Today's Bible readings are Genesis 42:18-43:34, Matthew 13:47-14:12, Psalm 18:16-36, & Proverbs 4:7-10
Genesis 42:36
36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my
children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take
Benjamin. Everything is against me!
As I read these words I can relate so much to the feelings
that come off the pages at me. I hear such distrust & fear. I can sense
that there must have been overwhelming, raw emotion at the report that came
back to Jacob. Immediately his mind gravitated to the past. It is apparent to
me that the pain of losing Joseph was still very much a part of his heart. It
still had a great hold on him.
This is all too familiar to many of us. We have experienced
loss in the past that is still far too fresh in our memory. Maybe somebody lied
to you about something, a spouse had an affair, you found out somebody you
trusted was doing something behind your back, or a friend was saying things
about you that wasn’t true.
We have all had similar experiences to these take place in
our lives. Some people have experienced such distrust that it takes a lot of
intentional effort to overcome the effects. In the meantime, that distrust may
begin to affect the way that we view God. We may hold back in trusting Him
because we have been let down by others in the past. We may refrain from
trusting Him because we don’t want to get hurt.
That must have been the case here with Jacob. The wound that
he carried in his heart from the tragedy of losing his son was never really
recovered from. He carried the hurt all those years. I’m sure that there were
those moments when he even blamed himself for what had happened to his son. None
the less, he developed trust issues.
What I have noticed to be the pattern of most people is that
they are willing to trust God to a certain point then they put the brakes on. I
have had this happen in my own life. It usually takes me some time, just like
in the case with Jacob, before I notice what is happening & then come to my
senses. Some people never reach that point because they never learn steps to
take to grow in faith & trust in their Lord.
I want to share with you a few promises FOR THOSE WHO
TRUST IN GOD:
· He will care for those who trust Him.
The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him”
(Nahum 1:7).
· He will never forsake those who trust Him.
“Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who
seek you” (Psa. 9:10).
· He will guide those who trust Him.
“Trust in the
LORD with all your heart and lean not
on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and He will make
your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6).
· He will always be there for those who trust Him.
“Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who
seek you” (Psa. 9:10).
· He will bless those who trust Him.
"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him”
(Jer. 17:7).
I want to talk about some specific things that we can do to
build our trust in God. If we focus on doing these simple things we will find
in easier to trust Him. As we discipline ourselves we will find that God is
VERY TRUSTWORTHY.
1.
Understand that God CANNOT lie.
Titus 1:2-3
2 This truth
gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not
lie—promised them before the world began. 3 And now at just the right time he has revealed
this message, which we announce to everyone. It is by the command of God our
Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him.
We all have the ability to lie. We all have the ability to
fail. God has neither. He can never lie & He can never fail. I want to
point out that it is not because some special rule says He can’t, but rather,
HE DOESN’T HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO EITHER.
It’s like slam dunking a basketball. I would love to do it
but the ability is just not there. I could NEVER slam dunk a basketball. There is
no special rule that forbids me to, the fact that the ability to do it is not
in me; same way with God when it comes to lying & failing. Remember God is
TRUTH. God is the Almighty One. Nothing is impossible for Him.
2.
Recall God’s past victories.
You are not the first person who has struggled with trust. There
have been many who have gone before you who have had greater things before them
than you & I. Yet, we see that God came through for them. That is why the
Holy Spirit has penned their stories in the Bible. They are to inspire us to
trust in God ourselves. As we read their stories it builds great faith in us. Remember
that faith comes by hearing & hearing by the Word of God.
3.
Reject discouraging words.
When you are trying to grow in your trust in God, you must guard
your heart. Life & death is in the power of the tongue. A word can cut to
the heart or it can build up your life. Stay away from people who are going to
fill your head with thoughts of distrust. You want to be around people who are
going to inspire you to believe even further than you are daring to believe. We
need to be stretched. Many people are small minded. They have no dreams &
don’t want you to have any either. Avoid them at all cost.
4.
Respond with faith-filled confessions at all
times.
Make sure the things that come out of your mouth agrees with
what you are trying to accomplish. David was faced with a great challenge when
he went out to fight Goliath. There was a lot that happened along the way that
tried to cripple his trust in God. He responded to those challenges with faith-filled
confession.
o
He told Saul he had already been given victory
over a lion & a bear.
o
He confessed God could do it again.
o
When intimidated, he declared, “who is this
uncircumcised Philistine?”
What comes out of your mouth matters as much as what goes
into your ears & mind. If they all line up you will grow in faith & trust
for sure. Make an effort to grow in the area of trust. God is faithful & is
worthy of you utmost TRUST!
2 comments:
Good message; what i needed to start off my day. I just love how God knows what we need.
Speaking out Gods truth and not falling into the trap of speaking out things that don't fall inline with Gods word..... I will be praying for Pastor Richard to Slam Dunk a basketball.
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