Same Trap

How come I fall into the same trap over and over and can never seem to get victory over certain strongholds in my life? I’m a “repeat offender” when it comes to certain sins. No matter how determined I am it seems like what gets me in trouble are the same things over and over again.

Abraham was no different. During his trip to Egypt he told his wife:

Genesis 12:12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
Genesis 12:13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

Instead of having faith and trusting that God would protect him, he decided to take matters into his own hands and lie about his wife. As the story continues, Pharaoh decides to take Sarah to wife resulting in God bringing plagues upon the house of Pharaoh. When Pharaoh realizes what is taking place he gives Sarah back to Abraham and they rerun home.

Eight chapters later we see Abraham falling in the same trap and becoming a “repeat offender.”

Genesis 20:1 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.
Genesis 20:2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

The same sin Abraham was guilty of committing in Egypt he now was committing in Gerar. Though Abraham was a great man of God, he also had his weaknesses and was a “repeat offender.”

There are three reasons why I believe Abraham was a “repeat offender” and those are some of the reasons we have difficulty with strongholds in our lives.

1. He drifted from where God wanted him to be
God called Abraham to the land of Canaan. This is where God wanted him to be but as a result of troubles and circumstances he decided to drift away from where God had placed him. Abraham drifted from a physical location but we drift from a spiritual location. God wants us to be close to him where he can commune with us but it’s when we drift away from him that we are vulnerable to give into our strongholds.

2. He put himself in a bad situation
There were no positive influences in Egypt and Gerar, only negative ones. When we willingly put ourselves in situations where temptation is great we are more likely to give into the stronghold in our lives.

3. His focus and concern was on himself
It’s obvious that Abraham was looking out for his wellbeing and pleasure rather than God’s or anyone else's. When we look to please ourselves instead of the Lord and others we are more likely to give into the strongholds in our lives.