Trust God and take action

There is a time to be cautious and a time to throw caution to the wind. And it takes discernment to know the difference. If you’re waiting for perfect conditions before seizing an opportunity, you will be hesitating until you die. The Bible says, “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.” More often than not, the only thing between you and the fulfillment of your dream is an excuse: “I’m too busy… I don’t have enough money… I’m unqualified… I’m not ready yet… I have lots of problems.”

News flash: No one is ever ready. Immediately before Christ’s first miracle, he shows a hint of hesitation: “My time has not yet come” (John 2:4 NLT). But Jesus had a mother who loved Him enough to persuade Him.

In his book Jump In!, Mark Burnett writes about his path to TV-producer prominence. Burnett created hit shows like Survivor and The Apprentice. He writes: “Nothing will ever be… perfect, and nothing can be totally planned. The best you can hope for is to be about half certain of your plan and know that you and the team you’ve assembled are willing to work hard enough to overcome the inevitable problems as they arrive.” Note the words “the best you can hope for is to be about half certain.” That’s a pretty good paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 11.

So, don’t “observe the wind,” and don’t “regard the clouds.” After you have prayed and prepared, it’s time to trust God and take action.

Soul food: Est 5-10; John 21:1-25; Ps 18:1-29; Prov 26:24-27

Knowing who to trust

In Scripture, we are commanded to love everyone, not trust everyone. Jesus is our example in this. “Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did… many began to trust in him. But Jesus didn’t trust them, because… he knew human nature… what mankind is really like” (vv. 23-25 NLT). These words were not spoken concerning the crowd that followed Jesus but those who claimed to be His disciples. While Jesus gave Himself to them relationally and lived life with them, He knew that they were not perfect. He understood human nature, and He did not trust Himself to them in an unbalanced way.

When you place in people the trust that should only be placed in God, you set yourself up for disappointment. We can only go so far in any human relationship; beyond that, we will likely be hurt. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that some people will never hurt us, only to be disappointed when they don’t live up to those standards. There are basically two types of people. The first are users. As long as your interests line up with theirs, they are trustworthy. The second are true friends. “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17 NKJV).

But because of human weakness, even true friends will let you down. So here are two good rules to live by: (1) When it comes to people, “trust but verify.” (2) When it comes to God, “trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV).

Soul food: Gen 40-41; John 18:1-18; Ps 147:12-20; Ecc 4:9-12

The river of God

Moses’ mother put him in a basket, placed it in the river Nile, and the tide carried him to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him and made him part of Pharaoh’s family. His next forty years would be spent preparing him for one of the greatest assignments of all time: the exodus. There is a lesson here. The river took him from a place of hopelessness and despair to a place where all things became possible. And God can do that for you too.

(1) The river of His grace can blot out your sins, clothe you in the righteousness of Christ, and bring you into a new relationship with God.
(2) The river of His power can carry you from the place of defeat to the place of victory.
(3) The river of His wisdom can carry you from the place of mistakes and confusion to the place of vision and success.
(4) The river of His provision can take you from the place of lack to the place of abundance.

This may mean God will have to disconnect you from those who tear you down because they don’t understand what He has called you to do and connect you with a new circle of friends. Or place you in a church that can build you up spiritually and help equip you to fulfill God’s plan for your life. As a slave, Moses’ mother couldn’t have introduced him to Pharaoh’s daughter. But God could. And He did. And what God did for Moses, He will do for you if you seek Him in prayer and follow His instructions.

Soul food: Gen 32-34; John 16:1-18; Ps 130; Prov 31:28-31

When you’re not certain, trust God

Close your eyes and try walking without sight, and you will get an idea of what it means to walk by faith. Faith in what? The unchanging character of God, goodness of God, love of God, and truth that He always has your best interests at heart. With God, information is given on a need-to-know basis. And God determines who needs to know what and when. Here is an example of this: The early church needs to decide if God is calling them to include Gentiles. After much prayer, they send out this letter: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” (Acts 15:28 NIV).

Really? Seemed good? The future of the entire human race is at stake, and the best you can do is “it seemed…?” Yet the church leaders were quite comfortable sending out this letter. Apparently, God’s will for His people was that they should not be told precisely what His will was, or at least not all the details. Presumably, He knew they would grow more if they had to think and discuss and hash it out rather than get a memo. Evidently, they didn’t require certainty. They were happy to settle for heartfelt obedience.

When Paul says we “walk” by faith, he is referring to the slowest form of transportation known to man. He is also referring to a process that happens one step at a time. God has the satellite view; He sees your entire journey from beginning to end and plans each step. And He says, “Do what I have given you to do, and when you have done it, I will show you what I want you to do next.”

Soul food: Neh 1-4; Luke 21:12-24; Ps 78:17-31; Prov 23:26-28

Your harvest is on the way

Have you sown a “seed” of faith, and now you’re wondering when you will reap the “harvest” God promised in His Word? If so, read on: “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come” (vv. 26-29 NKJV).

Before you reap the harvest of blessing God promised, you go through certain stages. First there is the “not knowing” stage. Your seed is buried in the ground. How and when your harvest comes is entirely up to God. But you must believe that it will happen. Next comes the “blade” stage. It’s just a tiny blade blowing in the breeze, but it’s enough to encourage you and let you know your harvest is on the way. Next comes the “head” stage. The seed has started to sprout and look like what you prayed for. This is when you must water it with prayer, fertilize it with God’s Word, and protect it from anything or anyone that would uproot it through doubt and unbelief. Finally you enter the “full grain” stage, when the grain ripens and you immediately reap a harvest.

Whatever stage you’re in today, stand fast and keep trusting God. Your harvest is on the way.

Soul food: Gal 5:22; Luke 2:8-20; Prov 3:13-18; Ps 119:161-168