Trust

• Printable Version - Share on Facebook - Posted by Jeffrey Smith January 23, 2016 - Filed in Devotional - #Devotional  #Christian Devotional  #  #  - 2,006 views

  Jeremiah 40:18-I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.
  Matthew 11:28-come to me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest

  If you have ever been betrayed in the world, trust is a tough concept. Those betrayals really hurt and they can leave scars for years. We have all heard that we must trust God, but for some of us, trusting is not as easy as it sounds. We have been battered, opened ourselves up over and over to just continue to be let down. Our experiences can shape and mold who we let in, who we allow to see the vulnerable places in our hearts.
  What I have learned is to shift my expectations from the natural into the super natural. You see we can often mix up who is trustworthy and who is not. Being so guarded and without trust can leave us empty and missing out on opportunities to grow and to experience all that God has for us in this life. The risk is getting hurt. The result is a desire in getting justice against those who have hurt us in the past. We can feel very alone, as if nobody truly understands what we are going through. That is a really lonely place, thinking that nobody knows what our pain is like, because we don't trust them enough to tell them. That is a horrible cycle. We can find ourselves seeking ways to withdraw or escape. We are told that doctors and medication is trustworthy, yet those things don't fill that void, and the next thing to reach for can be destructive behavior like excessive alcohol, poor financial decisions, and stress related health issues. That turns into being trapped in ourselves like a jail sentence, and then the enemy has us confined, contained, and snuffing out the light of Jesus in us.
  The truth is, that if you can relate to this, then stop where you are. I encourage you to shift your trust from the natural and place all of your chips on God. Trust in Him fully leaving nothing out. Burn the bridge of doubt once you cross over to Him. He is trustworthy and loves you no matter what you have done in the past. His hand is outstretched in total desire to see you free!
  We have to remember that Jesus was betrayed by one of His inner circle, someone He let in. We are aligned with a savior who can absolutely relate. He has been betrayed, and He paid the price of being beaten, spit on, humiliation, and death in the most heinous way in exchange for a measly thirty pieces of silver. Sold out for something that He could have pulled out of the mouth of a fish!
  There are so many people who have felt that what they're experiencing is unique to them. The lie of the enemy is to make you feel singled out, and cursed. He wants you to believe that God forgot about you, and hates you. That is simply not remotely the case. I am living proof!
  When Jesus set me free of the prison of fear and anxiety, I no longer carried any doubt. Psalm 34:8 Taste and see the Lord is good! Don't get stuck in the same cycle over and over. Let go of past hurts, pain, fear, and trust fully in Jesus. I can’t promise that you won’t have challenges in life, but I do know that since I traded my trust in this world for the love of Jesus, I have never looked back, and in fact, the pain I used to feel is not a daily thought. I don't even look back at all except in the times that I see others suffering in silence. Jesus reminds me of where I came from in the hope that what I experienced will be an example for others who are where I was so many years ago. If you can relate, I was there, I am empathetic to you, and an example of the transformation power of Jesus. Make the leap, and like in Jeremiah, when things look bad in the natural you will have no fear, because we trust in the only one who is truly trustworthy.