Seekfirstweb-Podcast: I will dwell in the house of the LORD for endless ...

Seekfirstweb-Podcast: I will dwell in the house of the LORD for endless ...: "'The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads me; he restores my so..."

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3: 5-6)

Why is it so difficult to trust in the Lord with all our heart when we see His providence everywhere and at all times?  This is a problem that baffles me.  I see God’s providence working in my life every day.  I recognize His providential actions thank the Lord for them.  Then the next moment, I am anxious and fearful of circumstances.  Peter was walking towards Jesus on the water.  He was doing very well until he took his gaze off Jesus and focused it on the raging storms.  Then he began to sink.  Whenever I take my eyes off Jesus and focus it on the prevailing circumstances, the result is fear, worry or doubt.

How can I have my gaze focused on Jesus at all times in every circumstance?  I believe the answer to this is constant prayer.  Prayer shows our dependence on God.  When we pray, we are saying:  “Lord help me in this situation.  I cannot make it without you.”  Proverbs 3: 5-6 says that if we make this a habit in all our ways, we are assured that the Lord will make straight our paths.  

The battle is not yours

"and he said: “Pay attention, all of Judah, inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! The LORD says to you: Do not fear or be dismayed at the sight of this vast multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. You will not have to fight in this encounter. Take your places, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD; he will be with you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed. Tomorrow go out to meet them, and the LORD will be with you.”

What a sublime promise!  Each person is confronted with challenges in one or more of these areas:

Health

Family

Money

Job

Tools

Food

Future

They form constant source of worry.  What if we are to surrender each and all of the above to God and pray thus:  “Lord, you promise that the battle is not mine but yours.  I surrender the present health crisis to you to fight for me as your word promises.  Thank you Lord.”  Then after the prayer, you stand firm and watch to see the salvation of the Lord.  

Seekfirstweb-Podcast: Follow His ways exactly

Seekfirstweb-Podcast: Follow His ways exactly: "'And now, Israel, what does the LORD, your God, ask of you but to fear the LORD, your God, and follow his ways exactly, to love and serve t..."

Remain faithful with your whole heart

"When the time of David's death drew near, he gave these instructions to his son Solomon: "I am going the way of all mankind. Take courage and be a man. Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his ways and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees as they are written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in whatever you do, wherever you turn, and the LORD may fulfill the promise he made on my behalf when he said, 'If your sons so conduct themselves that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart and with their whole soul, you shall always have someone of your line on the throne of Israel.' " (1 Kings 2: 1 - 4)

The above scripture reminds me of Joshua 1: 1 – 8.

"After Moses, the servant of the LORD, had died, the LORD said to Moses' aide Joshua, son of Nun: "My servant Moses is dead. So prepare to cross the Jordan here, with all the people into the land I will give the Israelites. As I promised Moses, I will deliver to you every place where you set foot. 1 Your domain is to be all the land of the Hittites, from the desert and from Lebanon east to the great river Euphrates and west to the Great Sea. No one can withstand you while you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses: I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be firm and steadfast, so that you may give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers I would give them. Above all, be firm and steadfast, taking care to observe the entire law which my servant Moses enjoined on you. Do not swerve from it either to the right or to the left, that you may succeed wherever you go. Keep this book of the law on your lips. Recite it by day and by night, that you may observe carefully all that is written in it; then you will successfully attain your goal. " (Joshua 1: 1 - 8)

The key to success is to listen to God and remain faithful to Him with one’s whole heart.