Promise #2 : I will not doubt, God is ALWAYS in control
(continuation of notes I took awhile back and me checking some different Scripture translations while listening to the James MacDonald CDs “Always True: Exceedingly Great and Precious Promises”. The direct quotes are his, not mine.) I have listened to a few of his CD series and they were very good. Here is a link to some of his free broadcast archives: http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/w...e-word/listen/ if anyone is interested. The "Always True" series is archived and available to listen to in the January 2011 section.
Proverbs 3:5-6
New Living Translation (NLT)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Psalm 34:8
New Living Translation (NLT)
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
HIS WAY is the safest, fastest, smoothest road to the best possible destination. (My conclusion: when I want my way instead of His, it causes needless detours, u turns, etc.) God sees every detail of my situation and I can trust Him.
God invented truth. He IS truth.
Doubt is the soil fears grows in and is the cause of emotional roller coaster rides.
God WANTS me to test His promises, put my full weight on them. God invites me to test Him and see if He is faithful. If I will do what is right and honor God I can walk by faith, wait on Him, wait on Him to work.
Hebrews 6:19
New Living Translation (NLT)
19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.
Hebrews 6:19
Amplified Bible (AMP)
19[Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot
[a]break down under whoever steps out upon it–a hope] that reaches
[b]farther and enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil,
Lord, every good gift comes from You.
(From James 1:7)
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My personal take-aways :
God wants a mutual, personal, intimate heart-to-heart relationship with all of His creation. Every person has a free will and can embrace or reject Him: it's totally our choice.
God may answer "yes", "no", or "wait" to my prayers. His priorities are bigger than my health, comfort, or what I figure must be best. His perspective is coming from an eternal one, not a temporal one. "He is God and I am not."
I will not doubt or be afraid because God is in total control. God will help me to be brave and strong in Him.
If God wasn’t going to use Her2 positive breast cancer, pain, and disappointment in my life, none of them would have happened. He is sovereign over all and absolutely trustworthy.
I will “taste” and see that He is good. Every day. ALWAYS and no matter what. He has pure joy, hope, and peace that passes understanding that has nothing to do with circumstance or emotions for all those who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 139:17-18
17 How precious are your thoughts about me,[a] O God.
They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!
Because of God, I do not have to live in a world of emotional yo-yos and roller coaster rides. I can snuggle up in His love and rest and trust.
God invites me to check out all His promises that He has made to His children, test them out for myself, put my full weight on them, see that they are true because they ARE true.. God never lies. He is never mistaken. He is always faithful. Even though I fail and am not always faithful, I can count on Him 100% always.
My hope in Christ is the sure and steadfast anchor of my soul. It is firm, secure, and I can count on God NEVER to fail me, NEVER to leave me, NEVER to forsake me.
God still is in control when things aren’t going the way I think I want them to be going. His timing is different than mine and His timing is always on time.
I will choose to lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with ALL my heart and mind and not rely on my own insight or understanding. In all my ways I will know, recognize, and acknowledge Him and He will direct and make straight and plain all my paths.
“The same everlasting Father
Who cares for you today will take care of you
tomorrow and every day.
Either He will shield you from suffering,
or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace then and put aside
all anxious thoughts and imaginings.”