Hi everyone, as we are off to a new year their are many that make predictions on how the year will be. From economist, to people of fame, even a new age woman ( aired on CNBC New Year’s Eve) who believed we needed to spend more time with the trees to have a good year ( she was interesting to say the least). However these are only predictions, peoples points of view taking their best shot at the New Year. However we know that God’s Word does not give us predictions but promises, accurate and true guidance. His Word is filled with these promises and as we enter into 2019 it would be to our benefit to know some. Below are five verses that I would consider anchors of hope and strength for our soul. They bring stability when times are tough and courage in challenging times. They are a constant truth no matter the circumstance or what the future holds for they are based on an Eternal God. If these verses are believed and applied, these truths will hold us. The storms will come as sure as the sun rises, but we shall not be moved off course. In fact we will be made the better through them.
These verses, and several more, have been my best friends. They are my “go too” verses. When the monsters are too big these promises keep me and remind me that God is bigger still. Also it is very important to read the verses in context, it sets the stage for the verse(s).
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Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all yours ways acknowledge him,and he will make straight your paths.
Habakkuk 3:18-19
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like hinds feet,
he makes me tread on my high places.
Isaiah 58:11
And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
Psalms 16: 5&11
The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
Joshua 1:8-9
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make — thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Isaiah 40:28-29
Hast thou not known? — hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
And the last one
Romans 8:37-39
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There are many more outstanding promises, Psalm 37 is a chapter that has many and if committed to memory, allowing these verses to “reboot” our hard drive, then instead of our normal fret and worry we can respond with faith, trust and courage. Our whole attitude will change and we can begin “to mount up with wings of eagles” being above our problems instead of being weighed down because of them. Reciting these verses and committing them to memory they will become our undergirding, deepening our trust in God. Remember when God is Big our problems are small, but when fear and worry intimidate us the problems become big and God is small – our intimacy with God needs to deepen. Truthfully, God should always be big regardless of our problem, but we are human and at times weak. We see that with the prophets and apostles. Let’s now study our first verse,
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all yours ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
We all acknowledge that we should trust the Lord, and even give counsel to a friend or family member to trust The Lord, however do we really do it? If our behavior does not change, then we are not trusting. So what can we do to rise above the anxiety and fear? That’s the million dollar question that even those with millions of dollars struggle with. It’s a complex answer that deals with our expectations and what we want and value, however the process begins with one critical task. Prayer and The Bible is the critical step. There will be no change unless this happens. I know believers who have gone to church their whole life but haven’t changed because they have not made room or time for The Lord. We always say we are too busy, however when you are desperate time will be found.
For me my time with The Lord has always been my lunch half hour and on the weekends, early morning. A half hour is not a lot of time especially if you have to buy lunch, so I have always it. Next, once you have an established reading/ prayer time then come prepared. I am a note taker, and in college I had a notebook for each class. One day God asked me where was His notebook? Why did I not take notes when He spoke? The next day I had a notebook for my “Theology” class and have ever since. I wasn’t going to be asked twice. Also, what I noticed was I learned more reviewing the previous day study. On the day that I write it’s pretty cool, I feel like the prophets or the apostles with The Lord filling my mind with words of truth and scriptures, however it is the second day when I review the notes that I learn. Lastly, there will always be scriptures that speak to you depending upon what is going on in your life. Write them down, put them in your phone, or where you will see them. I like to tape them to the bathroom mirror or on the dash of my truck and on the corner of my desk at work. Like David said, “ I keep your Word ever before me.” Or in Psalms 119:9-11 Where David writes,
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse — his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
I do not know too many Christians that are this aggressive with God’s Word. We have too many distractions and have become too compromised with seeking the trinkets of this life. However, when life is tough one becomes desperate and desperate times call for desperate measures. I have grown accustomed to His presence now through all these struggles and feel incomplete without Him, so I have remained desperate for Him.
Therefore to be able to trust the Lord is just like trusting anyone. You have to know them and the better you know them the more you can trust them. Also do things that remind you of God’s Greatness. The last thing I do every night is lock my truck. I want to see the stars, for they speak to me of His Greatness; or in the day as I drive to work I can see the mountains. They too remind of His Greatness, especially when they are snow capped. These are purposeful steps I take to place myself before my Savior.
A saying I like to use to believers that say they can’t sense God or feel Him ( which at times we can’t, so we walk by faith) is I tell them that they need to show up for class. The Teacher is always teaching, they have just been absent. And to the degree we show up for class is to the degree we will be able to trust Him, sense Him, and have the wisdom to “not lean on our own understanding.” The walk of Faith becomes messy and confusing to say the least when we are not sure of our Lord because we have missed too much class.
When a woman of morals compromises her virginity it is because she fears that if she doesn’t she will lose her boyfriend who is wanting sex. The problem is not so much an issue of fear as much as it is an issue of trust. She is not confident enough in the Lord to trust that He will provide her a husband. Or vice versa, when a girlfriend wants to be sexually active but the boyfriend really wants to obey the Lord ( which this kind of guy is rare) but goes ahead to please her, he also is not trusting the Lord for his future wife. Or with struggles in our marriage, we must continue to place ourselves before the Lord, learn of Him, allowing Him to change us. We always pray for God to change our mate, which is fine provided that we also sincerely seek Him to change us as well. I am responsible for me, I can’t change anyone but I can be an example of change which is a testimony of God’s Grace in my life and that is what changes people. For who does not want to abide in God’s love? However if that can’t be see in action, or felt from a believer how would they know to want it? These are just two examples of weak faith because we lack depth in Christ.
In all yours ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
This is a promise, it’s not maybe He will make your paths straight, or when He feels like it, it’s a promise. When we acknowledge Him, seek His counsel, putting Him first, He will direct our ways. The Good Shepherd will always take care of His sheep – always, even in the darkness hour He is present. As the disciples in the night fearing their death because of the storm, He was their, and when He calmed the storm they wondered what kind of man He was. Their faith just grew a mile. Remember we were made by Him for Him, nothing else fits in our soul as He does. Like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, the things of the world will not fit or last and they bring injury. That’s how everything other than the Lord fits into our soul. Unfortunately it takes time and loss to realize this. Unlike the counterfeits, He fits our soul perfectly. Lastly what this verse is not saying, but is implying is the importance of our will. For me (us) to acknowledge God in all our ways means I am making a conscience decision to obey His will above my own. That His way is superior to my own. My will is short sighted and self focused, why would I want that? It took me a while to see this. I was always able to camouflage my will as if I was doing His will. It took time and trials for me to mature to a point that I saw this in me. I am so relieved to have gotten past that, it makes being His son by grace so much more enjoyable.
In the next Vida we will consider the importance of rejoicing. Aside from our verse listed above, the other verse is found in Nehemiah 8:10,
“Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord — is your strength.”
Father God,
As we start the New Year help us to emphasize our Faith by growing it through spending time with You. Your request to all of us is very clear. Joshua 1:8-9
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make — thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.Amen
Grow in His Grace – Arthur