The way of the world is a set of principles: Essentially, it is to set a goal out of your personal greed and ambition. Then scheme, manipulate, lie, cheat, deceive, exploit to get it.

This was the way Abraham followed to give birth to Ishmael. And, you know what, it works!

So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian madservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar,, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.
~ Genesis 16:3,4

You see, it worked; the pattern of the world worked here for Abraham; but it plunged his household into untold agony. Yes, I must admit that the ways of the world work. However, they are full of sorrows and struggles; they are full of death. If you walk in the ways of the world, you will experience their success, as well as the stress and the death.

God had promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations. However, to be the father of many nations you need to have a child. So, after 10 years of following God and no child, what happened? Abraham listened to the ungodly counsel of his wife and detached from the way of the Lord.

That brings me to the main point of this post: Who is talking to you? Whose counsel are you listening to? Sarah cast a worldly spell on Abraham and got him completely confused and mesmerized.  This is what can happen to you when you start to pay attention to the wisdom of this world.

Just think about this: What if Abraham had not listened to Sarah?