A Book for All My Daughters

No, no new letter yet.  But I have something just as good!  Last fall I was asked to contribute to a book about childbearing years.  The authors all have two things in common.  They have all given birth throughout their childbearing years.  Some had many children (like me) and some had only a few, with long time spans between having babies.  The second thing they all have in common is that they are women of faith.  Faith in the God of the Bible, and they each recognize that He is the author and creator of life, and that God uses our childbearing years to create us to be Christlike.

Relinquishing control (or perceived control) of our bodies to the creative work of pregnancy and childbirth has many correlations to the walk of a believer.  We have to take a back seat in order to really see the glory of what Christ is doing in us.  If we fight against God and choose to give in to our natural desire to control our lives in any way, then we are not allowing God to be Lord of our lives, and we will suffer for it.  If in no other way, we suffer from stress.  Because we are not God, we are not created with the ability to control most things, so when we try, we are putting stress into our lives.

Anyway, all that to say that this book is a great collection of stories.  Stories of faith and trust.  Stories of learning to recognize God's hand even in times of difficulty.  Stories of triumph and stories of intense heartache.  I wish all women of faith could read this book and learn of these women who have, in so many ways, "Been There, Done That."

Three Decades of Fertility was released in paperback and E-book on July 29!  You can use the link near the top of the right side bar for ordering (I will get a commission on your order so thanks in advance for ordering using my link!  With two trips to an Eastern European to rescue Priscilla, I'm sure any extra income will come in handy!).

But without further ado, please watch the trailer below, and click on the image in my side bar to read more about this book, and get a sneak peak at some of the stories, as well as other parts, of the book!

Stewardship

My Daughters,

I want to share my heart with you about living simply...being content in whatever financial situation God has place you in.

I would love to be given the trial of riches, but so far my Lord has not seen fit to send me this trial!  I say that to be funny, but in many ways it is true.  I can be so easily tempted to desire for more than I have been given.  It's so easy to worry about tomorrow and how we will pay the bills and make ends meet.  I am slowly learning that this is not what God wants me to be doing.  He wants me to trust in Him, in His provision for me.  I need to remind myself so often that He knows what is best for me and my family.  If this means poverty, then so be it.  If this means riches, then I hope that I will be a good steward of all He blesses us with.  We seem to always be somewhere in the middle.

Money, finances and stewardship are talked about in scripture a lot:
Proverbs warns three times against being surety for another person (6:1, 11:15, 17:18) as well as warning against borrowing (Prov 22:7 "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender").
Jesus told the parable of the talents (Matt 25:14 - 30) .   Jesus also told a parable about the man who hoarded his wealth, storing it up in barns, yet he died before he could enjoy his wealth (Luke 12:17 - 12).
Paul stated emphatically in Romans 13:8 "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law."
Paul also admonished Timothy of the potential evils of loving money in I Timothy 6:10 - " For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
Jesus said in Matt 25:29, "For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. "

First and foremost, I want to share with you about tithing.  God required the Israelite tithe 10% of everything.  Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:7 that God loves a cheerful giver.  Out of thanks in our hearts for all the God has provided for us, we should give back to God from our "first fruits". Give to God (via your church of Christian ministries) first from your income, then pay your bills, and live/save from what is left.Next, let's talk about debt.  Going into debt to purchase something is really showing a lack of trusting in God.  I know that sounds extreme, but I believe it to be true.  If God had wanted you to get that item, He would have provided the resources for obtaining it without incurring debt.  Being content with what He has provided can be a very hard thing to do, but it is so important.  If there's something you need/want but don't have the funds to purchase, pray about it.  Pray that God would provide the means to get that item, or that He would cause you to be content without it.

The one possible exception to this rule is that of housing.  Owning a home is nearly impossible today without borrowing money, but some have been able to do it.  I recommend looking at other ways to acquire a home without borrowing money, or borrowing as little as possible.  Living in a low rent home while saving up the money for land, and then building using cash would be the ideal.  You could even live on the land saving the money that would be spent on rent.  This can be a very real sacrifice and can make the day to day living difficult at best, but I have known of people who have done this successfully.  I have also known of people who have purchased a home that was in need of lots of fixing up, so the cost of purchasing was low, requiring little or no borrowing of money.  Then they fix it up and sell it for a substantial profit once it is in great shape, and then they do it all over again, with a larger/better home.   That way they work their way up into a beautiful home that meets the needs of their family.  This takes a lot of hard work, but can be very rewarding. Living below your means, whenever possible is the ideal. 


 Keeping your living expenses below your income will keep you out of financial troubles.  If you can save a portion of each paycheck, then you won't be caught when large expenses, unforeseen, show up.  This can also prevent you from being tempted to borrow to purchase, as why would you borrow money if you have money saved up?
Keeping your living expenses low can be something you work at everyday - turning out lights when you leave a room, turning down the thermostat, making things from scratch instead of buying them store-bought (like bread, cookies, ice cream, pizza),  staying home more/combining trips to lower fuel consumption, using cloth diapers, feminine pads, washcloths and napkins instead of disposables diapers, pads, paper towels (reduces waste too!), use natural and alternative medicines when appropriate to save on the cost of doctor visits, shop once or twice a month instead of every week, do without instead of making a special trip to the store for a missing ingredient, give up luxuries like eating out, espresso drinks and pedicures...look through your bank ledger and see where you are spending your money and be creative in trying to reduce all expenses. Make it fun - see how little you can live on, recording milestones like "our power bill just hit a new low record"!

Budgeting can sound like a bad thing, having to stay within your budget can be a downer if you don't have the right attitude.  But a budget can be a powerful tool!  I highly recommend using a computer software program like Quicken to keep your bookkeeping.  There are many functions in the program for you to use to track your spending.  I also recommend that you keep it up to date as much as possible - recording your expenses at least weekly.  This can also help you plan for bills and recurring expenses, and allow you to project your income and expenses for the next week.

After tithing and monthly bills like rent/mortgage payments, power/gas, water, garbage have been paid, what's left is called discretionary spending. Discretionary money needs to be allotted for items like savings, food, clothing, household items, fuel/licensing for vehicles and such.  Saving up money can be challenging at times, but if you make it a priority it will be such a blessing.  I'd suggest you have an account set up that will automatically put a certain amount of money into your savings account every payday.  Or use cash every week for shopping and put any left over money into savings (we never seem to have anything left over so that doesn't work for us).

When it comes to clothing, you can save so much when you get creative!  I suggest that you never buy new unless you have tried everything else first!  I also suggest that you make use of your local consignment store.  Turn in clothes/toys that you don't use anymore, and use the credit to purchase what you need there, or take the credit out in cash and use it to shop elsewhere.  Be picky about what consignment shop you use, as some of them are not reputable and may close their doors, take your stuff and cancel your credit (this happened to me once!).  You can also store clothing that you are not using now, but might again someday.  If you're a mom, then save the out-grown clothes that are in good condition to pass down to your younger children.  When you need something, shop at the consignment shop where you have credit first, then go to the second hand stores like Goodwill or Salvation Army.  You can also make use of garage sales, but they can be hit and miss as far as finding the right clothes needed, plus you might lose some of the savings if you use a lot of gas to go running around to the sales.  When we went to garage-sales frequently, we'd check the ads and make a map of what sale we plan to go to, making the least amount of running around.  This saved time and money! One other way to save if you can't find what you need second hand, is to go to the discount stored like TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning or Ross where they have close out items marked way down, but sometimes it can take a lot of time to find what you need there.   You can also get household items there as well, but go with caution as this can be a place of great temptation to impulse shop - purchasing something just because it's such a great price, but it's not what you were shopping for!

Another expense that can get out of hand quickly is groceries.  I've heard that some people stop at the grocery store every evening to purchase what they need for dinner and the next days meals, or they eat out for every meal!  Crazy!  The best way to handle aquiring the needed food for you/your family is to plan ahead!  Never enter a grocery store without a list and/or hungry, you will purchase items you don't need and waste your hard earned/saved money!  Set aside one day a week to plan your menu (I do this the same day I do the bookkeeping), using your local grocery store ads/coupons and big store coupons to help you decide what you will have for meals. I have found it very helpful to have a list of the items I usually purchase at different stores and list the usual price. This helps with budgeting and I can also use it as a reference to find out if the grocery store "special price" is truly a savings over the regular price at the big stores like Walmart and Costco. I'd also recommend that you keep an inventory of what you already have, update that weekly, and try to make use of what you already have when you create your menu.  I hope to install a dry erase board on the door to our garage to have an inventory in sight of the items in the garage fridge and freezer to help with this.  It might also include a list of what's in the pantry too.  


Once you are ready, put together your menu for the length of time between shopping trips, using your inventory and good deals to help come up with ideas for the meals.  If you have an inventory item or great deal on something you are not sure how to use, go to the internet and search for recipes that use that ingredient - we did this recently and found a wonderful bean soup recipe - Pinterest is great for this!  I like to include all meals in our menu, plus a list of snacks as well.  Then you create your shopping list from your menu, making use of the sales/coupons that you have found.  If you live far from the big stores like Costco and Walmart/Target, you might want to budget in such a way that you can make a big shopping trip once a month, or twice a month, and get only perishables at the local grocery store in between.  This can save a lot of time and money, but it takes a lot of planning to have enough cash on hand to purchase so much at once!  We also keep a running list on our dry erase board of thing we notice we need (especially staples like flour, salt, sugar or things like toilet paper that we don't purchase regularly), and use that to help us get everything we need each week, hopefully eliminating extra trips to the store in between shopping days.

Once you have your menu created, it's time to compile your shopping list.  I like to use a computer spread sheet (Open Office is a great, free resource for this) for this using one column for the item name and the next column for it's approximate cost.  This way I can program it to come up with the totals for each store for me and it makes for easy editing if the list goes over budget.  I like to put my list for each store in the order that I usually shop - for example, putting the produce/dairy/dry goods all together and in the order I go through that particular store as this helps prevent missing an item or having to spend more time and energy to go back through the store for an item I missed.  I often make up my lists by hand (not on the computer), but I usually end up writing it twice or it's quite a mess by the time I'm done due to edits or adding items missed on the first run through.  When I think I'm finished with my list, I read through my menu again to be sure I have all the items needed for the meals, and take a quick look at our staples to try to make sure we have everything on the list that we need.  Then it's time to see if the shopping list is within our budget.  If it isn't it's time to get creative.  You can reduce your grocery list to meet your budget by changing the meals selected to lower cost meals, removing items that are not truly necessary, purchasing smaller amounts (like getting a smaller pack of toilet paper from the grocery store instead of the huge pack at Costco).  If your list is on the small side, consider just going to the local grocery store and then you can use what you save on gas for more food items (this works better if you live a ways from the big stores).

One way we have recently found to add to our available food, especially produce, is to join a gleaners group.  We go there 1 - 2 times a week and come home with at least a box full of produce/breads for less than $15/mo!  It takes a little time and effort, but it's well worth it as produce and breads can break you budget faster than anything (besides meat)!  You can also find out where to glean in farmer's fields throughout the summer months.And then there is preserving of food.  This is a great way to provide for your family!  Purchasing produce and meats in bulk when the price is good/it is in season and then preserving it for future use is a great way to reduce your costs, especially if you can grow/raise it yourself or glean from farmer's fields!  Canning, freezing and dehydrating are just some of the options for putting food up for later.  If you haven't learned how to do these, or don't have the equipment, find someone who does and learn from them/borrow their equipmenc (or learn via the internet/Youtube videos) and work toward being able to do it on your own - it's well worth the investment of time and energy!

One last category of living expenses I'd like to talk about is that of vehicles - cars, trucks, recreational vehicles.  I highly recommend purchasing your cars used and do not owe anything on them.  You'll pay far less in car maintenance and repair than you would ever pay in car payments with interest.  Also, by owning your vehicles outright, you are not required to have comprehensive car insurance on your cars and this lowers your insurance expense more than you can imagine.  Due to the high price of gas, think twice before leaving the house, and try to use the most efficient car for errands whenever possible.  I would recommend never purchasing a new car, or even a newer used car.  Shop around, get a mechanic to look over a car you are interested in, and l Learn to do some of the repairs/maintenance yourself - oil changes, for example, can be done yourself and save a lot through the years, and find a local, reliable auto mechanic for the big jobs..  Shop around for the best deal in auto insurance if you are required to have that.  I suggest that older children don't get a driver's license until they can afford to pay for their auto insurance so that they learn that responsibility goes with the privilege of driving.


There is one gift from God that we can all too easily take for granted and squander needlessly - Time.  Many times in scripture God tells us that our time on this earth has been set by Him - we can not add to it, and no one can snatch us from His hand - no death is early as God is in control of our time.  Living in fear of sudden death is unbiblical, but living like you'll live forever is too.  Each day is precious, every hour priceless.  No one knows how many days have been allotted for that lifetime - some live only a few hours/days/months, others live a hundred years or more.  Live like everyday might be your last, because it just might be.  Don't squander your time on fruitless activities (movies, video games to name a few) but try to make every moment count for your gain and His glory.  Invest in the people in your lives, invest in the pursuit of godliness.  I'm not saying that recreation is evil, and that you can't ever watch a movie, but be careful in the choices you make.  Start every day asking God for wisdom to use your time wisely.  Try to plan your day by making a list of things that need to be done, but also be willing to be interrupted, as God quite often will interrupt our day to bring blessings (like a little child wanting to go for a walk or a friend calling to get together), but if we are so set on our plan for the day we might miss out on a blessing.

Now I'd like to talk about stewardship for what God has already blessed you with.  It's so easy to take for granted what you already have - your home, your vehicles, your furniture, your clothing, your food, your equipment, your time and your health.  All of these are blessings from your Father in heaven and they each need to be cared for in order to preserve them and make the most out of them.  Repair things when they are broken, mend clothing when they are torn, eat left overs before they rot, properly clean and care for your kitchen appliances, and use your time wisely. Exercise, take vitamins, get proper sleep and eat healthy to preserve your health.  Thank God for His provision and show your thankfulness for taking good care of what He has given you to show yourself faithful and He will reward your faithfulness.

 I saved this for last, but it really should be first.  If you have a need, pray about it!  So often we worry and fret over our budgets and things that we seem to need.  Listen to what Jesus told us in Matthew 6:

"Do not be worried about your life,
as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.
Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?   Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today
 and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace,
will He not much more clothe you?
 You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying,
‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

When you are in need of something, turn to the One who ones the cattle on a thousand hills and ask Him to provide for you.  Look for His provision, recognize it when it comes and take time to thank Him for it.  But also remember that He might deem it best for you to do without, or wait for a time.  This is when you must learn to be content, as Paul tells us in Philippians 4:

"...for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
I know how to get along with humble means,
 and I also know how to live in prosperity;
 in any and every circumstance I have learned
 the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need."

Be creative, make do, stretch your resources, care for what you already have and learn to be content.  Ask God daily for wisdom, self control and a spirit of contentment.  Those are the keys to learning to be a good steward.  I hope and pray that when you and I stand before my Lord and Savior that we will hear these blessed words:

"Well done, good and faithful servant. 

You have been faithful over a little; 

I will set you over much. 

Enter into the joy of your master."

 (Matt 25:21)

You have been faithful over a little;

I will set you over much.

Enter into the joy of your master."

 (Matt 25:21)

All My Love,

Mom

Trusting God - Dealing with Fear and Worry

My Daughters,


Trusting God may be one of the most important thing to do as a Christian. It begins when you trust Him for your salvation.  Trust is tied to belief - if you don't believe someone, you don't trust them.  Trust is like the second step we take as baby Christians.  First we believe that the Bible is true and the it is the Word of God, and then we trust that God will fulfill His promise to save us if we confess our sins and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died to pay for our sins.  That is the first step of faith/trust that we take as a new believer.  But that is not the only step of faith that we need to take.


Once we have taken those first steps of faith and trust, we need to keep on walking by faith and trusting in God's promises!  Many people "pray the prayer" and figure they have their ticket to heaven and they are good to go - back to living life the way they want to and only thinking about or praying to God when they get into a situation they can't fix - like God is some kind of first aid kit, or supernatural fix-all.  But that is just not how it works.  I believe that there will be many who come before God as they enter eternity and find that their "ticket" is not valid!  Heaven is not a carnival and God is not a ticket taker - He is our loving creator and wants to have a vital relationship with us - one based on daily trust and faith.


But what does trust and faith have to do with fear and worry?  EVERYTHING!


I have said on more than one occasion that where there is faith, there is the absence of fear, and where there is fear, there is the absence of faith - it's a sliding scale - as fear grows, faith fails...as faith grows, fear flees!  I have learned this the hard way - there have been time when I was living in fear, debilitating fear, but God was faithful to me and taught me that I needed to believe in His promises and trust Him for everything.  I still battle this at times, but I try to turn fearful thoughts into prayers for increased trust and faith in God's loving sovereignty.


But you shouldn't take my word for it - let's see what God says in His word about worry and fear (fear leads to worry - when we worry, we are fearful - they go hand in hand).   We will also see what the Bible has to say about trusting in God and believing His promises.


Here is a sampling of verses I found that talk about fear - the majority of verses that came up on my search talked about fearing the Lord, or not fearing Him and the blessings or consequences of that, so I found it interesting what this first verse says about who/what you should fear!


*Deut 6:13  You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.
Deut 31:8 The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 46:1-3 1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 
3 Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. 
Wow - I think I'd be tending to being fearful if all that was going on!
Prov 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.
Isaiah 41:13 For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, 
Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’
Luke 12: 6-7 Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.


After reading all those verses, it's very clear that God does not want us to be fearful of anything - except that we are to fear Him.  Let me clarify what is meant to "Fear the Lord."  This does not mean that we live in fear of what God will do to us, like He's some cosmic bad guy out to make our lives miserable.  This type of fear  is more like standing in awe of Him - believing that He is omnipotent, sovereign, and omnipresent.  Those are big words that mean that He knows everything that has, is and will happen, that He is in control of everything and that He is present everywhere, all the time.  If you take time to think about all the God is and all the He does, and then think that God loves you personally and that He is intimately involved in your life even to the point of caring about the small details and daily struggles you are dealing with, it creates a sense of overwhelming appreciation, and a sense that God is even better, bigger and grander than our human mind can comprehend.  Kind of like the little boy on the trike in the movie "The Incredibles", where he seems to always be waiting around for "something amazing" to happen, and then we see what God has done or is doing and our reaction is, just like that little boy, "That was TOTALLY awesome."


Now let's take a look at what Jesus said about worry - and I think worry is definitely tied to fear - when we fear something, we begin to worry about it, right?  Just like Faith leads to Trust, Fear leads to Worry!


Matt 6:30-32 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.


Luke 12:22-31 And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 25 And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? 26 If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.


Clearly we can see from these two passages that God is aware of our needs and that He will provide for our needs, and that we are not to worry about them at all.  Now please note, this is talking about our NEEDS, not our wants.  God promises to meet our needs of clothing and food.  Most of us are expecting God to meet our wants, things we don't really need, but make our life easier, more pleasant.  God may provide for our wants, but He only promises to meet our needs!  


The Bible teaches us over and over that God is our provider - read some of the stories about the never-ending flour and oil for the widow, shoes that don't wear out as well as manna and birds for the Israelites to eat while they were in the wilderness,  Jesus feeding thousands at a time, and so many other stories of God's amazing providence for His people!  God still provides for His people - it might not be an overabundance, but you will have what you need when you need it.  Worrying accomplishes nothing.  Worrying can cause problems though - stress to our minds and bodies - high blood pressure, ulcers, depression, psychological disorders and more can be the result of worrying over things that we have no control over!  


Another less obvious result of worrying about the future is the lack of thankfulness!  When we are consumed with worry about how we are going to get what we perceive we need, we fail to appreciate what we have already received!  One cure for worry is to take time to count your blessings when you find yourself worrying about anything in your  life. Especially take time to remember times when God has met your needs in the past and thanking Him for His providence.  If you are constantly looking for things to be thankful for, you will have not time or opportunity to worry about what you are missing!  It can also be helpful to take time to look up and memorize passages of scripture, like those above, that tell of God's promises, storing them up in  your heart and mind!


So we can see from scripture that we are not to be fearful or worry about anything.  But can we do this on our own?  Of course not!  What do we need in order to avoid being fearful or worrying?  We need to believe God, ask Him to supply our needs and trust Him to do it.  


Let's take a little time to see what the Bible says about trusting in God:


Psalm 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Psalm 32:10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him.
Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
Psalm 56:3 - 4 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. 4 In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?
Psalm 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. 
Psalm 91:1 - 3 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 
2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!” 
3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence.
Psalm 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.
(That is my personal favorite!)
Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.
Isaiah 26:3 The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.
Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD.
Daniel 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.
Daniel 6:23 Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
Phil 1:12 - 14 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.


Did you notice that many times men trusted in God even when imprisoned and facing probable death!


That is a lot said about trusting in God - and there were many others I didn't include!  I believe that when God talks a lot about something in the Bible, it is very important to Him!  Trusting in God is not something that comes naturally - it is learned!  It is based on a foundation of faith in God - believing that He is who He says He is, and that the Bible is His word, and that He will do what He says He will do.  Once you have you faith in God, you have the foundation necessary to develop trust.


I refer to developing trust because that's just how it works, unless God miraculously instills trust in your heart!  When we are in a relationship with another person, we will not share our deepest needs, biggest fears or personal struggles with that person - we will need to get to know them better.  We build up trust in someone through the events in life - are they trustworthy?  Do they keep your confidence or do they blab what you have told them to everyone?  When you ask them to do something, do they follow through or forget that they promised to help you?  When they say they are going to give you something, do they follow through?  The same is true of our relationship with God, except that we can see His track record through scripture!


The first thing to begin to build trust in God is to read His word, paying attention to how He cared for His people and provided for them!  Watching how He always fulfilled His promises and always did what He said He would do!  


The next way to build trust is God is to watch for His hand in the events in your life - even the little ones, even in things that you didn't ask Him for!  God knows our needs and loves to provide for them even when we don't realize we need them until they are provided.  For example, recently I had some shopping to do, but being over 6 months pregnant and 48 years old, I was getting tired and knew that I was limited in what I could accomplish that day.  I didn't stop and think about this, but noticed that day that I always got parking places very close to the doors of the stores I had to go in, and that the lines I got in for checking out were far shorter than any others in the store!  God knew what I needed that day, and provided for me even though I didn't even think to ask for it!  If we are looking for how God provides for our needs throughout the day, we will begin to grow in our trust, and then when the big things happen in life that can shake us to our core, we can trust God even then!


We also build our trust in God by actively placing out trust in Him.  Trusting in God and not being fearful or worrying is a choice.  Our natural, sinful nature will always have a knee-jerk reaction to trials of becoming fearful and worrying about anything and everything.  But we need to develop a habit of making the choice to place our trust in God and keeping it there.  Sometimes, when things are especially difficult, I have found myself stating for myself what I believe - "God is Good, in everything and in every way!"**  "God loves me and cares for me and is doing this for my good and His glory."  "I WILL TRUST HIM"  In times like that I  try to remember what Job said after everything was taken from him, and nearly all his family was killed - "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (KJV).  Our hearts will follow our minds.  Even when you don't feel like God is doing this for your good, you must place your trust in Him and state what you know to be true!


I  also want to share with you the blessing of placing your trust in God, in any situations - peace.  God grants us peace when we place our trust in Him.  This peace can be an inner peace even in the midst of terrible suffering and turmoil.  Here are some of God's promises about His peace that He gives to His children:


John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.


John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”


And here's my favorite verse to remind me of what to do when I feel worry and fear creeping into my heart and mind, I try to quote these verses and place in His hands the concerns facing me:


Philippians 4:6 - 7  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


Now that's a promise you can hold onto - I have experienced this peace.  When our Esther was just 3 months old, we had to hand her over to the nurse to take her in to have open heart surgery.  I had prayed and prayed that God would keep Esther safe, but I had also prayed that God's perfect will would be done.  Handing her over was one of the most difficult things I have ever done as a mother.  I cried hard for a little while, and then my husband and I went to the waiting room.  I laid down on a couch and fell asleep!  God's perfect peace had come over me and enabled me to sleep!  I had hardly slept the night before, but I slept soundly for over an hour.  Only God can do something like that!  Soon we were back with Esther and she had started a nearly miraculous recovery from her surgery and has never had any heart issues since that time.  But even if God had willed things to turn  out differently, I know that He would have been there for me and would have been granting me peace as long as I was holding tight to the promises of God.


Have you ever noticed how many New Testament letters start or end with the phrase " Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." some variation of that?  Nearly all of them!  Sounds like having God's peace is something they valued - and well they should as they were experiencing some serious persecution!  But imprisonment and probably death could not rob those early Christians of the peace that God gave them - and there's nothing in this world that can rob you of God's peace unless you allow it to happen by letting fear and worry get a stronghold in your heart and mind! 


Lastly, I want to share with you something I have learned the hard way.  God gives grace for us in every situation He ordains in our lives, but He doesn't give grace for the "What Ifs".  When we take on tomorrow's worries, we are on our own.  Matthew 6:34 says “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  We rob our today's of joy by taking on tomorrow's worries.  And we go there without the grace God would/will give if/when the "what if" you are worrying about comes about. When you find yourself worrying about the "what ifs", ask the Lord to give you a peace about tomorrow, and then "take every thought captive" (II Cor 10:5).  When your tomorrow's come and they bring those things we are tempted to worry about tomorrow, you will be given the grace to endure, and a peace the passes understanding, but you will not be given those things ahead of time by worrying.


So whenever you find yourself being fearful or worrying about anything, stop and pray and place whatever it is that is bothering you in God's hands and watch to see God move in your life to grant you peace, provide for your needs and fulfill His promises in your life!


All my Love,


Mom


* I have used BibleGateway.com to do my scripture searches, and unless otherwise noted, all scripture is quoted in New American Standard version
**my friend, Debby Gustafson's favorite saying, even as she was dying from cancer