Tag: closer to God

Hesitate or Trust?

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

From the YouVersion Bible App Devotional, “Reconnection”

Day 3: Trust

Let’s talk about hesitation for a minute. Without trust in God and his promises, we end up hesitating so much more, right? We hesitate and wait when we should be trusting and moving. Sometimes I wonder how many of Jesus’ disciples would have dropped their nets and followed him if they’d been able to check him out on Instagram before he showed up. Would they have even gone out to hear him speak if they’d watched all his YouTube sermons and read the negative comments left by people who critique sermons full-time? 

Hesitation is a consequence of believing we are in control. When it comes to God, since we have so many answers at our fingertips in Google, we crave more tangible assurance of God and his ways. And when the proof isn’t evident and doesn’t show up right away, what do we do? We start grasping at control to give us a false sense of safety. And our phones provide the means of that control. But while we’re waiting for all the answers we need to fall into place or endlessly researching the bottomless pit of information and opinions that is the internet, we end up frozen. Not moving. Not risking. Waiting for blessed assurance before we take one step toward where we were supposed to be going in faith a long time ago. . . . 

If you’ve been waiting for “the right time” to trust God and do the next thing, my question to you is, how much time are you spending in his Word versus your phone? Listen, I am the king of spending time with my phone, so I ask the question with no judgment. However, I do ask it with plenty of experience, and here’s why: when we aren’t connected to the world 24-7, we actually have to exist in a place of trust.

Prayer 

Father, I have often tried to have control over things that should only be in your hands. Please forgive me for not trusting you, and please prompt me to turn to you in all things. Amen.

My Thoughts

The author of the devotional is spot-on about my unending desire to control and to know what I want to know instantly. I use a search engine a lot, to check on meds and their side effect, to look up possible places to stay when we travel, even to check what the “hottest” gifts will be in case I want to purchase one before they are sold out. I had never thought of it before, but I can’t do a search on the reality of God. He is who He says He is and no search engine can convince me of that. It’s a heart thing. So, instead of hesitating and not moving when God tells me to, I need to trust and do what He says. I don’t think that there is any manmade search engine that has the Holy Spirit as its source, so trust won’t come from searching for it on a device. Trust comes from action, from doing the last thing God said to do and moving on to the next thing and the thing after that. I find when I am stuck in a rut and not moving closer to God, it’s because I am not trusting Him to go ahead of me and prepare the way. I want to control and He has control, so there is no contest about who will ultimately win that battle. The truth is that there should never be a battle between hesitating and moving forward with trust. I am not at the place where I trust all the time, without question or hesitation, but I will say that I am making progress, at least sometimes. I am more likely to hear that small voice say, “Trust” these days than I am to hear the other voice that says, “Does God really want you to do this?” I would like to say that I have arrived, but I am a work in progress.

Be Courageous

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

I have to confess that I have not been feeling very courageous lately. In fact, I have been more like a coward after hearing the word cancer spoken about my beloved grandson. I have feared the future for him, the suffering he must go through and just the general fear of such a diagnosis. But God has been speaking words of comfort all week and today, this devotional spoke courage right into my spirit. I have told myself and you many times that God is in control, but when my faith is tested, I backed away from that strong belief. God is drawing me back into the place where I belong. He knows my doubts and fears and He is right there with me. He is right there with our grandson, answering his questions and doubts. It is easy to believe in God when all is going along just as we expect, with no big issues or problems. The hard part comes when there is a challenge to our faith. Satan uses these challenges to test our faith, to see if we can be pulled over to his side. Remember that Job’s wife told him just to curse God and die. Basically, she was telling him that there was no more reason to believe in God any more as much as he was suffering. However, the opposite is true. When the suffering, testing, and challenges to our faith come, that is when we cling tighter to God and He moves closer to us. The courage comes not from within me, but from knowing that God is on my side and He is working on the problem even as I go about my daily routine. God hasn’t forgotten Isaac; He is more beloved of God than he is of me and my husband. God has the situation under His control, so we can courageously say that it will be okay because God is with him and with us.

God is with You

Throughout the Bible, there are various moments where God tells someone to not be afraid. Each one comes at a time when the hearer has every reason to be very afraid.

In one instance, Joshua, the leader of Israel after the death of Moses, was taking the Israelites to their promised land (see: Exodus 3). He was leading over one million people to a place God had promised, and it meant going through some overwhelming and terrifying situations.

In the midst of this, God commanded Joshua to do two things:

Obey the Word of God and, be strong and courageous because the Lord was with them. (See: Joshua 1:7-9)

In Matthew 28, Jesus says something similar just after His resurrection. He is with His eleven disciples and He tells them:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 ESV (Emphasis added)

Jesus tells His disciples two main things:

– Obey His word (“go into all nations and make disciples”) and, He would be with them.

– God is always the same. He was the same God when He gave Joshua His word and the assurance of His presence, and He is the same God who gives us His Word and assures us of His presence. We are known, loved, and cared for by the faithful, consistent God—and He will never leave or abandon us.

Today, reflect on the ways you can teach others about Jesus and His words. How does His Word and His presence make you strong and courageous? Before leaving this time, thank God for His promise to always be with you.