Trust

[Betty]

Title: Total Trust

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Job 13:15
"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him."
Total Trust
Years ago a military officer and his wife were
aboard a ship that was caught in a raging storm
at sea. Seeing his wife’s fear, the man tried to
comfort her. Suddenly she grasped his sleeve and
cried, "How can you be so calm?" He stepped back
and drew his sword. Pointing it at her, he asked,
"Are you afraid of this?" "Of course not!" she
answered. "Why not?" he inquired. "Because I know
you love me too much to hurt me," she said. He
replied, "I also know the One who holds the winds
and the waters in the hollow of His hand, and He
loves us too much to fail to care for us!"
Job had that same trust. He had lost his
children, his wealth and his health. Even his
wife had turned against him. He had only one more
thing to lose—his own life. Yet Job declared that
even if it were to come down to that final loss,
he would continue to trust that God had a purpose
in everything that happened to him. In Job’s
eyes, the important issue was not what was
happening but whose hand was behind it. If God
did it, Job knew he could trust it.
Often our trust is based on the "what" rather
than the "who." We focus on the event rather than
the One who controls that event. Consequently,
when trials and tribulations come crashing down
upon us, our faith is shaken. We can’t understand
why a loving Heavenly Father would allow such
grief to enter our lives. Yet if we truly believe
that He is loving, we can say with Job that even
though He slay us, we will believe He intends it
for our good. In His infinite wisdom and
goodness, He will take the most difficult
circumstances and use them for our good.
When you are facing life’s most severe trials,
focus on the character of God. Build your trust
on who God is, not on what is taking place. When
you know who He is, you never have to worry about
what He will allow to happen.
Trust is based on character, not circumstances.
___________________________________________________________

[Betty]

Featured Article

Learn How and When to Trust in a World of Betrayal
Whitney Hopler, Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer

Trust is the foundation of every relationship in life. But what happens when a spouse cheats on you, a friend betrays you, or a co-worker sabotages you? Even smaller misdeeds - like a home repair worker who fails to show up when promised, then overcharges you - can threaten your ability to trust.

Unfortunately, our fallen world is full of reasons not to trust. Yet God still calls on us to trust - not through blind faith, but through the wisdom He gives.

Here are some ways you can overcome betrayal and fear to learn how to trust wisely:
Don't go to extremes. If you've been hurt, it's easy to feel as if you can't trust anyone again. If you're trying to trust more, it's appealing to think you may be able to trust everyone all the time. But, in reality, you shouldn't distrust in all situations any more than you should trust in all situations. Remember that sometimes it's wisest to choose to trust, and sometimes it's smartest to choose not to trust. Ask God to give you the wisdom to discern when to trust and when to distrust.


Take an honest look at yourself. Ask God to show you the hard truth about your own tendencies toward sin. Consider the times you may have made a commitment only to back out later, been disloyal, deceived yourself or someone else, rebelled against authority, or presented different personas to different people instead of acting the same with everyone. Understand that every person - including you - in our fallen world is capable of betrayal. But also know that God stands ready to help everyone live with more integrity. Don't get stuck blaming others for your problems. Remember that you can't control what other people do, but you can choose how you react to them. Rely on God to help you learn how to respond to others in healthy ways. Also ask Him to show you how your past is affecting your present attitudes and actions. Know that God is with you in the midst of your pain and will help you heal.


Don't be surprised. Expect that our fallen world will be full of darkness, so when you encounter it, you won't be surprised. But also expect that God will shine His light into the darkness when you pray, and that light will overcome the darkness. Know that you can always trust God, but that you should have a healthy skepticism about people - yourself, and others. Count on the Holy Spirit to help you figure out when you should trust people and when you shouldn't. Expect good things to happen whenever you invite God to help you in any particular situation.


Take baby steps before giant leaps. Rather than trying to take huge leaps of faith right away, try to trust in routine, relatively undemanding situations first. Then, gradually, you'll be able to move toward exercising more and more trust.


Forgive. Realize that you have a choice to make every time you're hurt. Will you let your anger fester into bitterness and explode into revenge? Or will you prevent it from poisoning your life and decide to pursue forgiveness? Remember that God commands His people to forgive, because He has forgiven us. Walk with God through the process of forgiving whenever you're hurt. Remember your pain at being betrayed, your guilt for similar faults, your victory in Jesus' completed triumph over sin, your need to forgive, and your need to move on to the life God has for you in the future. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you at each step of the way. Know that God can and will somehow bring good out of your pain if you choose to forgive.


Avoid foolishness. Use the common sense that God gave you when deciding whether or not to trust in any given situation. Don't put God to the test by deliberately doing something dangerous and expecting Him to perform a miracle to rescue you. Beware of shortcuts, like following a get-rich-quick scheme instead of working hard for an honest paycheck. Don't rush into decisions; be patient enough to give yourself time to fully analyze them first. Take all the time you need to thoroughly think and pray about decisions, unless a true emergency calls for you to make them quickly.


Put down your shield. Realize that it's useless for you to try to protect yourself from getting hurt. Understand that only God can truly protect you from anything. Don't lose out on rewarding experiences that He wants you to have. Decide to take the risks He calls you take so you can live an abundant life. Remember that your Heavenly Father wants only the best for you.


Turn your worries into prayers. Every time you find yourself feeling anxious about something, say a prayer about it. God will answer your prayers and build your trust as you build a habit of turning to Him more often. Never minimize what God can do in and through you. Know that He is always at work, even if you can't see what He's doing behind the scenes.


Saturate yourself in the Bible. Read and meditate on God's Word often so that it shapes your everyday understanding and responses. You'll find your wisdom for knowing when to trust and when to choose not to trust increase steadily.


Pursue a healthy vulnerability. Be humble enough to be vulnerable with others, sharing your life with them in meaningful ways and building close, lasting relationships. Drop your pretensions and show people who you really are. Remember that God loves you deeply just as you are and wants you to reach out to other people without undue fear. Know that God can use people you trust to help you grow. But if you refuse to open up to others, you hinder God's work in your life.


Concentrate on God's promises more than on your frustrations. Know that the more you think positively, the more positive change you invite into your life. Understand that what seems hopeless to you can never be hopeless to God because anything is possible with Him.


Listen to counsel from people you respect. Seek advice from people who have earned your trust already.


Listen to your intuition. Don't discount the inner nudges you sense when trying to figure out how to proceed. Pray for God to confirm whether or not they're promptings from His Spirit to yours.


Make prayer a constant practice. Make a habit of talking and listening to God throughout every day. After a while of practicing frequent prayer, it can become as natural as breathing. Expect your sense of hope to increase as you pray.


Live in the present. Let go of the baggage you're carrying from the past. Don't worry about the future; God has it in His hands. Make the most of all you truly have right now - the present.

[forgiven]

Title: According to Our Faith

"According to your faith be it unto you" (Matt.
9:29).

"Praying through" might be defined as praying
one's way into full faith, emerging while yet
praying into the assurance that one has been
accepted and heard, so that one becomes actually
aware of receiving, by firmest anticipation and
in advance of the event, the thing for which he
asks.

Let us remember that no earthly circumstances can
hinder the fulfillment of His Word if we look
steadfastly at the immutability of that Word and
not at the uncertainty of this ever-changing
world. God would have us believe His Word without
other confirmation, and then He is ready to give
us "according to our faith."

"When once His Word is past,
When He hath said , 'I will,' (Heb. 13:5)
The thing shall come at last;
God keeps His promise still." (2 Cor. 1:20)

The prayer of the Pentecostal age was like a
cheque to be paid in coin over the counter.
--Sir R. Anderson

"And God said…and it was so." (Gen. 1:9.)


This classic devotional is the unabridged edition of
Streams in the Desert. This first edition was published
in 1925 and the wording is preserved as originally
written. Connotations of words may have changed over the
years and are not meant to be offensive.

[Betty]

E V E R Y D A Y L I G H T
Daily readings to help you see Jesus' light in
your life
by Selwyn Hughes

Is Trust Idealistic?

"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but
whoever trusts in the
Lord is kept safe." (v.25)

-- For reading & meditation: Proverbs
29:19-27

Sometimes someone says to me: "Isn't it
idealistic to expect me to be
vulnerable to further hurt after I have been let
down and betrayed?"
My answer is to point them to Jesus. If He can do
it, then so can we
- providing we depend on His strength and not
ours. Our Lord knows
better than anyone what it means to be let down
and betrayed. In all
the heaped up pain of His passion, few things
would have hurt Him
more than being betrayed by His disciples. Did
our Lord's experience
of Peter's denial cause Him to conclude: "Never
again will I trust
that man"? Come with me to Galilee and let us
see. Simon Peter, no
doubt feeling disillusioned, returns to his trade
as a fisherman,
whereupon Jesus pursues him and puts Himself in a
position of being
hurt once again. He says to Peter, "Do you love
Me?" using the strong
Greek word for love - agape. Peter responds,
"Yes, Lord; You know
that I love You," using the weaker Greek word for
love - philia (John
21:15-16, NKJV). How would you feel, do you
think, if you plucked up
courage to say to someone who had already let you
down. "Do you love
me?" and he or she responded: "Well, I like you."
Would you not feel
hurt, wounded, perhaps slightly rejected? I think
Jesus must have
felt most keenly the thrust of Peter's words, yet
He did not allow it
to deter Him from continuing, even pursuing, the
relationship. That's
what I mean by vulnerability. That's what I mean
by love.

PRAYER:
Father, is it possible that You can make me so
secure that I, too, am
able to be vulnerable in my relationships? I must
believe it; I do
believe it. Help me to demonstrate it in every
relationship I am
called by You to pursue. In Jesus' Name. Amen.