TRUST.
A 5-letter word with a BIG calling. A word that is a bit easy to say, but harder to live out. A word that in all reality calls us to abandonment.
Abandonment of self. of pride. of control.
What does TRUST mean??
- a firm belief or confidence in the honesty, integrity, reliability or justice of another person or thing. - confident expectation, anticipation, hope
What keeps us from trusting our Heavenly Father??
The opposite of trust is fear and I believe fear is one area that keeps us from trusting the heart of our Father.
Fear of the unknown. Fear of what may happen. It's out of our hands, out of our control and we pull back. We hang on to what is familiar, for the safety of what we know. We don't want to exchange familiar for the thrill of unknown. We want control.
Trust is a letting go and placing our confidence in the hand of the One to whom we let go.
So, how do we live in the reality of trust? How can we move beyond familiar to ride the roller coaster of the unknown?
If I believe that someone is big enough, strong enough, and capable; I can rest, I can let go.
So, anytime I am struggling with resting, trusting, entering into the unknown; it's a stop light for me to stop and check what I am wanting control of or even to ask myself the question, "Do I believe God's heart is good towards me?
Often the answer is "no". I find myself knowing that God's heart is good, but sometimes it takes a bit for my heart to catch up and believe it firmly.
I John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear;
Jesus is that Perfect Love and when we believe it, when we place our firm belief in His love; we will trust.
There is 'safety' in familiar, but there is a thrill in leaning into the unknown. There is a stretching, a growing when we take the leap into what is not so familiar.
There is a constant in familiar, but no learning or growing.
There is known in familiar, but an exhilaration in finding something new.
An exhilaration of 'I survived', I did it. It doesn't always turn out the way we think it should or what we think it will look like, but we took the risk and found freedom.
And most of all our knowledge of God deepens. We learn more of Him and Who He is. I want that, don't you?!?
Yes, I believe we want more of God, but to walk the path that leads to more of Him, we must have a FIRM BELIEF in the ONE WHO IS LEADING. And that person is Jesus Christ, God, our Heavenly Father. He is leading and we must firmly believe His heart is good towards us or we will draw back, hang on to what's familiar when something 'looks' scary for us.
Fear is always connected to trust. We have a choice... FEAR or TRUST... And when God calls us to trust, He tells us not to fear.
Courage is doing something, even when afraid.
Here are just a few verses that I found on trust/fear...
Exodus 14:13 fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD...
Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and salvation whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid. v.3 though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this I will be confident.
Isaiah 35:4 Be strong, fear not, Behold your God will come... and save you.
Isaiah 41:10 fear thou not, for I am with you...
To rise above. To trust. We must allow God to save us. We at times need to stand still and see... We most of all need to believe Him. We must believe His TRUTH, not our lies or what we believe to be true.
We need to allow His Truth to be trump. To be Greater than our reality. We bring our belief system to Him and ask for His Truth to be heard and then we replace what is false.
Lies feel 'comfortable', it's what has worked; maybe falteringly, but we make it work.
Replacing those false beliefs enters an unknown.
Matthew 10:39 If I find my life (my saving methods) I will lose it; If I lose my life for Jesus' sake, I will find it. (His life and salvation)
Are you willing to take the leap? To ride the roller coaster? To put your hand in the Hand of the Heavenly Father who loves you so?
It really is the only way to freedom. To living alive. To living full and at rest.
Learning to trust is a journey, not a destination. It is a life habit and a learning of it again and again. It is learning to believe God is good again, in this situation, in this moment.
And the more we 'practice' something, the more comfortable it becomes. Practice trusting. Practice believing and that will become more comfortable than our own control.
It's that first step. That first choice to believe something different, that takes a huge amount of courage. Take it. You won't regret it.
Only a Person who Risks is Free�
To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach for another is to risk involvement.
To expose your ideas, your dreams,
before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To believe is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken, because the
greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The people who risk nothing, do nothing,
have nothing, are nothing.
They may avoid suffering and sorrow,
but they cannot learn, feel, change,
grow, love, live.
Chained by their attitudes they are slaves;
they have forfeited their freedom.
Only a person who risks is free.
- anonymous
What are you fearing right now?
Join hands with God, believing His heart IS good towards us. Bring to Him what you are struggling with, He will bring His Truth and set you free. Ask Him, in your moments of unbelief, to help you believe.
He wants to. He came to set the captives free, to bring deliverance.
He LOVES you. He LOVES me.
~ I'd love to hear your fears and your risks. Write a comment, send an email to jelsymphony@gmail.com.
There is a burden-sharing when we are willing to face our fears and we share the journey when we share it with another. So, call a friend, send a text for prayer, for we know then, we're not alone.
