5-25-21 Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord - Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com “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.” Proverbs 3:5-6. David wrote many psalms, and each one shows that he depended upon God. When he faced trouble and persecution, his faith would not be weakened. We need to learn from his faith. “ In the LORD I put my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?” Psalm 11:1. This Psalm begins with a statement that every Christian needs to take to heart. Put your trust in God. Life throws out many problems, and situations can scare us, but if we put our trust in the Lord, we will have a foundation for making correct decisions. David was being persecuted and his friends advised him to run for the hills. David trusted the Lord, so running away wasn’t an option. Persecution always separates the strong from the weak, and David was strong because his strength was in the Lord. “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” Psalm 18:2. Is God your strength? Do you trust Him, or have you put your faith in human understanding? Draw your strength from God. He will never fail. David would not be swayed from his faith in God, and he refused to run and hide. Stand strong, brothers and sisters. Our strength is in Jesus Christ, not in this evil world. “For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.” Psalm 11:2. There were wicked people in David’s time, just as there are wicked people today. Need I name names? Satan has always given ammunition to people who are willing to work his will. He gives them fiery darts to fling at us, and his weapons will increase in size and power as his evil is allowed to control people. Satan’s arrows are propelled by people who act as his bow…by those who have rejected God’s truth for Satan’s lies. His favorite targets are Christians. His goal is to destroy our faith. God has given Christians weapons and we need to stand and fight. “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Ephesians 6:16. Will you allow Satan’s fiery darts to cause you to run and take shelter in enemy territory? If your faith is in the Lord, then you have a shield of protection. Study God’s word and apply it to your life. In that way you’ll learn to depend upon the shield of faith. Study prophecy and you’ll understand what’s happening today and will make decisions based upon your faith instead of irrationally following Satanic lies. “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalm 11:3. Foundations are extremely important to the support of a building. If the foundation cracks, then the building will begin to sag and fall. The liberal masses, led by Satan, are attempting to destroy the foundations of God’s truth. They undermine Biblical authority by mocking God’s covenant of marriage, by forcing the lie of evolution to be taught in schools, and they’re hacking away at the foundations of America by ignoring our Constitution. God will not hold back His wrath forever. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;” Romans 1:18. God will pour out His wrath on all who have rejected and mock Jesus Christ as they promote sin and unrighteousness. Christians have given in and believed the lies of the secular world and the foundations of morality have disintegrated. Truth has morphed into a lie. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and change the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” Romans 1:22-23. Because Christians have allowed the foundations of truth to be corrupted, God has allowed evil to grow strong. That evil is manifest in sin. “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:” Romans 1:24. Marriage between a man and a woman is a sacred covenant…a basic foundation of humanity. The liberals have destroyed the foundation of marriage and bring Scripture into question. God says not to kill, but abortion kills babies. Those little bodies are used to make vaccines which we allow to be shot into our own bodies and the result is disaster. Health problems, such as ADHD, food allergies, autism, and other major illness is the result. What can the righteous do? We can keep our faith strong and not be swayed by Satan’s fiery darts. God’s truth is the only truth. Stand on His word. “The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.” Psalm 11:4. The Lord is on his throne and we get a peek at that throne in Isaiah chapter 6 and Revelation chapters 4 and 5. Both Isaiah and John saw incredible sights in Heaven. Living creatures surround the throne which praised Him day and night. What a glorious sight to see. Christians will see that sight. What John saw was after the Rapture and there were 24 elders before the throne, which weren’t there when Isaiah had his experience. “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” Revelation 4:4. The elders represent Christians. I look forward to the day when I’m before that throne praising my Lord and Saviour. The glory and splendor described there is what Jesus left in order to come to Earth to purchase our redemption. When He gave His life for me, He put His own blood in the holy temple that’s also in Heaven. “For it the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?’ Hebrews 9:13-14. When things get frightening and Satan seems to be winning the battle, remember God is on His throne, and His eyes see everything and will judge the wicked. Be sure you’ve accepted His sacrifice before you stand before Him. You want the righteousness of Jesus Christ to cover you. “The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.” Psalm 11:5. David was known as a man after God’s heart. That doesn’t mean he never sinned, but it does mean that he was repentant over his sins. He had his share of testing and trying, but everyone is tested at times. Our attitude in those trials can make us stronger or cause us to grow weak in our faith. God doesn’t ignore the plight of those of us who walk in His ways, but is always with us. On the other hand, the wicked will be made to pay for their wickedness. They have the chance to repent of their sin and accept Jesus for salvation, but they need to let go of their hatred, sin, and wickedness. There’s only one way to be forgiven of sin and find salvation. “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Luke 13:5. No matter how wicked you’ve been, forgiveness is waiting for you if you repent and ask to be forgiven. Only Jesus can forgive your sin. Turn to Him and turn away from wickedness. “Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.” Psalm 11:6. So often it seems as if wicked people who are ruled by Satan are winning. They hold high political offices and seem to have everything money can buy. Very soon the wicked will be judged. Fire and brimstone will just be a portion of what will be rained upon the earth and upon everyone who has rejected Christ. God’s wrath will be poured out upon all who have followed Satan. Prior to the Tribulation, Christians will be Raptured. While we are around God’s throne, all Hell will be happening on earth. This is a blessing for Christians, but God doesn’t want anyone to face those final seven years. God wants us to witness to the lost now. It’s our commission, directly given by Jesus, to spread the Gospel. “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15. Wicked people can turn to Jesus for salvation, but they have to hear the Gospel. Brothers and sisters, spread the Gospel. “For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; and his countenance doth behold the upright.” Psalm 11:7. This fact guided David. He knew that God saw his actions and he desired to please His Lord. When he stumbled, he went to the Lord and asked forgiveness. As Christians, we need to guard our ways. Our righteousness is only through Jesus Christ. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21. Without Him we are as wicked as the worst sinner you can think of. If you’ve accepted Christ, His righteousness has been imparted to you. Out of gratitude you need to serve Him; out of gratitude you need to share the Gospel. We must remember that the enemy we fight isn’t people. The enemy is Satan and his minions. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12. Study the verses which follow and understand the spiritual weapons which God has given us. Put on God’s armor and do not take it off. As Christians, we know the supernatural world is very real. We serve God and know that He is supernatural and completely good, but Scripture tells us of the dark side of the supernatural world where demonic entities dwell. If allowed, they influence people to do wickedness, just as the Holy Spirit will influence people to do God’s will. As Christians, our fight is against satanic powers and our battle is lost if we fight without the power of the Holy Spirit. Don’t flee as a bird from the fight, but put your trust in the Lord. The world is falling apart. America has been dealt a hard blow from Satan. Those who serve Satan tolerate everything except God’s truth. Christian values are being sorely tested and our faith is being challenged. Study Scripture, including prophecy. Satan has taken control of the weak minded and he will continue to attack the righteous. David would not be swayed from his conviction that the Lord was where he placed his trust. Our strength is in Jesus Christ, not in this evil world. God bless you all, Nathele Graham twotug@embarqmail.com www.straitandnarrowministry.com ron@straitandnarrowministry.com Ron and Nathele Graham’s previous commentaries archived at http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html All original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed. 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