Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Learning to trust...

A while back -- about two years ago -- my wife, Cathy and I went over Matthew 18:18-20: “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

The important thing to note, here is that we gather in the name of Jesus our Lord, for then, power is released, because he initiates the release of spiritual power, and then things that we bind and loose on earth will be bound and loosed in heaven.

For example, we really feel that God has put on our hearts to go to Houston. I liken this to when the Israelites were told to go into the promised land. God has put on our hearts that Houston is our promised land, and that we need not fear going into it, because He will defeat the enemies we face there, and he will prepare ahead of time the hearts of those people with whom we will interact: school teachers, business colleagues, where we live, what our jobs will be, what friends we make – we believe they will be mature believers who will provoke us to love and good works and to growing in God’s character.

We also read that we need not only faith in God’s word that He will accomplish it, but we trust Him to accomplish it. We don’t always see what He is doing, nor do we see the fruits of our prayers right away, or even for a long time. But we must believe that He knows exactly what we need, and what is best for us, so we must trust Him for the timing, and the details. This was likened to an analogy: if a tightrope walker asked you if you had faith that he could cross over Niagara falls on a tight rope pushing a wagon, you would most likely say yes. But if he asked you if you would hop in the wagon as he walked across the falls, would you jump in? That would require a much larger commitment: it would involve true trust.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:10-12

Blessings to you, an overcomer in Christ Jesus!

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