Worry and Trust

As you do not know what is the way of the wind,

Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child,
So you do not know the works of G-d who makes everything.

In the morning sow your seed,
And in the evening do not withhold your hand;
For you do not know which will prosper,
Either this or that,
Or whether both alike will be good.

Ecclesiastes 11:5-6

 

Can not stress enough, on how often we must sit and reflect on the amazement of our G-D. We may be able to pinpoint which way the wind is blowing, and have the knowledge of how a child is created in the womb and born but regardless of our knowledge it is still a miracle and absolutely astounding the formation and creation of everything. Despite how "advanced" we are in this day and age we still do not know everything, and we surely don't know the works in full detail of our G-D, nor can we know them all because His knowledge is far superior then ours, and it always will be. The more we think we know G-D, the more we think we know how something is going to turn out, watch as He acts in the opposite. We surely like to think we know His will, and generally speaking we place "what we" would do as something G-D would obviously do, but G-D is not us and every action that is chosen is far better than we could ever possibly do.

 

We like to say G-D is going to prosper whatever we put our hands to, but maybe the question should be "Why is he?" instead of "Can he?" there are those who talk about the blessings of G-D as if they deserve them and there are those who seek not there will but HIS. If he prospers us, the question that should be asked is why? and the answer should always be "For His own glory". Everything that happens is in His control, even when it looks horrible...what needs to be dealt with is our ideals and our actions, how we receive and how we trust in every situation, to know we surely don't know what tomorrow will bring but we will walk and praise Him the same today no matter what it brings. 

 

We tend to look forward or we look back, but should we not be content in the present? let us rejoice that we are no longer in the past, let us look to how we have grown in Christ, and in that growth keep our eyes, mind, body, and soul fixated on Christ, and let us in the present moment lift all worries cares and burdens to not be frantic about the future that is out of our control, let us rest in HIM who knows all.

 

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:34

 

Therefore  let us be rested in HIM, let us trust that He is in control and stop trying to cause things to happen by our own doing, after all who's way is better....our way? or HIS way? G-D I would assume would know the best way to act, speak, and walk, so why do we not just be rested and give HIM complete trust in any and every situation. If we rely on us...it will never be glorifying enough, but if we rely on HIM we are building the foundation blocks of trust.

 

But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;

Matthew 10:19

Faith Refining

I am ADONAI; there is no other. I form light, I create darkness; I make well-being, I create woe; I, ADONAI, do all these things.

Isaiah 45:6-7

This is where you prove your faith opened up to every mistake closed in by trials and tribulations and pulled to pieces in every direction.

This is where trust comes in when dark clouds of doubt overwhelm and your flesh screams there is no hope This is the moment we DIE to our self.

This is where we sink or swim Only by the spirit can we stand again opened eyes moving past what made us blind every failure nailed to my saviors hands

This is where we prove who we are in every struggle and pain in our heart 

to keep rising up as children of G-D and not let it tear us apart.

Bring on distress and pain

bring on rejection and heartache enemy,world, and flesh do your worst

for in His death i’ve found my rest

Now forever I crucify my self-image and this is only the beginning

of how He brings change just a taste of how we prove our faith.

G-D is faithful, He is merciful...He pours water upon the thirsty. Isaiah 44:3

Ending with encouragement, the direction and focus is to be upon G-D, it’s easy when you get a vision, but hard once you start walking in it...

But keep focused on Him as Proverbs 3:5 says; do not lean on your understanding but His!

When we are going through a “refining process” it’s easy to give up, and run...but G-D has a purpose in it, let us not miss it, but glory in the fact that He is

considering us worthy to be put through the fire to refine like Gold...

Word Of Faith(What Jesus would say..)

You'd rather argue semantics till you're blue in the face

then surrender to ME, and walk in the light.

You're all about your choice, and power in your words

BUT...

I am the author…the finisher(Hebrews 12:2)

King of Kings, Lord of LORDS(Revelations 19:16)

I reign on a throne that no man could hold, (Hebrews 1:8)

worth more than anything ever created

every human,animal, planet and star…

all bow to my very existence.

I am alpha Omega(Revelations 22:13)

Holy and infinite, beyond understanding. (Isaiah 55:8)

I am spotless,blameless, sinless perfection(2 Corinthians 5:21)

righteous above all comprehension.

Only doing the Fathers will, (John 4:34)

His plan that was laid out before all of creation.

I was beaten,scarred…scourged,mocked and  put on a roman cross(Isaiah 53:5)

took every sin from beginning to end…

I was poured out wine and broken bread..(Luke 22:19)

it pleased the Father to crush the Son(Isaiah 53:10)

Yet I am not First? somehow it's become about your choice?

as if this was your plan, and not HIS…

Did you have a choice in choosing how you would be saved from sin?

Or was I chosen and crushed before you even knew what sin was?

You clamor and fight over your freedom of will

When the only choice you freely make is to fail…. 

I tell you... He who looks to save his life will  lose it,

He who loses his life will preserve it.(Luke 17:33)

You want to follow? then pick up your cross…(Luke 9:23)

prepare yourself for death of the flesh

instead of your "Word of Faith" -selfishness.

You pray for Gods will, but only want it if it matches your own!

You didn't speak saving grace into existence,

didn't save yourself from sin

It was given without your permission.

Patience in Faith

"By your patience possess your souls."

Luke 21:19

By patience in your faith, by repentance…take heed,

let not your faith crumble do not worry or tarry

for the gift of salvation is yours.

Lay your burdens to rest, at ease with all things in life,

Our Father creator of the Universe is in control. Patience

brothers/sisters, onward Christian soldier in your walk

with our Lord and savior. Again patience…by faith you walk,

and by faith in the one true God you stand, do not let

the cares of YOUR life affect your walk, In this world

with it's distractions, it's easy to forget what is important,

it's easy to worry and stress and even become diluted

in self grandeur. This life of self is what our culture thrives on…

self-improvement

self-importance

self-Idolatry

Which is why there is so much

worry/stress

un-fulfilment

depression

suicide

A generation with immoral values because we don't live

accountable to anyone, and we live for our pleasure, our glory,

all for our satisfaction. We are our own man centered philosophy,

and we measure ourselves by our ideals NOT by the creator

of the universe, not by God who gave us life in the first place.

God didn't create you to get pleasure out of yourself, He created you to glorify Him, created you for His own pleasure and will..NOT yours.

Looking to SELF, no matter how much you want to, you'll never

find perfection or God, because simply put only God is perfection. There is only one GOD, and you can have an actual relationship with Him and one day be in His very presence because of Jesus Christ taking the wrath we deserve.

So why do we constantly look at OUR happiness? and OUR

pleasure and OUR will and NOT God's? I'm not even talking about the spiritually blind, I'm talking about those who claim

to know Christ, and yet have no patience in their walk…

have no patience in the faith and live exactly like the spiritually

blind world does..

self-improvement

self-importance

self-Idolatry

Where is God's glory? when is He magnified and glorified?

When is He put first when you are worrying

more about getting pleasure out of this world? When you are worrying about fulfilling the American dream rather then Gods plan for your life.

How is God put first when you care more about trivial

worldly blessing then you do HONORING Him.

When is God put first when you know more about Hollywood

gossip and a television show then you do His Word.

Even more true, How is He glorified by you just knowing

the word? Christ said "Follow"…He said "Do"…not

"Think about"…"just believe"

We all need to get our priorities straight, Honor God and give Him glory, surrender your will and stop worrying and stressing

over things, have patience and FAITH that God is in control.

Seek to glorify God NOT yourself, not for salvation because that

isn't earned it is and was given by the grace of God, and knowing this we surrender and give honor to Him seeking for His will to be done.

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence,

add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

For if these things are yours and abound, [you] will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

1 Peter 1:5-9

Disciple of Christ III

These things I have spoken to you,

that in Me you may have peace.

In the world you will have tribulation;

but be of good cheer

I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

I've talked about being a "Disciple of Christ"

mainly about dying to self, and that generally speaking

it's not hard to be a follower of Christ. I want to get across

the fact that by saying "It's not hard to be a follower of Christ"

I do not mean... you will not face difficulties/tribulation.

You see generally speaking I don't think people

have a problem with "accepting Christ". Honestly who would

seriously have a problem with someone dying for every wrong

they ever did or will do, who would have a problem with someone

saying; give me your worries/burdens...answer? NOBODY...

that's probably why so many people claim to be "Christian"

because they have no problem with someone forgiving their

wrong doing, they just want to continue living selfishly and still

be of Christ. The problem is being a "Christian" and being "Selfish"

don't go hand and hand, as again that kind of gets in the way of

"Dying to self"

To get back on point about difficulties/tribulation, People seem to think

(Specially still on the bottle Christians) that when you become a

"Christian" all tribulation all struggles just magically disappear,

like all because "you decided" to follow Christ that He will just

heap blessing after blessing upon you and no trouble will

come your way. All because you decided to be "Christian" and you

go to "church" and you "Tithe your 10%" and you have your little

"Jesus fish bumper sticker" that God is just going to bless you with all

that your little heart desires. Don't get it twisted once again, I'm

not saying God doesn't bless people, I'm saying if you think

life will be all sunshine and lollipops and you deserve some kind

of credit for being "Christian"...pshhh.. THINK AGAIN, as a matter of fact

where are your priorities? are they on the things YOU want? are they on

the hope that you will go through no struggles? OR are they where they

should be... ON GOD ALONE...no matter what trouble/burden

that comes your way.

The fact is, trouble is going to come your way,

struggles are going to come and go...it's about what you do

when that struggle comes that defines you and your faith or

lack there of.

When things come around and knock us down, when tribulations come

as "Christians" we should remain positive, after all...things happen for a reason,

God is bigger then any worry/stress or tribulation that comes our way.

I've probably said this 100 times but why not 101...

YOU DON'T PROVE YOUR FAITH WHEN EVERYTHING IS GOING RIGHT

YOU PROVE IT... WHEN EVERYTHING IS GOING ALL WRONG.

"An average view of the Christian life is that it means deliverance from trouble. It is deliverance IN trouble, which is very different. "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High . . . there shall no evil befall thee" - no plague can come nigh the place where you are at one with God.

If you are a child of God, there certainly will be troubles to meet, but Jesus says do not be surprised when they come. "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world, there is nothing for you to fear."

Men who before they were saved would scorn to talk about troubles, often become "fushionless" after being born again because they have a wrong idea of a saint.

God does not give us overcoming life: He gives us life as we overcome. The strain is the strength. If there is no strain, there is no strength. Are you asking God to give you life and liberty and joy? He cannot, unless you will accept the strain. Immediately you face the strain, you will get the strength. Overcome your own timidity and take the step, and God will give you to eat of the tree of life and you will get nourishment. If you spend yourself out physically, you become exhausted; but spend yourself spiritually, and you get more strength. God never gives strength for to-morrow, or for the next hour, but only for the strain of the minute. The temptation is to face difficulties from a common-sense standpoint. The saint is hilarious when he is crushed with difficulties because the thing is so ludicrously impossible to anyone but God."

My Utmost for HIS highest

August 2nd

Difficulty is a part of life, troubles/worries... oh we all get our share,

and things obviously don't always go how we want them to,

but when you are in that moment when you are faced with

adversity, the key is just surrendering to God. Like the good saying goes:

"What doesn't kill you,makes you stronger"

Now this is all meaningless if it's just a nice "thought",

actions speak louder then words.

Seek to live for God, stop crying about the things that

seem to be going wrong and realize you have been

given everything you will ever need. How about

caring for someone else, showing love to someone

and lifting another up, instead of wondering why

"God is not blessing you". Do you not know that we

are called to show the love of Christ, how can you show

that love... when all you do is worry about yourself?

The truth is, Love as we know it, our love is imperfect,

hence why you need to "Die to self" and live for Christ,

live to the Holy Spirit inside of you... that knows how to truly love.

It's like Love has become about requirements I.e

I'll love you if you do this,that or this. Here's a question for you,

what did YOU do... to deserve Gods love?

Yeah, think about that one. (by the way, the answer is NOTHING.)

Further more people have no problem showing love to those who

show love back, but guess what? we are called to have more love

in us then that..

"But if you love those who love you,

what credit is that to you?

For even sinners love those who love them.

And if you do good to those who do good to you,

what credit is that to you?

For even sinners do the same.

And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back,

what credit is that to you?

For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.

But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.

Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. "

Luke 6:32-36

Forgive as we are forgiven, Love as we are loved...simply said,

but not easily done. It's not impossible though, people always like to say

"Well, we can't be like Christ! if we could he wouldn't have had to die

for our sins"

you are right, indeed we can not be perfect, you know what we can do

though? DIE TO SELF! we were crucified with Christ! stop thinking about

what "I can't do" and what CHRIST Can do through you!

Those who love those who love them, and those who love

only to receive something in-return should think long and hard,

and should be thankful that the God they claim to follow

wasn't and isn't like that.

A real Disciple of Christ, A real "Christian" doesn't have to walk around

saying "I'm a Christian" you will know them by the love that shines through them. NOT BY WORKS, no no no...NOT BY WORKS....but by the Love

of Christ that overwhelms their whole being.

Walk by Faith

For we walk by Faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7

FAITH= Full Assurance In The Heart...

Full Assurance that it is by grace that we are saved,

Full Assurance that our Lord and savior lives..

Full Assurance that there is one God, the GOD

Holy eternal Father one with the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ.

Full Assurance that all things are possible through HIM,

that we are filled with the Holy spirit!

We live by Faith, not by things that are seen..

we live with a child like faith! to realize we don't

have to know every little detail, things we may not understand

or can't explain we seek for an explanation from God.

Even when an explanation can not be given we

don't let the question and things we don't understand

weigh us down, for we know there is a reason for everything,

nothing happens that God doesn't know about.

We live by faith, and we trust and continue forward in

our walk with Christ in any and every situation.

Our love for Christ is not proven when everything is going

just right, but our Love for Christ is proven when everything

is going all wrong. You can scream and shout "I'm a Christian"

but what do you look to, what do you scream when everything

around you crumbles? because being a Christian isn't about

being perfect, it isn't about never going through pain or struggles,

It's just the realization of that when we are going through pain

and struggles there is a bigger picture, that when things come

our way to bring us down, we should look at it as an opportunity

to RISE UP! to PROVE OUR FAITH! to put our trust in GOD, and in

God alone!

What about when we don't hear his voice? what about when

we are struggling and we pray and pray for direction but yet

no direction ever seems to come. WE CONTINUE TO

WALK BY FAITH! Do you have to hear from God before you move?

read his word, and you will know how you are suppose to live,

don't wait on him to tell you how to. Don't get it twisted,

God inspires us and at times we hear that still small voice

(God through the holy spirit) giving us direction, but when he is

silent do we give up? do we become so consumed with trying to

hear from God that we all together stop living? we stop seeking

to be that strong example we are suppose to be? the point I'm

trying to get at is this...

Do we have to be inspired by God to move?

do we have to see or hear something from God

to reach out? Or do we just live and continue

to walk BY FAITH

Again don't get it twisted, I'm not saying forget about

hearing from God. I'm not even saying don't seek

to hear from him, what I'm saying is live according

to the word....live for him always and have faith

larger then a mustard seed. Continue moving

forward and being that strong witness when

everything is going wrong and when you are not

hearing from God.

}-{ For a time we are conscious of God's attentions,

then, when God begins to use us in His enterprises,

we take on a pathetic look and talk of the trials and

the difficulties, and all the time God is trying to make us

do our duty as obscure people. None of us would be

obscure spiritually if we could help it. Can we do

our duty when God has shut up heaven? Some of us

always want to be illuminated saints with golden haloes

and the flush of inspiration, and to have the saints of God

dealing with us all the time. A gilt-edged saint is no good,

he is abnormal, unfit for daily life, and altogether unlike God.

We are here as men and women, not as half-fledged angels,

to do the work of the world, and to do it with and infinitely

greater power to stand the turmoil because we have been

born from above.

If we try to reintroduce the rare moments of inspiration,

it is a sign that it is not God we want. We are making a

fetish of the moments when God did come and speak,

and insisting that He must do it again; whereas what God

wants us to do is to "Walk by Faith." How many of us have

laid ourselves by, as it were, and said-"I cannot do any more

until God appears to me." He never will, and without any

inspiration, without any sudden touch of God, we will

have to get up. Then comes the surprise- " Why, he was

there all the time, and I never knew it!"

Never live for the rare moments, they are surprises. God

will give us touches of inspiration when He sees

we are not in danger of being led away by them.

We must never make our moments of inspiration

our standard; our standard is our duty. }-{

May 1st,

My Utmost

for His

Highest

What is our duty?

to live and walk by FAITH...

in pain and sorrow

in trouble and despair

in happiness and bliss

unto death