Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Great Is Thy Faithfulness: Trusting in God's Faithfulness

#DailyProverbs 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24: "Be joyful always, pray at all times, be thankful in all circumstances. This is what God wants from you in your life in union with Christ Jesus. Do not restrain the Holy Spirit; do not despise inspired messages. Put all things to the test; keep what is good and avoid every kind of evil. May the God who gives us peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being - spirit, soul and body - free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you will do it, because He is faithful."

Trust has been a big issue with me lately... with the trust I've placed in others broken, I'm wary of new people and those that might harm me or what God gives me. And sometimes I have to wonder if God is wary of me? 

Does God see/view/judge me the way I see/view/judge others? 

Am I holding others to a high standard, but expect them all to understand my shortcomings and intentions? Do I think I deserve to be looked at for my intentions and my heart vs. my actions and what I actually follow through with? Am I the hooker, but have a heart of gold? So, does God focus on my heart of gold, or the fact that I am still a whore? Or am I wonderful as an abstract and complex "thinker," but do I lack follow through and execution? I mean, I can draft plans, complex connectivity and architect national data warehouses and mining/reporting plans... but the simple fact is: plans without implementation are useless. Those plans collect dust and become obsolete very quickly. I believe that Christ... the VERY Christ... told us to help our fellow man in need, but if I pass one by, will that be recounted or Judgment Day? Or will the fact that I was late be taken into consideration? Your "belief" doesn't help someone in need, your behavior does.

So, in the big picture of "trust" and "trust issues" and even my own nature of controlling-ness, I have to remember that I trust God, and God is faithful. God has never betrayed my trust. God has never, not once, done anything to break of "un-earn" my trust. What about you?

Is there something God has told you to do that seems just too difficult?

Are you scared of your calling or what God wants from you? Maybe it's a personal conviction. Maybe you are shy, but are called to speak. Maybe you are not very compassionate by nature, but you are called to give. Maybe you don't want a spotlight, but you are called to minister in action. You can be sure that if He has called you to carry out His will, He’s going to be faithful to accomplish it through the Holy Ghost living and working in you. So if you tell Him, “I can’t do that, Lord—what if I fail?” you’re really saying, “God doesn’t keep His word.” And yet, our total expectation should be in Him—not in our own energy, ability, or experience. Without God's direct intervention, help, and miraculous set up in MY life - I'd not even be alive.

When you doubt God’s trustworthiness, that unbelief becomes a gap in your spiritual armor, and you can be sure that’s exactly where the Devil will attack you. His only weapon is deceit and we are so eager to listen, doubt, and then take action from a lie, instead of action from God's instruction. You’ll begin to doubt even more about God’s character, such as His Love, His goodness, His true power to heal and deliver - and that will cause you to miss so much. That distrust will become a heavy load of baggage you’ll needlessly drag through every area of your life.

You might feel that you do not have enough faith to obey, but the Lord isn’t asking you to have faith in favorable circumstances. And I don't buy into the big or little faith. I think faith is binary. You either have it, or you don't. You either walk & live in faith of the One True God and that He is working in your life, or you don't. God's not asking you to do anything but believe and trust. He’s asking you to trust that He is who He says He is. 

Do you believe that God is a liar?

It’s really that simple: either He is truthful or He’s not. But if you believe that faithfulness is His character, then you can do anything He requires. You’ll be strengthened by your dependence on Him—whether a deluge or trials or a flood of blessing comes. It’s actually when life gets rough and rugged that the sweetness of God’s faithfulness makes itself real in your heart. As you walk through those storms in complete reliance on His strength, your trust in His character becomes part of who you are and strengthens from within.

Take a chance, trust God. Watch God work in your life. This is coming from someone that truly... TRULY... was a lost cause and not expected to live, much less thrive. If you can't believe enough for yourself, I'll believe enough for you. :)


Love y'all.

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