Tag Archive | trust

It’s Really Jesus Doing The Work

Oct2

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. — 1 Corinthians 3:7-8

How humbling and revealing these verses are. It is a wonderful thing to lead someone to the Lord — exhilarating, exciting, pleasing and a bit of pride can slip in thinking that “we” led someone to the Lord. Truth is revealed here. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ we share the gospel. The Lord is the one who changes the heart of the person to whom we are speaking. So the only part we play is surrender and willingness to be used for God’s purpose and glory.

As some of you may remember I spent two years with my Mom and Dad caring for their needs in another state, away from my family. While I was there the Lord taught me the reality of these verses. I often thought about my family and how I was not there to speak of Jesus and be an influence on them. How in the world are they going to continue to follow and grow in their relationship without me there to remind them and be an example?!!!

I tell you that my family grew in ways that blew my mind in those two years and the only real influence I had was my time of prayer for them each day. I had to rely on the Lord to change their lives and be the reminder that He is alive, loves and is with them always.

Jesus can do more and be more of an influence on your family than you can. Our focus needs to be on our relationship with Jesus. The closer our walk with Him the more influential we are to others “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13) Are you willing to surrender to the will of God and let Him use you to lead others to Jesus? He is waiting to transform you into a witness of His glory.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

I Never Knew You

Sep29

“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.’ — Matthew 7:21-23

The reality of this verse breaks my heart. I wonder how many who believe they are Christians will hear these words of our Lord when the day comes and they stand before Jesus.

Jesus states here that the one who does the will of the Father will enter heaven. Jesus did the will of the Father. Jesus is our example. Are you practicing the will of the Father or still seeking after your own will and desires? Have you surrendered your life to live for Jesus or are you living for yourself? Are you seeking the will of the Father by searching the scriptures to know His will?

Many who call themselves Christian are hard workers in the church. Some do good to others for the betterment of all. Some are nice, lovely people but are simply playing the game, the Christian game. If I do this or do that I will make it to heaven. But do you seek the Lord? Do you walk minute by minute with Him? Is He your all in all, your everything? Do you know Him?

Are you calling yourself a Christian but still living a sinful life? Do you use the excuse that you are a sinner saved by grace? Christ paid the price so you could be a saint, a saint because of the price Christ paid. Are you still practicing lawlessness? Did Jesus practice lawlessness? NO. We are to strive to be like Jesus and yes because of our sinful nature there will be times when we will fail and sin. But walking closely, obeying the will of God and trusting Him minute by minute we can keep ourselves away from the power of sin over us. So walk in the grace of God as you obey the law and do the will of the Father for His glory.

I really hope you will evaluate your walk with Jesus. Do you know Him? Are you going to hear those dreadful words? I hope not.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Childlike Trust

Sep7

Childlike Trust in the Lord.
A Song of Ascents, of David.

O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me.
2 Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever. — Psalm 131

Childlike faith leaves no room for worry, no room for stress from responsibility or “too much on my plate”, or insecurity. My Father has it all under control. I can trust that He wants the best for me and will supply all my needs. And . . . if I would just get out of His way and let Him lead, I would be so much more secure in my life. As David pleads with Israel to hope in the Lord, I believe the Lord wants us to hope in Him from this time forth and forever. It is so worth it.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Rejoicing?

Sep4

For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name. — Psalm 33:21

Having trouble rejoicing in the Lord? Could it be a lack of trust in Him? Or maybe it’s because we just don’t take everything to Him and then trust that He loves and cares for us to help us with everything we take to Him.

What is it that is frustrating you right now? What is it that is stressing you out right now? What is it that is consuming all your thoughts, movements, emotions, time?

Go to the Lord, seek His face. Tell Him everything. Then . . . Let it go. Trust Him to see you through — giving the strength, direction, wisdom, whatever it takes to be victorious for His glory!

So let your heart rejoice in Him because you trust in His holy name.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Promise: You are His Child

Aug26

which God, who cannot lie — Titus 1:2
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. — Galatians 3:26
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, — John 1:12

God cannot lie so we are children of God, if through faith in Christ Jesus, we believe in His name. God cannot lie which means we can trust these Words of His. We are His children and this being so we receive every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

The blessing of being holy and blameless before Him. Having His grace bestowed upon us through Jesus Christ and redemption through His blood. The forgiveness of our trespasses and having made known to us the mystery of His will. Because we are children we receive an inheritance and are sealed in Him (Jesus Christ) with the Holy Spirit of promise.

Those are promises to hang on to, rely on, trust in. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died on the cross for you so that you can be holy and blameless before God, then you have all these promises bestowed on you. You need not be discouraged. You have hope in these promises. Hang on to them and trust in the One who promises them to you. You can do great and mighty things through Christ when you hang on to His promises.

Go in peace and trust in the everlasting God Almighty and His perfect promises.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon
Bold text found in Ephesians 1:3-14

He Cannot Lie

Aug25

“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? — Numbers 23:19

in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, — Titus 1:2

God cannot lie. He is God, not man. Man’s nature is to lie. God’s nature is opposite. GOD CANNOT LIE! It is not in His nature. So what does that mean to us?

— He will never promise us something and not deliver.
— What He says is the truth.
— He can be trusted.

If you believe in God then you will trust Him.If you trust Him, you will trust His Word. His Word is the Bible. Read and trust. His promises are waiting there for you to discover and find comfort in them, to trust in them. Don’t wait. There is probably a promise waiting for you right now that will help you with what you are going through right now. His Word is truth, not a lie.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

When God Moves

Aug24

Have you been there? When you know something is coming but you’re not quite sure yet what it is? When you are on the brink of something great that God has been preparing you for? When the floodgates of opportunity open up for you? When you’ve been walking in the desert waiting, knowing that at any moment you are about to step into the promised land?

Well, I’ll have to tell you that my life has been a whirlwind of God’s movement since Thursday.

If you recall my devotional on Friday, August 22, you will know that God blessed my obedience with six beautiful ladies coming to my house and enjoying a time of fellowship and introduction to my best friend, Jesus Christ.

Nothing, I mean nothing happens by accident. In God’s perfect plan, He knows all that is going on. Another blessing from my wonderful Father came my way when a free admission ticket dropped into my lap for Women of Faith. I was looking forward to going on Saturday.

God also knew that I would be offered a chance to go to the Friday night program. This of course wasn’t offered to me until 45 minutes before I was to be picked up. Since this was Friday and I had worked all week to make my house presentable for Thursday night fellowship I had decided to take Friday as a “lazy “day. I did laundry, which means all my clothes were dirty, so I lounged around in my PJs all day. When I received the phone call I had not seen soap, water, shampoo or a hairbrush all day. Exactly — 45 minutes to get ready, and do I even have any clean and dry clothes to wear?

I debated whether I really wanted to go. I went ahead and started getting ready, asking God whether I should go or not. I was like the verse in James that says, “like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind”. When I was ready I still have not made a decision until I read a verse from my phone. “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord God is holy”. (Psalm 99:9) I had my answer and off I went for a wonderful evening of worship.

Then comes Saturday. The conference was entitled “From Survival to Revival”. Let me begin by saying that two sessions were entitled Renew and Restore, which are two of the keywords in my mission statement. I am currently doing a Bible study and one week was on recharging, another topic of one of the sessions.  And then there was the final session on Revive. I believe I was there to be revived by God so I could be ready for the mission He is about to unfold through me.

Christine Caine, one of the speakers, spoke out of Joshua chapter 1 where God told Joshua to cross over into the promised land. The promise. Loud and clear I heard, through Christine, that God has prepared me and am I ready to cross over to what He has promised.

God gave to me a promised vision many years ago but He has been at work in me preparing me to cross over to that promise. Am I ready? Yes, although I am afraid, not of where or what God will do through me, but of my failure to lean on, trust in, surrender all to Him. I will move forward with my Lord because I know He loves me and He has promised to be with me always. So my weekend has been a whirlwind that has blessed, challenged and humbled this servant of the Most High God.

Was all this just coincidence? I don’t think so. I hope this testimony encourages you to be ready to be used by God. Sit at the Saviors feet and learn. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Trust him with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. God has great plans for you and it is an exciting journey.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

God Really Cares

Aug21

casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. — 1 Peter 5:7

What are you worried about? What in your life is causing you anxiety? Do you know that God cares for you and that you can take anything and everything to Him in prayer?

God is Sovereign which means He is in control of all things and knows what is happening in your life. If God is in control of your life, that means you can trust Him. Who else can you trust with every aspect of your life? God says He can and He will. If we trust Him than it is a sin to worry/have anxiety. Our faith is weak when we worry. Why are you carrying the burden of worry when the Lord is waiting to hear about all that makes you anxious? He cares for you.

Okay, lets say that we are good at taking our worries and anxieties of life to God and spilling it all out to Him. That is wonderful. But do we take it back or leave it in His capable hands, trusting Him to see us through and give us direction? Take each specific worry or anxiety to God telling Him all about it. After each specific statement tell Him you trust Him to take care of that which is worrying or causing anxiety in you. Then trust Him for the outcome knowing He cares for you. To God be the glory in your life as you cast ALL your anxiety and worry on Him. He really cares for you.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith. The beginning of faith is the end of anxiety” — George Muller
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength” — Corrie ten Boom

B.I.B.L.E.

Aug19

With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory. — Psalm 73:24
For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death. — Psalm 48:14

God’s counsel is for all of life. He has not left us to flounder in this world without Him. It is His character to guide us. What comfort it is to know that He loves us, desires us to trust Him as He guides us, and will not stop guiding us until death when we are ushered into glory.

Remember that God’s word is truth. Those times when you feel like life is overwhelming and you have no direction, cling to God’s promises. His counsel is what guides. Where do we find His counsel? In the Holy Word of God, the Word of Truth, the Bible. God has a wealth of information, counsel, guidance right at our fingertips. What is stopping you from receiving His counsel? Seek Him today and know the counsel of our Lord to guide you until death.

One of my sons has an acronym for Bible:
Basic
Instruction
Before
Leaving
Earth.
I thought it fit for this devotional.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

I Commit

Aug15

Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O Lord, God of truth. — Psalm 31:5

This is one of those verses that I am sure I have read a million times but it jumped off the page today and overwhelmed me. Into Your hand, the hand of God — the Creator, Almighty, Sovereign, Perfect, Holy, Omnipotent, Righteous, Just, Eternal, Omniscient, Merciful, Loving, Truthful, Redeemer, Savior! Wow! What better guardian of my spirit could I commit?

Then the overwhelming emphasis of the word “commit”. Commit is a word not to be taken lightly. We commit to stay married for better or worse. We commit to a job to be faithful and loyal. We commit to go out to eat with a friend. But this commit is to GOD. . . This commit is essential to our spiritual walk. This commit is total surrender to the Ruler of our hearts. This commit is to give all that we have and are, to entrust, pledge ourselves to the One who ransomed us. Again, Wow! I am blown away at the gravity of this one little word.

I had to take a look at myself and ask if I have committed my spirit to the One who ransomed me, Jesus Christ. Have I entrusted my spirit to the God of truth? I had to step back and evaluate my walk. I want to be able to truly say, “Into Your hand I commit my spirit” to the God of all truth so He can do a good work in me for His glory.

Thank You Lord Jesus for ransoming me, for paying the price on Calvary. I trust You and so I commit my spirit into Your hand. May You be glorified through me in the fulfillment of Your perfect plan. To You Lord God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Have you truly committed your spirit to the Lord? If not, take this time now to do so. Evaluate your level of commitment. It really is all or nothing.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon