Security
August 28.2011
All I have to say after today's message at church is: WOW, that was exactly what I needed to hear! Although the messages at church are good and always convict me, today was exceptional. It was as if the message was completely designed for me, for what I have been thinking and what I have been going through. I love when God does that. I just couldn't get enough of the message and I felt like every word that the pastor spoke, was directed at me.
My day began at my usual hangout: Starbucks. As I was reading the Word, God reminded me of the name of God card I was given for this year: Lion! I have continued to try and figure out why that has been my card for the year, but I am realizing more and more that I am really fighting a battle this year. Not that I have not fought a battle every other year, but I feel like I am at the front of the lines fighting this year and can't seem to get a break. I know it is good and I know that ultimately I need to TRUST in God to fight the battle for me and to ultimately overcome! I would have to say that my biggest issue overall is trust. I have the hardest time grasping the concept and really trusting. Not just people, but God as well. In my head, I know that I can trust Him, it is just in my heart that I really struggle. I know that this is the biggest wall I need to overcome. He is teaching me, but unfortunately I am a slow learner! :)
I had to laugh when the pastor had us turn to Psalm 37 this morning for the message. Guess what it was on: TRUST! Oh how perfect for me. I feel like the things I learned from the message today are noteworthy, so here are my notes from today:
Psalm 37:1-2
"Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb."
DO NOT GET HEATED
-David struggled with why the righteous suffer sometimes and why the wicked prosper (just like us)
- Don't miss out on the things that really matter...not the "stuff"
- evildoer= indicating "breaking off"
- wrongdoers= refers to someone who is doing something worth punishment
-Psalm 73:16 ~Have a "God perspective"
- Who are you living for?
-Philippians 4:6~ Don't worry about anything
- A lot of times we choose to "fret" instead of "fret not"
Psalm 37:3
"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness."
TRUST IN THE LORD
-Faith cures fretting
-Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."
-trust= to rely upon
- He is able to take perfect care of you...the result is security!
-Jeremiah 17:5-8~we will bear fruit even in seasons of doubt
-If you place your trust in the Lord, you will be ok during the drought
- God is doing some eternal things when we are in drought and questioning
- We have to LEARN to trust Him
- What do you need to trust the Lord about today and also to surrender back to Him?
DO GOOD
-No man is ever enough...only Jesus is!
-Doing good is a great remedy for fretting.
-Get busy serving people!
-Satan will seek to get you occupied with yourself and you will become "down in the dumps"
-"The land"=the responsibilities God has given you
-Accept your responsibilities with joy!
-"feed on His faithfulness"
*God never changes. If He was faithful to you then, He will be faithful again!
- Do good and reflect on the good He has done!
-Let Him write His story through you
**Where are you at? If you keep living the way you are living, are you going to like what you see when you look back?
**The decision you make every day will determine whether you like what you see when you look back.
Talk about being convicted. Such a good reminder to me. One of the references the pastor used was from Jeremiah 17. When I turned there, I read my notes right in the section he was going to read. The section I highlighted was Jeremiah 17:7-8 which reads:
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."
