A brief look at the relationship Abraham had with God and you will understand which elements are necessary to find the secret to a successful faith.

Abraham’s life wasn’t all about great achievements like many may think. He was chosen by God to take on the most important position of mankind: be a blessing. Therefore, his other accomplishments, besides reaching the old age of 175, are irrelevant.

He was the blessing itself, but this does not mean he had a trouble-free life. These were and are the schools that help form our faith. The lack of building a strong faith has led many Christians to shipwreck their faith.

Abraham was the blessing itself, however, he had to pay the price for it. He learned to live by faith while in the deserts. He had to persevere during each trial and every time he persevered he gained experience; and with each experience came new hope.

Abraham learned that to be the blessing itself and solely depend on faith, he would have to sacrifice. He was used to sacrificing; his entire life was a sacrifice. And his son was his ultimate sacrifice. The pain was immense, but not unbearable because he was accustomed to using sacrificial faith.

Would this faith-sacrifice not also be what the Lord Jesus requires from His followers?

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Matthew 16.24

And hasn’t the lack of this been the reason why most evangelicals go to hell?

What I admire the most about Abraham’s life is that he was the sacrifice itself, even though he was the blessing itself!

Those who truly want to live by faith must be prepared to live in sacrifice. To live from faith to faith means you will also live from sacrifice to sacrifice.

I can testify from the 51 years of life with my Lord: I never obtained one blessing that came easily into my life. My Salvation, my marriage, my children, my personal achievements; this is, everything had the effective participation of sacrifice. Not that I enjoyed it, because I don’t! I sacrificed and continue to sacrifice because I see no other way out…

Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; for I called him alone, and blessed him and increased him. Isaiah 51.1-2