This statement is carried around by almost every American. It is written on our money. Even atheists carry around money that has this statement printed on it. The question I must ask is, “DO we really trust God?” I believe that people answer this question by their actions. I can say that I trust God in one breath, but in the next breath speak words that proclaim distrust. God is calling His people to a place of living that the world does not live. Let’s read Proverbs 3:5-6,
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thy own understanding, In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
In these two verses we see God’s plan for our lives. We must learn to give our lives to God. If we do not acknowledge God in all our ways, we cannot expect Him to direct our life. God wants to give us His best, but He will not do it if we still want to run our own lives. When we say the statement, “Trust in God”, what does it mean? The simplest definition, I believe, means to have faith in God’s ability and also His desire to apply His ability to help us in life.
Many promises in the Bible are conditional. In other words, we will not see them manifest in our lives without meeting the condition. In Proverbs 3:4-6 there are conditions to cause God to direct your path. The first condition is to trust the Lord. The second is to lean not to your own understanding, and the last is to acknowledge Him in all your ways. When these three conditions are acted on, we will see God’s ability applied to our lives.
Today, we are living in the most dangerous time in history. We are living in a world that trusts man more than God. The reason for this is that the scriptures must be fulfilled. The Bible speaks of a man that will be a world leader, not just the leader of a nation, but the leader of the whole world. He is called the anti-Christ. Satan has been trying to get one man in charge of the world since the Garden of Eden. Over the last 100 years, we see God moving like He did in the Bible days; but we also see satan moving. The devil knows that God will not be able to direct man’s ways if man does not trust God. Satan’s number one goal is to take the Bible out of man’s hands. Satan knows Romans 10:17 says,
“So then faith (or trust) cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
We see what happened when Hitler was reaching for the control of the whole earth; he started destroying Bibles, churches and Christians that professed Jesus. Why? Because satan knows that if a nation does not trust God, they will start trusting man. In Jeremiah 17:5 God says,
“Cursed be the man that trusted in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.”
How will the anti-Christ come into rulership? I believe the answer is that man will start trusting man to save them, rather than God. We must trust God. This happens as we spend time in the Word of God, and we start allowing God’s Word to talk to us and commune with us. We cannot trust somebody we do not know. If we do not know God by His Word, we will tend to trust man.
Today, God says make a fresh commitment to know Him through His Word. Come to every church service that you possibly can. Listen to preaching and teaching tapes, read Christian books and keep your radio tuned to 91.1FM. Let God’s trust be built in you by His Word.
I love you,
Pastor Paul
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Today’s subject is a powerful revelation from God that will change your life. Let’s look at some scripture verses in Daniel 10:2-3.
“In those day, I Daniel was mourning three full weeks (21 days). I ate not pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till the three weeks were fulfilled.”
In the rest of this chapter, Daniel is speaking with an angel. Read verse 12.
“Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel; for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.”
Notice God sent the angel for Daniel’s words. When Daniel decided he was going to seek the Lord by fasting, God moved his angel into action.
In this 21st century there has been the removing of some key doctrines that need to be brought back into our lives. Fasting is a method that God uses to increase His power in one’s life. Any person who will set themselves to fast and pray, according to the Bible, will have great results. The motive behind fasting should not just be to lose weight. The motive behind fasting should be to have God bring a greater understanding of His plans and purposes for our lives and for the lives of others.
Daniel had been on a 21 day fast. On the 21st day, the angel showed up and gave him insight concerning the last days.
In Acts 10:1 we see another man that set himself to seek God by fasting and prayer. Verse 30 says,
“And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are held in remembrance in the sight of God.”
We can see that by Cornelius’ fasting and prayer, the angel visited him. We read all the way through the Bible that when men humbled themselves before God in fasting and prayer, they received God’s understanding for their lives. If you give yourself over to the spiritual life, you will be satisfied. If you join with the world in eating, drinking, and merriment, there will be dissatisfaction.
We must seek God, if we expect to find Him. You might ask, “What does fasting do for me?” In the cases of Daniel and Cornelius, it brought the manifestation of an angel that had a special word for them. I’m not saying that if you fast you will have an angel show up at your house; and you will fall to the ground, and God will speak to you a special word that will change nations. But if the Word of God has been dry to you, it will come alive with Holy Ghost revelation. It is God’s will for you to have constant communication with Him through His written Word and the Holy Ghost.
I’m sure today as you receive this letter, it is speaking to your heart. Why don’t you start with fasting one meal a day? Notice Daniel didn’t fast completely. He ate 'no pleasant food'; he didn’t eat food that he enjoyed eating. I’m sure he ate some soup or something to keep his energy up. We could possibly do that and not watch TV for a week. These are just suggestions. Let God talk to you.
