You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Trusting God’ tag.
I ask the Father in his great glory to give you the power to be strong inwardly through his Spirit. Ephesians 3:16 (NCV)
One time I met a person while camping that told me about an experience he had about 15 years earlier. The guy seemed like a regular guy, nothing stood out about him. Plain and simple. But his story still makes me shake my head.
He and his fiancé’ (now wife) decided to take their boat acrossLake Erieto a restaurant on a small island for supper. During the meal they overheard some other guests talking about a storm that was on its way. They finished eating and decided to make a run for home since the sky didn’t look all that threatening. Long story made short, they didn’t make it. The boat was swamped by a wave from the fast moving storm. The couple spent 8 hours in the icy water clinging to the overturned boat, in the storm before being rescued. It was a phenomenal story of strength and determination
I hear similar stories and wonder what it is that gives people the inner strength to endure, to press on in the face of adversity when death seems immanent. What is the trigger in our minds that tells us, against all odds, I can make this happen? What motivates us to say “I will not be defeated?”
Stories of physical determination are intriguing to say the least, but what of our spiritual lives? What can we rely on for the emotional strength we need to endure addictions, to stand up in the face of abuse or persecution, to face job loss, cancer or divorce? What can we cling to when our kids take the wrong path or we lose a loved one? How can we pick up the pieces after natural disaster takes all we have?
The humanist will tell you we must rely on our inner being. You just have to believe in yourself. Have the will to succeed. Go the extra mile. While there may be some truth to that, just believing in ourselves is no guarantee of peace. Sometimes it just leads to denial.
The ‘religionist’ will tell you to rely on your faith. They have an easy answer to all the obstacles. They set up rules for you to follow. If things go bad they simply point to the rules. If you are enduring struggles you must have broken a rule. Follow the rules and all will go well. Believing in religious systems won’t, in and of themselves, offer much comfort.
The weakness in the humanist and religionist view point is that they both tell you that YOU are the main source of strength. Believe in yourself. Believe in, and follow the rules. You are the common denominator in endurance.
Jesus says, rely on me. With his Spirit within you, even though the world crumbles around you inside you know who is in control and it’s not you. It’s not ‘faith’ in yourself, it’s the spirit of the almighty creator God who just happens to be passionately in love with you!
Stop trying to do life in your own power. Ask the creator God of the universe to indwell and empower you. Life may not get easier, but by God’s strength you will find a way through it all.
PRAYER: Father God. I’m tire of trying to do it myself. I hear all these voices telling me I CAN but I can’t! Forgive me for trying it my way. Indwell and empower my by your Spirit to endure what lay ahead. In Jesus name, Amen.
The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. Genesis 21:1(NLT)
As parents we’ve all done it. It doesn’t matter how hard we try not to. It just happens sometimes. We tell our kids they can do something or that we will do something for them. We give them our word. We utter the dreaded ‘P’ word.
“Dad, do you promise?”
“Yes son, I promise.”
Then it happens. For whatever reason you can’t (or won’t or don’t) fulfill the promise. It may seem like a small thing to you, but in the minds of our children it makes a mark. It sends a message we never intend to send. A message that promises don’t mean anything. That even the word of a parent is subject to time and space issues.
Some parent’s promises are made flippantly. It’s not verbalized of course but subconsciously they think, “If I say I promise will you leave me alone?” The promise is made with no intention of completing it. It’s made with the hope that you, the child, will forget.
Other times promises are made with the complete intention of honoring it. “I really planned on being at your game but the traffic was terrible, there was a last minute mandatory meeting, the plane was late, etc. etc.” Reality is, there are times when our best intentions simply cannot be carried out because we are, after all, mortals and imprisoned by a time and space continuum.
Then of course, there are some promises we are asked to make that simply can’t be made because they would cause harm to our children. “Yes, I promise you can play in the middle of the freeway.” Isn’t a promise most parents would make to their children, even teenaged children!
From a human perspective, promises are sometimes pretty hard to believe. Maybe that’s why Sarah laughed when she heard her husband talking to the Lord outside her tent (Genesis 18:12). A baby? At my age? Yeah, right. Fat chance that will happen! But, it did. Just as God said it would.
That’s the difference between our promises and God’s promises. Promises are only as strong as the person who gives them. If we believe the God of Genesis to be all powerful, then we must also believe that if he promises something it will happen just as he says. He is our father. He won’t promise us anything he can’t deliver. He won’t deliver anything that will harm us; only those things that will help us grow stronger.
Common logic told Sarah she couldn’t have a baby. Common logic says you can’t conquer addictions. Common logic tells you a person can’t change from a life of crime, addiction, abuse. Common logic tells you tragedy will have lasting, negative effects. Common logic says your past will haunt you the rest of your life. But common logic isn’t God-logic.
He promised to forgive you. He promised to walk with you. He promised that no matter what you are going through, he’ll be there to strengthen, comfort and give you whatever you need to prosper. If God promises something, he delivers.
PRAYER: Father God. I pray that today, as I face the challenges of life ahead of me, that you would remind me of your promises to comfort, forgive, strengthen and provide. Help me to live in the full assurance that as a loving and powerful parent, you can do what you say you will. In Jesus name, Amen.
But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Mark 8:33
I remember hearing a story about a young couple who lived in a small town in theMidwest. They were high school sweethearts and went away toBibleCollege. One day as they spoke of their future together they both realized they had a desire to go to the foreign mission field. They prayed about it, talked to some close friends and when they were quite certain that this was indeed a ‘calling of the Lord’, went home to tell their parents.
This news was not taken well by the parents. In fact, there was weeping and pleading and even a few threats along the way. ‘How could they abandon their families like this?’ ‘Why go waste your lives overseas when there are plenty of people who need ‘saving’ close to home?’ ‘Why not just teach Sunday School or lead the youth group at church? We’re always looking for good youth leaders.’
Eventually the nagging and pleading and arguments took their toll. The couple abandoned their quest for missions and tried to settle into a life in the quiet town in which they grew up. Life wasn’t easy. There was financial hardship. The life of love they expected didn’t turn out as well as hoped. It seemed like they endured set-back after set-back. Finally, they divorced and went their separate ways.
Now, I’m not saying that the reason for the calamity in this couple’s life was their decision not to go to the mission field, but one has to wonder if that wasn’t the case. A similar situation happens with Jesus and the disciples. After discussing his real identity as the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus begins to tell them the next step in the chapter of his life.
Peter, however, would have nothing of that. There was plenty of work for Jesus to do here on earth. He rebuked Jesus for even thinking such a thing! One wonders if there wasn’t the sound of “We won’t let anything happen to you Jesus, count on us!” in Peter’s voice.
Jesus looked at Peter but spoke to the one who always prompts us to go our own way. The enemy, Satan will use every tactic possible to keep us from making an impact in our world for Jesus. He can use jobs, children, spouses, parents and any other tactic to keep us from the work God has for us. In this case, Satan used Peter to try to distract Jesus from his ultimate goal, to glorify God (which is each of our tasks).
There are many ‘good reasons’ not to step out of our comfort zones for Jesus but none of them are will bring fulfillment in our lives. The message is clear. Stay true to your calling. Pursue it at all costs. Don’t allow the pleasures and comforts of this world keep you from the eternal rewards stepping out for Christ will bring.
There is another lesson in this story and it comes to those of us on the other side. Jesus referred to Peter as a stumbling block. Be cautious when someone comes to you with a vision of what God wants them to do, especially if that person is someone you ‘can’t live without’. Don’t allow your personal security to hinder their opportunity to do the work God has for them. Honestly pray with them to determine if this vision of theirs is of God or not. Don’t be a stumbling block.
PRAYER: Father, stepping out into the unknown is hard for me. I like the false security that my life brings to me. Still I want to be open to your leading. Protect me from the arguments the enemy will use to keep me from stepping out for you. Give me wisdom so that I won’t be a stumbling block to others as they seek your will. In Jesus name, Amen.
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:23-24 (NLT)
During a very difficult time in my life I was unemployed and unable to get work in the area of my training. It was a very difficult time for me. Few jobs were available in the first place. Secondly, there were some jobs that I’d have liked to have, but I didn’t have the training. Other jobs required experience that I didn’t have. In an act of desperation I even tried to get a job at McDonalds and was told I was too overqualified.
Needless to say it was a very tough time for me financially, but it was even more damaging emotionally. I ‘realized’ at that time that I wasn’t able to meet anyone’s standards. I felt defeated, worthless, and hopeless.
When we don’t feel like we measure up it affects our entire outlook on life. We can give up on relationships; bury our frustrations in food, drugs or other addictive behaviors and activities. That kind of behavior leads to a negative spiral. We do something stupid and feel guilty about it. We look for relief for our actions which usually leads to more activity of the same, which of course makes us feel guilty so we find some way to comfort our feelings of failure by…yep, engaging in some inappropriate activity of feelings.
Rehab centers and counseling offices are full of people who have, at some time in their lives, felt they didn’t measure up. ‘New religions’ and changes in church policies are put in place to try to make you feel better about your lifestyle. Nothing is working though. We continue to struggle with ourselves.
Part of the problem is we try to meet up to people’s standards. But that’s a losing battle because some people are impossible to please. Others standards are much lower than your own or fickle. What we need is to find a standard which will show love and acceptance. A standard that will make us feel fulfilled no matter what life throws at us. A standard that will lead us to eternal life.
Sound impossible? You are right, it is. That level of standard only comes from God. His standards are perfect. His standards are loving, kind and full of mercy and understanding. So to feel good about yourself and what you do the trick is to live up to the standards of a Holy, Perfect God.
Sound impossible? It is. We are all human. Whether you are gay or straight, pro-choice or pro-life, regardless of your political persuasion or religious affiliation, you have fallen short of the standards God requires for a good life here and eternal life with him.
So what’s the solution to not meeting up to the standards God demands? Jesus. There is nothing you can do in and of yourselves to meet up to Godly standards. Only through the free gift of Jesus Christ can you find the success to live the life God and you desire. It’s not your power. It’s not your striving. It’s accepting the fact you can’t and living according to the grace given through Jesus.
Stop depending on your own actions to succeed. Stop striving to kick the old habits. Let God take that away. Through Jesus you can meet his standards.
PRAYER: Father God, I thank and praise you for your gift of salvation through Jesus. I’m tired of doing the same stupid things over and over again. Forgive me for the things I’ve done to hurt myself and others. Empower me with your Spirit to live free because of Jesus. In your name, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 