Are You REALLY Trusting God?

Most of you are familiar with this famous passage of Scripture:

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I can hear some of your thoughts now, “I know. I know. How many times do I have to hear that Scripture?” But even though you may have heard it, and may even know it by heart, have you really received it?

 

When I think of the word, “trust,” I think of an absolute confidence in. I have
absolute confidence in the fact that when I enter a movie theater and have a seat,
the seat won’t break underneath me. I trust so much that I don’t even bother to check
and make sure it’s firmly affixed to the floor. If I did folks would probably look at
me like I was crazy, because they trusted so much that they, too, sat right in their
seats without thinking about it twice as well.

The word, “trust” in the original Greek of this passage of Scripture means,
“batach,” which means to be confident, bold, or sure. As single believers, we must
learn to be confident, bold, and sure in the Lord about everything.

The Scripture also admonishes us to trust in the Lord with all of our heart. Not
just part of our heart. Not just one part which says, “I trust you Lord,” while
the other part says, “but what if I never get married?” or, “what if I never meet
the right one for me since the odds are stacked against me?” or, “what if I get
too old and men would no longer find me attractive?” These heart confessions are
filled with fear which is contrary to faith, belief, and trust. And we know that
God is not the author of fear, but that He is the author and finisher of our faith.

The second part of the verse 5 says, …and lean not unto thine own understanding.

The Message Bible states in its translation:

…don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Don’t try and figure out why you’re still single while getting yourself all stressed
out and blood pressure rising because you feel your time is running out or your
biological clock is ticking. Sometimes we put ourselves in such a rut feeling sorry
for ourselves – thinking we must not be wife material – or, “if only i looked a
certain way i would be married by now,” – or, “if only I lived in a different city
I would be married by now,” – or, “if only i went to a different church i would be
married by now,” – and on and on and on…

Instead of chasing a man, we should be focused on chasing God and the perfect will
of God for our lives.

This is not to say that there is anything wrong with desiring a mate; we just have to
be careful not to allow our “desire” to turn into an anxiety or care, because God
wants us to cast all of our cares on Him. He bore all of our cares for us when He died on
the cross. (Isaiah 53:5)

He wants us to be content where we are right now in our current station in life, and
He wants us to celebrate the birth, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, not
just on Resurrection Sunday (aka Easter), but every day of our lives.

He wants to resurrect our joy. He wants to resurrect our peace. Jesus died so that we
might have joy, and that our joy might be full – whether we’re single or married.
(John 15:11)

So instead of asking yourself if you’re really trusting God for a mate, instead ask
yourself if you’re really trusting God with your life.

 

Let Expectation Fuel Your Faith

Expectation fuels your faith.

Faith requires action, while expectation is the reaction to the action.

Faith is the belief in the unseen, and faith without works is dead.

Once you pray and ask God for His dream for your life, then obey His instructions,
and expect God to move on your behalf.

Just like a car needs gas in order to drive, your faith needs expectation in order
to drive you towards your destiny.

Webster’s Dictionary, 1828 edition, defines expectation as the act of expecting or
looking forward to a future event with at least some reason to believe the event
will happen.

 

 

Look forward to your future.

Look forward to fulfilling your dreams and expect them to come true.

Obey God, every step of the way, without wondering, “When, Lord, when?”

Don’t get impatient or anxious.

Continue sowing seeds of preparation, continue doing the work, continue helping
others with their dreams, and your set time will arrive in due season.

Believe it will happen for you.

There is a whole world out there waiting to be blessed and inspired by your gifts
and talents, so believe God will make a way for you.

He will open doors, and He will make it happen while you obey, in faith, expecting.

Expectation is an attitude.

Everyday, say to yourself, “I expect to win.  I expect to succeed.”  If you’re believing God
for a mate, say, “I EXPECT to be married one day!”

Even if years go by and you don’t see it, continue plowing, and
continue saying, “I expect to be used by God.  I expect the favor of God to rest upon me.”

Keep your faith charged up while expecting the manifestation of
God’s divine destiny for your life.

Scripture References:
Hebrews 11:1
James 2:17
Proverbs 4:18
1 Thessalonians 5:2

Forget the Past and Press On!

heatherprayerGod has an expected end for you.

God desires to give you hope in your final outcome.

Just because a relationship may not have worked out the way you thought it should have, don’t get into condemnation or shame because God tells believers in Romans 8:1 that there is therefore now no condemnation to to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Anytime you miss it, which you may because no one is perfect, be sure and sincerely
repent before God, which means to not just apologize but to confess and turn away from
the sin, and God will honor your heart.

No matter what you may have gone through in the past, no matter who may have hurt or
disappointed you, and no matter how many mistakes you may have made, as long as you
repent before God He will clean your slate and reposition you as if you never got off
track in the first place.

The most important thing, as you go forward in your walk with Christ, is that you forgive
yourself and press on.

Sometimes, as believers, we beat ourselves up because we made a mistake, or because we
allowed our burning desire for a mate to lead us into the arms of someone who may be
saved, yet not for real, but know that if God says that as far as the east is from the
west that He has forgiven your sins, then who are you not to forgive yourself?

Don’t listen to the enemy’s lies when he reminds you of your past mistakes and throws
images in your mind of past rendezvous with the “wrong boos.” The enemy’s goal is to
steal, kill, and destroy, whether that means stealing your joy, or stealing your peace of
mind.

So as you continue in God’s presence, and as you ask God to show you what you should learn from past relationships, allow Him to give you the oil of joy for mourning.

Don’t get stuck in a rut about the past; speak to God about it, forget it, and press on.

The apostle Paul put it best when he said, in Philippians 3:13, “…this one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are
before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Know that God has a divine plan and purpose for you, and that He wants to fulfill it, as
long as you keep your mind stayed on Him, forget the past, and press on.

Recommended Reading:  eBook, The Little Black Survival Book for Single Saints (chapter
on Forgiveness)

Lord, When Will I Be Chosen?

dreamstimefree_96498As single believers, a lot of us desire to be chosen by
our mates.

You may have friends who are now married off
or getting married this summer and you wonder, “When is
it going to be my turn? When will I be chosen?” or you
may be in a situation where you’re recently divorced so you
no longer feel chosen any more, or maybe months
or even years have gone by and a man of God may not have
even approached you or expressed interest, or, for the men
reading this, you may have been rejected time and time again,
so much so that you don’t feel chosen either.

The word, chosen, from Webster’s Dictionary, 1828 edition,
means selected from a number, picked out, taken in preference,
and elected.

Even though you may not have a physical manifestation of
that highly coveted wedding ring, it doesn’t mean that you haven’t
been chosen.

God chose you before the foundation of the world. He chose
to love you, in spite of your flaws. He chose to be with you,
in spite of your imperfections. He chose to send His Son,
Jesus, to die for you even before you were born.

Even while you were yet in your mother’s womb, God had you on His mind. Even before you really
came to know Him, or when you lived a life as if He wasn’t even there, He still sent His Son
Jesus to die for you.

God selected you, He picked you out, He preferred you, and He elected you.

He chose to accept you as you are, and He has promised to never leave you
nor forsake you, no matter how much you miss it, or how many times you make a
mistake; He’s always a forgiving God, always ready to receive you again with
open arms.

So never feel discouraged because you feel others have been chosen while you
haven’t.  Know that you have been chosen by God, and to be chosen by God is the
best honor and privilege there will ever be, for His love and His mercy endures forever.
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before him in love.  Ephesians 1:4

How To Love Like Jesus in Relationships

“For God so loved the world that He gave . . . “ – 9 powerful words in John 3:16 that describe why God gave His Son, Jesus, to the world to die for mankind.

God did it because He loved the world. He didn’t just love the world, He SO loved the world.

He so loved the world so much that He put action to His feelings of love.

Love, as demonstrated by Love personified, should be coupled with action. God so loved,
so He gave. Man loves, so man gives. Woman loves, so woman gives.

Love should be a selfless act of devotion demonstrated between two people who deeply
care for one another.

So many times, in relationships, people look for what they can get out of a relationship,
instead of what they can deposit into the relationship. Love is sometimes viewed as an
opportunity to receive adoration, admiration, and exaltation at the expense of the other
person having to take on the huge responsibility of being the center of one’s joy and
happiness.

The center of one’s joy and happiness should be Jesus. It is God’s love, when one
receives Jesus as his or her personal Lord and Savior, that comes to reside in the heart
of the believer. It is God’s love on the inside that gives one inner joy, inward peace,
and true contentment. It is God’s love on the inside, flowing forth on the outside, that
allows His chosen to love mankind, and to unconditionally love one’s spouse or significant
other.

1 Corinthians 13 describes it best when it describes love as being patient.

Love waits.

Love is willing to wait until marriage before it decides to consummate the relationship prematurely and outside of the perfect will of God.

Love is worth the wait. True love is knowing that the relationship is far more stronger than what it has to offer one another in the bedroom.

Love doesn’t cheat. Cheating is based on selfishness, fulfilling a fleshly appetite, and satisfying ones often hungry ego.

Love is kind and considerate. Love edifies and uplifts, and doesn’t break down.

Love is peaceful. There should be no consistent “drama” in a true love relationship. Love doesn’t create drama, but creates an atmosphere of harmony and peace.

Love realizes that everything isn’t going to be perfect all the time, and that the other person is not perfect (because a perfect person does not exist), but love chooses to love anyway.

The same way that God loved us while we were yet sinners -while we lived our lives as if He wasn’t there, and as if He wasn’t God- He still sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us anyway, because He loves us so.

Love is God, and God is Love.

Scripture References: John 3:16, Romans 10:8-10, 1 Corinthians 13, Romans 5:8