Tag Archives: trusting God

August 28, 2023 · 5:51 AM

God Of The Impossible

Have you ever had a situation in your life where you thought that it was impossible even for God to do something about? You may not have put it in those exact words. You might think, “It’s too late to do anything about. No one Can help.” Or you could just decide not to pray and waste God’s time with it. I’ve done it myself. I have mentally put limits on a limitless God. It happens to us more often than we think because it’s usually every day situations where we limit God. Our thoughts and our words simply exclude Him from the equation. I’ve learned that I have to catch myself and say, “God this looks impossible to me, but I know it’s not impossible for you.” I’ve seen Him do the impossible many times and still my default is to dismiss His abilities until I stop and put it in His hands anyway.

In John 6 Jesus took the disciples across the lake and up a mountain to teach them. At one point Jesus looks up and sees a large crowd headed toward them. Jesus asked Philip where they could buy enough food to feed so many people. Philip saw the crowd and didn’t answer the question. Instead he told Jesus that it would take almost a year’s salary to feed them. Then Andrew spoke up in verse 9, “There is a boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two fish. But they will certainly not be enough for all these people” (GNT). These men had seen a year’s worth of miracles from Jesus and both mentally limited His abilities without thinking about it. One didn’t tell Him where, but instead told Him what it would cost. The other saw how little they had and professed it wouldn’t be enough. Both found out that even a little in Jesus’ hand could do the impossible with leftovers too.

In Mark 10:27 Jesus was speaking about another situation, but had to remind them, “This is impossible for human beings but not for God; everything is possible for God.” There are so many things that we face that are impossible for us that we often dismiss them as even impossible for God. Remember that He spoke this universe into existence. There was nothing, and then there was everything. If He can do that, He can take care of whatever you’re facing no matter how impossible it seems. Philippians 4:19 says, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” (NLT). Don’t limit our God. He is the God of the impossible.

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August 23, 2023 · 5:46 AM

Believing In Healing

From the time my son was born he had an allergic reaction to milk, gluten and eggs. We didn’t find out the problems he was experiencing were from that until he was four. Several years later we were visiting family in Mexico when an uncle asked why they were having to change the menu every time for him. He then asked if he could pray for him. After the prayer my son asked, “Am I healed?” I said, “I believe so. There’s one way to find out. Drink a glass of milk.” Either we believed or we didn’t. He drank the milk and didn’t have a reaction. The next day we were looking at a menu to see what he could eat. He replied, “I thought I was healed. I want a cheeseburger.” Hecate it with no problems. We gave him a normal diet after that. A few months later the doctor ran tests again. The results showed that those allergies that were once off the charts were gone.

In John 4:46 Jesus went back to Cana where He had turned water into wine. A government official approached Him with a request to heal his son who was dying. Jesus pushed back to test him saying that people just wanted to see a miracle to believe. The man insisted that Jesus come heal his son. Verse 50 says, “Jesus looked him in the eyes and said, ‘Go back home now. I promise you, your son will live.’ The man believed in his heart the words of Jesus and set off for home” (TPT). A day later on his journey home, he was met by some servants who told him his son was better. He asked what time he got better and it was the same time Jesus spoke the words and he acted in faith heading for home. This was the second miracle Jesus performed in Cana.

In Mark 11:24 Jesus said, “This is the reason I urge you to boldly believe for whatever you ask for in prayer—be convinced that you have received it and it will be yours.” If you look closely at the miracles of Jesus you’ll see that two things happened. The first is that there was usually an act of faith on the part of the person receiving the miracle (they turned and left, they washed their eyes, they touched His garment, etc.). The second thing was that Jesus told them their activated faith had made them whole. I don’t know what you’re praying for, but I’ve seen Jesus heal with my own eyes and have the blood work to show it. I know He can do it for you. If you need more faith, ask Him to help your unbelief. Get someone else to believe and pray with you. Then find out what act of faith He would have you do to walk in your healing. He is more than able. Plus He is the same yesterday, today and forever. What He’s done in the past, He will do today and tomorrow. Believe and trust Him.

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August 22, 2023 · 5:44 AM

Construction Zone

If you’ve ever worked in construction or had it done, you know it can get messy. I like to tell people to just close their curtains until we’re done, but they don’t. On every one of our jobs we’re going to disrupt their schedule. We’re going to tear up their yard. There’s also going to be a lot of trash piled up because new things come in boxes and the workers create their own trash as well. Things get a lot worse than they were before it gets better. It can be discouraging to the homeowner to see what looks like a chaotic mess. We gave them a picture of what’s coming, but it’s hard to see that design in the middle of construction. The homeowner has to learn to trust the builder and the process by which new things are constructed. No matter how difficult and messy it is during the process, they’re happy when they see the end result.

In Nehemiah 4, the workers in Jerusalem were in that messy middle. They had been doing construction on the walls that had been torn down. They knew they needed them for protection, but they were getting weary with the process. They were also being opposed as they worked because their enemy knew what rebuilding the walls meant. In verse 10 it says, “Then the people of Judah began to complain, ‘The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves’” (NLT). Between the rubble, the mess and their enemies, they were beginning to be discouraged in the process. Nehemiah reminded them that God was at work, concentrated their efforts and posted guards around the workers who were now armed. They were able to complete the construction of the wall and enjoy its benefits because they didn’t give up in the middle.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (ESV). You and I are God’s construction zone. We’re being made new and transformed by Him so we can do what we were created to do. It can get messy in the middle of His processes of regenerating us. There’s rubble from our old life, disruption of our schedules and an enemy trying to discourage us and stop the work. Don’t give up in the process. God has a design that will come together beautifully when you’ve gone through His construction process. The construction process is only for a season, but the end result is worth all that you go through. God is working in your life. He’s making all things new and preparing you for what’s ahead. Give Him creative control of your life and let Him be the foreman who makes decisions. He will do a greater job building your life than you ever could.

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August 14, 2023 · 5:45 AM

Trusting God’s Voice

When you’re going through a difficult time, there are a lot of voices that will try to direct you. Some will be the cliché voices that feel very patronizing and insincere. Some will express confidence in you and tell you that you can make it through. Some will tell you to trust God and that they are praying for you. Then there are the voices of doubt that sneak in wondering where God is in the situation and why hasn’t He shown up. You get to hear them all, but which do you entertain? Which voices do you allow to echo in your mind? The longer it goes on, the louder the voices of doubt and anger seem to grow. It can be difficult to maintain your trust in God the more dire the situation gets, but you must keep trusting Him and His plan no matter how hard things get.

In 2 Kings 18 the Assyrian army had besieged Jerusalem even though King Hezekiah had paid money for them to leave Israel alone. The king sent his commander in chief to talk to the officials about surrendering since they were controlling the water flow into the city. In verse 19 – 20 he said, “This is what the great king of Assyria says: What are you trusting in that makes you so confident? Do you think that mere words can substitute for military skill and strength? Who are you counting on, that you have rebelled against me?” (NLT). He spoke in Hebrew so all the people could hear and be afraid. He wanted them to lose heart and quit trusting in God, but Hezekiah didn’t listen to that voice. He sought out a prophet to speak to him on behalf of God. He kept his faith and God did the impossible in the most dire of circumstances because he continued to trust God.

In 2 Corinthians, the Church was under attack. They were being persecuted for their faith. The different voices were coming in and trying to take their focus off God. In 2 Corinthians 5:7 Paul reminded them, “For we live by believing and not by seeing.” Our trust is in God whom we can’t see, not in the circumstances we can see. It’s hard to keep our eyes on Jesus when the voices tell us God doesn’t care and that He has abandoned us to fight this alone. I’ve heard those voices. They’re very loud at times, but we must keep directing ourselves back to the Bible. It is God’s Word to us. Faith comes by hearing it so read it out loud. Make it the voice you hear above all the others. Let God’s words be the ones to build your faith and keep your eyes on Him despite what your circumstances are showing you and the voices are telling you. God is there even though you can’t see Him working or feel Him. He’s working all things out for your good. Trust His voice above all others.

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August 2, 2023 · 5:43 AM

The Difference In A Day

My wife and I were just talking about the difference a day can make. I try to teach people the importance of doing a few things each day to help them attain their lifelong goals. The plan for that is that by doing them each day, in ten or twenty years you achieve something huge. However, God doesn’t need ten or twenty years to change your situation. He can do it in a day. When life gets hard or you need God to intervene, He can do in a day what would take you years. The Bible is full of these kinds of stories. Joseph went from being forgotten in prison to being second in command of Egypt in a day. David went from being homeless and running for his life to being king in a day.

In 2 Kings 6 and 7, Samaria was in a desperate situation. The king of Aram had besieged Samaria and their supplies had run out. People were resorting to cannibalism to survive. The king was mad at God and decided to take it out on Elisha. When he and his army officer arrived, he told Elisha that God had brought this misery on them. Then Elisha told them the next day flour and barely would be cheap. In verse 2 the officer said, “That couldn’t happen even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven!” (NLT). That night the Aramean army heard chariots, became afraid and ran away leaving all of their supplies behind. The prophets words came true. God opened the windows of heaven and supplied their need with more than enough.

Philippians 4:19 says, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Whatever your need is, no matter how great or how desperate, God can supply it in an instant. Don’t look at Him with a limited view the way this army officer did. God can step into the darkest night and light it up. He can move in the most hopeless situation and bring restoration. Elisha looked to God in a desperate situation as the solution and not the problem. How do you view God in impossible circumstances? Do you see Him as the cause or the answer? Have faith and trust Him to turn it around in a day while you do what’s necessary to move in the right direction. He has the entire universe available to give you in order to meet your need. He can do it in a day. Only have faith.

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July 18, 2023 · 5:42 AM

Embracing Uncomfortableness

To celebrate the Fourth of July, we went to an outdoor concert at a nearby amphitheater. Before we left, I went into my gadget drawer and got out a fan that hangs around my neck so I could keep cool. It’s got me thinking about how many crazy inventions there are that are designed to keep us comfortable. The problem is that a recent study shows that the more comfortable we’ve made ourselves, the less happy we’ve become. Did you know that being uncomfortable is actually good for you? Without being uncomfortable, chances are you’re going to remain where you are and achieve very little. Comfort is a tool the enemy uses to keep us from growth and from following God’s voice.

After Moses had murdered an Egyptian, he fled Egypt for 40 years. Moses then became comfortable being a shepherd in Midian, but God met him in a burning bush and called him back to Egypt. He gave every excuse under the sun why he couldn’t or shouldn’t go back. Egypt was uncomfortable to Moses. It meant facing the things he had run from. Why would God ask him to leave his comfort zone? Because the cries of His children there were more important than one person’s comfort. We know that even though Moses was uncomfortable in going, he did it anyway. The result was freedom for millions of slaves and one of the greatest displays of God’s power ever recorded.

I believe God is calling you and me to a place of uncomfortableness. It can feel,scary because of all the unknowns. However, I want to remind you that 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (NLT). The spirit of power, love and self-discipline are greater than the spirit of fear. Which spirit are you embracing? Doing God’s will is never going to be comfortable. You’re going to have to step out into unfamiliar territory. You’re going to have to challenge the way things are if you’re going to bring freedom to the captives. Instead of embracing our comforts, we’re going to have to start embracing uncomfortableness. Don’t let fear or uncertainty hold you back. You’ve been called to a life of faith and you’ve been given the power, love and self-discipline to do it. You just need to embrace it.

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July 13, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Trusting In God’s Goodness

In Numbers 11, the children of Israel had left Egypt and were on their way to the Promised Land. They began to grumble about how hard their new life was and it upset God. They then began to crave something they didn’t have: meat. Manna, God’s provision, was getting old. They were sick of having it every day, so they complained that they wanted meat. God told moses He was going to give them meat. So much meat that they were going to get sick of it. He was going to provide it for 30 days, and lots of it. In verses 21-22 Moses replied, “I’m standing here surrounded by 600,000 men on foot and you say, ‘I’ll give them meat, meat every day for a month.’ So where’s it coming from? Even if all the flocks and herds were butchered, would that be enough? Even if all the fish in the sea were caught, would that be enough?” (MSG)

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been guilty of this. I look at my needs, then I look at what I have and I tell God how impossible the situation is. Depending on how desperate the situation is, I may even go a step further, like Moses, and tell Him that even His resources are not enough. I try to take a supernatural God and put our natural constraints on Him. This attitude, though temporary, is wrong and it comes from not having the right perspective. In my desperation, I tend to look at God through the lens of my problem rather than the other way around. This attitude is telling God that I feel He is incapable of taking care of me or unable to meet my needs. God’s response to Moses is the gut check I need in those situations. He said, “So, do you think I can’t take care of you? You’ll see soon enough whether what I say happens for you or not.”

When I start thinking this way, I go back to Philippians 4:19. It says, “And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (AMP). I need to remind myself of God’s promises and of His faithfulness. He doesn’t always answer in the ways that I think He should or could, but He always fills my needs. He has been faithful all of my life, and when I look back on desperate situations and times in my life, I can see the hand of God at work. He has not failed me yet, and I can tell you that He will not fail you either. His mercies are new every morning and His faithfulness is great (Lamentations 3:23). You don’t have to know where or how He will provide for you. Just trust in His goodness, and make your requests known to Him. He will take care of you.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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June 26, 2023 · 5:40 AM

The Character Of Faith

In March of 1998, we were sitting in the ICU waiting room of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The doctor pulled us into the side room to talk to us about my mom. They said there was nothing more they could do so they were going to send her home and have hospice take over. Up to that point, my faith had not been shaken. I was certain God could and would heal her. After the doctor left, we sat in the room shell shocked by his news. My dad spoke up to share some things. The one line I remember most was, “Determine in your hearts now that you will not get bitter against God if He chooses not to heal her.” I thought it was a strange thing to say, but I stopped and made the determination anyway. A few weeks later, she passed on to eternity.

In Daniel 3, Israel had been invaded by Babylon and lost. The people were taken captive and sent to Babylon. The best and brightest were put into a training and then placed in the kings service. Three of these men were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Even though they served the king, they refused to worship the Babylonian gods and follow their customs. When the king found out they wouldn’t bow down to the god he made, he brought them before him for questioning. He didn’t like their answer and threatened to burn them alive in a furnace. In verse 17-18 they said, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (NLT ). They had made a determination to not turn their back on God no matter what happened.

Have you made that kind of determination? If God, who is able to meet your most pressing prayer request, doesn’t answer the way you want Him to, will you still love and serve Him? Habakkuk 3:17-18 says, “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” If everything falls apart and nothing goes your way, how will you respond? These tough moments reveal the character of our faith. Do we implicitly trust God or do we treat Him like a 9-1-1 call? Having stood in that moment myself, I can say that the statement my dad made that day changed how I responded. I found out that my faith was deeper than the surface and stronger than I knew. Understanding where my faith truly is has helped me through even the toughest times.

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June 22, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Sudden Storms

I love the story of Jesus in Mark 4. He had been teaching all day sharing spiritual insights through parables with crowds of people. When He was finished, He told the disciples to get in a boat and head to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. After they had been going a ways, a sudden storm blew in and threatened to sink the boat. In the midst of the chaos and fear, someone realized they needed Jesus and He wasn’t on deck. Verse 38 says, “But Jesus was calmly sleeping in the stern, resting on a cushion” (TPT). In the middle of the storm, Jesus was able to rest because He trusted God.

Most of us aren’t that way. When things are going downhill quickly and everything we hold dear is being threatened to sink, we struggle to rest. Sleep eludes us as our minds think of everything bad that can happen and what we will do if everything heads south. Yet, in this story, we find that Jesus is able to rest. I believe that the rest He was given is a rest that belongs to us. We have to learn that our perception of things is not His reality. Where we look up at the storm in fear, He speaks to it in faith. When we let fear dictate our emotions and steal our rest, we lack the faith to trust His providence for our lives.

Psalm 116:7 says, “Now I can say to myself and to all, ‘Relax and rest, be confident and serene, for the Lord rewards fully those who simply trust in him.’” If you’re uncomfortable speaking to your storms, then speak to yourself. Worry robs us of the strength and rest that God wants us to have. Just because you’re surrounded by turmoil, it doesn’t mean you have to live in it. God gives His children rest and peace, but many times, we have to take hold of it and tell ourselves to take it. Sudden storms that pop up are not a surprise to God. If you will simply trust in Him, He will guide you safely to shore.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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June 21, 2023 · 5:25 AM

Conditioning

When I was in high school I played basketball. I loved being on the team, but I always hated the start of the season. I’m not talking about the first few games though. When we were allowed to start practicing, coach would spend the first few weeks conditioning our bodies and getting us back into shape. We ran sprints, horses, long distances, did calisthenics, jumped over benches and more exercises. I don’t remember touching a basketball those first few weeks. It was painful and my body was sore. I spent a lot of time soaking in epsom salt trying to recover. However, once the season started, we were better conditioned than any team and could out run them and wear them out giving us lots of victories. It turns out coach had a plan the whole time.

We read the story of Joseph in the late chapters of Genesis. When he was just a teenager, God gave him dreams that his family would now down to him. Foolishly, he told his brothers all about them. Being the younger brother, he probably rubbed it in while wearing the special coat his dad made for him. It’s clear that he wasn’t ready to lead at that time. His brothers then decided to kill him, but sold him into slavery instead. He was then falsely accused of trying to rape his master’s wife and thrown in prison where he was forgotten. He went through this period of conditioning for 13 years before God exalted him to be second in command of Egypt. When he ruled Egypt, we see a very different person because of what he went through.

Psalm 66:12 says, “You’ve allowed our enemies to prevail against us. We’ve passed through fire and flood, yet in the end you always bring us out better than we were before, saturated with your goodness” (TPT). God allows us to go through storms and difficult times in order to condition us for the plans He has for us. His plans are good, but we are often not ready to fulfill them yet. In His processes, we are changed for the better and made ready to receive His promises. If you’re going through a tough time right now, hang in there. God is building your endurance and your character so that you’re able to handle what’s coming and help others. Conditioning doesn’t last forever. Victory is on the way.

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