOING IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS YOU!
Whewww! 😮💨
You may love them. You may have years of history together. They may even be your family!
But if they’re not on the same path, with the same mindset and spirit, their influence can become a hindrance to your spiritual growth.
And often, OUR BIGGEST HINDRANCES COME FROM THE PEOPLE CLOSEST TO US!
My, my, my!
Have you ever wondered why you’re doing everything you know to do, but it still feels like you’re not moving forward?
You’re praying.
You’re studying God’s Word.
You’re trying to live right.
You’re making changes.
BUT SOMETHING STILL SEEMS TO BE HOLDING YOU BACK!
Now, let me make something clear. Every delay isn’t caused by another person. And every unanswered prayer doesn’t mean somebody is blocking your blessing.
But sometimes, we need to examine WHO WE’RE CONNECTED TO AND HOW THOSE CONNECTIONS ARE AFFECTING OUR WALK WITH GOD!
Let’s look at today’s Scripture.
In Genesis chapter 12, God called Abram to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household and go to a land that He would show him.
God had a plan for Abram!
He promised to make him into a great nation, bless him, and make his name great.
BUT LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED!
Genesis 12:4 tells us that Abram obeyed God’s call and LOT WENT WITH HIM!
Lot was Abram’s nephew.
Now, the Bible doesn’t say Lot was evil or that Abram sinned simply by taking him along.
But as they traveled together, something happened.
Both men became wealthy in livestock and possessions.
Their households grew.
Their herds increased.
And eventually, the land could no longer support both of them living together.
WHAT HAD ONCE WORKED FOR THEM WAS NO LONGER WORKING!
And that’s where the trouble started!
Genesis 13:7 tells us that QUARRELING BROKE OUT BETWEEN ABRAM’S HERDSMEN AND LOT’S HERDSMEN!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 😮💨
A FAMILY FEUD!
These weren’t strangers fighting!
These were people connected through family, traveling together, and sharing the same land.
And now their connection had become a source of conflict!
Isn’t that something?
Sometimes the very people you love and have been walking with for years become the people you’re constantly struggling to have peace with.
Every conversation turns into an argument.
Every decision becomes a disagreement.
You’re trying to grow, but they keep pulling you back into old habits.
You’re trying to forgive, but they keep stirring up the offense.
You’re trying to get closer to God, but they keep encouraging you to do the very things you’re trying to leave behind!
AND YOU WONDER WHY YOU FEEL SPIRITUALLY DRAINED!
Lord have mercy! 🙏🏽
But I love what Abram did.
Instead of allowing the conflict to continue, Abram addressed it.
In Genesis 13:8, he told Lot that there shouldn’t be quarreling between them because they were close relatives.
Then he offered Lot a choice.
LET’S SEPARATE!
If Lot went left, Abram would go right. If Lot went right, Abram would go left.
ABRAM CHOSE PEACE OVER CONTINUED CONFLICT!
He didn’t have to hate Lot.
He didn’t have to curse him.
He didn’t have to start a family war!
HE SIMPLY RECOGNIZED THAT THEY COULD NO LONGER CONTINUE THE SAME WAY!
Whewww! Somebody needs to hear that today!
YOU CAN LOVE SOMEBODY AND STILL RECOGNIZE THAT YOU NEED SOME DISTANCE!
You can forgive somebody without giving them unlimited access to your life.
You can care about your family without participating in every family argument.
You can wish somebody well without allowing their choices to determine yours.
SEPARATION DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN HATRED. SOMETIMES IT MEANS WISDOM!
Now, here’s the part of today’s Scripture that really caught my attention.
Genesis 13:14 begins by telling us that AFTER LOT HAD SEPARATED FROM ABRAM, THE LORD SPOKE TO ABRAM!
MY, MY, MY! 🙌🏽🔥
AFTER LOT SEPARATED!
God told Abram to look north, south, east, and west.
Then He reaffirmed His promise concerning the land and Abram’s descendants.
LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE SEPARATION!
The fighting had stopped.
The households had gone their separate ways.
And God directed Abram’s attention toward the promise He had for him!
Now, don’t misunderstand this Scripture.
GOD HAD ALREADY PROMISED TO BLESS ABRAM BEFORE HE SEPARATED FROM LOT!
The blessing didn’t begin because Lot left. God’s promise had already been spoken in Genesis chapter 12.
But after the separation, God spoke again and gave Abram a clearer view of what He had promised.
THE PROMISE WAS ALREADY THERE, BUT NOW ABRAM COULD MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THEIR HOUSEHOLDS!
Whewww! 🙌🏽
And that brings me to my question for you today:
COULD SOME OF THE CONFLICT YOU KEEP ENTERTAINING BE DISTRACTING YOU FROM WHAT GOD IS CALLING YOU TO DO?
Think about it.
You can’t focus on growing spiritually because you’re constantly involved in somebody else’s drama.
You can’t enjoy peace in your home because you keep allowing relatives to pull you into arguments.
You can’t move forward with a decision God has been dealing with you about because you’re more concerned about what certain people will think.
Or maybe you’ve changed your life, but you’re still allowing people from your past to influence your present.
YOU’VE CHANGED YOUR DIRECTION, BUT YOU HAVEN’T CHANGED WHO YOU’RE ALLOWING TO DIRECT YOU!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 😮💨🔥
Sometimes the problem isn’t that God hasn’t spoken.
SOMETIMES WE’RE TOO DISTRACTED BY THE PEOPLE AROUND US TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT HE’S SAYING!
And let me say something else.
This devotion is NOT permission to abandon your family, walk away from your responsibilities, or blame somebody else for every blessing you haven’t received.
Abram and Lot had a specific conflict that required a practical solution.
The lesson isn’t that every relative who disagrees with you needs to be removed from your life.
THE LESSON IS THAT WE MUST HAVE ENOUGH WISDOM TO RECOGNIZE WHEN A RELATIONSHIP OR SITUATION NEEDS HEALTHY BOUNDARIES!
Sometimes that means ending an unhealthy relationship.
Sometimes it means limiting certain conversations.
Sometimes it means refusing to participate in gossip and family feuds.
And sometimes it means loving people while allowing them to make their own decisions without following them into trouble.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO EVERYWHERE SOMEBODY YOU LOVE IS GOING!
Especially when God is leading you in another direction!
And here’s something else I want you to notice.
Abram didn’t lose his promise because Lot chose a different direction.
WHAT GOD HAD PROMISED ABRAM WAS STILL HIS!
Hallelujah! 🙌🏽🔥
You don’t have to fight everybody to move forward.
You don’t have to prove everybody wrong.
And you certainly don’t have to keep yourself tangled up in unnecessary conflict just because somebody is related to you!
DON’T ALLOW A FAMILY FEUD TO BECOME A PERMANENT DISTRACTION FROM YOUR GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE!
Pray for wisdom.
Examine your relationships.
Set healthy boundaries where they’re needed.
Make peace where you can.
And follow God’s direction!
Because sometimes, before we can fully appreciate where God is leading us, we need to stop allowing unnecessary conflict to consume our attention.
EVERYBODY YOU LOVE DOESN’T HAVE TO WALK BESIDE YOU IN EVERY SEASON OF YOUR LIFE!
And that’s okay.
YOU CAN LOVE THEM, PRAY FOR THEM, AND STILL KEEP WALKING IN THE DIRECTION GOD IS LEADING YOU! 🙌🏽💙
✍🏽 Reflect & Respond
Today, I want you to examine the relationships and connections in your life.
Are there people or situations that constantly pull me away from the spiritual growth I’m trying to achieve?
Have I allowed family conflict, unhealthy influences, or fear of disappointing others to distract me from following God’s instructions?
Is there a relationship where I need to establish healthier boundaries instead of continuing the same arguments and struggles?
And here’s the question I really want you to sit with:
AM I HOLDING ON TO A CONNECTION THAT IS MAKING IT HARDER FOR ME TO WALK IN THE DIRECTION GOD IS LEADING ME?
Don’t make an emotional decision out of anger.
Pray about it. Seek God’s wisdom. Examine your own actions, too.
And if changes need to be made, have the courage to make them with love, humility, and obedience.
DON’T LET UNNECESSARY CONFLICT KEEP DISTRACTING YOU FROM YOUR PURPOSE!
🙏🏽 Prayer :
Heavenly Father, thank You for the plans and promises You have for my life. Lord, help me recognize anything that is hindering my spiritual growth and distracting me from Your instructions. Give me wisdom concerning my relationships, especially those closest to me. Teach me to love others without allowing unnecessary conflict to control my life. Help me establish healthy boundaries, choose peace over arguments, and have the courage to follow wherever You lead me. Father, remove every distraction that keeps me from focusing on You, and help me walk in obedience to Your will. In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen. 🙏🏽💙
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