Too often we confuse trust and faith to have the same meaning. That couldn’t be further from the truth! The truth is that you cannot have one without the other when it comes to God.
“Ephesians 2:8-9 ~ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Understanding that faith in God is His GIFT to us through the power of the Holy Spirit once we have come to know Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. Once you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, the Holy Spirit will begin working within you, and faith is the result of your trust. Hebrews 11 tells us a lot about faith, and the word trust is used more than 200 times in the Bible.
Trust, as defined by Webster, is “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength or truth of someone or something.” There have been so many times in my life that I have trusted someone else before God, and would you believe that things just didn’t seem to turn out the way that I thought they would. I know in my heart that the character, ability, strength and truth of God is unquestionable and unchanging. However, these very same things will almost always waver when I turn to anything or anyone else. How often has someone let you down, yet you still continue to trust them?
Psalm 40:4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods
A recent experience allowed me to witness to two of my sons about these very things. I had promised them that I would take them to this years Ironmens Retreat, also known as G.O.A.T.E.E.S. VIII. (www.ironmensministry.com) I had everything planned out, and it was all contingent upon my end of the month paycheck being deposited on that Friday. Notice that “I had everything planned out,” I was not allowing faith and trust in God to handle even the small details in my life. I was putting my faith and trust in the idol of money, the knowledge and security of that one constant I have known for so many years.
Instead of rolling over and becoming frustrated as a result of things not turning out the way I had hoped. He had already provided the scholarships for my two sons, paid in full by the ministry, so why was this piece not comign together for us? I reflected on that for a few moments, and then it slapped me in the face….
James 4:2-3 (NIV) 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
I do not have because I did not ask God!
I immediately went into prayer and asked God to open the doors. I emailed and texted my brothers informing them of our dilemma, and within a couple of hours everything fell into place and we were on the highway heading six hours north to the camp site. God provided everything we needed, the gasoline for the drive, the tent for us to stay in, and the supplies we would need to enjoy the weekend and devote our entire focus on what God had in store for the nearly 800 men that showed up!
I’ll leave what happened at the men’s retreat for another time, but I continue to be amazed at how God shows up when we are humble enough to tell Him “Lord, I can’t do this on my own!”
Have the courage to face God with your fears, trust that He has your best interests at heart and have faith that he will provide for your every need. Don’t let your own selfish pride prevent you from experience the true and powerful Grace that every saved man and women has the right to!
Answering Gods Call 