by Phil Macgregor - For I am the LORD, I change not. Malachi 3:6.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8.
In the last couple of years, we know things in the world have changed. Our normal daily life and activities have changed, and this has affected some more than others. Circumstances around us just don’t look the same as they did a few years ago. I say this to make a point, that even with all the changes and uncertainties going on around us, God has not changed and neither has His Word. He won’t change, His Word won’t change and that is the truth.
I have been so encouraged by my journey in God’s word and wanted to share and encourage you to stay in His Word, meditate on His Word, live in His Word, and trust what our wonderful, powerful, Almighty God has promised us.
- God is our truth.
The Bible tells us that God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19 and Hebrews 6:18). What that means for us is that if God cannot lie then all His words and promises are true and unchangeable. God is our truth and as believers we should have that engrained in who we are. We live in a world where lies and broken promises occur, but we have hope knowing that even though we live in the world, that we are of God and His Word will bring us truth and life.
- Trust in Him.
Trust – this word means to hasten or run to for refuge, to be confident or sure, be bold, be careless (which means not to be worried, fearful or anxious). *
Hope – this word means a refuge, security, assurance, confidence surety. *
Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, Blessed is the man that trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green; and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.
God says in His Word so many times to fear not, I am with you. We as believers have a decision to make: What are we going to trust in? If we say we trust God but are living in fear, worry and anxiousness, are we really trusting in God? One of the meanings of the word trust is to be bold. If we are really trusting in God, we will be bold and not fearful. When I go to the supermarket or to work, I see people these days so fearful of getting sick, but I choose to stand against this fear and not allow myself to succumb to it, because I know that God is with me.
- He will protect and bless.
Psalm 84:11-12 says, For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in you.
How awesome is God’s Word? He will be our light; He will be our protection. Think about this, God is our shield, so He stands between us and everything that is not of Him. Sounds a lot like, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4).
Psalm 84:11 says that God will not withhold any good thing from us. Take some time to meditate on that.
What is a good thing? Food, providing for our families, being healthy, feeling safe, having peace. There are so many more things we could add to this list. But knowing that our God will not withhold these things from us if we walk rightly shows that He is a good God and will bless us. On the other hand, there are things that God does not want us to have, like poverty, sickness, disease, fear, anxiousness, and worry. My point is that God promises us good things, He gives good gifts not evil or harmful gifts.
- Don’t be swayed.
Jeremiah 17:5 says, Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.”
Obviously, this is the opposite of ‘Blessed is the man that trust in the Lord’. I say this not to condemn or judge anyone. We as believers need to spend our time focussing on what the Word is saying, not what the world is saying, because we are not of the world. The world puts its trust in man and not God. God shows us that He knows the right way, He is trustworthy, He is good and there is no darkness in Him only light. He loves us and wants to be everything for us.
Just look at His names:
Jehovah-Shammah, “The Lord ever present”
Jehovah-Jireh, “The Lord our provider”
Jehovah-Nissi, “The Lord our banner”
Jehovah-Shalom, “The Lord our peace”
Jehovah-Raah, “The Lord my shepherd”
Jehovah-Tsidkenu, “The Lord our righteousness”
Jehovah-Rapha, “The Lord that healeth”
God wants to be all these things for us. He will do what He has promised and what His Word says. He is unchangeable and He is all we need. As the world grows darker in the last days, God is the only one we can put our trust in and He will not let us down, HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN.
I encourage us today to look at our lives and allow the Spirit of God to point out where our trust is and what are we leaning on, is it man or God?
*References from the Strong’s Concordance.
Phil Macgregor recently spoke at a PK breakfast, runs a men’s group, and is married to Cecelia who is on staff with PK.