Mark 11:22, “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.” 

I wonder how many times a day Jesus could say this to us? This statement, “Have faith in God,”  is universal.  It is the answer to every situation we face in life.

In this particular verse Jesus is explaining the power of faith. He says extraordinary things can happen if we believe.  Verse 24, talks about when you pray you need to believe that God is going to answer your prayer (no doubting) and He will.

Jesus is telling us to keep our hearts and minds focused on God. He is always near.  He is always in control.  He knows about every need and problem that we face in this life.  Many times, because our problems do not disappear, we begin to believe that God is not here or that He does not care.

Believe in your heart that He is working. Look through the problems and see Him.  Believe in His power and sovereignty.  Know in your heart that no matter what is going around you that God is the One in control and He is allowing what is happening for a purpose.  (Part of faith is not demanding that God tell you the reason for the problems.   Often ‘why‘ is a question we ask over and over again of God.  Wanting to understand seems to be in the basic nature of man – but remember, understanding is not part of FAITH!)

Trust God, have faith in God, believe God – are all interchangeable truths that are found throughout the Scriptures.  Jesus gave us the answer to the anxieties of life in these four simple words…”Have faith in God.”

Philippians 3:13,14, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” 

This one thing I do – I forget what is past and I press toward the future.

Don’t let your past define your future. You may have fallen short.  You may not have achieved what you hoped to accomplish.  But, God is a God of second chances.  You can reach forward – you can change in any stage of your life.

It starts with a decision on your part. Today, choose to reach forth to the things that are before you.  Don’t let Satan convince you that you are not worthy or that God cannot use you.  God has a calling for YOU – reach out and take His hand and start on the journey of serving Him.  It is never too late.

I often think of Peter – he made a grave mistake. He denied the Lord three times, yet he repented of that sin and moved on for God.  God used his life in a mighty way.  He wants to use you also.  Forget your short comings.  Forget your failures.  Forget those “things which are behind, and press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

It is never too late – God has a job for YOU to do – so start today!

II Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 

God speaks often in His Word concerning the topic of fear. He knows that it is probably one of the most unpleasant emotions that we deal with in this life.  It can affect our deepest self and cause extensive anguish in our lives.  God knows how fear can affect us and He desires to extinguish its power completely.

According to the 1828 dictionary, ‘Fear’ – mean a painful emotion caused by an expectation of evil or the apprehension of impending danger.  Anxiety.

This verse, II Timothy 1:7, is so clear and to the point that it leaves no question in our minds as to the origin of fear. It is for sure that it is not coming from God.

• Satan and the world offer us: fear and anxiety.
• God offers us: power, love and a sound mind.

So, how does fear become a controlling factor in our lives? It comes when we take our eyes off of the Lord and begin to look at the problems of life all around us.  It is not trusting that He is in control and resting in His love.   Power, love, and a sound mind are what God desires for all of us to have.  These only come when we are in close communion with Him – through Bible Study and prayer.  (Remember, if you want to be spiritually strong , you must be fed daily from God’s Word.)  We need to turn our eyes upon Jesus and keep them there!

(It would be a worthy study to look up verses dealing with the subject of fear and write them out. The Bible is full of them.  Verses such as:  Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 118:6, Proverbs 3:5, Isaiah 41:13, Lamentations 3:57, Psalm 46:2, Hebrews 13:6, – to name a few.)

Psalm 143:8, “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust:  cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” 

The 1828 dictionary defines the word – ‘Cause’ as that which produces an effect, move or impel to act, to urge.

Basically this verse is saying, “Please, Lord, urge me and move me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning. Help me to start out my day with You.”    We all know that we hear from God by reading His Word and meditating on it.  So, our day should always start out with being in the Word and then spending time in prayer.  This needs to be a commitment and determination on our part.  Life so often gets in the way.  Schedules may prohibit a long devotional or a long period of prayer – that’s okay.  It can be brief, and it can be short –  BUT, it cannot be neglected!

We need to meet with God every morning and reconfirm our trust in Him. Our strength to meet the demands of the day has to come from God.

The second half of this verse says, “cause me to know the way wherein I should walk;” This is like a soldier reporting for duty, waiting to hear his marching orders.  We need to ask God each and every day to direct our path and give us direction for that day.  We then need to seek His help so that we will do what He tells us.

Psalm 9:9, “The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.“ 

The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines:

Refuge:  a shelter or protection from danger or distress.  A stronghold which protects by its strength, a sanctuary.

Oppressed:  burdened with unreasonable impositions, overburdened, depressed, overpowered.

Life can overpower us with problems and cares. We often are oppressed and overwhelmed.  In the midst of all of this, God says that He will be our refuge. He will be our protection and covering.  This is another one of those verses that we need to claim and cling to as we walk through this rocky and uncertain life.  God offers us so much, but often we forget to take advantage of His promises.  We try to carry our own burdens and wallow through our problems, fretting and complaining as we go.

A reminder here. God is not saying He will remove our problems, only that He will help us through them!  God is offering us a place of rest and protection.  We need to run (don’t walk) into His loving arms and trust that He will be there for us in the times of trouble.

John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” 

Jesus is talking here to Christians. We shouldn’t expect people who don’t know the Lord to hear His voice of leading in their lives.  In order to hear His voice, you must be part of His flock.  (If you are confused about knowing what this means please refer to the section ‘Good News’ at the top of this blog.)  We shouldn’t judge the world by the same standards that we expect Christians to live by.

There are two groups of people in the world – unsaved sinners and save sinners. We have all sinned, and the judgment for that sin is death.  But, praise God, Jesus died on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins and when we ask Him to forgive us and receive Him into our lives, we become a child of God and enter into this flock that Jesus is talking about.  Those of us who have done this, have the responsibility to show others how they can be born again and become part of the family of God.

Now, Christian, you are a part of the flock of God and you should be listening to the voice of the Shepherd and you should be following Him.  Every day the Shepherd is walking before you and desiring to lead you.  He is the Good Shepherd that wants what is best for you and will protect you from the many attacks approaching from all directions.   What a privilege to be able to hear the voice of God directing in your life.  God speaks to us and leads us through the reading and meditating on His Word, so make sure your are  in His Word daily and seeking this direction.

I love the part of this verse that says, “I know them”.  Jesus knows each one of us and cares about us.  He desires to lead and protect us.

The question that each one of us must answer is – are you listening and are you following?

II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 

What a great verse – You are not who you were before you got saved. When you accepted Jesus as your Saviour, your life changed forever.  You no longer have to live within the limits of your own abilities.  —  You’ve always been shy and retiring , God can make you outgoing and friendly.  You may have had an anger problem, God can give you a quiet and controlled spirit.  Philippians 4:13 is a very real promise from God and worth trusting,  “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

The Holy Spirit is now living in you (I Corinthians 6:19-20). He is there to help, teach, guide, and strengthen you (John 14:26).  His help is always available to you, BUT you can still take control of your own life and hinder His work.  God does not force you to follow His leading, but remember, there will be no joy in the old way of living.  If you stray from God, the Holy Spirit is there to convict you.  He wants to lead you back to the right path!

If God calls you to do something, you can be assured that He will give you the strength you need to do it. You are now a child of God and He loves you.  He desires to help you walk through this life in a manner that will please Him and make your life more abundant. (John 10:10b)

It is a wonderful truth that you can now live in the strength of God, because you are a new person forever changed by God’s grace.

James 2:18, “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works:  shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”

We can declare anything we want to with our lips, but if there is no action to back up the words – they mean nothing. I can tell you all–ll–ll day long that I believe there is a God in heaven who cares about me and is in control of all that happens in my life, but if this is not demonstrated in my actions my message has no effect.

This is not a new truth or thought. Sometimes our actions are in direct conflict with what we claim that we believe.  When we worry, fret, or complain, we are actually demonstrating a lack of belief in the fact that God cares about us and is in control.  When we don’t read and meditate on God’s Word,  we are actually telling God that we can handle life on our own and we don’t need His strength and direction.

Our spiritual food comes from the Scriptures and to neglect our daily Bible reading makes us weak and ineffective spiritually. When we are ‘fed up’ and nourished from God’s Word, then we will have the strength and ability to do the works of God.

Truly, we demonstrate our faith by our works. As you walk through each day, ask God to help you to be the example He desires for you to be.  Be a doer and not a talker only!

Psalm 16:11, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” 

This is a promise from God that He will show us the path – of life.  This is really awesome.  We don’t have to flounder and stumble through life not knowing which direction we should take.  God can look out over the span of time and know the exact road that we should walk.  He has a plan and a purpose for your life and mine.  God is no respecter of persons.  He will direct any life that is willing to follow His directions.

What’s the difference between someone that is accomplishing great works for God and others that seem to be doing very little? The answer is not that God loves them more.  It’s because they have gotten on that path that God has called them to walk and they are following His leading.  God will use any of us that are willing to take His path and not our own.

Please understand that not all paths are the same. God sees you and the mission that He has planned for you and He will direct you accordingly.  No one job is more important than another – it’s just different.  God promises to show YOU the path that YOU should walk, but, YOU have to be the one that gets on that path and stays on it.

I love the last part of this verse that tells us where this path is leading. It leads to fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore.  This joy and pleasure comes from walking side by side down this road with your Heavenly Father.  The circumstance of life may lead you into hardships and storms but you always have the assurance that God is with you and He will help you.

No matter where you are in the span of your life, it’s not too late to get on this path.  Jump on now and finish the course with Him!

Lamentations 3:57, “Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.” 

This verse is talking about Jeremiah (a man) calling out to God to help him. How did God answer?  He drew near and said,  “Fear not.”

This is a clear illustration of the relationship between a man and God. The man (Jeremiah) called and God answered.  The Bible says in Jeremiah 33:3,  “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”  This is an invitation from God Himself.  This is God reaching down to man and offering to be there for him.

We need to understand that God wants to help us in the chaos of this life.  He wants to draw near to us and put His loving arms around us and say, “Fear not.” But – He requires something from us – we need to call out to Him for this help and fellowship.  We call – God answers.  We need to acknowledge the fact that God wants to help us and then acknowledge that He will help us if we call.  (Please make sure there is no known sin in your life breaking the fellowship between you and God.  If so, confess it and move on.  (I John 1:9.)

Often we apologize for burdening God with our needs.  We sometimes feel that we are bothering Him when we bring Him our troubles.  Please understand that this is not the case.  God desires for us to bring our cares to Him (I Peter 5:7).  He actually instructs us to do so.

God wants to be a part of our lives. We need to start calling upon Him for every need we have, and then we can watch the ‘fears’ of life melt away!