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Trust

photo with scripture by craftycreations81

Trust: (noun)

firm belief or confidence in the honesty, integrity, reliability, justice, etc. of another person or thing; faith;
reliance the person or thing trusted
confident expectation, anticipation, or hope: to have trust in the future

Above is the dictionary definition for the word trust. When my son was in Boy Scouts they put it quite simply by giving the example of turning on a light switch. You did not doubt the light would turn on, you expected it to and you had confidence as you flipped it up. My faith I think is very much the same as that childlike faith towards a light switch. I turn to God and I expect He is there. Even in my most stressful times, I don't doubt my God is always there for me.

My biggest problem is the everyday. The Sunday Scripture post (4/10/11) by Melanie (Beads-N-Style) stated the same thing just in a different way. (I hope to carry the thought a little further in this post.) There are days that work gets so stressful, I want to just numb my mind by playing a computer game. I realize it is a time waster but do it anyway. I don't want to think at that time nor talk. (I talk more than enough at work.) I want to "veg out".

I don't believe there is anything inherently wrong in that as long as it is in moderation. (When it becomes all consuming I think then there is a problem.) Most of us have some type of time waster (for some it is TV) we engage in that has no real constructive value nor does it glorify the Lord. The problem I have with it is that it blocks my thoughts from dwelling on the blessings God has given me and/or it blocks my trusting in Him to relax my mind.

My question to myself is: if I have total trust that God handles the big things in life why would I not have it for Him to take care of the little things? I honestly feel that most of the time I do trust BUT also I find myself wanting to be in control and force outcomes to be the way I think they should be. Even in prayer I may give God my account of how I think the outcome should be. For example I may pray "God please let them get that house they want" as opposed to praying "Lord, please direct them to the house of Your choice and give them discernment to know it when they see it."

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding
Prov 3:5

When I start trying to take control, I am leaning on my own understanding. But God tells me not to do that. He tells me to trust with all my heart. What God has been laying on my heart lately is to totally lean on Him for each part of my day. That is why I need to be so careful about how much time I spend on my mind numbing, time wasting activity because whenever my mind is not engaged, it is then not engaged on my Lord. When my mind is not engaged on my Lord, it is not trusting and I begin to take control. When I take control, I decide the direction I want to go. When I decide the direction I want to go, I am wandering aimlessly because I do not know what is behind the next bend.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight
Proverbs 3:5-6

When I trust in the Lord, submit to His ways, allow Him to direct my path... I know I am safe because He knows what is behind every bend in the road.

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The joy of being part of our CAST Team is the encouragement we all receive from each other whether it be in the Word of God or our variety of creativity we display in our shops. Please check out these wonderful CASTers and give their shops some love!

Canvas signs by SignsByDebbieHess

Necklace by ornatetreasures

Mini wall hanging by PrimitiveQuilting

Collage painting by NotionsofFancy

Personalized wall rack by auntjjsattic

Crochet hat by cynsknitcrochet

10:30 PM | Category: Monday devotional, path, pfdoriginalartworks, Phyllis Ducey, scripture, trust | 12 comments

Can't Help but Love the Best Seller!

by Phyllis Ducey
pfdoriginalartworks

Scripture photo by loveverb

From the best sources in the American Bible Society Archives,
the Scripture distribution for 1816 - 2000
(American Bible Society and United Bible Societies combined)
is as follows:

Bibles - 159,932,052

Testaments, Portions & Selections - 5,981,374,753

TOTAL - 6,141,306,805

The all time best seller in history still appears to be the Christian Bible! They (those who research such things-such as Russel Ash) won't totally commit to that statement because they do not have records of sales of books all the way back in history but as far as they could figure the Bible has been the all time best seller. The numbers quoted above are from 2000... can you imagine what it would be today?

I have been asked how can I believe in a book that is 2,000 plus years old. Does it not contradict itself? People have written more books than I can count on that subject and I certainly am not capable of answering it in terms that are theological or philosophical in nature to satisfy the many pundits of the world. I can only answer that question from my own experience. The words written over 2,000 years ago are as alive and real to me today as they were when they were first penned.

As I stated above I cannot give the theological and philosophical explanations but I do know God does not contradict Himself. I sometimes kindly suggest that they read it from cover to cover then ask me the question. How can they judge something they have not read? That usually stops their questions because they have no intention of reading it. The bible was written by 40 different people but only one author and that is God, Himself.

Have you ever tried walking in a wooded area in the dark with a flashlight? The woods are full of fallen branches, dips, hills, rocks and briers as well as surprise droppings from deer and the like. The few night walks in the woods I have experienced, I always was tempted to flash my light all around me to see the surroundings or to catch a glimpse of what created an eerie noise. When I did, I tripped or stumbled, twisted my ankle or stepped in something that grossed me out. In order to navigate the woods, I needed that flashlight to shine on the path and focus on where my feet were going. Since my flashlights were not flood lights, I could only see a few steps at a time. But for safe traveling that was all I really needed.

That is how God's word is, just like this verse:

"Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path"

Simple as that. Like a flashlight shining on our feet in the dark to light the path. Our focus should be on the steps God is leading us. When we stop focusing on His Word and look all around it can cause us to stumble. What I love about this verse is that it does not say that His word is a flood light, but a lamp which only shows a few steps at a time. God knows our past, present and future. He also knows how much we can comprehend or handle at any given time. He does not choose to overwhelm us but only lights the part of each path that we need at that moment.

The other aspect of this verse that makes it so valuable to me is that it reminds me of the importance of His Word. When we commit His Word to memory, dwell on it and make it a part of who we are, we are able to use it as our counsel in order to make decisions. God gives us choices not all have a right or wrong to them but His Word can guide us in the principles that we should follow.

"Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night."

Psalm 1:1,2

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