The title for our October series, Tricks & Treats, has two aspects that will be highlighted this month: Tricks: We'll look at characters in the Old Testament who can be described as tricksters, deceivers, imposters, liars, and other such terms. Treats: We're being encouraged to party with someone individually, with families, and in our community. Deception comes in all shapes and sizes and with all kinds of intents. Deceptions of World War II The intent of these and other such campaigns was to use deception to gain an advantage over someone who they legitimately feared. Last week we learned that Satan is the “father of lies” and deception is an age-old behavior that stems from our sin nature. Psalm 58:3 - a poetic exaggeration to emphasize how deeply entrenched human rebellion toward wrongdoing can be. Proverbs 12:22 Throughout the Bible there are numerous examples of deception. Today our focus is on one of the characters in the Old Testament. His name is Abram, better known as Abraham. Our text today is Genesis chapter 12. God SELECTED Abram to receive His promises. Genesis 12:1-9 The Christian life is a marathon and not a sprint that is achieved by obedience, dependence, reverence, and persistence. God USED the circumstances of life to test Abram. Genesis 12:10-13 The circumstances of life will always magnify the problem and minimize the presence, promises, and power of God. God PROVED Himself faithful. Genesis 12:14-17 We learn an important lesson here...God's faithfulness is always greater than our failures. God ALLOWED Abram to suffer the consequences of his choices. Genesis 12:18-20 There were consequences to Abram's choices: Abram moved from trusting God to scheming. Abram moved from confidence in God to confusion about life. Abram moved from Sarai to self. Abram moved from being a blessing to a burden. This is a story of one period of time in the life of Abram. This scarred his life but didn't define his life. He was a human being just like us. Abram lied, God remained faithful. Abram was afraid, God remains fearless. Abram demonstrated selfishness, God demonstrated selflessness. Abram's weakness was a fault, God's strength shows His perfection. God didn't choose Abram because he was perfect. God chose Abram because HE is! When we are faced with problems, fear, uncertainty...Go to GOD!