There are two types of rebellious Christians: the outrightly rebellious ones and those who follow the Lord in a half-hearted manner. For the latter type, on the surface, he seems to obey God. This is especially when he knows someone is watching him. However, when he is tested and he knows that no one is watching him, he will fall. When a Christian wholeheartedly believes and trusts God, he will obey Him; and this is the right type of obedience. An outrightly rebellious Christian is not commonly found in the church. But there are many examples of Christians who seem to obey God but when testing comes, they disobey because their hearts are far from God.

With the test, comes the promise. God appeared to Isaac and told him not to go to Egypt like his father Abraham. God reiterated to Isaac the promise He gave to Abraham, thus reminding Isaac that the promise was still true and valid. Therefore, Isaac had to remain in the promised land. Isaac must not be tempted to follow his human wisdom and go to Egypt to escape the famine. God reminded Isaac that his father Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees without knowing where the promise land was, yet by faith Abraham obeyed God. Did the Lord fail in His promises? No. The same is true for us today. When we honour God, He will honour us. The test may come in very real and practical ways. With the test, also comes the promise. God’s grace is sufficient. The heroes of faith are testimonies of the faithful who obeyed God. They were subjected to like-passions as we are. King David struggled with sin, but he obeyed God. It does not require a super Christian to obey God. All of us can obey Him.

Isaac passed the first test when he obeyed and remained in Gerar. However, he failed the second test when he told a lie. He did not plan to lie, but he succumbed when he was put to the test. Although Isaac was not punished for his lies, his testimony in Gerar was destroyed.

One hindrance to unbelievers in accepting the gospel is the Christian or even the church. There are many accounts of unbelievers who would never step into a church again because of their past bad experiences with Christians or the church. The devil may have a hand working in unbelievers’ hearts, but Christians must examine their own lives. There will be many tests which we have to face as individuals or as a church. With every test, God has given us His presence, protection and sustenance. How do we respond to God's promises? May God help us.