Psalm 81:10, “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt:  open they mouth wide, and I will fill it.” 

I believe God is saying here that He has brought us out of the world of sin into a new life of serving Him. He is saying to open our mouth wide so that He can fill our lives with blessings.

William Carey’s (famous missionary to India) motto was, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”  This is a really good goal for all of us.  The 1828 dictionary defines the word ‘expect’ as:  to look for; to wait for; to entertain a belief that an event will happen.  When we are confident that God will work, then and only then, will we get out and attempt great things for Him.  Sometimes we fail before we start because we do not expect God to work.  What a powerless life this produces.

You need to think about your expectations of God.   Do you expect Him to work greatly in your life?  Do you expect Him to answer your prayers (even the impossible)? Do you expect souls to be saved when you present the Gospel to them?  When you wake up in the morning, do you expect God to do great and mighty things through your life?  (Jeremiah 33:3)

Is your mouth open wide to His blessings or are you limiting what He can do because of unbelief?  If our blessings from God were determined according to how wide our mouth is open to receive them, I wonder how ‘blessingless‘ some of our lives would be.  (Not sure that is a word, but I am sure you get the point.)

Start believing with your whole heart (open your mouth wide) that God wants to do great works (in your life, in your church, in your community, and in this world) and then step out to make them happen!

John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” 

Here it is – the successful Christian life in a nutshell.

A vine is the nourishing part of a plant. It is where the branches get their supply of food and water so that they can produce fruit.  Your life will only be fruitful and productive if you are receiving your strength and direction from the Lord.  You need to be abiding in Him.

A branch that is not attached to the vine will shrivel up and certainly will not be productive. Jesus is telling you that He needs to be the controlling factor in your life.  You need to be nourished and fed daily from the Scriptures.  You need to communicate with Him throughout the day.  There is a two way process going on here.  One is that He supplies us with strength and direction.  Secondly, we receive this strength and guidance and move out for Him (produce fruit).

Just a note – Jesus gives the flip side to this promise. “Without me ye can do nothing.”  Wow,  is that clear and to the point.  Try to live in your own strength and you will accomplish ‘zero’.  (That’s what ‘nothing’ means.)  Don’t waste time and energy working for God in your own strength – it doesn’t work.

I think that all of us would like to come to the end of a day and look back and feel like we had accomplished something for God and eternity. This is what this verse is all about.  God wants to use us and He wants our lives to be productive for Him.  Jesus says abide in me and you will accomplish – MUCH – for God.  What a great promise!

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.”

 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 Work 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.

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.)

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 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.

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!

Psalm 31:1a, “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust;” 

What is Trust? The 1828 dictionary says:  Trust is confidence; a reliance or resting of the mind in the integrity, veracity, justice of another.  To place confidence in; to rely on.

Good definition – this is how God desires for us to live. He wants us to:

• Have confidence in Him apart from our ‘logic’ and need to understand. Proverbs 3:5,6 cannot be any clearer. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”Believe that God is working. Trust that He will work out all the details of a situation in His time.
• Rely on His mercies and promises. Rely means to have a conviction and certainty in the ability of someone to do what they say.   God’s Word is sure and forever settled in Heaven. If He promises something, you can be sure He will do it. Romans 4:21 says, “And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”
• Rest in our hearts and minds. Stress and rest cannot coincide with each other. Trust always produces a resting of the mind because you KNOW that God is taking care of the matter. Psalm 37:7a says, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:”

Trust is leaving a matter with God and not digging it up every other minute. Trust is having confidence in God and relying on Him with rest in your heart because you know He is in control.