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What Does It Mean To Trust?
In the King James Version the word “trust”, or words including those letters, like “trusted”, shows up 188 times. The Greek word ‘pistis’ can be translated as faith, trust or believe. Anywhere you see the words faith or belief in the New Testament, you can substitute ‘trust’ or add ‘and trust’. So to have faith in Jesus is to trust in Jesus in Greek, and really in our lives as well.
If God showed you what you will go through some of us would turn back or even worse, we would refuse to go through some things. As a result, we would have missed who we are today since we skipped some God’s training somewhere.
I remember how I used to pray the all night and worse off how I used to come here and evangelize from 7am to 7pm and still go to church and report to my senior pastor. Now I know why all these things happened to me so that I would be where I am and heaven would trust me that when I pray it answers as quickly as you see.
I can tell how to win because I lost at some point, I know somethings because I took the long route and not the short cuts. If God showed me that I will have to start my church in a garage then I moved into a tin church then God helped me to build a magnificent block church. I would choose here only. Start looking at how far you have come or what you have achieved and you will trust God the more.
Sometimes the disappoints, the closed doors and the worries are simply a test. God wants to see how we will treat him; we have to show him that we don’t need anything so as to trust him. We should say that God you are still God no matter what it doesn’t matter. We must believe God that every dead end is a doorway to an opportunity
Some things won’t make sense and remember that God wouldn’t have allow those things if he didn’t have a purpose for it. You might not see it but God know it all. Sometimes God will allow certain things to happen to us so as to grow us spiritual. This means God’s ways are not ours and his thoughts are far above Isaiah 55:8-9
One day you will connect the dots and see what God was doing and you will be greatful for that. For example, if that door won’t have closed, I won’t be where I am now today.
Just imagine you have a mountain of problems but God has been moving it little by a little according to your faith level you might think nothing is happening at all. It’s easier to say that you will trust God but its another thing to follow through.
No wonder most of find it difficult to trust the God because they have prayed, fasted and even given sacrificial giving but still never got what they wanted. What about when our prayers are not being answered or things are not going our way. Most of the time we get discouraged and think that God is not doing anything.
During pressure don’t do your own thing apart from what God has sent you to do for instance Saul disobeyed God and sacrificed. No one has ever gone far without God. After all God exist out time no wonder Sarah gave birth outside time. God is always on time and he is never late.
According to Jeremiah 18:1-6…Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. We should know that we are in God’s hands and God is the potter shaping us to something better.
God knows us better since he has seen us at our best and also at our worse times. When you thought God was so far, he was closer than you can think. When you barely made it, it was God who carried you through. God has great plans for us what “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9.
According to Luke 5:4 sometimes we have to go deeper into the things of God so as to understand him better.
Yes, Plans, strategies are good but without God they are nothing and can fail. Have you ever tried something but it didn’t work out despite the fact that you were 100% sure it will work or you were qualified but still it failed. You may choose to trust God now or the systems of the world but if you chose to true the systems, they might fail but God never fails.
So, ignore everything else and lean on God alone. That is why you have to develop a strong relationship with God. Yes, by Luke 5:5 peter was getting very worried by the advice he was getting from God but he still believed him.
You don’t need to know the end of the story to start reading the book, you just go chapter by chapter by faith even sometimes line by line. Remember outcome is God’s responsibility but its obedience is our responsibility.
The greatest miracles were as a result of small acts of obedience. Luke 5:7 because of letting down the nets they caught a big catch. God is the beginning and the end in short, he starts everything and he know the end of everything.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Remember you might say if I don’t lean on what I know my bills won’t be paid. Do you trust God 30% of the time and 70% something else you know? Remember what you give your attention those is your god.
Psalm 55:22 Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall. Have you given him all your problems 100%?
When you know to trust in God in the good times you will also trust him in the bad times
Roman 8:28 whatever happens God has the best interest at heart for you. He will give you the best gifts or things
1 Corinthians 2:2 if just like Paul we can accept that we will never know everything when this or that will happen. But I know the one who knows everything Jesus. Sickness, joblessness etc can’t shake this person.
Example of people who put their trust on God.
Abram had learned to trust God even when he didn’t know where God was sending, he to.
Job learned to trust God despite what he went through.
Moses was the master at trusting God even when he was told to go through the red sea with no way of knowing whether they would drown.
Joseph went through all trying moments but, in the end, he became the prime minister
Conditional Trust
God, I will trust you more if everything start to get better. God if you meet this demand I will trust you, God if you answer my prayer the way I wanted them then I will trust you more that is conditional trust. We think if we get this or that we will be happy and trust God in return.
The problem with conditional trust is that their will be some things you don’t understand. Have you matured enough to accept God’s answers even if they are not what you expected?
Remember God is not a man…he is God Numbers 23:19. We have to trust Him no matter what. God knows better than us. God will never lead us in a straight predictable way it will be a narrow and widing way but he knows the destination. Trust God even when you fill like you are going the wrong direction remember he will direct your steps prov.3:5
When it comes to trusting God, it means that there will always be some unanswered questions, you prayed for one person but he wasn’t healed while the other one was healed. If you never doubted who God is you would have become a god and you would worship yourself.
Most of us just like Mary ask ourselves how will this happen because ? Luke 1:34. When we don’t understand God we always ask will get this or that? Everything good, gifts, talents are on the other side of how. They are surrounded with doubt and if you were given proof, you would not need faith at all. But remember according Isaiah 9:1 Nevertheless, there will be no more…
Jeremiah 17:7-8 You should trust and have confidence in God and you will never fear hard times at all.
Mathew 6:25-27 Don’t worry of anything since you are like birds of the air which have all need met by God.
Just imagine a tree fell on you and you try to lift it but you can’t this and you wish somebody can help you lift it up. That is how life can be heavy and you need someone to help you. We need each other so that we can ride on each other’s faith when time are tough. There are times we have to borrow from each other’s faith to keep going in this journey of faith.
Ecclesiastes 4:12, the Bible tells us that “though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken
Pastor Nathaniel
It wonderful.amen