"Trusting In The Temporary"

"He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch." Proverbs 11:28 

It is amazing how many people put their trust in the "all-mighty dollar". They act like as long as they have plenty of them it will save them, protect them and solve all their problems. The Bible says that riches will make themselves wings and fly away. You can be rich today and a pauper tomorrow. All it takes is for one catastrophe to hit and wipe out a life's savings. One bad decision can bankrupt you. A crash in the stock market and it could all be gone. There was a period in our history when Confederate money was valuable- it was "real" money. But now it is sold as souvenirs in stores or lives as a reminder of the past in our museums. A fire could burn it all up; a flood could wash it all away. Why would a person put their trust in paper, gold or silver? It is all temporary.

 

The bottom line is-- why would we put our trust in anything that is temporary? Why would we put it in things that give us no guarantees? There is nothing in this life that gives us any guarantees for happiness, security or hope. This is a depressing thought if I were to just leave it at that, but there is a place where we can put our trust. It is in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

When we place our trust in Him, we are placing it in one who is not temporary- He is eternal. We are placing it in one who is not affected by what is happening in the natural. When we place it in Him, we do not have to worry, or wonder, if we are secure. He won't take wings and fly away. He isn't affected by the stock market, laws of Congress, the economy, fire, water, wind or storms. He won't cave in when catastrophes come. Our bad decisions or nothing we do changes, minimizes or depletes Him. He will remain if everything else is gone. 

 

So where are you going to place your trust? In something that is temporary and subject to change and failure? Or will you put your trust in the Eternal One who does not change or fail?

 

Have a great day. If you put your trust in temporary things, they will fail you. But when you put your trust in Jesus, He will never fail. 

 

For further reading:

Proverbs 23:5; 11:4; 13:7; 27:24

Psalm 62:10

Matthew 6:19

"The Ark Of Rest"

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Mathew 11:28 

This scripture has come up several times to me over the last couple of weeks. The Lord keeps bringing me back to the subject of rest. I believe that is because rest is not an "event". It is not something that happens to you one time. It is not something that happens periodically like a holiday. Rest is not a thing, or an emotional state, rest is a place. It is a place where we are to dwell. As Christians we should be living in a place called "Rest". 

 

Where is that place you ask? To find it you must realize that it is not just a place either, it is a person-- the Lord Jesus and God the Father. He is the place of rest. He is our dwelling place. That place is found in Him because it is Him. "Come unto Me, and I will give you rest."

 

The place of rest is not to be misunderstood as deliverance "from" problems, trials, temptations, heartaches. Instead, it is safety "in", or during, problems, trials, temptations and heartaches. The rain was falling, the flood waters were rising, people were screaming and dying all around Noah, he wasn't delivered out the flood, but he was safe and protected during it. He was in a dwelling place-- the ark. It was now his home, it was now his shelter, it was his refuge. As long as Noah stayed in the ark he was protected during the rain. As long as he remained in the ark the flood waters could not drown or destroy him. It was his safe haven; therefore, he had nothing to fear. He could "rest"- be at peace inwardly. 

 

The Lord is our "ark"-- our place of safety, shelter, refuge, protection and rest. As long as we "abide" in Him, we can rest knowing that He surrounds us and keeps us safe. Even though there may be "flood waters" all around us, as long as we dwell in Him, we don't have to worry or fear that they will drown us-- that is rest.

 

Have a great day. The Lord Himself is our place of rest. 

 

For further reading:

John 15:4,7

Psalm 91:1

1 John 2:28

"What Are You Doing?"

"He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him." Proverbs 11:27 

When I read this verse, two other scriptures come to mind: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." (Galatians 6:7) ^"But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)

 

If we are diligent to seek after and do that which is good, then in the end we will reap favor- the favor of God. There are always blessings attached to doing what is right in the sight of God. Obedience to His Word is the greatest "good" we can do. And when we are obedient we reap a harvest of blessings. I know, it may not always seem like blessings are upon us when we obey. Sometimes it seems like it causes us more problems and gets us into trouble. Paul and Silas obeyed God and they were thrown into prison. Many are obeying God yet they are facing persecution. This may be the case, but never stop seeking to do good. Never stop obeying. As I have said, there will always be blessings that are attached to doing good and we will reap them in due season. These blessings include favor, peace of mind, freedom (mentally and emotionally) and in the life to come a crown of life. 

 

Those who seek to do "mischief" (also interpreted evil, wrong, injury) will reap the mischief they have done. Whatever you sow you will reap. It will come back on you. You will not be able to hide it. Thus, the second scripture that came to mind. You may do mischief and think you have gotten away with it, but you are only deceiving yourself--- "be sure your sin will find you out". So many are living a life of self-deception thinking they are on top of the world and are getting away with the evil they are doing or have done. But there comes a reckoning day for all. If a person doesn't "get caught" here, they will in the life to come. And then it will not be man that they are standing before but God Himself... and nothing is hid from Him. 

 

Whatever we do- good or bad- we will reap either blessings or consequences for it here and now and in eternity. Therefore, it should compel us to do what is right and live our lives seeking to do what is pleasing in God's sight because God keeps good records and will reward us accordingly one day.

 

Have a great day. Whatever you do- if it is seeking to do good or seeking to do evil- you will reap the same. 

 

For further reading:

Mark 4:22

Hebrews 4:13

Luke 8:17

 

"Who's My Enemy?"

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12 

I have noticed over the past few weeks that in most of my Bible reading there are passages about "enemies". These passages are either talking about being pursued by an enemy, enemies rising up against them, or defeat and victory over an enemy. 

 

We all have an enemy. But it is important to identify who the enemy is if we are going to overcome them. Let me start off by talking about who your enemy is not. Your enemy is not that co-worker who is trying to make you look bad to your boss. Your enemy is not your spouse even if they are mistreating you. Your enemy is not that rebellious child. Your enemy is not the friend who has betrayed you. Your enemy is not that person that keeps lying about you. Your enemy is not that person who has been stealing from you. They are all being used by "the enemy". 

 

As I said earlier, we all have an enemy-- this enemy is very real. This enemy is out to steal, kill and destroy us. This enemy was present in the Garden of Eden and is still present today. The enemy is the devil. He will use human beings to try to "attack" each other. He uses flesh and blood beings to carry out his plan of destruction. He is a liar and prompts others to lie. He is a deceiver, he is evil, he tries to destroy homes, character, reputation, relationships and lives, and mostly your relationship with God.

 

It is important that we recognize who our real enemy is so that we aren't fighting the wrong battles. If we are fighting/wrestling against each other then the real enemy is ignored and left to continue his destruction. Get your eyes off of the person who is against you, who is causing you grief, causing you pain, causing you all sorts of problems. And remember that they aren't your problem, the devil behind it is, they are only being used as an instrument in his hands. Once you identify who it really is, then fight him with the weapons that God has given you. And remember also that Jesus already gave you victory over him.

 

Have a great day. We all have an enemy, but it is not that human person-- they are only being used by the real enemy.

 

For further reading:

John 10:10

1 John 3:8

Hebrews 2:14

1 Peter 5:8

Revelation 12:9

"Anxiety Free"

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6 (NKJV) 

We could keep from having a lot of anxiety, grief and heartache that we encounter if we would seek the Lord in prayer about everything we do; if we would pray before we make any move or decision; and if we would pray when we are seeking a solution to a situation that we are facing.

 

"But I have prayed". Did you? How did you pray? Did you pray with your mind already made up? Was your prayer a request asking God to bless what you had already decided to do? Was your prayer more of an effort to try to convince God that this was the right thing, or were you earnestly and sincerely seeking His will and guidance? More often than not, when we pray about a matter we have already decided what we are going to do and we are just trying to get God on board with our plans. 

 

As long as we continue to pray like this, we will continue to keep making mistakes and doing the wrong thing. And the result will be anxiety, grief, suffering, confusion, etc. There was a reason why He said to acknowledge Him in all our ways. We don't have the ability to direct our own steps. We don't know the outcome before the beginning. We don't know what is around the corner or in the future. But God does and He has a promise attached to acknowledging Him in all our ways-- He will direct our paths. 

 

If you want to have the right answer, go in the right direction, do the right thing, and have peace in your decisions, then stop going to God in prayer with your own plans and preconceived ideas of His answer. Humbly and sincerely seek Him, laying your own answers aside to hear from Him. If you will, you will stop anxiety from entering into your life.

 

Have a great day. How can we stop a lot of anxiety in our lives? By going to God in prayer and sincerely seeking His answer, not having our minds already made up about the situation. 

 

For further reading:

Proverbs 3:5,6

Jeremiah 10:23

John 15:5

Isaiah 29:13