Trust God as you pursue Him
Trust God as you pursue Him
Speaking to us from the experience of his wisdom, King Solomon tells us how to live our lives, reference to our relationship with our Father God:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3 v 5 – 6
To trust in God is to abandon our own agenda in order to follow the leading of His will. To trust in God is to follow and to walk in His footsteps.
The apostle Paul reminds us:
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 12 Corinthians 5 v 7
How is your walk today? Faithfully trusting God requires courage because we become open to the scrutiny of suspicion, mockery and ridicule, coercion and bullying, all in an attempt to undermine our determination to stand on the Truth of God’s Word. Evidence of these tactics are found in the Book of Daniel concerning King Nebuchadnezzar.
“Then Nebuchadnezzar, furious with rage, summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the King, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, is it true that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden statue I have set up? Now, if you are ready, as soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the statue I have made. Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the King “Oh Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If the God I whom we serve exists, then He is able to deliver us from the blazing fiery furnace and from your hand, O King. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.” Daniel 3 v 13 – 18
Even though Nebuchadnezzar’s face contorted with rage, even though the furnace was heated seven times hotter than usual, these young men stood together as a three stranded chord in the unity and singlemindedness of their unwavering faith in God. They were under verbal attack and physical assault. They saw the flames of opposition, but they met it head on with boldness by stating “We have no need to answer you in this matter” v 16. That tells me that they had already handed their fight over to God, in whom they entrusted their lives. They recognised that the supernatural supersedes the natural. As we too walk in this truth so too will our faith be emboldened.
The more we walk in alignment with the our Father God, our Lord Jesus Christ through the guiding of the Holy Spirit, the more it is evident to the world that we are walking out of step with the world. The world will and is riling with more and more zeal against those who choose to worship God in spirit and in Truth. While teaching in Corinth the apostle Paul said:
“For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. Instead they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We tear down arguments and EVERY presumption set up against the knowledge of God and we take captive EVERY thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10 v 3 – 5
This world is against those who confess and believe what Jesus says about Himself:
“I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. NO ONE come to the Father except through me.” John 14 v 6
He will not share His glory with another. Note that I did not say that the world is riling against the church, but against those who are fully committed to following Christ. Let us continue to pray for the ‘church’ to ‘wake up’ and to repent where it has been complicit in embracing worldly practices and ideologies that are in direct opposition to God’s Word and that compromises and shuts down the power of God operating in their lives and in their ministries. Walking by faith requires us to set our face like flint and be determined in our pursuit of Christ.
In the Book of Philippians the apostle Paul said “…but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do; Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3 v 12
At the start of this year let the pursuit of Christ Jesus be our highest goal. Regardless of opposition – pursue Christ!
In the Book of Hosea, Hosea admonishes and encourages us with these words:
“Let us acknowledge the Lord, let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear, He will come to us like the winder rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6 v 3
At the dawn of each new day let us pursue Christ knowing that He waters our lives with His presence. The pursuit of Christ is a blessing to us. The apostle Paul tells us that pursing Christ blesses and enriches us with “His righteousness, godliness, faith, love, gentleness and the ability to persevere”. 1 Timothy 6 v 11
Pursuing Christ gives us his mindset. The mind of Christ robes us in His compassionate character and prevents us from being spiritually ignorant. The mind of Christ schools us and teaches us through the leading, guiding and empowerment of the Holy spirit to test the spirits through discernment and the reflective analysis of what we hear is being said. Again, the apostle Paul warned Christians:
“Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. THEN you will be able to test and approve what is good, pleasing and the perfect will of God.” Romans 12 v 2
John the apostle went even further and said:
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but tests the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you will know the spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is NOT from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and which is already in the world at this time.” 1 John 4 v 1 – 3
When writing to the Christians living in Philippi, the apostle Paul laid out a blueprint for how and what our uncompromised lifestyle should be influenced and governed:
“Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. Do NOTHING out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider other more important than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interest but also to the interests of others. Let this mind be in you that is also in Christ Jesus: Who existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient to death – even death on a cross. Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus EVERY knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and EVERY tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2 v 1 – 11
PRAYER 2021
Father God lead me and teach me.
Open my eyes and my ears.
Open my mind, my heart and my understanding as your Holy Spirit leads and guides me into all Truth, as I determine to walk with you.
Let me walk by faith and not by sight as you take me by the hand.
Embolden me with your confidence.
Clothe me in your compassion and continually water my soul with your Living Word.
Thank you, Living God for this day and this year.
Amen xxx
