Trust in God’s Promise..... Craig Denison

 Trust in God’s Promise

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

Our heavenly Father has made incredible promises to us, his children. And while our God is completely faithful to deliver on his promises, he does not force them on us. He’s promised his nearness, his affections, and an eternal life spent with him. But we have the power to choose our own way. He doesn’t force himself where there’s no space. God’s word won’t have power in our lives if we don’t read it. We won’t hear God effectively if we’re not listening. And we can’t experience his nearness if we constantly fill our lives with other things. So, this week we’re going to talk about different ways we can experience the promises of God so that they might come to full fruition in our lives. May you encounter God powerfully as you grow in fully experiencing the incredible promises of your heavenly Father.

Scripture:“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4

Devotional:

The Bible consistently gives us an image to visualize when thinking about the character of God. Psalm 18:2 says, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” 2 Samuel 22:32 says, “For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?” I love how the Lord chooses to use creation to tell us of the invisible attributes of his nature. To our eyes, rocks are unchanging, steady, and stable. Generations of men come and go, but rocks stay visually the same. So it is with our God. 1 Kings 8:56 says, “Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant.” The promises of God are sure. They are even more immovable than the strongest mountains. They are more steadfast than the very ground you walk on.

You can place your trust in God and believe he'll follow through on his promises. In fact, experiencing his promises to the extent God intends for you requires trust. Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Throughout Scripture, God leads his people to peace. He’s promised peace to us as his children. But Isaiah 26 tells us of an incredibly important concept. Those who will be kept in “perfect peace” are those “whose mind is stayed” on God. And a mind can only be stayed on God “because he trusts in [him].”

Experiencing the fullness of God’s promises requires our steadfast trust. For example, Philippians 4:19 says, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” God promises to “supply every need of yours.” His promise is sure. But experiencing the peace his promise of provision is meant to supply requires trusting in his word. He will provide for your needs regardless of your trust, but you won’t be able to experience the peace God longs to give if you’re constantly worried about whether or not you’ll be provided for. The commonly quoted promise of Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” God will still have an incredible plan for your life regardless of whether you trust his word. But God’s promise is meant to produce in you an unshakable assurance. You are created to live your life trusting that God has a plan for you and will reveal it to you perfectly. Experiencing that assurance requires the act of trusting God’s character and leadership.

Where do you need “perfect peace” today? Where do you need rest for your soul? Search out the promises of God. Remember that his promises are sure. He is your rock and your refuge. Place your trust in his promises as often as it takes until they produce peace in your life. Choose continually to place your hope in God and live a life of faith in response to his faithfulness. God has a plan to lead you to peace today. He has a plan to produce joy and hope in you that can’t be taken away by any circumstance or fear. Experience all that God’s promises are meant to produce today by trusting in your Rock, your everlasting and loving heavenly Father.

Guided Prayer:           

1. Meditate on God’s immovable promises.

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2

2. Where in your life do you need to experience more of the fruit of God’s promises? Where do you need peace and hope?

3. Choose to place your trust in God today. Search out his promises that have to do with areas in your life that cause you worry or fear, and then place your trust in those promises.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4

The Lord has incredible patience to lead you through the process of trusting him. God knows that experiencing all that the Christian life is intended to give requires incredible faith. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). If you find yourself fearful, worried, our doubting, it is all right. Just don’t stay there! Search out God’s promises. Spend time in prayer. Spend time “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Trusting God is a lifelong pursuit. But it is a pursuit worth all of your time and energy. Commit yourself to spending time exploring and experiencing the faithfulness of God. Let his steadfast love produce in you trust and hope. Place your trust today in your God, the only one who will never fail you.

Extended Reading: Isaiah 26

Why We Should be Thankful for Unanswered Prayers..... By: Jennifer Heeren

 Why We Should be Thankful for Unanswered Prayers (2 Peter 1:5-9)

By: Jennifer Heeren

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.” (2 Peter 1:5-9)

This Scripture passage speaks of making every effort to respond to God’s promises and add to my faith moral excellence, and to that knowledge. Then add self-control mixed with patient endurance. And godliness. And brotherly affection. And love for all. The more I learn and grow in those ways, the more useful I will be on earth.

I’ve prayed for many things over the years. Favor on job interviews. A loving husband. Car repair bills to be lower than I expect. Benign biopsies. A baby. My list of desires can go on and on.

I’ve also prayed for friends, family, and acquaintances. Healing from accidents and diseases. Cancer to go into remission. Successful surgeries. Safe travels.

God always answers our prayers. But the answer isn’t always a “yes.” Sometimes it is “no” and sometimes it’s “not now.”

Wouldn’t it be great if I could ask for something from God and He always answered quickly with a definite yes? It seems like that would be wonderful, but would it actually be a good thing?

Our whims aren’t necessarily God’s will.

I don’t always pray for His will. I need to take all my whims and thoughts to God so that He can shape them into something more fitting to the way He originally designed me. God doesn’t owe me anything, especially not my whims. However, He does promise me that He will provide the things I need—food, drink, clothing, etc.

We can’t see the entire situation.

I can only see what is right in front of me. So, I need to rely on the judgment of an omniscient God if I truly desire what is best. I can keep a prayer journal so I can read about things that I desired in the past. Then I realize that God did indeed answer a lot of those requests. Sometimes with an “immediate yes.” Often with a better “wait for this other thing.”

A yes to everything we want is not how we were created.

If I did get a yes to every prayer, wouldn’t that make me more of a god than God? He would be at my beck and call. I should always be coming to Him to ask if something is a good idea or not, not the other way around. God’s ways are so much higher than mine. He is able through His mighty power to accomplish infinitely more than I can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

Unanswered prayers lead us to stronger relationships with God.

God wants me to come to Him with everything, not just get what I want and then forget about Him. He deserves my attention even when I don’t get what I want. God desires me to want Him, even more than what I’m asking for.

Unanswered prayers teach us to put our hope in God.

Psalm 62:5 says, “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.” My hope is in Him, not in my wants or even in my needs. He knows what I need before I even ask Him anyway. He is patient with me until I see my subtle real needs instead of my glaring wants.

Unanswered prayers serve the purpose of leading me to the ultimate gift—peace of mind and heart (John 14:27). A peace that comes from trusting my Creator and Designer with EVERY aspect of my life. I’m not saying that this is easy to do. It’s a constant battle of my will vs. His best. But when I stop fighting, there is a peace and an absence of fear. Peace of mind and soul is much better than a temporary “yes.”

Figuring Out the Fig Tree..... by Ryan Duncan

 Figuring Out the Fig Tree

by Ryan Duncan

“Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." – John 2:19

Have you ever read the story of Jesus and the fig tree? It’s a curious moment in the New Testament, and for a long time, I had no idea what to make of it. It all begins in Mark 11, when Jesus grows hungry and approaches a fig tree looking for food.

“The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it.” – Mark 11:12-14

Now, everyone experiences low blood-sugar from time to time, but for Jesus, this seems remarkably out of character. After all, didn’t he fast in the desert for forty days? Surely he could handle the disappointment of not finding a fig. Even then, why not just make the tree bloom? If he could turn water into wine, why didn’t he command the tree to bear fruit?

Later, I learned it was because figs had very little to do with this story. You see, after his run-in with the unfortunate shrub, Jesus made his way to the temple where the money changers were cheating worshipers (Mark 11:20-25). By driving them out, Jesus incurred the anger of the chief priests, and the next morning he and his disciples leave the city again. This is where Jesus encounters the fig tree a second time,

“In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!’ ‘Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. ‘I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.’" – Mark 11:20-24

Like the fig tree, the Jewish faith looked good on the outside, but despite its appearance, it wasn’t producing any fruit. Because it wasn’t providing for his people, Jesus decreed that he would let it fade, and raise up something new in its place: the Church. We are the new creation God planted for those hungry to know God; let's make sure we yield a bountiful harvest.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you producing spiritual fruit, or simply maintaining appearances?

Further Reading

Matthew 5

A Prayer for An Unwilling Heart..... By: Chelsey DeMatteis

 A Prayer for An Unwilling Heart

By: Chelsey DeMatteis

Unwillingness is something that often gets overlooked or passed off as permissible. The world tells us we can harbor whatever feelings we want, and we can do with them whatever feels best. I met this head-on as I went through a season where God revealed to me just how much unwillingness was buried in my heart.

Perhaps you’ve been there too? Maybe you’ve been unwilling to forgive, to show up where God has clearly called you, to listen to your neighbor struggling, to grieve and heal through your own hurts, or to stand firm in your faith when you felt pressured by others. The lists go on and on in regards to what we have buried in our hearts.

As the Lord peeled back these layers for me, I continually saw that having a heart willing to do what God commands of us is completely contrary to the world. Our world celebrates the power of the person to choose to do what they desire when they desire, and how they desire. As I went through this season of my unwillingness, the Lord led me to 1 Corinthians 2:14. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."

Unwillingness has been a struggle for man since Eve ate the fruit from Satan. We saw this unfold in Genesis 3. Eve was unwilling to trust what God has told her and Adam was unwilling to step in and lead his wife. We see clearly throughout scripture that being willing to do what God commands is not natural to the flesh.

2 Corinthians 2:14 also tells us that those in Christ are “spiritually discerned.” This should not only excite us but cause us to approach the Lord with hearts willing and desiring to live fully for Him. This means as we know what His Word says about the very things we are struggling in, we clearly know how His heart feels toward what we are walking through. We see what we need to specifically pray for and seek.

Whatever you find yourself unwilling to hand over today; know that the Lord sees it. He sees your heart and desires you to surrender this to Him. The Lord not only wants to reveal His heart to you through this, but He wants to walk with you each step of the way as this season unfolds. He is good, He is faithful, and He will see you through.

Pray with me…

Lord, help my heart in the places it’s unwilling to hand over to you. Help me see that unwillingness gets in the way of my relationship with you. Father, I ask that my heart seeks you and your heart above all things. That my heart would celebrate that you call those in Christ spiritually discerned. Lord, lead me as I continue to turn away from the ways of this world and cling tightly to you and your commands. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Resurrection!..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Resurrection!

Dr. Charles Stanley

John 20

Within three days Jesus's followers went from heartbroken sadness to triumphant jubilation. The cross screamed, “The End,” making them feel hopeless and helpless. But the resurrection trumpeted, “The Beginning,” bringing confidence and courage. The cloud of doubt and despair that had shrouded them melted away and was replaced with unshakeable faith.

Can you imagine how they felt when they realized Jesus had risen from the dead? Suddenly hope came alive; now everything He had said was validated as truth. They had not believed a lie. His victory over death was the acid test that forever sealed their sure conviction that He was the Messiah.

We commemorate Jesus's death on the cross with solemnity, but the resurrection calls for thunderous applause, praise, and song. All the blessings that come our way through the Savior’s cross are confirmed by the resurrection. It proved that the Father was satisfied with the Son’s payment for our sins. Now we can know that our transgressions are forgiven and we’re eternally secure.

What’s more, Jesus promises that we, too, will be resurrected and given new bodies. Physical death could not hold Him, nor will it overpower us. Because He overcame the grave, His followers have the same kind of life He has—eternal and indestructible.

As Christians, we have the right to celebrate Easter with great rejoicing. Because of this event, our lives have been forever changed. We’ve been transformed and given new life. With unwavering faith, we trust the Bible because Christ’s power over the grave proves He can and will fulfill every word.