Trusting God Every Day.

Deep Trust in God . . . or not. Do you trust him daily? There is a lot at stake actually. 

You tell me you trust God, and I believe you. I really do. But I have seen your reaction after this news bit broke. And maybe you forgot, but I was having lunch with you when that phone call came, and everything about you seemed to change—like a snap of a finger. Oh, I do not doubt your heart for God—I’ve watched you faithfully serve! But sometimes your heart is so heavy over those circumstances out of your control, I am not sure you know that you really do trust God—that is, if you do. 

Scripture reminds us of how big and how great is our God. 
This morning I read David’s words, God is our refuge and strength, 
an ever-present help in trouble.1 And then I wrote it in my Moleskine journal, personalizing it: “God you are my refuge and strength, ever-present help ~ o thank you, God! Yes, you are – no matter what else is going on in and around my life. 
Just eleven short verses in this song of David, and I guess I haven’t ever felt quite so keenly about how fitting it is for life, 
or just how beautiful for situation. 

I had a flashback of a purple mimeographed sheet with my memory verse on it, “For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations...”2 Then I ran into a dear one in the grocery store looking for answers to medical questions, having to wait another month to see a ‘specialist’, and a part of my mind set to worrying about her. Transferring four heavy bags to my trunk, I pictured her making her way home, and continued thinking. 

A line from another email: I have a lot of things up in the air that are causing me to worry and be anxious. Your reminders have come at the right time. No surprise really because our Lord is very faithful. 

We trust God, we do believe HE IS ABLE, but the challenge is to keep his promises uppermost in our minds as we go throughout our day—at work, at home, in our vehicles, at the beach. Is there a solution to increase our awareness of his presence and involvement in our lives? Because I’ve got to tell you, I can be ever so sure, ever so aware, and then I get a disturbing phone call from someone I love and boom--my God-trusting mental peace is threatened! 

Is there a solution? Is there some other way of living so I am not the flimflam man? Yes, I believe so. 

Here’s the Trust Plan: 
1. 15-Minute Resolution. Appoint 15 minutes for God each morning. Get up, read scripture, pray/communicate with the Lord. Ask God to refill you with his Spirit, to renew your faith and increase your faith in him. That is a prayer he died to answer. In your fifteen minutes, you might take a few minutes to begin memorizing a galvanizing scripture—may I beat that drum again?? 
*For your fifteen, you might use these briefings for two days. First day – read/listen. Second day – look up the scripture verses, make a note of them, apply them! 

2. Visual Reminders. What reminds you of God’s faithfulness? A picture,a word, or a verse that will instantly center you on the Rock, rather than the shifting sand of circumstances. 
~Post-it notes? 3 x 5 cards? Screen-savers or cellphone wallpaper? 
Today on a conference call prayer meeting, my friend, Jo, told me she has been leaving an open Bible near her workspace … can you guess the reason? Love it. 

3. Consumption Awareness. Is your media intake helpful? I love what Paul said on this: “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything builds up.3 Recently, a woman told me she had let Facebook overtake her life … wait, what? 

Consider how you feel, what you think about after you listen to that, 
or watch such and such a thing? Are you better for your time engaged on that website or… activity? 

4. Do not be an island. We need to be in community, we were made for it. 
Get intentional AND associate, communicate and affiliate with other 
faith-filled Christ followers—especially positive, optimistic ones, who really do live as though they know God is Able, he is on the throne, and he has got this! 

God is more than able, and if you are like me, you want to live like you really believe that. You really want to live in trust … so now you’ve got your very own Trust Plan. 

Christine

PastorWoman.com

4. Do not be an island. We need to be in community, we were made for it. 
Get intentional AND associate, communica
1 – Psalm 46.1 
2 – Psalm 100.5 
3 – 1 Corinthians 10.23, HCSB