The story of Sarah (Sarai) invites us into the deeply human experience of wrestling with God’s promises during seasons of delay. In Genesis 15 and 16, we witness the contrast between Abram’s belief and Sarai’s struggle to wait, revealing the delicate balance between faith and doubt. Sarah, desperate to see God’s promise fulfilled, chose a culturally acceptable but spiritually problematic path. Yet her story reminds us that even in our missteps, God’s promises endure, and His grace remains constant. Through this lesson, we’ll explore what it means to trust God in the waiting and learn how faith is not the absence of doubt, but the choice to rely on God in the midst of it.

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Abram also said, “Since You have given me no son, one who has been born in my house is my heir.” Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Then he believed in the Lord; and He credited it to him as righteousness.

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not borne him a child, but she had an Egyptian slave woman named Hagar; so Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please have relations with my slave woman; perhaps I will obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. And so after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave woman, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. Then he had relations with Hagar, and she conceived; and when Hagar became aware that she had conceived, her mistress was insignificant in her sight. So Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I put my slave woman into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was insignificant in her sight. May the Lord judge between you and me.” But Abram said to Sarai, “Look, your slave woman is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.

• God’s Promises Require Patience

• Faith and Doubt Can Coexist

• Taking Matters into Our Own Hands Can Complicate Things

• God Still Honors Our Faith

• God Redeems Our Missteps

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Genesis 3:15 stands as one of the most profound and hope-filled verses in the entire Bible. Often referred to as the “Protoevangelium” or “first gospel,” this verse contains the very first promise of a Savior—a Redeemer who would come through the lineage of the woman, Eve. Even in the midst of mankind’s first act of rebellion, God pronounced both judgment and hope, declaring war between the serpent and the woman and between their respective seeds. Through this passage, we glimpse God’s eternal plan to redeem humanity through Jesus Christ. This lesson will explore the significance of this verse and trace its fulfillment throughout Scripture, showing how God’s plan of salvation was in place from the very beginning.

And I will make enemies of you and the woman, and of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.

• God’s Redemptive Plan Was Initiated Immediately After the Fall

• The Promise Centers on a Person: the Seed of the Woman

• The Virgin Birth Is a Fulfillment of Prophecy

• God Works Through Weakness and Humility

• Prophecy and Fulfillment Validate God’s Word

• Christ’s Victory Is Both Present and Future

• Salvation Is Rooted in God’s Initiative, Not Human Effort

• We Are Part of the Ongoing Fulfillment of the Promise

This podcast operates under the Value 4 Value model. We hope that we are providing value through the work we are doing, and that you would then, in turn, provide value back to us. This can come in three forms: time, talent, or treasure.

To learn more about the Value 4 Value model and how we apply it to this show, head over to our website and read up on it at https://bible-bytes.com/v4v.

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The story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:1-19 is one of the most significant passages in the Bible, as it recounts humanity’s first act of disobedience toward God. This moment changed the course of history, introducing sin into the world and affecting all generations to come. Through this lesson, we will explore the nature of temptation, the consequences of sin, and the lessons we can apply to our daily lives as believers in Christ.

Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die! For God knows that on the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves waist coverings. Now they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me some of the fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all the livestock, and more than any animal of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. And I will make enemies of you and the woman, and of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.” To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth; in pain you shall deliver children; yet your desire will be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree from which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; cursed is the ground because of you; with hard labor you shall eat from it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; yet you shall eat the plants of the field; by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

• Temptation often begins with doubt and distortion of God’s Word
• Sin leads to shame and separation from God
• Blaming others does not absolve personal responbility
• Sin has real consequences
• God’s plan for redemption was already in motiong

This podcast operates under the Value 4 Value model. We hope that we are providing value through the work we are doing, and that you would then, in turn, provide value back to us. This can come in three forms: time, talent, or treasure.

To learn more about the Value 4 Value model and how we apply it to this show, head over to our website and read up on it at https://bible-bytes.com/v4v.

Head to our website and fill out the contact form to make a prayer request or send it to us in a boostagram in a modern podcast app.