We Must Trust Him

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV We say that we do, but do we really trust God? Sure, when life is going well and all seems right in our world--it's easy to trust God. But--when all hell is breaking loose, when family relationships are strained, when financial disaster occurs, when you're bound in addictions, when a marriage falls apart, when a child is disobedient and making bad choices, when death unexpectedly claims a loved one...do we trust God? Sadly, I have been in all those places. And, at times, I found it hard to trust Him. I've accused Him of being unfair. I've been angry at God. I've wanted to walk away. I've not wanted to live this God-given life. Fortunately, He has never given up on me--even though I've given Him reason to. He's been faithful. In the darkest and most painful times of my life, He's been with me. He has encouraged me to keep going. He's offered me spiritual strength, when I was completely tapped out. When I gave up on myself and wanted to throw in the towel, He never gave up on me. When I wanted to die and begged Him to take me, to end the pain for me...He carried me through and gave me a purpose for my life. "We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." 2 Corinthains 4:8-11 NKJV When we can't see the light at the end of the tunnel (or when we're certain it's an oncoming train meant to knock us down once again), He gives us hope. He created us with and for a purpose. Every day that we awaken to is a gift from God, a new opportunity to make a difference in this world. How dare we minimize the Creator of the universe? When times are tough, that's when we need to trust Him more, to cling to Him more, to seek what we're to learn by going through whatever lies ahead. Let's face it, life isn't easy. Stuff happens. We get the wind knocked out of us time and time again by the attacks of the enemy of our souls. Yet, God is always there to pick up the pieces for us, to give us the strength to go on, to love us through life's pains and trials, even the consequences of our own poor choices. He finds a way to use those things, to weave them into the tapestry of our lives and to intertwine our lives with the lives of others. The reality is that nothing is wasted. Nothing goes unseen or unnoticed. Every dark cloud has a silver lining. The bad is somehow used to bring about good in our lives and for the Kingdom. He brings others into our lives who face the same struggles that, with His help, we have overcome so we can share our testimony of deliverance and restorataion with them, thereby pointing them back to The Father of Love. He means us no harm, He simply knows what is best for us and allows us to go through things that will grow & strengthen us. It is all part of our refining process to make us fit for battle in this world and preparing us for the world to come. Regardless as to what comes our way, we must trust Him... Blessings! Tony

Bumps in the Road...

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV Somewhere along the way, we all hit some bumps in the road on the highway of life. We plan, we prepare and we save for the future. But somehow, life just doesn't go as planned. We're speeding along and things seem good when all of a sudden, we hit a big pothole in the form of family issues, a death, a divorce, an illness, an addiction, financial concerns, etc. Some type of calamity or tragedy strikes and knocks the breath out of us, takes us to our knees. Well, on our knees is where we need to be more anyway, talking to God and seeking Him. Why is it that we trust ourselves so, when we know ourselves best and are aware that we don't know it all? Why is it that God always seems to be our last resort, rather than The One we run to first? He isn't caught offguard by anything, but we are. Why is it that we can talk the Bible talk so well but struggle so to walk the Bible walk? Why is it that we put on our masks and act like we have it all together when in reality, we don't? Why is it that we have so much trouble being transparent about our struggles and try to keep them hidden from others? Why can't we accept that God allows things into our lives to stretch and grow us, so that we learn from the event and are better prepared to minister to others as a result? "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Romans 8:18 Why do we always feel that God is punishing us for some sin we've committed? I propose that the answer is that we rely far too much on self and far too little on God. We need to turn that around and put it in the proper order... We're supposed to be new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), but we don't act like it. We drag around our yesterdays with all their pains, problems & struggles like they are some sort of badge of honor that we can't let go of. When we're not doing that, we're wasting our time worrying about what might happen tomorrow, next week, next year, etc. The reality is that yesterday is gone and we can't change a thing about it. Tomorrow isn't guaranteed and we have no control over it. The best thing we can do is live our lives one day at a time and use them to honor God. All we have control over is the now. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 I'm not one to say we should change God's Word in any way, but imagine if a comma were placed between the words now and faith... We need to have a "NOW" faith, not a yesterday or tomorrow faith. We need to trust God in the now. He has forgiven us our yesterdays (assuming we've confessed & repented of yesterday's sins) and He alone knows what tomorrow holds in store. We'll get there when we get there if we live to see it, as my Granny always said. May I remind you of a couple more Scriptures? "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:1 and "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:10-11 God's goal is not to condemn us, but to make us righteous through Jesus and He uses that which seems like trials to mold, shape & perfect us into who He desires us to be. We shouldn't be surprised by those bumps in the road, He told us to expect them. We just need to rely less on self & more on God. He is the light in our darkness. He is our guide through life's wildnerness. All we have to do is push self aside and follow Him... Blessings! Tony