Taking God at His word

Two things I’ve been doing lately that have ratcheted up my faith level and simultaneously quieted worries: 1. taking God at His word; 2. embracing mystery. I kind of hit on #1 in my previous blog, but I wanted to flesh that out a little more (I’ll talk more about #2 in my next blog).

Taking God at His word means that you believe Him when He speaks to you. And then, you don’t stop believing it. You walk it out. What I used as an example in my last blog was the promise of provision. Since God tells you in the Bible that He will provide for you, you can be assured that He will, indeed, provide for you. It’s that simple. Though things might seem to be bad, or it may appear that your world is crumbling around you, God is in control and will make sure you will be ok if you claim Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

This premise applies to everything you read in the Bible, not just verses about provision. Among the numerous things God promises believers in His Word, this is just a short list: that you are redeemed by the blood of Jesus (1st Peter 1:18-19); that you can do all things through Christ (Phillipians 4:13); that sin has no power over you (Romans 6:14); that you will bear children (Psalm 128:3-4); that the devil will flee from you (James 4:7); that you should be in good health and prosper (3rd John 2); that you have peace (Phillipians 4:6-7); that you have a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline (2nd Timothy 1:7); that all things work together for your good (Romans 8:28). You can find Scriptures that address nearly anything you can think of…go look it up, and start believing it as the promise it is.

Also, while reading the Bible is probably the most frequent way God speaks to us, He uses all sorts of other avenues as well—most common in my life are dreams, prophetic words, and God speaking through other people. When God speaks to you this way, believe it! The Lord is not restricted to only talking to you through the Bible! However, DO USE CAUTION when choosing who you let speak into your life, and who you trust to guide you in these more mysterious waters. Be sure your mentors and teachers are solid and have a Biblical basis for their lives and teaching.

Just taking God at His word has made a huge difference in the way I look at, and think about things. When I make the choice to believe Him, then I don’t have to worry anymore; I know it’s going to happen. When I choose to have faith that what He has told me is true, doubt starts to fade. In a nutshell, faith increases and worry decreases. I end up being happier, more carefree, and even more driven to live out what the Lord has for me.

When God speaks, just listen and believe. It’s that simple.

Provision

A few months ago, I had 2 dreams that I didn’t understand. So I took them to my friend, and my most reliable dream interpreter, Stephanie (shoutoutcafe.com). Sparing you the details of the dreams, the overriding theme of them both was that finances would not be an issue in my life. That’s good news to hear! Especially when you’re a worship leader!

For the next few days, I was really happy thinking about the dreams I’d been given. I was telling some of my friends how awesome it was, and just thanking God for the reassurance. However, a few weeks passed and I found myself worrying about money again. I was in the process of moving and facing the prospect of more bills and purchasing new things, and I was trying to make sure all the numbers would be right.

Well, I don’t remember the specific day it was, but it hit me that I had kind of lost hold of the promise the Lord had given me. I realized that I was trying to do things in my own power instead of just relying on Him. So I made up my mind to wholeheartedly trust in Him…even when I don’t understand anything about how something is going to work. I decided to take Him at his word, and believe exactly what He had said to me.

Wouldn’t you know that things are going just fine :) God is taking care of my needs and then some. Needs have been met by people seemingly coming out of the woodwork. I’ve actually had to turn down some people’s offers of generosity because I have no physical room for it! Praise the Lord!

I don’t want you to hear me wrong today. I’m not suggesting that we serve some “cosmic lotto god” that we just ask for material things we want on a whim and see them appear before our eyes; I’m betting that if you ask God for a Ferrari it will not magically manifest in your driveway. Nor am I suggesting that we should neglect our finances or fail to intelligently plan for the future. No. What I am saying is that if you put your hope, faith, and trust in the God of Israel you will always be taken care of.

God will make a way for you. If you are a born-again believer and follower of Jesus Christ, then you have nothing to worry about when it comes to having your needs met—spiritually, emotionally, physically, financially, mentally, etc. The promise of provision covers everything.

I’m not the only one that shouldn’t be worrying about making things work, making ends meet, making sure needs are met. You shouldn’t either. Yes, I had a dream that was reassurance from the Lord, but all Christians have promises of provision from God in the Bible. For example, 2nd Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Here are a few other verses that address this topic specifically: Matthew 6:31-33; Matthew 7:11; Luke 12:28; Psalm 37:25; Psalm 84:11.

God provides, my friend. Take it, bank on it, believe it, and stand on it. Amen.