confidence | Revelations From The Road

Total Trust

October 26, 2008 by Bill Leave a Comment

Given October14, 2008

On day two of our recent trip to China to visit our son, we ventured out into the streets of Hong Kong with our tour-guide son to eat and see the sights. We had previously had his help in navigating the trip from the airport and we felt confident in his hands. As we hailed taxis, ordered meals, dealt with store clerks, and followed his lead in the city, I realized something profound. In that strange city and culture, my wife and I were almost totally dependent on our son to survive. We were definitely out of our comfort zone and we felt it.

A question came up inside me, “Could you depend on Me in this situation to get you through?” It floored me! I considered myself to be one who trusted God for everything but I had to answer, “I don’t know, Lord.” I realized I wasn’t as far up the trust ladder as I thought I was. I know God was with me, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5, but I just wasn’t ready to put my total trust on Him that day. Am I a bad person for that?

But then as I repented and asked forgiveness, I thanked God for providing my son to help us in this situation. Then it hit me; God sent His son to show us all how to survive in any situation and part of that was letting my boy fill in while we were here in China. What a great God! “Even when you’re old, I’ll take care of you. Even when your hair turns gray, I’ll support you. I made you and will continue to care for you. I’ll support you and save you.” Isaiah 46:4 (God’s Word Translation).

You know, in the United States, in our home towns, we are in our comfort zone and it’s easy to trust God. But sometimes, even here, we get in an uncomfortable place and God wants us to trust Him for deliverance. Being in China made me appreciate God’s love. I have moved up a rung on the trust ladder.

Unhook And Get Out

September 4, 2008 by Bill 1 Comment

Given September 3, 2008

My wife and I spent the holiday weekend at Riverside Campground and RV Park, a Christian campground in Sevierville Tennesse. It’s a great facility with owners who declare “To God be the glory.”. We love to spend time there.

As I was praying this morning for several sick people on my list, I thought of the campground and how no ungodly behavior is allowed there. Sickness comes in and sets up camp in our bodies when it doesn’t have any right to. It just comes in, hooks up to the power and water, gets out the lounge chair and makes itself at home. It doesn’t even pay the lot rent!

But…as the franchise owner of the campground, (God is the main boss and the campground is our body), we can say, “Not in my campground! Unhook and get out! Your kind is not allowed here.” “And when Jesus saw that a multitude came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I command thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And having cried out, and torn him much, he came out: Mark 9: 25-26“.

Now, it may take awhile for long term campers to pull up stakes and leave but we must stay after them. And they may try to come back later but if we stand on the authority of the boss, we can keep them out. “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. Luke 10:19“. Take your authority as park owners and kick the sickness, depression, confusion, poverty, and fear bums out!

Promises Of God

July 27, 2008 by Bill Leave a Comment

Given July 7, 2008

As we read the Bible, we see many statements made by God the Father and Jesus the Son pertaining to our lives. Some of them, we have no problem readily believing such as, “God is love.” 1 John 4:8 and we all know John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” But there are some promises that are a little harder to believe, ones where we might say, “Yeah, I know it says that, but….”. In the next several weeks, I will be examining some of the Promises of God, what they mean to us, and hopefully be enlightened to 2 Corinthians 1:20 which says, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”

The first promise we will look at is a foundation of all others: “I am the Lord, and I do not change. Malachi 3:6”. The way God was in the beginning, the things He said in the Old Testament, the words of Jesus in the New Testament, none of it has changed. What He said then can be real to us now. We must believe it, not doubt it, speak like we believe it, and act on it. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8”. He promised!

One Step Away

May 18, 2008 by Bill Leave a Comment

Given May 18, 2008

I heard something in church today, during praise and worship, that was one of those, “Wow, that’s right!” It was said, “You can go a thousand steps away from God but it’s only one step back.” You know, that’s right. The Word says, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you, Hebrews 13:5 (The Message)“. What a comforting thought.

Many times I wander away from the protective presence of my Lord but, you know, He goes right along with me. Like I do with my grandkids, I follow close behind while they are exploring new wonders but stay close enough that they can run into my arms if they get scared or need help. My heavenly Father is the same way. He stays with me no matter how far I wander and is always there to take me back, give me help, step between me and danger, or comfort me when I get a boo boo. You know what I mean?

If you’re saved, you are never alone. If you think you’ve wandered far away from God, just call out to Him. He’ll say, “Here I am son. I’m right here daughter.” Daddy loves us. He won’t let us get too far away.

Talk, Walk, Talk

September 22, 2007 by Bill Leave a Comment

Given August 22, 2007
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “You gotta walk the talk!” See what you think about this: You can talk it after you walk it, but you have to talk it before you walk it, to see it. Man, does that statement make you squint your eyes and shake your head? Well, let me try to explain what it means.

It is said in Romans 4:17 that God, “calls things that are not as though they were.” God told Abraham that He had made him the father of many nations. Abraham believed God and, I imagine, he went around saying, “I’m the father of many nations.”, even though he was a hundred and his wife was barren. He was talking it BEFORE he saw it or walked it. He kept on talking it until he saw it, which was his son Issac. Then, after he’d talked it, and saw it, he could then walk it.

Abraham talked and walked by faith at first, saw his faith come to life in Issac, then he could put his arm around the boy and talk it some more. Then, I imagine, he said something like, “Look what the Lord has done!”

“It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak. 2 Corinthians 4:13“. If we speak the promises of God, believe what we say, and walk in it, then we can talk about it afterward and give God the glory!