Tag Archives: trust in the lord

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Our Responsibility to Rest

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Psalm 37:1-8

Today’s passage promises, “[God] will give you the desires of your heart” (v. 4). But it also names three requirements for that promise: We must delight in the Lord, we should trust in His plan, and we need to rest in Him. Resting in the Lord is one of the hardest tasks we must undertake.

Resting may sound easy, but it requires supernatural courage, since in our human weakness, we tend to fret. Worry turns our minds away from delight and trust in the Lord. The three requirements are interrelated. We must enjoy spending time with God in order to learn to trust Him and commit to His way; our trust is absolutely essential to resting in Him; and we must be willing to rest in order to truly delight in Him.

Patiently waiting for the Lord to act is one of the supreme tests of our spiritual maturity. The stronger our desire is, the shorter our delay fuse. Sometimes we may desperately want to give God a timetable, but genuine, restorative rest occurs on His schedule. Only He understands every circumstance and knows the precise moment when answering our prayer will yield maximum benefit. We risk reaping disappointment, pain, and loss whenever we push ahead of His divine timeline.

Before you get out of bed each day, say a prayer like this one: Father, I want to thank You for giving me the desires of my heart. Today, I am going to delight myself in You, commit everything to You, and rest in the knowledge that You have everything under control. And I will wait for Your perfect timing. If you follow the guidance of Psalm 37, God will richly bless you.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread  – Habits Of A Healthy Mind

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Trust in the Lord, and do good.  —Psalm 37:3

 

Read: Psalm 37:1-8
Bible in a Year: Exodus 36-38; Matthew 23:1-22

There is much said today about improving our health by developing habits of optimism, whether facing a difficult medical diagnosis or a pile of dirty laundry. Barbara Fredrickson, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of North Carolina, says we should try activities that build joy, gratitude, love, and other positive feelings. We know, however, that more is required than a general wish for good feelings. We need a strong conviction that there is a source of joy, peace, and love upon which we can depend.

Psalm 37:1-8 gives positive actions we can take as an antidote to pessimism and discouragement. Consider these mood boosters: Trust in the Lord, do good, dwell in the land, feed on His faithfulness (v.3); delight in the Lord (v.4); commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him (v.5); rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him, do not fret (v.7); cease from anger, forsake wrath (v.8).

Because they are connected to the phrase “in the Lord,” those directives are more than wishful thinking or unrealistic suggestions. It’s because of Jesus, and in His strength, that they become possible.

Our one true source for optimism is the redemption that is in Jesus. He is our reason for hope!
—David C. McCasland

Lord, we can’t manufacture hope, and even if we tried it wouldn’t be real. Help us to find hope in You because of what Jesus has done for us. We know You are walking beside us.

When there’s bad news, our hope is the good news of Jesus.

INSIGHT: Psalm 37 is one of the many “wisdom psalms”—psalms that give instructions on how to live wisely. In this psalm, David deals with the perennial perplexity of the injustice of life—the wicked go unpunished while the righteous suffer. He tells the righteous not to fret, be envious, or be angry, for God will ultimately bring justice (vv.1-2,9-10,20,35-36,38). Instead, they are to be patient, to trust, to delight, to rest fully in God, and to continue to live godly lives (vv.3-8). For the “Lord upholds the righteous” (v.17), takes delight in them (v.23), and will not forsake them (vv.28-29).
Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Advancing Through Adversity

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Charles Stanley

Deuteronomy 4:7

There are many people who get stuck in life’s hard spots, too scared or too bitter to move through the difficulty. Instead, these folks wait for the Lord to remove the trial, and yet He doesn’t always work that way. But God wants His children to trust Him so they can advance through their adversity.

The way that a person responds to hardship reveals his or her true character. And tough situations are the times when God’s children most need to match actions to words. It’s easy to say, “I trust the Lord” or “My God is faithful” when life is good. But unless believers recognize that He is sovereign even in adversity, they may be tempted to complain and seek pity. Christians who trust in the Lord’s faithfulness and supremacy will steadfastly focus on Him and as a result will see their anxiety and doubt subside.

In order to conquer adversity, we must begin moving through it. Even though we may not know what God’s purpose is, it’s essential for a suffering believer to surrender to His will. We certainly won’t like the pain, and we’ll definitely want the situation to change—fast. But giving the Lord free rein allows Him to mature our faith, conform us to the likeness of His Son, and fulfill His unique plan for our lives.

Surrendering does not seem like a way to advance anywhere. But in reality, we’re just handing over the controls to God and saying, “You guide me where You want me to go.” Doing so requires a lot of trust, but we serve a Lord who is worthy of our faith and confidence.

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Charles Stanley – What Is Involved in Obeying God?

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John 14:15

To obey the Lord requires getting His perspective on our life every day. That means being renewed in our thinking (Rom. 12:2) so our attitude and actions honor Him. It also means being reminded of who we are apart from Him and who we are with Him (John 15:5; Phil. 4:13).

Once we have His perspective, it can require courage to obey—we might have to give up things we like in order to do what He asks. In addition, we must be determined to follow Him, even if doing so could bring unwelcome results. It can take courage to rearrange our schedule to match His plan, to love the unlovely, to forgive the seemingly unforgivable, and to give when we want to keep. But courage isn’t something we need to somehow produce on our own; it grows out of a deepening faith in the Lord.

As we get to know the Father better, our confidence in Him increases, and obedience becomes easier. If we know the God who gave the commands, then we’ll be able to trust that His plans are for our good and His glory. We will rely on the Holy Spirit, who helps us understand and follow divine commands. With eyes fixed upon Jesus instead of our circumstances, we will step forward boldly. We won’t fear the consequences that may arise from our actions but will look for the blessings God desires to bestow.

Obedience involves knowing God’s commands and then committing to obey, even if there’s temptation to compromise. Furthermore, it means drawing courage from our trust in the Lord and accepting the consequences as God-sent. Pray that obedience will mark your life.

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Charles Stanley – When We Feel Frustrated

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Philippians 4:10-13

External circumstances commonly get blamed for our feelings of irritation and anxiety. But circumstances are often simply magnifiers—events that reveal what’s already inside us. So when we find ourselves becoming short-tempered or easily worried, it is probably time to examine our hearts.

As believers, we must be keenly aware of two opposing forces: the desires of our flesh and the freedom that accompanies God’s hand of control. The limits He has set for us can be likened to freedom because they are not meant to restrict us. Rather, His wisdom brings us peace and direction. Our inherent drive to exercise our free will, however, can lead to unwise decisions, difficulties, and failures.

As we grow in spiritual maturity and realize that God can relieve the burden

of frustration in our lives, we will learn to appreciate His guidance. It is evident that the apostle Paul grasped this concept, because he wrote, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am” (Phil. 4:11). The fact that Paul had to learn to be content suggests a process that took place over time.

Our world is certainly not a place that guarantees a state of constant contentment. Therefore, we must learn to build our trust in the Lord, to rely upon His strength, and to have confidence in His divine will for our lives. Frustration fades only in the light of His plan for our future (Jer. 29:11). And indeed, that’s the “secret” Paul learned, which enabled him to get along in any situation—namely, that we can “do all things” through Him who strengthens [us]” (Phil. 4:13).