Where To Place Your Trust

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" ~ Jeremiah 17:9

The Bible tells us to trust in the Lord with all of our heart and lean not to our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Why? Because of this scripture.

If we put trust in ourselves, we will inevitably fail. Why? Because we are not sufficient on our own. We were born sinners and we were born to fail in the absence of God. It's only when we place our trust and reliance in and on God that we become all God has called us to be - that is, more than conquerors in Christ.

Where are you placing your trust today?

God bless,

J.W.

The Exchange

 

Trust is the currency we exchange for joy and peace. 

If you want more joy and peace, place your trust in God. 

He's generous to give to us until we overflow. 

May God bless your day fam! 

- J.W.

Each According to His Ability (Part 2)

God knows us intimately, so much so that the Bible says that the hairs on our head are numbered (Matthew 10:30).

So, when God gives "each according to [our] ability," why is it that we complain it's not enough?

Jeremiah 29:11 says that God "knows the plans [He] has for [us], plans to prosper [us] and not to harm [us], plans to give [us] a hope and a future." Yet somehow we don't trust Him.

Our lack of trust in God makes no sense. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that God won't tempt you more than you can bear. So maybe God gives according to what He knows we can bear at the moment. We're asking for more, but God knows what we can handle.

So, be careful what you ask for. God knows what He's doing. He won't give us more than we can handle. He gives to us based on our ability.

God bless,
J.W.

Captain of the Ship

"And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” ~ Mark 4:37-41

Often times, God doesn't show us where His will simply to test our faith.

Think about it. If we knew the end result of our pain, would we really trust Him to bring us through it? If we knew why we experienced certain trials and tribulations, would we draw closer to Him in tough times?

Walking blind through the valley is healthy for us. You don't need to know where we're going when you trust the captain of the ship.

God bless,
J.W.

Lean On Me

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” ~ Proverbs 3:5

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” ~ Matthew 7:24-27

Who are you leaning upon today?

What are you placing your trust in?

If it’s anything other than Jesus, then it’s built on unstable ground.

God bless,
J.W.

God's Hands

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

Often, when we have tough decisions to make, we choose our own path.

Sometimes, we weigh the pros and cons and choose based on what's most advantageous to our current situation.

Other times, we seek the advice of our friends and family and choose based on what someone else tells us is most advantageous to us.

And still, other times, we become so paralyzed with fear that we end up making no decision at all.

But, what if, instead, we actually trusted God?

What if we actually gave our circumstances to Him?

What if we actually put it in His hands?

Might our lives be easier? Might our paths be straighter?

Might we realize that His way is better than ours?

God bless,

J.W.

Waiting to Exhale

Just wanted to share a brief message I received yesterday. It reminded me of the importance of slowing down, letting go, and letting God. I hope it's a blessing to you as well.

God bless,
J.W.


He is a young man in search of God's plan for his life. Presently, he is living in Australia involved in a ministry that brings him into contact with a wide variety of people. He touches lives that many of us would ignore or avoid. He genuinely loves people and does his best to live like Jesus in their presence. In a recent letter he shared a few stories, described some of the people he has met, shared some of what he is learning about himself and the Lord, and asked for specific prayers.

In one paragraph he talked about the continuing search for his place in the world. He spent a couple of days in meditation and prayer and asked a man of wisdom and experience "...for any advice in terms of spiritual discernment, direction, vocation; he said something really interesting: he said 'first of all, relax. Enjoy your life and try not to worry, that God will place you where you need to be, and to trust that.'" He admits he is trying to do that. I admit that I am trying to do that. "First of all, relax." We get in such a hurry to see God's plan for our life to be revealed that we wonder what is He waiting for? Why doesn't He show us what He wants us to do? Has he forgotten how desperate we are to know what we are supposed to do? What are we supposed to do?

"First of all, relax."

Just relax. In spiritual terms that means we acknowledge that God is in control, God is aware, God is concerned, and God is working. If you find that you are feeling a bit panicky about where you are headed, or when it seems you are not headed anywhere, "First of all, relax."

"Enjoy your life."

It is difficult to enjoy life when we hurry through it at neck-break speed. It is almost impossible to enjoy life when we are constantly reaching for more, living with the regret of what could have been, and seldom allow ourselves to be content. "Enjoy your life."

"Try not to worry, that God will place you where you need to be."

God knows what we need to be doing and where we need to be to accomplish His purposes. He is working His plan for us and through us. He knows us. He understands our gifts and talents. He did create us. So, "Try not to worry, that God will place you where you need to be."

"Trust that."

If the other things were not difficult enough, the wise man concludes his advice with "trust that." Simply "trust" that God knows what He is doing and will do what He needs to do when He is ready to do it. There is no need to rush it, there is no need to panic, and there is no need to spend sleepless nights worrying about whether or not we are doing what God wants us to do. "Just trust that God will place you where you need to be."

The Rope

Click the link below to read the story about the mountain climber and his rope... It's very thought provoking.

http://www.ticz.com/homes/users/bob/The-Rope/The-Rope.htm

Play Your Position

Many times in life, we make things harder than they really are.

When things go awry, we blame other people; sometimes, even God. When problems arise, we try to fix them. But could it be that our problems remain because we try to fix them? That maybe our lingering crises are a direct result of our refusal to let go and let God? That we’ve somehow placed more faith in ourselves (our education, our intellect, our street smarts, our money, our social status, and our overall brilliance) than an all-knowing, all-powerful, omnipresent God? Could it be that we really aren’t as smart, as talented, or as brilliant as we think we are?

As the saying goes, success comes when preparation meets opportunity. The problem arises when we use our own judgment to make decisions that get us out of position to receive God’s blessings or success.

I liken it to playing defense in the game of football. Every player has a job or position for which he is responsible. If one player over-pursues, or gets out of position, he leaves a gap in the defense that the other team can take advantage of. But, if each player stays in his position, one of them will be in the perfect position to make the play.

The same applies to the game of life. While God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and omnipresent, he gives us each a part, or position, to play. If we play our position correctly, the team will be successful. But, if we over-pursue, and get out of position, we leave holes that the enemy can use to defeat us.

So, when problems arise, play your position. Do what you’ve been called to do, and leave the rest to 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 direct your paths." ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

Peace,
J.W.

Just Fine

Just thought I'd share with you an e-mail that was forwarded to me. It reminds us that: 1) God is always in control, 2) no matter what we're going through, things could always be a lot worse, and 3) the problems we complain about really aren't as big as we make them out to be. Hope you enjoy!

God bless,
J

Read the caption on the first photo, then look at the second photo.

Look at the picture above. The driver of the white pickup truck broke through the guardrail to the right (right where the people are standing on the road and pointing. The pick-up was traveling from right to left when it crashed through the guardrail. It flipped end-over-end, across the culvert outlet, and landed right side up on the left side of the culvert, facing the opposite direction from which he was traveling.

Now look at the 2nd picture below...

If this guy didn't believe in God before, do you suppose he believes now?

Where You At?

“When we dwell on the past, we tend to want to live there. When we dream of the future, we want to go there.”

I ran across this phrase in reading an article on the importance of faith in the time of grief. It is attributed to author Erwin Raphael McManus, a Pastor and leader of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles. While the author of the article originally used this quote to emphasize the importance of moving forward in times of grief, the second part of the quote is what struck me in particular – “when we dream of the future, we want to go there.”

Over the course of the last few years since I’ve gained a personal relationship with Christ, my mom and I have often compared and contrasted the advantages and disadvantages of the ways in which God deals with us differently. My mom is very much an implementer (that’s why I hired her as VP of Business Operations for J’Nointed). Once she is given an objective, she’s very good at implementing a strategy step-by-step until the job is done; but without the objective, she is rendered ineffective and unsure of exactly what direction to go in. So God tests her by simply leading her step-by-step to the end goal without telling her the objective in the beginning. Often times, she won’t know the objective until the very end of the mission.

I, on the other hand, am very much a visionary; so I am told the goal up front, before the mission even begins. And so, like the quote says, I dream of the future and want to go there. Most of the times, what I forget, though, is that God is showing me the future, not the present, and thus, what I see will only be accomplished in the future, not the present. So God, in turn, tests my faith by showing me the end goal, but hiding the step-by-step process to get to that goal from me. My test than comes in having to trust that somehow, someway, God will eventually bring that which He’s shown me to fruition.

Of the two, I’m not really sure which scenario is easier to handle. But I do know that God wants us to trust Him and has a way of bringing us to a place where we totally surrender will to His will. So, whether you’re like my mom and wondering where God is taking you, or like me, and wondering when God is going to do what He said he would, know that everything you go through is simply preparation for where you are headed.

God bless,
J.W.

Under My Umbrella

What happens when your dream becomes a nightmare? When the thing you wanted the most is taken away from you? When reaching your goals seems near, and then is snatched away from you, just like that? What happens to your faith, your spirit, your will to go on, when the thing God has promised you is in your sights, but just doesn't turn out to be what you thought it would?

Answer: You learn to trust in Jesus. You learn that your ways are not always His ways. You learn that no matter what, God is concerned and He's working things out for you.

Make no mistake about it: if God said it, then He'll do what He said He would do. It may not happen the way in which YOU planned it. But we have to learn to let go, and let God; to take our hands off of the steering wheel and let Him drive.

As I write, I'm reminded of the story about the man stuck on top of his roof in the middle of a flood. Three times, rescuers passed by with boats, ready to take the man into safety, and three times, the man refused the help, saying "God promised He would come by and save me. I don't need your help!" When the man died in the flood, and he got to Heaven, he asked God, "why didn't you come and rescue me?!!" Perplexed, God replied, "I did, three times, but each time you refused my help!"

The moral of the story is, God may not come when (and how) you want Him, but He's always right on time! Trust Him and he shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

God bless,

J.W.