Category Archives: Faith / Trusting God

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Jesus (hearing from God), Miracles, Miracles, Obeying God, Share the Good News

He Sent Them Out To Proclaim the Kingdom

God’s ways are not our ways. We can not make our own plans and then just demand God bless us as we try to accomplish them… even if we mean well and want to please Him. We must build relationship with Him and then let Him tell us where and what He wants us to do. He can show us where He is working and what He wants us to do.

Luke 9:1-11

Ministry of the Twelve

     1And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. 2And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. 3And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece. 4“Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city. 5“And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6Departing, they began going throughout the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Consider the twelve disciples. If they decided to go proclaim the gospel on their own to honor God they would not have nearly the power or success, even if their hearts were desiring  to please the Lord. There is no way they can succeed on their own power, even if the Lord tells them what He wants done. When the Lord sends them out, however, He sends them with power and authority enough to accomplish the task. In this case He sends them with power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. He sent them to proclaim the gospel and to heal.

God, however, wants them to know beyond a doubt that it is God working through them and not themselves accomplishing His work. As if the healing and power over demons would not be dramatic enough, He sends them out in true faith… taking no staff, bag, bread, money or even a spare tunic. He tells them where to go and what to do but sends them in a way that would make most people cringe, starting a journey with no supplies or money and relying on others to supply their needs. But we are to trust our Lord as we go about His business. Then we know beyond a doubt that it was His power and not our own.

His ways are not our ways… they are better.  His ways help us to walk in right relationship with Him and to learn to rely on Him and love Him and experience the joy and peace of walking with Him… humbly aware of our own limitations.

It is worth noting, that the Lord tells them ahead of time that even though He is sending them out with great power and authority… some will still not receive them. Our Lord allows us free will and the opportunity to either accept or reject Him. We are to expect that some will reject us and Him and we are to be prepared.  We must not become frozen desperately chasing those who reject Him. We must get on with the harvest of those who will receive us and receive our Lord. 

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Infinite / Without Limit, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Miracles, Miracles

Where Is Your Faith?

Just reflect on this one simple thought… there is nothing on Earth that is beyond the control of Jehovah. With this in mind, we need not be afraid. Faith conquers fear.

Luke 8:22-25 

Jesus Stills the Sea

     22Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. 23But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. 24They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. 25And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”

I suppose one more perspective I should highlight… do not miss that Yeshua asks “Where is your faith?”, meaning that He expected the disciples to trust in Him even when the situation looked dire and the storm was raging. God was in control even while Yeshua slept.

We can trust our Father no matter the situation or the outcome. Let us put our faith totally and unreservedly in Him. When we do so, then we have nothing to fear.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Blessed, Discerning / Judging, Faith / Trusting God, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Parables, Worldliness

Which Soil Are You?

It is easy for many of us to convince ourselves that we are living a full and abundant life according to the Lord’s will just because we say Jesus is Lord and go to church. We see others who openly reject Him and we know they are on the wrong track. We may see others living a truly abundant life in Christ and acknowledge they are doing well, but somehow convince ourselves that that is unusual and special and what we are doing is just fine… better than most.

Let us consider a parable from Jesus and truly pause to consider the evidence in our own lives. Many who claim Jesus as Lord get distracted by the cares of this world and are truly missing Him. They do not even realize it because they judge their lives by comparison to others around them in a culture that has lost focus on how to truly live daily for God according to His instructions. They do not compare themselves to God’s holy scriptures and His unchanging standard for His people to live by. God wants all of us to have life and have it abundantly. It all starts in our relationship with Him.

Luke 8:4-15

Parable of the Sower

     4When a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable: 5“The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. 6“Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7“Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. 8“Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

      9His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. 10And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that SEEING THEY MAY NOT SEE, AND HEARING THEY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND.

      11“Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. 12“Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. 13“Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. 14“The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15“But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.

Take time to reflect and pray… which soil are you? Do not leap to the conclusion that you are living as the soil bearing a bountiful harvest. Challenge yourself. Could someone else prove it by looking at the fruit in your life, if they could not use you as a witness and could not use as evidence your intentions or thoughts? What if they could only call other witnesses and judge you by your actions and the fruit in your life?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Help / Serve Others, Humility, Jesus (hearing from God), Love, Merciful, Parables, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Thankfulness

He Who Is Forgiven Much, Loves Much

We are all subject to the natural tendency to rationalize our decisions or behaviors. While we may judge clearly or even too harshly when we consider others, our natural tendency is to “give ourselves the benefit of the doubt” when judging our own actions. Perhaps another way of saying it… we judge others by actions and judge ourselves by intentions.

Let us take caution, however. Fully accepting and “owning” our mistakes and failures and bringing them before the Lord asking forgiveness will actually bring us into closer relationship with Him. He who is forgiven much, loves much. Let us not rationalize away the things for which we need to be forgiven and for which we need to repent. Let us come openly and humbly before the Lord and submit ourselves to Him.

Luke 7:36-50

    36Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 39Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”

Parable of Two Debtors

     40And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.” 41“A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42“When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” 43Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” 44Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45“You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. 46“You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. 47“For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” 49Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” 50And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

I can look back in my own life and see a time, long ago, when I first really transitioned from the attitude of “I am doing pretty well, better than most” to one of “I have sinned and cannot reconcile my actions as acceptable according God’s word”. Truly it was transformational in my relationship with the Lord. It was then that I experienced mercy and grace and forgiveness. As long as I convinced myself I was “good enough”, I did not need to rely on God but could get along fine by myself. Truth be known, I was fooling myself the whole way. Of course I was a sinner in need of a savior! We all are! As I came to know I needed forgiveness my love for Him grew dramatically as I then appreciated His sacrifice for my sin.

Take care to accept accountability for and repent from your sins. Bring them before the Lord with humble and repentant heart. Submit to Him as Lord and ask forgiveness. Let your future actions reflect your love for Him through your obedience to Him. Enjoy who our Savior is and how He loves us.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Evidence in Scripture, Faith / Trusting God, Jesus (hearing from God), Prophecy, Seeking God, Study the Word, Through Prophets, Unteachable / Foolish, Wise

Look For Where God Is At Work Around Us And Expect To Find Him

John the Baptist was surely a righteous servant of God. In fact, Yeshua said “I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John…”. (Luke 7:28) Yeshua was not offended when John sent disciples to ask if He were the “Expected One”. He simply answered that they should look at the evidence and report back to John.  Yeshua then makes an insightful comment in verse 23, “Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”

Truly there are many who are lost because they take offense at Yeshua, even all the while dismissing the incredible miracles and evidence that prove He is Messiah. They seem to get so focused on what they are expecting or their own world view that they have essentially decided in advance that there is no God or that Yeshua was not Messiah. They are offended that He claims to be God and miss the evidence THAT HE ACTUALLY IS GOD. They look for evidence to support what they believe and ignore the mountain of evidence that could lead them to Him.

Luke 7:18-29

     18The disciples of John reported to him about all these things. 19Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?” 20When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’” 21At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind. 22And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. 23“Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”

      24When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25“But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces! 26“But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet.

27“This is the one about whom it is written,
‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU,
WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.’

28“I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged God’s justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John. 30But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.

      31“To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? 32“They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ 33“For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ 34“The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35“Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

    36Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 39Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”

Let us challenge ourselves to be more like John the Baptist rather than the Pharisees. Both acknowledged that God was Lord, but one truly believed and expected Messiah to come. John looked for Messiah and validated by considering evidence. He expected God to be at work around us. The Pharisees said they expected Messiah, but could never bring themselves to consider Messiah might be there with them. They appeared not to expect God actually working among them.

Let us not dismiss the possibility that God is at work around us, but rather look for Him. Seek to genuinely and with discernment understand when, where and how our Lord is at work around us.  When He does reach out to us personally, carefully seek validation in evidence and scripture. Do not automatically dismiss it as coincidence or chance or imagination. Test everything but let the evidence lead you to accept when, where and how God is at work.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Faith / Trusting God, Healer, Miracles, Miracles

Yeshua Has Authority Over All Things

Our Lord Yeshua has authority over all things. He has no limits. Distance does not constrain Him… He can heal without even being present physically at a certain location. He is not bounded by death. He can overcome that as well… both His own physical death on earth and the death of others. Let us put our faith in Him no matter our situation. He may not always answer our prayer the way we hope, but He is always able and He is compassionate and filled with loving kindness. We can trust in Him.

Luke 7:1-10

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant

     1When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.

      2And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. 3When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave. 4When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him; 5for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.” 6Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; 7for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8“For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 9Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” 10When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

      11Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd. 12Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. 13When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” 15The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!” 17This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.

I encourage each of us to pray for the Lord to strengthen our faith so we could be like the Roman centurion… fully confident in HIs authority no matter the situation.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Help / Serve Others

We All Need Help Sometimes… Turn to God And Those Who Serve Him

Resources

We all need help sometimes. Turn to God and those who serve Him rather than the world. Whether we are trying to find help for someone facing a crisis like abortion, searching for ways to strengthen our marriage, or just to find quality Christian entertainment… there are a lot of resources out there that call out for our attention, but many do not honor God. At Hearing From Jesus we try to help by sorting through some of that for you and providing recommendations that honor Jesus.

If you have identified Christian resources you recommend for inclusion on our website, please submit via our Contact Us page.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Submitting to and Accepting the Lord’s Will

In Numbers 22 and 23, Balak tried over and over to get Balaam to curse Israel. He tried with money and from different angles and locations. Balaam consistently indicated he could only bless or curse according to the Lord. The power comes from the Lord and he could not just pick or force God to act in a way contrary to what God decides. Balak was clearly used to getting his way and was persistent. However, each time Balaam would ask the Lord about it, he would be instructed to bless rather than curse Israel, resulting in multiple blessings for Israel.

In Numbers 24 we see that Balaam finally has a clear understanding of what God’s position is on the subject. He no longer even seeks “omens” to discern God’s will in hopes or thoughts that it will bring back a different answer. Now, he is confident in the Lord’s decision and that it will not change. Balaam has accepted it and embraced it. Having done so, the Spirit of God came upon Him.

Numbers 24

The Prophecy from Peor

     1When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to seek omens but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him.

3He took up his discourse and said,
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened;

      4The oracle of him who hears the words of God,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered,

      5How fair are your tents, O Jacob,
Your dwellings, O Israel!

      6“Like valleys that stretch out,
Like gardens beside the river,
Like aloes planted by the LORD,
Like cedars beside the waters.

      7“Water will flow from his buckets,
And his seed will be by many waters,
And his king shall be higher than Agag,
And his kingdom shall be exalted.

      8“God brings him out of Egypt,
He is for him like the horns of the wild ox.
He will devour the nations who are his adversaries,
And will crush their bones in pieces,
And shatter them with his arrows.

      9“He couches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lion, who dares rouse him?
Blessed is everyone who blesses you,
And cursed is everyone who curses you.”

      10Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times! 11“Therefore, flee to your place now. I said I would honor you greatly, but behold, the LORD has held you back from honor.” 12Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you had sent to me, saying, 13‘Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything contrary to the command of the LORD, either good or bad, of my own accord. What the LORD speaks, that I will speak’? 14“And now, behold, I am going to my people; come, and I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.”

      15He took up his discourse and said,
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,

      16The oracle of him who hears the words of God,
And knows the knowledge of the Most High,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered.

      17“I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near;
A star shall come forth from Jacob,
A scepter shall rise from Israel,
And shall crush through the forehead of Moab,
And tear down all the sons of Sheth.

      18“Edom shall be a possession,
Seir, its enemies, also will be a possession,
While Israel performs valiantly.

      19“One from Jacob shall have dominion,
And will destroy the remnant from the city.”

      20And he looked at Amalek and took up his discourse and said,
“Amalek was the first of the nations,
But his end shall be destruction.”

      21And he looked at the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said,
“Your dwelling place is enduring,
And your nest is set in the cliff.

      22“Nevertheless Kain will be consumed;
How long will Asshur keep you captive?”

      23Then he took up his discourse and said,
“Alas, who can live except God has ordained it?

      24“But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim,
And they shall afflict Asshur and will afflict Eber;
So they also will come to destruction.”

      25Then Balaam arose and departed and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way.

Let us challenge ourselves to seek out the Lord and submit to His instruction rather than holding to our own. Balak demonstrates the futility of trying to constantly manipulate or coerce God to a different position based on location or other details of how we ask. We can not control God. We can, as His children, come before Him and ask and even ask multiple times, but we should do so with a submitted heart which accepts what He tells us. Let us not keep trying to manipulate the outcome, but rather have a genuine heart to heart relationship with the Lord. Once we see the Lord has spoken clearly and consistently on an issue, it is good for us to follow the example of Balaam and focus on accepting or embracing His decision rather than continuing to ask for a different answer over and over.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Free Will, Obeying God, Seeking God

What Do Your Build Your Life Upon?

We should each pause long enough from our busy schedules to prayerfully consider what we are building our lives upon. Take care not to gloss over this question. It is easy to just quickly declare we are living for the Lord and not really ask Him if to show us if that is true. Note that Jesus indicates the listeners are calling Him Lord, but not really obeying what He tells them to do. Many today make this very same mistake. Do we truly do what He says? Have we taken the time to study His word personally and pray to understand what He says? or are we only listening to what others tell us He says?

If we build our lives upon anything but Jesus Christ, then we will certainly fail… in this life and in the next.

Luke 6:46-49

Builders and Foundations

     46“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49“But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

I urge each of us to not ignore that many who declare they follow Jesus are actually not doing so… and many of those don’t even realize it. Don’t just glaze over this. Stop. Study. Pray. Listen.

It is not enough to say we follow the Lord and not do so.  Ignorance of His instruction is not an excuse for disobeying Him any more than it would be for a wife who never bothers to understand what her husband asks of her (or the other way around). The relationship is still broken and distant. The questions will remain… “Why did we not take time to study His word, ask for His guidance, listen and then obey? What were we so busy doing so as not to know and obey Him?”

Matthew 7:21-23

     21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Faith / Trusting God, Protector / Deliverer, Strong in Our Weakness, Suffering / Adversity

Security of the One Who Trusts in the Lord

Psalm 91 is a wonderful reminder to call us back to focus on the Lord as our protector and shield. We can trust in Him. He is in control and nothing can happen to us that He does not cause or at least allow.

It can sometimes be misconstrued, however, as if it is a promise to every believer that the Lord will protect them from harm. As an example, I have seen a children’s book to this end, emphasizing how He will protect you from everything bad. This is clearly wrong. We need not look far to see that even those close to the Lord experience suffering in this life. One could point to the prophets, disciples, or Jesus Himself. However, we can see it all around us today.

It is in fact a bit reckless to instruct children in this way, knowing that they may and likely will face suffering. It sets them up to lose faith in the Lord because they were taught that if God is real, they will not have suffering. When they experience suffering, they begin to doubt God is real.

To be sure, the security of those who trust in the Lord is real. We can trust in Him even if and when we endure suffering. Ultimately we know He will fulfill His promises to us as disciples of Christ and bring us to dwell with Him for eternity. We can also go before Him and enjoy in our life a close relationship with Him based on deep trust such that we need not worry and be filled with anxiety. He is in control. He can and sometimes does deliver His people from the suffering in this world as well. Even as we experience hardship, let us seek to trust Him and rejoice in Him.

Psalm 91

Security of the One Who Trusts in the LORD.

      1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

      2I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”

      3For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.

      4He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

      5You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;

      6Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.

      7A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you.

      8You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.

      9For you have made the LORD, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place.

      10No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.

      11For He will give His angels charge concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways.

      12They will bear you up in their hands,
That you do not strike your foot against a stone.

      13You will tread upon the lion and cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.

      14“Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.

      15“He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.

      16“With a long life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation.”

In what areas of your life do you need the Lord’s protection and support? Think also of some situations which face your family and friends and fellow believers. Pray the Spirit would lead you in praying for protection. Trust in the Lord to handle each situation, but keep praying… keep asking as the Spirit leads.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.