Trust Him

 

As Jesus spoke to the multitude of people, He said things that didn’t make sense to their natural mind.  Much of it sounded quite bizarre; leading some to think that He was a crazy man.  At the conclusion of His talk, the Bible says:

 

“From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.  "Do you also want to go away?" Jesus asked the Twelve.  Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

 

Notice that Peter doesn’t stop there, but goes on to say, “Also we have come to BELIEVE and KNOW that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  (John 6:66-69)

 

When we come to the realization that Jesus IS who He says He is, we can fully trust Him when He tells us something or directs us in a way that doesn’t make sense to us.  We can trust Him even when the multitude mocks and when those who once followed Him walk away. 

 

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)

 

TRUST HIM!  And trust that His plans for you ARE good! (Jeremiah 29:11) :)

Fear

 

We are all well acquainted with the emotion that bears a choke hold.  It's ruthless.  It's torment.  It's an enemy to faith, a thief that robs you of life - imprisons you to a false reality. 

Anxiety, depression, doubt, worry, hurt, anger, sadness, low self-esteem, unworthiness, hatred, prejudice.  It comes disguised underneath many different emotions, but it all comes down to one thing:

 

FEAR.

 

The paralysis for some is the dread of what could happen years down the road, anxiety associated with an unpredictable economy, and for many it is the torment of what today, the next hour, the next minute will bring. 

"...fear has torment." 1 John 4:18a

Fear is not only an emotion, but a spiritual force. It is very similar to faith in that both have an unshakable belief in an unseen future. Fear trusts circumstances, natural predictions, the enemy's lies, and self.  Faith trusts God and what His Word says.  Fear is negative faith. 

 

Fear is an enemy of God.  It in essence rips Him of His lordship in our lives. We become self focused and not God focused.  We put our trust in the wisdom of man rather than in the power of God (1 Cor. 2:5).  We no longer see Him for Who He is and who He desires to be in our lives...  He solely becomes a gateway to Heaven, but in our day to day living He is diminished to a dusty figure placed on a shelf.   

God is love, and the Bible says that Perfect Love casts out fear.  God is THAT perfect love. 

 

"There is no fear in love (dread does not exist), but perfect love turns fears out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment.  He who is afraid has not fully experienced His perfect love." 1 John 4:18

Father, we want to know Your love... Your love is our freedom.  Your love removes shackles. Your love delivers us from all fear.  You are not what our circumstances look like. You are not what the latest trends define You as.  We commit to growing in the knowledge of who You truly are as defined in Your Word, and through that knowledge - growing in intimacy with You... We know that in experiencing that intimate love - fear has no more room in our lives. Thank You for Your love and the hope and peace it brings.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEyRoj2sFc4

 

"I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4

 

Be Still

Burdened by life's challenges.  Overwhelmed by surrounding pressures.  Moments of anxiety convincing you that "down" is the only direction your life will spiral...  

"Be still and know that I am God."  Psalm 46:10

 

This Scripture, so simple and yet so difficult.  It's hard for us to wrap our minds around surrendering what appears insurmountable to someone else.  Our worry gives us a twisted sense of control and we can't fathom victory in our lives apart from our own efforts. I mean after all this is BIG stuff we're faced with, but all of the stress and loss of sleep isn't quite working for us, is it?

Be still. 

 

Part of the literal translation is "to let drop, let go, cease from striving, release."  We need to drop our hands from fruitless, fleshly efforts, let go of the worry that torments our minds, tune out the other voices, and just release it to Him.  KNOWING that He is God takes the pressure off of our shoulders to be in control, and allows Him to take over supernaturally.   We need to get ourselves out of the way; lay back in His arms and know He's got this taken care of; that He only wants what's best for His child.  

Yes, the giants in our life are big, but our Daddy is bigger!  

Be still...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKb54tu4gG0&feature=related

Trust Him

 

As Jesus was speaking to the multitude of people, He was saying things that didn’t make sense to their natural mind.  Much of it sounded quite bizarre; leading some to think that He was a crazy man.  At the conclusion of His talk, the Bible says:

 

“From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.  "Do you also want to go away?" Jesus asked the Twelve.  Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Notice that Peter doesn’t stop there, but goes on to say, “Also we have come to BELIEVE and KNOW that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  (John 6:66-69)

 

When we come to the realization that Jesus IS who He says He is, we can fully trust Him when He tells us something or directs us in a way that doesn’t make sense to us.  We can trust Him even when the multitude mocks and when those who once followed Him walk away. 

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)

 

TRUST HIM!  And trust that His plans for you ARE good! (Jeremiah 29:11) :)

 

Trust

 

 

Jesus was speaking to a multitude of people - saying things that didn’t make sense to their natural mind. Much of it seemed quite bizarre, leading some to think that He was a crazy man. At the conclusion of His talk, the Bible says:

“From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. "Do you also want to go away?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Notice that Peter doesn’t stop there, but goes on to say, “Also we have come to BELIEVE and KNOW that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John 6:66-69)

When we come to the realization that Jesus is who He says He is, we can fully trust Him when He tells us something or directs us in a way that doesn’t make sense to us. We can trust Him even when the multitude mocks and when those who once followed Him walk away.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)

TRUST HIM! And trust that His plans for you ARE good! (Jeremiah 29:11) J

Spills

 

 

"I need ALL of you" I heard the Lord speak. ALL of me. He wants the good, the bad, and the ugly. He wants the things I am ashamed of. He wants the pains, the struggles, the frustrations, the questions. ALL.

Notice He didn't say He "wants." Though He does want all of us, in order to work in us, He NEEDS our cooperation.

We have to quit shoving things under the rug with God. It's impossible to love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul, body, and strength - as we claim we do, if we don't give Him all of it. Just as an earthly relationship with secrets, it's those very things that destroy the intimacy and damage the relationship. We need to expose to Him the things He already sees - which in turn grants Him permission to heal, mend, and adjust our mindsets so we can be all we are called to be in Him.

Anything unrevealed will not be healed; will not be cleaned or made whole. If I spill something on the floor and leave it undealt with or carelessly spot clean, the damage remains. It may be visible damage or it may be damage that is only seen when the carpet is removed. In order to restore or fix the "spills" in our lives, we have to confront them head on by allowing God in. We must allow Him to shine His healing presence on the condition. When our "free will" chooses to let God in, He then has something to work with.

Upon opening the door to Him in ALL areas, we then need to trust Him. Trust Him that whatever He tells us is for our benefit and the benefit of others. Trust Him that even if what He tells us is painful at the moment, it's always for our greater good. He may require you to rip out the carpet to get to the spill. You may be, along with God, restoring the floor. Not an easy task. Not a joy ride... but His purpose is always greater... It's always to get you to the other side - to the side of His will - because He knows that it is in His perfect will, in His presence, joy and fulfillment are found.

I challenge you to surrender your ALL. Expect Him to do some rearranging because He will. His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts... He won't always do what we are comfortable with. The process isn't always a quick work because anything rushed is rarely done well.

Quiet yourself. Wait on Him. His voice is calling out, "Give Me ALL of you."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LcyQOLVS_U

(Matthew 22:37, Isaiah 55:9, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 139:23, Psalm 51:10-12, Isaiah 53:4-5, Psalm 30:11, Jeremiah 29:11, Jeremiah 18:4)

Follow the Leader

 

 

Are you trying to lead the Lord where you want to go or are you allowing Him to lead you where He wants you to be? Time to relinquish control and play "follow the Leader." You can trust Him...

"Those who are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Romans 8:14

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5

"Thus says the Lord, Your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.” Isaiah 48:17

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way should go; I will guide you with My eye.” Psalm 32:8

“For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.” Psalm 48:14

Trust

 

Jesus was speaking to a multitude of people - saying things that didn’t make sense to their natural mind. Much of it seemed quite bizarre, leading some to think that He was a crazy man. At the conclusion of His talk, the Bible says:

“From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. "Do you also want to go away?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Notice that Peter doesn’t stop there, but goes on to say, “Also we have come to BELIEVE and KNOW that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John 6:66-69)

When we come to the realization that Jesus is who He says He is, we can fully trust Him when He tells us something or directs us in a way that doesn’t make sense to us. We can trust Him even when the multitude mocks and when those who once followed Him walk away.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)

TRUST HIM! And trust that His plans for you ARE good! (Jeremiah 29:11) J