Helping to Build

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basics, battles, body of Christ, building, burdens, calling, Christian encouragement, christian journey, christian walk, Christianity, covering each other, encouragement, family, fitly joined, focus, guarding, guarding each other, having each others back, helping each other, our swords at the ready, protecting each other, protection, standing together, wall building

Nehemiah 4:6 says, “So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”

I love the book of Nehemiah. There is so much goodness in it. The leadership of Nehemiah, the teamwork of the people, the enemies getting stronger but God’s people steadily plodding to build the wall anyway. All the prayers and encouragement of the leaders, the strategy…I love it all.

When I came across Nehemiah 4:6 the other day, I of course, focused on “for the people had a mind to work”. After all, that’s usually what pastors I have been around would preach about. The other day though I was asked to look at how smart Nehemiah was to build all the wall to its half way point. My devotional leader Kelly Minter said, “So instead of completing the sections that were easily coming along and leaving the more difficult chunks for later, they decided to get the whole wall to the halfway mark. This may have meant leaving certain portions that were well-along in order to fill the gaps that were leaving vulnerable holes. It was better for the whole wall to be shored up, even though incomplete, than to have fully built sections here and there while others lie disconnected. This feels like divine wisdom to me.”

It felt like divine wisdom to me as well and I couldn’t help but think about our churches. Each church has people who are great at “wall building”. They just seem to be able to pray and trust and have the kind of faith that everyone desires. They build great walls of protection around their loved ones by prayer and standing firmly on God’s Word. Through years of pressing in to Jesus they have faithfully built their section of the wall.

Others are more vulnerable. They haven’t gone through as much faith testing. They’ve trusted in other things until they have finally realized that only God can sustain. They forget to pray first when an attack comes. Their wall still has gaping holes where the Enemy can easily penetrate.

Nehemiah 4:6 tells us the smart thing to do is to come together and help each other build the whole wall until all sections are joined. We may not understand why their section isn’t further along, but we are still called to help. The people of Jerusalem knew that they were still vulnerable if any section was still crumbling. Just because their section was finished, they knew that in order for everyone to be safe all the walls needed to become one, big wall.  That’s just being smart. That’s wisdom. How many times have we heard that we are only as strong as our weakest link? It’s true and it’s true that our church is only as strong as the wall of protection around it.

There are many people in our churches who need help building. Many people are still too vulnerable to attacks. Their foundation is barely started and they need help. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of teaching. People need to know the basics of building a strong foundation through prayer and Bible study and they need a side by side mentor that helps teach them the building process.

Others once had a magnificent wall, but sin, tragedy, or just the pounding of life has reduced it to a crumpled mess. We need to be faithful to help those dear ones clear that rubble away and rebuild. Christian counseling may be needed, forgiveness is often required and the clearing away of lifestyle choices can often help the rubble to be gone and the rebuilding to occur. This often takes time and effort. A fresh build is much more exciting  than the clearing away of old debris, but it often takes rebuilding the old before the whole wall can be strong once again.

Then there are those who are building for all they are worth who need our protection. This is especially close to my heart right now because we have some friends who are being hit from every side imaginable. It’s not quite Job, but it’s getting there quickly. We need to be especially vigilant with these precious wall builders. Our wall is doing okay in the moment, our wall is standing strong, but our sweet brothers and sisters are being beat to death by the Enemy. They are trying to build, they are trying to learn, they are trying to keep the faith, but the fiery darts keep hitting their backs as they are trying to build.

Nehemiah 4 goes on to tell us that in order for the wall to be built and joined together, guards had to be stationed. Some would build and some would guard. Those building had their sword at the ready as well, but they knew someone else was guarding, so they were able to focus on building and not be as disctracted. They were encouraged to keep building because their fellow wall builders were taking the time to protect them. That is so beautiful to me.

That’s what we need to do for each other. Who in our churches needs to be guarded? Who can you hold your sword up for today? I’ll admit I look at my half built wall and think, “I still have so much work to do.” The sad fact is we will always have work to do. Our walls will never be finished completely, but God has called us to protect each other, to help everyone get their wall to the halfway point, to join all our walls together and become less vulnerable from attacks by the Enemy as a whole church fitly joined together (Ephesians 4:16).

That’s a wonderful picture isn’t it? Building and guarding. Building and guarding. Building and guarding. Loving each other like the family we are. Praying together as a true army and lifting our swords not just for ourselves, but even more readily for those around us. Let’s take the example in Nehemiah and make it true today. Let’s build, help, protect and love as we are called knowing that the vulnerable places in our brothers and sisters are our own. Knowing that buiding together is the only way our churches will be strong. Knowing that without the Master Builder we would all be lost. Knowing that our walls will never be perfect, but that fellow believers are raising their swords for our protection and we are raising our sword for theirs. May it be, Lord. May it be.

My Story          Seeking Hearts Ministries

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Committing Adultery

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adultery, adultery against God, assuming, assumptions, basics, Christian encouragement, christian journey, christian walk, Christianity, devotions, encouragement, faith, family, family devotions, lusts, temptation

The other day I was reading in the book of Proverbs and came across a lot of warnings against the adulteress. I almost skipped over it thinking that it had no relevance to me, but I am so glad I didn’t. As I was reading, I remembered that God often called Israel an adulteress when she turned to other gods. He warns Israel (and us) that when we turn from worship of Him to anything else, we are in fact, committing adultery against Him. The Church is the Bride of Christ and when we act like we are not, we are adulterers and adulteresses.

We must ask ourselves why it is so easy to stray from being true to our Lord. Why is it so easy to commit adultery against Him? Proverbs 5:3 says, “For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and smoother than oil is her speech;” We must realize that anything that pulls us away from God seems like a really great thing. We view the payoff as worth it. Our perceptions tell us that the opportunity, decision, or temptation drips with honey. It awakens our desires. It might even look godly on the outside, but at the core it is destructive because it is not God’s best for us.

For example, we have been offered a leadership position at the church, or in our community. It looks like a great opportunity. It would be beneficial to have this position in place. The church, or community, would really benefit. You can see all the good that it would accomplish. You assume it is God’s will because you are excited about it. You accept the position and move forward only to realize that things looked good on the outside (it dripped with honey), but in the end it was bitter because it was not God’s best for you. Proverbs 5:4 says of adultery, “But in the end she is bitter as wormwood…” You thought you were getting delicious honey, but it was wormwood in disguise and you realize you are worshipping a position and people’s opinions more than your God. It’s so easy to fall into a trap like this.

Proverbs 5:8 says, “Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your vigor to others, and your years to the cruel one;” This verse reminds us that we do not need to go near anything, or anyone, that could cause us to stray. Even if we are aware, we can be easily swayed if we are running too close to the enticement. Galatians 6:1 tells us that when we are helping others to get out of an enticement, we also need to aware. It says that we could be drawn away as well if we are not careful. Why? Because we are getting close to the door of the adulteress. We can smell the honey and be easily swayed. But for the grace of God go us, people, but for the grace of God …

So, I’m keeping it short and sweet this week to allow God to penetrate your heart with any areas that you may be committing adultery in. He is a precious Savior willing to take us back time and time again, (read the book of Hosea), let’s allow Him to make us His pure, spotless bride once again.

Seeking Hearts Ministries

Perspectives

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basics, body of Christ, calling, Christian encouragement, christian journey, christian walk, Christianity, church, church body, control, direction for the Body of Christ, edification of others through spiritual gifts, encouragement, gifting, God's plan, God's plan in the Body, God's plan in the church, perspectives, perspectives on spiritual gifts, spiritual gifts

First Corinthians 12 speaks to us about spiritual gifts. We learn in this passage that every believer has a manifestation of the Holy Spirit who resides in them through a gifting that He provides. Sometimes, we might have the gift of teaching, sometimes wisdom, sometimes miracles or sometimes one of the other gifts mentioned throughout the Bible. Whatever God wants us to “specialize” in, the Spirit gives us the gift (or gifts) to do it. Remember though, our gifting is for the edification of others and not for our own fame, or our recognition in any way. First Corinthians 12:7 says, “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” We must remember that our spiritual gift is for others from God Himself (I Cor. 12:11), so there is no reason to be prideful, just thankful that God placed His gifting in us.

Since our gifting is for others, First Corinthians 12 goes on to describe our gifts in the church working together as a human body. Verses 14-27 say, “So the body is not one part but many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,’ in spite of this it still belongs to the body.  And if the ear should say, ‘Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,’ in spite of this it still belongs to the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole ⌊body⌋ were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But now God has placed each one of the parts in one body just as He wanted. And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? Now there are many parts, yet one body. So the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ But even more, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary… Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.”

As I was thinking about our gifts the last few days, I realized that due to our gifting, all Christians will see things differently. Not only are we supposed to be working together for God’s glory, but due to our different placements in the Body we will naturally see things differently. This can be a good thing, or a bad thing depending on whether our focus is on God, or ourselves. For example, if my placement in the Body is an eye, I will be able to see things that others cannot. If I am an ear, I will be able to hear God’s voice in a way that others cannot. If I am a foot, I will see the need to go in a way that the ear and the eye will not understand in their own strength; but, the ear and the eye will see and hear about dangers and good opportunities for the feet to go. All of us working together can get the whole Body moving in the right direction at the right time according to God’s will, if we listen to each other’s perspective.

I do realize that all of us working together, listening to each other’s perspectives and trusting that each is hearing from the Lord takes a great deal of faith. I realize that a lot of “what ifs” come in to play. What if the eye is only seeing themselves and not focused on the Lord? What if the ear can only hear what man is saying? What if the feet will not move in the direction God is calling? On and on it can go and does go. The only control we have over the situation is doing our part.

If I am an eye, I must make sure that my vision is clouded with only God’s face. I must, through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, remove the beam and the splinter from my own eye (Matthew 7), so I can see what God wants for the Body as a whole. I need to not give my perspective until I am sure it is what God wants me to see.

If I am an ear, I must be certain that I am hearing God’s voice clearly. I need to know His voice so intimately that I can not only hear His thundering voice, but the quietest whisper as well. Again, I need to not share my viewpoint until I know God is speaking.

If I am a foot, I need to make sure that my feet are shod with the Gospel of Peace (Eph. 6:15) and that I am ready whenever God says to go. I don’t need to run off on my own agenda, but realize that others are following. I need to remember that feet lead and I need to guide others only on God’s paths of righteousness as Psalm 23:3 says.

The other area I can control is my understanding of God’s people. I need to give grace to the eyes that cannot hear as clearly, if I’m an ear. I need to understand that an ear is not going to see things as clearly and quickly if I’m an eye. I also need to be patient with the eyes and ears if I’m a foot. I need to realize that they need to know where they are going before they make the first step. I can pray for understanding of God’s Body and their perspective. God made them and gifted them, so He can help us understand them and love them as He loves them.

Another area of control in this journey of working together as the Body of Christ is that we can be trustworthy. If our churches only see us when we want something, or have “heard from God”, they are naturally not going to be as receptive to us as they would be to someone who has been in the trenches with them praying, learning and growing. We need to be worthy of the Body’s trust. We can only gain and maintain this trust by being in a close relationship with our Father every day. The Enemy is sneaky and he will place things in our sight, our hearing, or our path that will look good, but only having a close relationship with our Lord can alert us to the deception. When others see our relationship with our God, they know we can be trusted to see, hear, or go as God desires.

We also need to be careful with people’s trust once we have it. If we feel like God is speaking to us to edify the Church, we must be sure. God does not mind giving confirmation if it comes from a place of trust and love for His people. When He gets angry is when we are asking for confirmation as an excuse to not obey. I think that’s the difference between Gideon and Moses in the Old Testament. Gideon did not want to go into a battle without the assurance that it was God’s will, but once he had it…WHAM! No going back! Let’s be like Gideon. When we hear God, let’s be sure and then…WHAM! Let’s never turn back!

The Body of Christ is not an easy thing to be involved with and I am so glad that God alone fits us all together. He has called us to work together as one, trust each another and depend solely on Him to make it work. Shew! Aren’t you glad it’s not up to us to figure it all out? Knowing our position, having grace for each other’s perspectives and being trustworthy is in our control. Let’s do our part by being in constant communion with Him and let Him deal with the rest from His perspective!

Seeking Hearts MInistries

Tongues of Grace

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back biting, bad words, basics, Christian encouragement, christian journey, christian walk, Christianity, complaining, control, controlling our tongues, controlling our words, fussing, God in control of our tongues, good witness, good words, gossip, light in our world, mouths, our mouths, our testimony, testimonies, tongues, words

Galatians is an awesome book of the Bible filled with such insight into our freedom in Christ. I love all the passages that teach that we are free in Christ and no longer slaves to the law. For this former Pharisee, that’s groundbreaking. There are other parts of Galatians though that cut me deep with conviction. Galatians 5:13-15 is just such a passage. It says: “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.”

I don’t know about you, but that last verse makes me cringe. It makes me cringe because I have often been guilty of biting and devouring others and because I have been bitten and devoured myself. Painful stuff. What in the world causes people, especially Christian people, to bite and devour each other? What makes us think that it’s okay to tear someone up with our words? Why is this sin so acceptable when so many others are not?

Maybe we ignore this depravity because we view it as too hard to control. After all, James 3:8-10 says, “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” James also says in verse two of this same chapter: “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” Sounds like poor James had been in church awhile.

Another translation of James 3 says that the tongue is a “restless evil.” Have you ever had to deal with a restless toddler? How fun was that?! When you need a toddler, or young child to be still, the more restless they become. This is especially true if a new boundary is being established. So it is with our tongues. When we are determined to tame our tongue, the more restless it becomes. At this point, we often give up thinking that it is of no use to deal with, or we start to make excuses that what we are saying out loud is true so it can’t really be wrong to say it, or we didn’t really hear God tell us to stop hurting people with our tongues. We can also convince ourselves that we aren’t really hurting anyone. After all, we only told our friends, or wrote an anonymous post. We make excuses because it’s easier to deny the truth than to deal with our restless toddler, better known as our words (written or spoken).

So, if our words cause such pain, but it’s imperative that we change, what can we do? Is there hope?

I believe there is. When God gives us a command in Scripture, He always provides the resources. After all, Jesus Himself said some things are impossible for men, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). When we are submitted to the Holy Spirit, He abides in every part of us, including our tongues. When He abides with us, His fruit shows in us…even in our speech.

Colossians 3:1-3 says, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” These verses clearly say that when we are in Christ, we are dead. Our new lives are hidden in Christ. So, I ask you, “Can a dead man bite?” I think not. Our tongues are a restless evil, but when they are put to death, no more harm can take place. Dead men, no matter how powerful when alive, have no power once they are put to death. Was Dorothy scared of the Wicked Witch once she melted into oblivion in The Wizard of Oz? No! Why? The Wicked Witch had no more power of her. She was dead. So it is with our tongues. Once we allow God to crucify our flesh, we are dead and now we have new life. We can still speak only because new life has been given to us. We are free in Christ to then use our new lives for His glory (Galatians 5:1, 13).

We must ask ourselves minute by minute if we are allowing our new life to shine in our tongues. We must ask ourselves if the Holy Spirit has the reins, or have we tried to take matters into our own hands once again? A good litmus test for this is Colossians 4:6. It says, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” If my speech is graceful, the Spirit has control. If my tongue is fiery, I have let the dead man rise again. If I have a tough situation where I have no answer, when that beautiful answer filled with wisdom pours forth, it is not my old man coming to my rescue, but Christ in me. In order to have a tongue of grace, Christ must be in control.

Our world needs to see grace in action, not bitten, scarred up individuals who have been beaten and bruised by their own kind. Who wants to be a part of that? When we have tongues of grace, strangers notice. Our families notice too. Our spouses, our children, our moms and dads will all notice that we are not the same. They will pay attention to our teaching, our testimony and our words of love because they will want to hear what we have say. They won’t be dreading what comes out of our mouths next; they will want to hear. Why? Because having a tongue of grace is a rare thing in this world. Philippians 2:13-15 tells us that we will shine like stars in a dark world when we simply don’t complain and fuss. It’s crazy that such a small thing can have such a testimony, but it’s the truth. Our tongues are the key to our testimonies. Let’s give them to Jesus. Let’s allow Him to change us into beautiful women and men of God who are determined through His Spirit to have a tongue of grace.

Seeking Hearts Ministries

Strength in the Waiting

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basics, Christian encouragement, christian journey, christian walk, Christianity, encouragement, focus, His might, His power, His strength, journey, Lord's might, Lord's power, Lord's strength, strength while waiting, waiting, waiting on the Lord

In almost every single area of my life right now I am being asked to wait. It’s such a joy…Ha! This is a different time of waiting for me because it’s not a case of confusion, or indecision about what needs to happen, it’s simply knowing with every fiber of my being that now is not the time. I am being called to wait. Let me tell you…it’s hard. Some days I am great with resting in the arms of my Savior and other days it feels like the next step is a million light years away. I am sure though that one day I will be able to say, “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” This is Isaiah 25:9 and it is a favorite for me right now. This verse assures me that my God’s plan is worth waiting for. This verse excites me and helps me to remember that one day I will be looking back at this time of waiting as a mere glimpse compared to God visibly showing Himself mighty on my behalf. I can look ahead with faith, see the day and go ahead and rejoice knowing that I am waiting for the Lord and He always delivers!

Isaiah 25:1 says, “O LORD, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will give thanks to Thy name; For Thou hast worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.” I can rest assured in the waiting that God is still working His plan out in perfect faithfulness. I love this verse as well. It reminds me that God has everything under control, especially the timing.

Honestly though, I don’t like living in limbo. It’s just not something I strive for. Melissa and Limbo Land have never gotten along; but, through the power of the Holy Spirit, this time I can wait well. I want to be strong in the waiting. Isaiah 40:29 says, “He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.”

Very few things make me more tired than waiting. How about you? Waiting in a doctor’s office, waiting for test results, waiting for the next plane connection…shew! I’m tired just thinking about waiting. Waiting can simply wear us out! But, Isaiah tells us that we can be strong because God makes us strong. Verse 31 of this same chapter tells us how. It says, “Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.” I remember Beth Moore pointing out several years ago that when our focus is right, our strength is right. When we are focused on an event, or an expectation, we grow weary and exhausted. BUT, when our focus is the Lord, we gain strength. That’s the secret. That’s how to be strong in the waiting. Focus on the Lord.

So, I don’t know if you are in the waiting stage, or the stage where every goal is falling into place quickly, but know that as long as your focus is the Lord you can be strong. This should be our goal…to be strong in the waiting and in the receiving. Whichever the Lord is allowing in our lives at any given moment, I pray that our focus would be Him alone knowing that we are to be stong in Him and the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10).

Seeking Hearts Ministries

Trust – Part 1

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basics, christian walk, faith, God, the next step, trust

                                                                                         

 

                                 Trust – part 1

Today, I want us to think about trust. More specifically, our trust in the Lord.

Do we trust Him?

How much do we trust Him?

If I am not trusting how do I change that?

Is He worthy of our trust?

You know, the basics. Sometimes though, the basics are the toughest, deepest truths of our Christian walk.

We need to remember first of all that trust is all about relationship. We cannot trust someone we do not know. When my husband and I first married, I didn’t know him like I know him now. If we were taking a walk in the woods and came across a rickety looking bridge and he told me to cross it, I would not have done so. In fact, I would have insisted on calling my dad to check if it were safe! But now, I know he is trustworthy. I know that if he tells me the bridge is safe to cross, it is. I still might not like crossing the bridge, but I will do it because the man that I trust says it’s fine. What has changed? The time that I have spent getting to know him.

The same is true with my relationship with God. When I first received Him as Savior, I did not know Him as I do now. I trust Him more because we are further along in our journey together. That’s why learning about God is so important. We will never know Him fully. There is always more to learn, but that’s why it’s so fun! God is never boring. It is vital that we learn about who He is from the truth of His Word. We cannot take another person’s opinion about who He is. We must discover Him for ourselves.

So in order to trust, I must spend time with my Savior, I must seek Him with all of my heart and soul. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for me with all your heart.”

That’s the first checkpoint of trust. Am I building my relationship with God daily? Am I learning more of who He is on a regular basis? Trust comes naturally when we are learning about who God is.

The second checkpoint of trust is praise. Lily Mae Gould said, “They that trust the Lord find many things to praise Him for. Praise always follows trust.” Do you see the correlation? If I’m trusting, I’m praising. If I’m not praising, I must not be trusting.

I have found this to be so true. When I have the right perspective, I see God’s provision even if it does not come as I expect. When I do not have the right perspective, when I do not see things from a place of trust, even when He does provide for my need, I do not see it. Why? My perception is wrong. My blinders of distrust are coloring my world.

Psalm 34:1 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Am I praising? If not, I am not in a place of trust.

Elizabeth Elliot said, “God does many things which we do not understand…a true faith [true trust] must rest solidly on God’s character and His Word, not on our particular conceptions of what He ought to do.”

When I know the God of the Word, I know that even though He may not do something like I think it should be done, He can still be trusted.

Mother Teresa said, “If we really fully belong to God, then we must be at His disposal and we must trust in Him. We must never be preoccupied with the future. There is no reason to be. God is there.”

Living in a place of complete trust allows me to be at peace with the future. Why? God is there preparing the way. But, the really beautiful thing about God is that He is also here, helping me and guiding me in this moment. Hebrews 13:5 says that He will never leave us or forsake us. We have heard often that God is omnipresent (present everywhere all the time) but we forget the beautiful truth that it represents. God is everywhere all the time! No need to worry or fret. God is there… and here. We can trust Him for every moment.

My third checkpoint of trust? Am I fearing the future? If I am, my trust is off. Do I pray about the future? Absolutely; but, the anxiety is not present because I am trusting in the God of the future.

My fourth checkpoint of trust is am I willing to take the next step without knowing the full journey? Did you all feel me shrink down into my seat? This is a hard one for me. As I’ve told you before, I am a roadmap girl. But, when I am in a true place of trust, I am willing to take whatever step God directs without knowing the outcome.

Joni Eareckson Tada said, “Great [trust] isn’t the ability to believe long and far into the misty future. It’s simply taking God at His word and taking the next step.”

Trust is all about simply taking the next step with God. Isaiah 30:21 says, “And your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or to the left.”

I especially love the next quote by Hannah Whitall Smith. She said, “It is the law of spiritual life that every act of trust makes the next act less difficult.”

When we keep taking step after step with our Lord, we know that He is worthy of our trust. We know that He is who He says He is in Scripture and that makes the next step easier, even if it is a step in the dark. When we know God’s character we remember that He is light and in Him is no darkness AT ALL. I John 1:5 assures us of that.

There is so much more to say on the subject of trust, but for the rest of this week let’s ponder the questions, “Do I trust God?” and “How much do I trust God?” Next week, we will study more of the Word to find out, “How do I trust Him more?” and “Is He worthy of my trust?”

Let me just close by encouraging you to pray for an open heart about trust issues that you may have. Let The Holy Spirit infiltrate your heart and show you ways that He wishes to grow you in the area of trust.

I also encourage you to meditate on I John 1:5 this week. It says, “This is the message that we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” Our God is indeed worthy of our trust.