After I finished my last blog, God allowed a few trials in my life to test me. Those trials were tough and painful to go through. There was a time when I found myself praying, God, I LOVE YOU and I trust You. In my last blog I discussed how God always has our best in mind. Not only does God allow trials to change us. God even shook Heaven to get all of the sin out of it when He cast Satan and 30% of Angels down(Isaiah 14:12–14, Ezekiel 28:12-18 .) Remember, God is going to create a new heaven( Revelation 21:1 –22:5) and a GREATER CITY that has never had sin in it. Do you see how much God hates sin? Which leads me to wonder why so many people(especially Christians) think they can fool God by living selfish, sinful lives.
When I was little I learned that if you tell enough lies long enough, you'll eventually forget what the truth really is. You can't fool God or His people(2 Chronicles 16:7-9.) Later the psalmist echoed this(Psalm 73:1-20 & Psalm 139:1-24.) As did the apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Galatia(Galatians 6:7 -10.) Do you really love Him with your whole heart? You see, the closer you get to God, the more He shows you. It's time for a change. Brian Tracy says, "Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, "What's in it for me?"
Tryon Edwards once said, "Sinful and forbidden pleasures are like poisoned bread; they may satisfy appetite for the moment, but there is death in them at the end." I have heard a lot of false teaching that God doesn't punish us when we sin, but listen to the author of Hebrews( Hebrews 12:2-11.) Because God loves us, He must punish and rebuke(correct) us when we sin. Granted, it's not an eternal punishment, but there are consequences. Hence, the old cliché,"no pain, no gain." NO PAIN, NO LOVE. People need to stop thinking and start listening. Nelson Mandela wisely said," speak to a man in a language he understands, you'll get into his head. But speak to him in his language, you'll get into his heart."
In the recovery movement the two most dangerous things to addict's recovery aren't alcohol or drugs, they are denial and enablers. As long as we keep denying we have a problem, the healing and recovery process can't begin. As long as those who claim to love us aren't truthful with us(even when it hurts,) they keep enabling us to live destructive lives. Which makes it harder for us to change. The apostle Luke tells us that Jesus commands us to correct each other, then forgive (Luke 17:3-5.)
We have all heard our parents say, "trust me, this is going to hurt me more than you," before they punished us. I'll never forget the first time my father spanked me when I was a little boy and I looked up at him and smiled because it didn't hurt me anymore. This is the same feeling I felt while I was going through the testing I mentioned earlier. Because I had grown in my faith to the point where I could trust God in the test. Sometimes God tests us, not because of the sin in our lives, but because He is just trying to conform us into His image. Luke gives an account of this in the book of Acts. It is one of my favorite stories in the entire Bible and it displays what can happen if we choose to really follow Jesus.
It is a story of the first Christian martyr Stephen( Acts 7: 54-60.) The commentary in my Bible suggests "Stephen comes across as a guy who knew himself, understood his situation and had a deep trust in God. In light of his confidence, death seemed like a small matter. He spoke with conviction, probably fully aware that he was risking his life. Clearly he believed that this message was worth the risk." Notice in this passage what all was going on. Stephen wasn't compromising his faith. He looks up and God opens heaven to show him Jesus standing at the right hand of God the Father.
While in the passage I mentioned in Hebrews and every other passage in the Bible Jesus is "seated beside God the Father." Jesus was so moved by Stephen's trust and faith that He stood up! Then as they stoned Stephen, he cried out to Jesus," Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he asks Jesus to forgive the ones stoning him. Next Luke tells us Stephen's body falls asleep(dies.) Wow, this is THE LEGACY left to us by the early church to live up to. Remember all of the apostles died as martyrs for the faith, except for John, who died of old age in exile. This is what it means to trust God completely, we need to GET BUSY and stop playing it safe, there is no security in playing it safe. Wake up from your SLUMBER(Romans 13:11.) For me, I know I must DIE IF I HAVE TO to be just like you, Lord Jesus. That is what this whole remixed blog is about, trusting God. Do you feel God CALLING YOU?
Trust me(remixed and reposted?)
Before I finished my last blog I began to worry about what I would write about in future blogs and I began to ask God to SPEAK TO ME. And in the depth of my heart, I heard His SWEET SPIRIT say, "TRUST ME." And now here I AM a month later working on this blog and doing that, trusting Him. It was the same voice that I heard 12 years ago when the associate pastor of the church I met my mentor at urged me to go to seminary and study. After I prayed about it, I sensed God say," trust me that is not the path I have for you." Which, when you think about it is what most of my blogs have been about.
For all of my friends who read this blog who are either writers or pastors, you know the voice I'm talking about. It is the voice of DIVINE INSPIRATION that leads and guides us. Let's go back to the desert and the Israelites fleeing from the Egyptians. Here they are standing in front of the Red Sea with no way to cross it and breathing down their necks are the Egyptians, the oppressors. Everything they had been slaves to and dreaded, whom God had already delivered them from. Listen to prophet Moses in Exodus(Exodus 14:10-12.) We will talk more about the desert later in this blog. I don't know what you would do, but I can IMAGINE ME either going for a swim or finding the nearest cave to hide in, least to say I'd be I be PLANE SCARED. That's not what they did is it?
Moses answer to them takes the cake(Exodus 14:13-14.) BE STILL? They did, moments later the Lord allowed them to COME ON OVER. I don't know about you but I think it would be hard for me to trust God at this point. Which is what this blog is going to be about, who not to trust, who we can trust, WHY and what we trust. I'll go ahead and tell you now this will be one of the most personal blogs I have written a while, it has just been one of those seasons where like the Isrealites I'm asking, whatever You're doing?
Trust?
According to Webster's dictionary, trust is; a) assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. B) one in which confidence is placed. C) dependence on something in the future or contingent(i.e. hope.) While according to the Bible,The words translated “trust” literally means a bold, confident, sure security or action based on that security. Trust is not exactly the same as faith, which is the gift of God according to the letter the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. Rather, trusting is what we do because of the faith we have been given. Trusting is believing in the promises of God in all circumstances, even in those where the evidence seems to be to the contrary.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that faith is accepting and believing the truth that God reveals about Himself, supremely in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, the practical consequence of faith in God is trust. We will talk more about faith later, for now I want concentrate on trust. So who do you trust? About ten years ago, my mentor told me," Martin, I know you look up to me. But, don't worship me until I start walking on water!" Until recently, I didn't know what he meant. Paul, I get it, now. John Ortberg says, "In a community gathered around a cross, there is no room for pedestals. In the Bible, marriage is not the fulfillment of our dreams; it is a place where we learn." Sam Keene once said, "We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly."
It was my father who taught me how to treat a woman when I was young. But the last lesson he taught me before he died eight years ago was to love and honor your wife, never worship her. I don't think he knew that he was teaching me this. Listen to the apostle Luke(Luke 10:25-37.) The expert quoted the prophet Moses,'love the Lord your God with all your heart or your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind." The Bible is full of instances where biblical characters couldn't trust their family or their friends. Look at Joseph, his brothers sold him into slavery. I will talk more about Joseph later. Then there's Samson and his wife Delilah. Or how about Job's wife, although dutiful she urged him to curse God. The prophet Micah clear as he wrote(Micah 7:5-6.)
In the book The Dream Giver, the main character Ordinary sets out on a journey to pursue his big dream trusting the dream giver to guide him. One day he meets unexpected opposition. "Ordinary was speechless and bewildered, he had heard a rumor about border bullies. But he had supposed that if it were true, bullies would be Nobodies he didn't know. He never imagined they'd be some of the Nobodies who knew him best! Now his mother, uncle, and best friend all stood silently before him, blocking his view of the bridge to his big dream. How can he get past them, should he even try?" I can relate to that, as I stated before I come from a pretty dysfunctional family and more recently my best friend for the last twelve years has let me down and we have grown apart.
While I was in college my friends and I called ourselves the I.F.F. (international fickle friends, it's a Christian blog gang) club because it seemed like each of us didn't know what we wanted or who we wanted to be with. It was common for one friend to date someone awhile and then later another friend date them. Once I walked in on a friend making out with his girlfriend on my couch one week and another week I walked in on another friend making out with her on my couch. Which is what happens when we put our trust in other people, they betray our trust. I've learned people will LET ME FALL.
Bruce Wilkinson asks, "have you met your Border Bully at your front door? Sometimes a bully is an actual enemy-- a pharaoh who decrees, 'I will not let you go!' But some of the most convincing bullies you'll ever meet are the people who know and love you. Just seeing them standing in front of you with NO written all over their faces can be quite a shock....you must confront their words and beliefs. The reason they have suddenly appeared is that now you're disturbing their comfort zone! That web of relationships and expectations in Familiar is shaking wildly because someone has moved--- you. Each of us has been a bully to someone else in another situation. We rushed to the border when a friend or relative is about to do something that would threaten our comfort. Keeping that in mind will help us listen to our bullies with more understanding."
They are human and as we've discussed in previous blogs, every since that first instance of miss-placed trust in the garden, all humans are FALLEN creatures. Listen to the apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Rome(Romans 3:23.) Or John in his first letter to the early churches(1 John 1:10.) It doesn't matter HOW LONG you've been friends with that person. How close you are to that relative, not even how long you've been dating that person or even married to them. There will come some point whether intentionally or unintentionally they are going to disappoint you and let you down. It may be as little as not replying to your e-mail or phone call(a big pet peeve of mine) or as big as having an affair. People will disappoint you. Good thing, I'm a loner by nature, I can always TRUST MYSELF!
Wrong, because I'm human too. Listen as the writer of Proverbs warns us(Proverbs 3:5-6.) We'll talk more about God later, but right now I am trying to figure myself out and why I can't even trust myself. Listen to the apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Rome(Romans 7:14-16.)
So because of the sin that is in me, I can't trust myself. I will disappoint myself and more than likely someone else. Which apparently I have done, I have recently hurt someone that I care a lot about. I'm still not sure how or what I did, but it doesn't matter. I hurt someone that I studied and I care about. But that is usually how it works isn't it? I have a lot of friends and know a lot of people that are married, none of which imagined on their wedding day that they would hurt the person they were making a vow to "love in good times and bad times, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer until death do us part." But then it happens, it may be as small as not folding a spouse's clothes right or spending too much time talking to an ex-girlfriend on Facebook, but they are disappointed, so what better idea than to go find another sinful person to be with?
A couple months ago Pastor Bill Purvis gave a series of messages on the five people you shouldn't trust, for some reason, maybe by chance I only caught the last message in the series on flirtatious people. Quoting King Solomon's letter to his son(Proverbs 6:20-7:27) Purvis continued, "I have warned each of my sons to avoid flirtatious women. For they want all your attention but none of the commitment. To them it is all a game." This message hit home for me because the first thing I notice about a woman is her eyes, I'm a sucker for a brown-eyed girl(yep-yep) and this made me think a lot about who I trust. I have a "Christian" neighbor that caught his wife with another man and decided to pay her back by sleeping around with another woman! When people disappoint us, we think about why we hate them and then we seek revenge.
however, listen to Moses(Deuteronomy 32:35.) Later the apostle Paul reminds us in his letter to the church in Rome(Romans 12:19.) But we don't do we? We want to be in control just like Adam and Eve, we think we know BETTER than God. I'll talk more about control later.
Forgive?
Before we talk about God, I want to talk about what we can do. In his book, Trusting God(Even When Life Hurts) Jerry Bridges writes, "adversity often comes to us through the actions of other people. Sometimes those hurtful actions are deliberately directed at us. At other times we may be the victim of another persons irresponsible actions that, though not deliberately aimed at us, nevertheless hurt us seriously. How are we to respond to those who are instruments of our adversity? The answer, of course, with love and forgiveness. Our tendency is to blame the other person, to arbor resentment, and even desire revenge. I have found that two truths help me forgive others. First, I myself am a sinner, forgiven by the grace of God and the shed blood of His Son. I have hurt others, perhaps not so often deliberately but unconsciously through an uncaring spirit of selfish actions. Solomon warns us in the book of Ecclesiastes, 'do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you-- for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.' While there is a rich direct application in this passage, there's also a broader principle that speaks to the subject of forgiveness. We can see it by restating the idea of the passage as follows: "do not resent other people who are the instruments of adversity in your life for you know in your heart that you have sometimes been the instrument of adversity in the lives of others. The apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the church in Ephesus, 'be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as through Christ God forgave you.' If I want God to forgive me when I have hurt others, then I must be willing to forgive those who are instruments of pain in my life. Second, I seek to look beyond the person who is only the instrument to see God who has purposes of adversity for me. The prophet Jeremiah tells us in the book of Lamentations, 'who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?' If God has ordained to allow this trial my life, it is because He has in His infinite wisdom deemed it to be good for me. Though the actions may be sinful in themselves, God is using those actions in my life for my good." This can really be applied in the church, the Lord knows there is enough fighting there. This is why it has been said, "do not judge Christianity by Christians. Instead look to Jesus."
Listen to Matthew in his letter to the church(Matthew 18:15-18.) Again, that's not exactly how we handle it, is it? Instead, we do the opposite which is what we call, "gossip." No wonder people don't get TOO MUCH HEAVEN anymore. And this is why I like the saying, "if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem! And to those of you I would say, "beat it!" Paul Boese says, "Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future." After all aren't we supposed to be the people of second chance? And isn't that what God's amazing grace is all about? Speaking of grace, while Jesus hung on the cross. Where were His friends? Remember it wasn't only Peter and Judas that betrayed Jesus. In the end we all do. I'll talk more about Judas later in the blog.
A few years ago I heard a powerful message on forgiveness from Pastor Jentzen Franklin in which he said, "if we confess our sins and mistakes to God His grace covers our sin. That is what forgiveness does, it covers our sin! Listen to the apostle John in his first letter to the church(1 John 1:9.) But, Franklin continues, " if we try to cover and hide our sins, God will expose it in His time." The apostle Paul puts it this way in his first letter to the church in Corinth(1 Corinthians 4:5.) Christian Nevell Bovee once said, "Dishonest people conceal their faults from themselves as well as others, honest people know and confess them."
Who?
I'm sure by now you are wondering who we can trust? I'm glad you asked. Listen to the apostle Peter tells us in his first letter to the church( 1 Peter 2:21-25.) He is the ONE AND ONLY one we can trust. Or listen to King Solomon in the book of Proverbs(Proverbs 18:24.) I have already discussed God's sovereignty before, now we need to look closer.
In his book Trusting God(Even When Life Hurts) Jerry Bridges quotes the prophet Jeremiah saying,' we are in the hands of a sovereign God who controls every circumstance of our lives and who rejoices in doing us good." " God is good in the good times and bad times. New Hope Baptist Church family, as Pastor Allen would say, "God is good all the time. And all the time God is good!" Bridges continues, "One of our problems with the sovereignty of God is that it frequently doesn't appear that God is in control of the circumstances of our lives. We see unjust or uncaring or even clearly wicked people doing things that adversely affect us. We experience the consequences of people's mistakes and failures. We even do foolish and sinful things ourselves and suffer the often bitter fruit of our actions. It is difficult to see God working through secondary causes and frail, sinful human beings. God's wisdom is not only as high above ours as the heavens are above the earth, it is also higher than the wisdom and cunning of our adversaries. This should be a great comfort to us. while other people for various reasons may plan and scheme to treat us unjustly to take advantage of us, or to 'use' us for their own selfish ends." King Solomon continues in Proverbs( Proverbs 21:30-31.) Or as the apostle Paul puts it in his letter to the church in Rome, "if God is for us, who can be against us?"
Bridges continues, "even the most nefarious schemes of our adversaries can only accomplish the will God has sovereignty ordained for us and in His infinite wisdom skillfully brings to pass. And no harm or death in your future is apart from the sovereign will God . Moreover, God is able to and will grant you favor in the eyes of people who are in position to do you good. You can trust your future to God. Confidence in God's sovereignty and the lives of people should also keep us from becoming resentful and BITTER when we are treated unjustly or maliciously by others. Bitterness usually stems not so much from the other person's actions as from the effects of those actions on our lives. His will, His agenda for our lives, that God will guard, protect and advance. We must learn to live by His agenda if we are to trust Him." Let's look at Joseph and his family. We all know the story about Joseph's brothers being jealous of Joseph which led to them faking his death and selling him to the Ishmaelites. Now think about how God worked through a series of unfortunate events to fulfill God's purpose. Bridges states, "randomness, law, chance, fate. This is modern man's answer to the age-old question, 'WHY?"
The prophet Moses tells us in Genesis that Joseph told his brothers, 'COME CLOSE to me.' When they had done so, he said, 'I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.....So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God." I recently saw the movie The Rocker which is about a teen band struggling to achieve stardom, but they are unsuccessful until one of the member's younger sister posts a video of the band practicing with while the drummer is naked on YouTube. Although the video was embarrassing and intended to harm them, it gave them the publicity they needed to get a record contract and achieve the fame that they dreamed of. Rabbi Kushner once said, "nature is morally blind, without values. It churns along, following its own laws, not caring who or what gets in the way." But God does care. God exercises His sovereignty for His glory and the good of His people." Bridges notes, "it is one thing to know that no person or circumstance can touch us outside of God's sovereign control; it is still another to realize that no person or circumstance can frustrate God's purpose for our lives."
The reason is our minds are finite, limited. We see only what is happening at this present moment and where we are at. While one of the scriptural doctrines of Christianity says God is both omnipotent and omnipresent. God has the power and ability to see the big picture and His power is INEXHAUSTIBLE! If you know me, you know I hate to wait(hgh) I also have a habit of trying to help God when I see Him working in my life. Especially when it's something that I really want or someone(don't blush sweetie) I really want. I have already explained in an earlier blogs that I feel like God is leading me to move back to Colorado. I have also explained how God has given me the desire and dream to write and work in the entertainment industry. Problem is He isn't working fast enough for me!
Because of the sin in me, I want WHATIWANT and I want it all, now! I have a habit of trying to WORK things out myself! The problem is I tend only to make a MESS of things. I used to have a fear that I might get ahead of God and ruin my life. Which is absurd, to think that I can get ahead of God. Honestly , how did I think God didn't see me getting excited and trying to figure things out for myself? That's like saying God didn't see the fall in the garden coming. And yes, He even saw 9/11. Maybe you're like me and you're asking God ," why me?" The author of the book of Job tells us that even Satan had to ask God for permission tot tempt Job. Wow, now that tells us who is really in control, We don't have to worry about what COULD'VE BEEN.
Control?
Bridge says, "Another area of our lives lives that God must continually be at work on is our tendency to rely on ourselves instead of Him. The apostle John tells us, ' Jesus said, 'apart from me you can do nothing.' Apart from our union with Christ and a total reliance upon Him we can do nothing that glorifies God." In today's information society the microwave mentality of man has been amplified. A Few years ago a group of Christian brothers gave me a handout to encourage me to trust in God. The handout starts with a story that goes something like this, "the only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up a small, uninhibited Island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day scanned the horizon for help, but none seem forthcoming.
Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store few possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. There worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. 'God how could you do this to me!' he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. 'How'd you know I was here?' Asked the man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal.' They replied. The moral of the story is, "it is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. However, we shouldn't lose heart because God is at work in our lives, even amidst the pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground, it just may be the smoke signal that summons the grace of God. For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has a positive answer for it"
For me, this handout illustrates the battle of being in control of our lives. We say it's IMPOSSIBLE, listen to Matthew(Matthew 19:26.) We say, "I'm too tired, listen to Matthew(Matthew 11:28.) We say, "nobody really loves me," listen to the apostle John(John 3:16 &John 3:34.) We say, "I CAN'T GO ON," listen to the apostle Paul and the psalmist(2 Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15.) We say "I can't figure things out." Listen to the book of Proverbs(Proverbs 3:5-6.) We say, "I can't do it." Listen to the apostle Paul(Philippians 4:13.) say, "I am not able." God says, "I AM(2 Corinthians 9:8.) We say, "it's not worth it." Listen to the apostle Paul(Romans 6:28.) We say, "I can't forgive myself." Listen to Paul and John(Romans 8:1& 1 John 1:9.) We say, "I can't manage." Listen to Paul in his letter to the church in Philipi(Philippians 4:19.) We say, "I'm afraid." Listen to what Paul told Timothy(2 Timothy 1:7.) We say, "I'm always worried and frustrated." Listen to the apostle Peter in his first letter to the church(1 Peter 5:7.) We say, "I don't have enough faith." Listen to the apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Rome(Romans 12:3.) We say "I'm not smart enough." Listen to Jesus' half brother James(James 1:5-6.) We say, "I feel all alone." Listen to the author of Hebrews' promise(Hebrews 13:5.) Do you get it? We can't do any of this on our own or in our own strength! But we try don't we?
Bridges writes, "the recipients of the letter to the Hebrews were experiencing a great deal of adversity. The writer of the letter acknowledges that they stood their ground in the face of suffering, that sometimes they were probably exposed to insult and persecution, but they joyfully accepted confiscation of the property. To these people, who were experiencing such persecution and hardships for their faith in Christ, the writer wrote,'you need to PERSEVERE so that when you have done the will of God, you'll receive what He has promised.' Perserverance is the quality of character that enables one to pursue a goal in spite of obstacles and difficulties."
Deserts?
Let's go back to the desert and the Israelites. Bridges says," God prompts people. You know the story the Isrealites, they were cruelly oppressed people, forced to 'make bricks without straw.' Suddenly God intervenes in their lives and Pharaoh says, 'Get out!' But the Israelites had no resources for making the journey, for starting over again; they were poverty-stricken. God had foreseen this problem, however and had made plans to overcome it. God told Moses, 'I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.' What God promised did indeed happen. Then later God hardened Pharaoh's heart so Pharaoh would follow the Israelites.
Bridges says, "it is obvious that the Egyptians acted freely and voluntarily of their own wills. Yet they acted that way because as the text says, 'the Lord made{them} favorably disposed toward the {Israelites}.' God in some mysterious way moved in their hearts so that they, by their own free choice did exactly what He planned for them to do. God solemnly intervened in the hearts-- desires and wills--- of the Egyptians to accomplish His purpose for the Israelites." God let the Egyptians get close enough to the Israelites to see them cross the Red Sea on dry ground. God knew the Egyptians would pursue them and at the right time.
Listen to what the prophet Moses says (Exodus 15:19.) So you see HE'S AN ON TIME GOD! The trip from Egypt to the promised land should have only taken a few days. The quickest route between point A and point B is a straight line, isn't it Jordan? I am always being told, "OH HAPPINESS is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the ride!" More often than not when we tell Jesus we will follow you, we end up on the broken road and it is THE LONELY ROAD. The prophet Moses tells us that the Israelites "were a stiff-necked people." It was hard for them to TRUST AND OBEY God. That is why they wandered in the desert for so many years. During their journey God provided food for them daily and even provided water for them and they still wanted more. On one occasion God told Moses to pass his staff over a rock and Moses disobeyed by striking it and it cost him the opportunity to cross into the promised land. Mose's disobedience came from that sinful nature we all have, maybe he wanted the glory by using his own strength. Just like to Israelites God tells us, "THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS." GOD HAS A PLAN for me and you also.
In Wilkinson's The Dream Giver, Ordinary enters a desert wasteland himself where, "the wind blew all that day and all the next. Sand blew into Ordinary's eyes. It blew into his teeth and ears. When the wind finally stopped, Ordinary stood to his feet. As far as you can see, there was only sand. The path to his dream had disappeared completely. Obviously, his entire trip through the wasteland had been a waste! Hot tears coursed down his dirty cheeks. 'You're not a dream giver,' he shouted at the sky. 'Your dream taker! I trusted you when you promised to be with me and help me. And you didn't!' The next morning, Ordinary heard something. Startled, he could peered up to see us shimmering Somebody sitting in the branches of a tree. 'Who are you?' He asked. 'My name is faith, 'the Dream Giver sent me to help you.' Wilkinson asks, "have you ever set out in faith, taking God at his word, only to run head-on into failure and despair? Sometimes when you risk everything, you lose everything too. Or so it seems at the time."
In his letter to the church in Rome the apostle Paul wrote, therefore, since we have been JUSTIFIED through faith(Romans 5:1-5.) Do you see how important trust is to FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE? Those of you that know me, know that I am a helpless romantic. One of my favorite romantic films is the foreign film A Very Long Engagement, in which the main character is given bad news that her fiancé has been killed at war. She refuses to believe and sets out on journey to find out what really happened to the man she loved. It seemed like all the evidence she came across assured his death, but still she hoped.
If you know me, you know that I am an avid mountain biker. I tend to bike year-round regardless of the weather. Earlier this Spring I didn't get the opportunity to bike for a few months and then when I tried to bike in the southern heat and humidity again my body couldn't take it. I began to experience the early signs of heat stroke, thus I would turn around and go home. Finally late last month I was determined to go biking and decided to push myself. It was so hot, I began praying to God, "you either help me get this ride in or I'll push myself beyond my limit and if I die, I know where I'm going." As I pressed on though the temperature in the sunlight reached 104 and I began to think, I'm on fire. I decided to take a quick rest in the shade to let my body temperature come back down. Then with my faith renewed I continued my ride. There is something about being out in the countryside alone and physically broken that brings me closer to God than anything else. It's a time WHEN YOUR SPIRIT GETS WEAK. At that point I'm I'm counting on God to get me through, so we cry out, "God I NEED YOU." Winston Churchill once said, ""If you're going through hell, keep going." In the realm of spirituality I've learned there is a paradox, you GIVE IT UP to God, but you DON'T GIVE UP! For us Christians God is our true strength. The Song of Moses has become our FIGHT MUSIC. However, because of our sinful nature it is can be a fight to just LET IT GO and let God.
Over the last few years I've taken part in one or two recovery groups, at which we all begin with serenity prayer, until recently I never really thought about the words. It is all about admitting that God is in control. If you ladies think you have it bad, it's even harder for the men. Because God has wired us to be the problem solvers and the protectors of the family, it's only natural for us to want to fix things. I mentioned earlier that I had been trying to help God out with some things. Honestly, I have felt like a bumper car, doing things my way until I hit another car and just drifting the other way until I hit another car instead of letting God handle things, I try to do it my way again. Einstein was right, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is insanity.
Singer and author Rebecca St. James tells this story after a night around a bonfire with some friends. "Sometimes God uses the strangest circumstances to open our eyes to the truth... after everyone had left, I went back outside to the far by myself. A full moon was out and it was so Beautiful! Before long our Pat Curly found me as I lay there on a log, looking at the moon. He cannot slump around(as cats do) and made his presence known, without indicating that he had any interest in me whatsoever. I reached out, took him up and put him on my lap. Soon he was purring away. It reminded me of how God longs to hold us, and if we sit quietly in his lap and trust Him, our contentment will be like that of a purring cat. Then came the rest of the analogy. Curley wanted to jump off my lap. He seemed so distracted. Unfortunately, he reminded me of me. Sometimes I get so busy doing 'my thing' I forget to just rest in God's 'lap.' I forget just to be still and simply enjoy His presence. It is in those times I can hear Him calling me to take some time out, to go and walk with Him, be still and rest in Him. In music a 'rest' is a rhythmic silence often written in for the purpose of emphasizing either what has gone before or what will follow after. Someone once noted,'there is no music in a rest, but there is in making the music in it.' And people are all always missing that part of life's melody.' Wow! God often reveals His truth to us when we are in the place of waiting(hgh) for Him. And often He makes what is to come more powerful because of that rest."
The Prophet Isaiah put it this way, "IN REPENTANCE AND REST is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it." While Job says this, "yet if you devote your heart to Him and stretch out your HANDS HIGH to Him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then, LIVE FREE of fault, you will lift up your face; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday and darkness will become like the morning. You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest and safety.
Listen to what the apostle Mark tells us in his letter to the Christian Gentiles in Rome(Mark 1:35.) There is something about being in the dark and not knowing what God is doing that scares us. But if we trust God, as the apostle Paul said in his letter to the church in Rome, "He will WORK all things out for our good." The prophet Moses tells us that after the exodus God said, "for six days do your WORK, on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born your household, and the foreigner among you as well, may be refreshed." So for six days we do what we can do, but on the seventh day we rest and let God do what NO ONE ELSE can do.
Caves?
The Israelites had to do this and so did the man the Bible calls, "a man after God's own heart." There is an account in the Bible written in the prophet Samuel's first letter to the people of Israel about David running for his life from his predecessor Saul, who was trying to kill him. While David was fleeing from Saul he came up with many schemes to try and save himself. David couldn't go to his family for help, he couldn't even go to the temple to worship God, so God led him to the cave of Adullam. The name Adullam means refuge, but the cave wasn’t to be David’s refuge. The Lord wanted to be David’s refuge in this time of discouragement. The cave of Adullam was not too far from the place where David defeated Goliath, in the hills of Judah.
David couldn’t help but think, “man, I’ve come a long way from the Valley of Elah! From a great victory to running around like a criminal, hiding in a cave.” We are not told how long he stayed there, but it was long enough for him to pin one the most famous Psalms in the Bible, Psalm 57, The title of Psalm 57 reads A Michtam of David when he fled from Saul into the cave. Psalm 57 describes David as the Lord strengthened him in the cave and prepared him for what was next and it is where we get the words for the classic Christian anthem, God is our Refuge and Strength. You see when we are in the cave, we can't see what God is doing outside the cave, sometimes God doesn't want to let us see what He is doing. He just wants to get us to the place were we can say, "I CLING TO YOU." When you're in the cave, it seems like you're alone. It is here God says, "draw me close to you ." the Bible is clear, that His children are never alone!
An interesting thing happened while David was in the cave. God worked in the lives and hearts of his family which moved them to come to David in the cave. While previously according to the prophet Samuel's first letter, David's own father and brothers didn't think much of David because when Samuel invited Jesse and his sons to come and sacrifice to the Lord they left David out tending the sheep. Take it from me, for a man not having favor in his father's eyes, it would leave me, BROKENHEARTED. However, listen to the psalmist (Psalms 34:17-19.)
Bridges says, "sometimes we will perceive quite clearly what God is doing, and in those instances we should respond to God's teaching in humble obedience. At other times we may not be able to see at all what He is doing in our lives. At those times, we should respond in humble faith, trusting Him to work out in our lives that which we need to learn. The adversities of life are much like the cocoon of the Cecropia moth. God uses them to develop spiritual 'muscle system' of our lives. James tells us, 'the testing of your faith{through trials of many kinds} develops perseverance and perseverance leads to the maturity of character.' We can be sure that the development of a beautiful Christlike character will not occur in our lives without adversity. Think of those lovely graces that Paul calls the fruit of the spirit in his letter to the church in Galatia. The first four Traits he mentions-- love, joy, peace, and patience-- can only be developed in the womb of adversity. We may think we have true Christian love until someone offends us or treats us unjustly. Then we began to see anger and resentment well up within us. We may conclude we have learned about genuine Christian joy until our lives are shattered by unexpected calamity or grievous disappointment. Adversities spoil our peace and sorely try our patience."
Richard Bach says, "What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly." While David was inside the cave two things happened, God was changing him and preparing him and working in the lives of David's family and others. For the prophet Samuel continues in his first letter, 'when David brothers and his father's house heard about it, they went down to David there. All those who are in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, he became their commander. Herein David became a type of Christ, the Captain of our salvation, who cried, ‘Come unto me, all ye that are weary. And years later God led a son of David to another cave in that cave God had his greatest victory of all! And no one saw it coming, did they? Not even His disciples. Many times we think we have to get out of the cave until we can have the heart David had in Psalm 57. But we can have it now, NO MATTER WHAT our circumstances. David learned to trust God and let Him fight for him even when he didn't see it. God didn't leave David in the cave for Samuel tells us, "the prophet Gad said to David, 'do not stay in the stronghold. move on to the land of Judah." And from then on the tides had turned for David, he lived to FIGHT ANOTHER DAY and became a comeback kid and even spared Saul's life on more than one occasion. Jerry, Brad, Maybe this is where we get the term "man-cave?" Sorry ladies!
The state of the American economy right now is almost as bad as it was during The Great Depression, some say it may be worse. We say, "God bless America." But we've forgotten He did that nearly two hundred and twenty three years ago. Bridges says, "the freedom to publicly practice biblical Christianity, is taken for granted in most Western countries, it is not available to more than half the world's population. For Christians living in these countries, the charge that God rules over the government's that rule over them should give courage and confidence to them in times of harassment or persecution. It is not an accident of history, or due merely to the foresight of our founding fathers, but rather to the sovereign hand of God working in and through our governments."
In his book So Help Me God, former Chief Justice Roy Moore said, "God is sovereign and shall remain so despite what the Supreme Court and Federal District courts of this land say. I have kept my oath and my promise to the people of the state of Alabama. I've obeyed the rule of law by not following the unlawful dictates of man." Even though there are no Christians on today's Supreme Court, God is still in control and knows best. I'll discuss what is best more later in another blog. With fifteen million people out of work and nearly five million people out of unemployment benefits. People are becoming fanatics trying to make ends meet. People are DESPERATE and CRYING OUT for help form the government. Another tier of unemployment benefits may help for while, but then what? The Bible is clear that money isn't the answer. But the state of our economy shows that too many people are putting their trust in money and things. Listen to what Jesus said about money in Matthew's letter to the church( Matthew 6:19-21.) Are you storing up TREASURES IN HEAVEN? Listen to the warning of the the writer of Proverbs(Proverbs 23:4-6.) Maybe you're asking, "dear God ARE YOU REAL?"
Statistics show that a lot of people are committing suicide because they feel there is no hope. I've shared before the after my near-death experience I felt like a shell of a man and I cried out for God to "finish what he started and let me die. " You see suicide is all about control. Suicide is about taking control of our lives and doing what we want it even if it means ending it. Remember, Judas committed suicide while Peter repented and gave God room to work. Suicide means we don't think that God can help. And I guess in a way maybe that's what divorce is. And what is number the one reason for divorce these days, finances. Are people forgetting those marriage VOWS? When we say God can't help us. Which is absurd isn't it? No wonder Paul told the church in Rome to leave room for God's wrath" God is saying, "IF YOU WERE MINE, I would hold you in my arms, I will rescue you . Luke tells us that Jesus said " don't waste your life chasing after these things. "For your heavenly father already has what you need."
Lord, if ever we've needed you, it is now. You see we know that Jesus saves our souls, which is a big thing. But we need to understand that God is also concerned the about little things. Listen to Luke( Luke 12:4-7.) If God knows and is concerned about the hairs on my head. That tells me that He is concerned about even the smallest problems in my life. That heartache I have from MY FRIEND that I lost to my restless nights that I can't sleep may seem like a small thing, God knows it is a struggle in my life and He is concerned about it. Which is comforting to me, because at 4:30 the morning I can't call you pastor Allen.
Paul, I know you well enough to know you would say, "AFTERWHILE, IT'S ALL GONNA PASS." But the psalmist tells us, I WILL LEFT UP MY EYES to the mountains-- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord , the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip-- He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. HOW EXCELLENT are your ways ." God will never let me down.
In closing this blog, I must admit I hate being in this cave, but I know it's necessary. For I have done all I can do, now I'm putting my trust in you and leaving everything in YOUR HANDS, God. You've carried me This far, I know you're love never fails, even when there is a lot ON THE LINE. In Colorado I learned this saying, "if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it'll change!" I don't know how or when but, I WAIT ON THE LORD. I WILL WAIT FOR MY CHANGE. I also know that doesn't mean I am going to move back to Colorado or if things will work out with my friend, here. All I could ever do is say, "I'M SORRY and I'M MISSING YOU. I know you don't trust in me, because you don't know me. But you can trust Him." I'll just have to Wait(hgh) AND SEE.
As you've seen throughout this blog, God can do so much more than I can on my own. And there are good things for those who wait! I guess that's why Kahlil Gibran said, "If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours." I can rest assured that it be PART OF THE PLAN He has for me and it will be WORTH WAITING FOR. Maybe you are in the shadowlands yourself or have sang THE VALLEY SONG. Are you looking for TRUE SECURITY in this world? You won't find it in this COLD WORLD. If you are a Christian you can rest, because HE IS WITH YOU and YOU DON'T HAVE TO CRY. You can STAY STRONG for God knows best, so GET LOOSE from those worries. If you're not and you want to HOLD ON, you better HOLD ON TO JESUS, He can GO KOBE BRYANT ON 'EM! So do like the Islrealites and CROSSOVER, if you LISTEN, you can hear God saying, "TRUST ME."
GRACE?
Since I originally posted this blog I've learned the important lesson that faith in God's "blessings" and provisions doesn't equal trust in God. But, trust in things. Tim Kimmel says, "Plan A has a bad habit of defining you, whereas Plan B keeps the things that could distract us from blocking the things that matter most. Plan B allows us enough time to taste the coffee, smell the lilacs, and pick up the rhythm. It keeps us from believing in ourselves so much that we forget to trust God. It helps us identify with a blue-collar Savior who died on a cross to give all the people on Plan B a reason to hold their heads high.
Kimmel continues in his book Praise of Plan B, "Selfishness skews a person's ability to reason clearly. Those who abandon that motivation find very quickly that it doesn't hold a candle to the power they harness when they switch to a "what's in it for them?" mindset. It's a consistent "others" orientation that moves our actions from mundane and mediocre to powerful and transformational. So you may not like to do dishes, or housecleaning, or diapers, or to hold hands. If you choose to let your dislikes or fears rule the day, you'll be a mere shadow of what you could have been, and the people close to you will lose out because of it. I'm grateful that… Noah didn't say, 'I don't do floods.' David didn't say, 'I don't do poems.' Daniel didn't say, 'I don't do lions' dens.' Paul didn't say, 'I don't do mission trips.' And I'm most grateful that Jesus didn't say, 'I don't do crosses."
At this point let's go ahead and discuss Grace briefly in regards to this blog. It is impossible to understand grace without trust. GRACE is simply trusting in what Jesus did on the cross and not our works. My favorite example of grace in the Bible is one of the most powerful ones, it is found in the gospel of Luke, the classic story of Calvary(Luke 23:32-43.) We should take note of two things here, both of the criminals were guilty, yet one still rebuked the other(sound familiar?) Next, take note of what the second criminal does and Jesus' replys to him. The second criminal was already found guilty according to the law, but he puts his trust in Jesus as Lord.
Jesus gives him grace by promising him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." Not almost paradise, not an Amish paradise. Despite all of his guilt and shame, Jesus promises him, PARADISE. And he will be there, today. Can you imagine what the thief felt like? After all of the sins he committed, all he had to do was to trust in Jesus as Lord to receive grace. Jesus is the only REMEDY for the disease of sin. A. W. Tozer says "God's mercy is boundless, free and, through Jesus Christ our Lord, available to us now in our present situation." If we trust Him, we can soar like a ROCKETEER and not worry, "DON'T LET ME FALL."
On the flip side of this, we notice how grace is never forced on someone, but offered, right brother Steve? The choice is yours to accept it. If you don't, then you have to live with the consequences the rest of your life and possibly eternity. It's interesting to note that in the Jewish culture it was thought only God can forgive. One of the reasons Jesus was crucified was that the religious establishment accused Him of blasphemy for forgiving sins. However, throughout the New Testament we are commanded to forgive one another. In a way forgiving is part of becoming like Jesus, isn't it? Because giving grace is what He did. So how much more should we Give? Furthermore, grace does not give us license or FREEDOM to keep sinning. Listen to Paul in his letter to the church in Rome(Romans 5:21-6:2.) Unfortunately, too many in the church have yet to learn this. Only God can decide the way He grows us in these lessons. Now, this is why I smile when my heavenly Father says, "TRUST ME."
