Be Encouraged

I am glad to provide some scriptures that strengthen and encourage you as you trust God. Remember, He is faithful, loving, and ever-present, and He will never leave nor forsake you. Quoted from NIV.

“He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord.” (Psalm 40:3, NKJV)These verses highlight the themes of trust,  , and faithfulness in God throughout the Old Testament. But make no mistake, it takes from you a repentant heart. What is that? Well, it is simple. Die to any idea of coming to God for you to keep or gain. Come to God with the same humility as Mary, and let Christ be formed in you. As ruler of your heart, He is as ready to transform the world through blood as Then. Not the shedding of another’s blood but the shedding of His blood now coursing through His life in your veins.“But Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.’” (Matthew 26:52, NKJV)

“A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.” (Proverbs 11:13, NKJV)What if the heart was ill, not physically but spiritually, and the cure was embodied in the Person of JESUS’ residence within it? Furthermore, what if this spiritual remedy was freely accessible to all? Jesus is the ultimate solution for the deeper matters of the soul. He encourages us to accept Him with gratitude, acknowledging His unmatched value and having brought healing to the very core of our being.“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34, NKJV)

“But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’” (Psalm 31:14, NKJV)This verse expresses steadfast trust and devotion to God. It reflects a personal declaration of faith, affirming God's sovereignty and acknowledging Him as the ultimate source of guidance, protection, and provision. It's a declaration of loyalty and reliance on God amidst life's surprises, affirming He is worthy of your trust and adoration. See Him, then trust Him!“And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40, NKJV)

“Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.” (Psalm 16:1 NKJV)To experience the full expression of God through us, we must first completely trust in His ability to do so. Our attempts to do good on our own accord are ultimately flawed. However, we can witness His glory shining through by surrendering to God’s natural ability to meet the challenges in our lives. This glory can transform our minds and hearts, allowing us to let go of our efforts and trust in both His divine plan and methods.“For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us, therefore, be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:10–11 NKJV)

“Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 1:32 NKJV)If you asked a friend to help you, you would want them to have your exact address. Let God know your coordinates. How? Pray! What is prayer? Prayer is a simple conversation. Jesus said it was as easy as saying…“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:9–13 NKJV)

“The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.” (Nahum 1:7, NKJV)Imagine having skin cancer, and only one company possesses a cream to cure it. Would you hate, despise, or reject them over being the only remedy? What if that life-saving remedy were named JESUS and offered the cure for free? The analogy highlights the value of the remedy provided by Jesus, urging us to embrace it with gratitude and recognize its unparalleled significance for the soul. Those who choose to dis this cure remain in peril. Your soul attached to your flesh is death. The solution that separates your soul is Christ’s blood. Then, His love binds you to God.“They hated Me without a cause.” (John 15:25b NKJV)

“But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.” (Psalm 13:5 NKJV)Simply put, this verse tells us that our salvation comes from trusting in God's mercy. Some people believe that God despises them, but Jesus' sacrifice shows that he took the punishment for their sins, offering them forgiveness. However, this belief can trap them in a cycle of doubt, always questioning if they're truly saved. Instead, those who seek freedom from relying on themselves find fulfillment in Christ's love, which reassures them of God's affection. By turning away from worldly desires, they experience the power of Christ's sacrifice, which sets them free from doubting God's love.“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 NKJV)

“Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.” (Psalm 143:8 NKJV)Our complete reliance on God affirms that we cannot do better than follow. We have the privilege of doing exactly what God is doing. If He desires to feed people in a starving nation, He, in human form, wakes up early to plow, plant, tend, harvest, and distribute the crops. At the same time, He also energizes sailors to transport goods. He desires to work through us to live out His ways of love. He, even through our selfish desires to harm others through acts of greed, can become His opportunities to provide abundance for all.“You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.” (Acts 2:28, NKJV)

“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.” (Psalm 56:3 NKJV)The world often inundates us with various forms of fear, suggesting our lives are in danger. From a shortage of food to destruction, we are constantly urged by our independent living to think God is out to harm us, and it is our responsibility to prevent it. However, entertaining such a notion implies a lack of trust in God’s love for His creation. Jesus Christ came to dispel this belief. From what have you been saved? You have been saved from the limits of your mistaken identity! The old ‘i’.“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever trust Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16–17 NKJV)

“But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.” (Psalm 52:8 NKJV)Within Christendom, mercy is commonly understood as the gracious act of not receiving the consequences one rightfully deserves. However, a deeper perspective emerges, transforming your behavior into a covenant with God’s acceptance by our unwavering trust in God's loving character. This broader view sees mercy as a continuous attitude, where God not only withholds deserved consequences but perpetually accepts our reliance on His love as the foundation of our trust in Him.“Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the Lord.” (Psalm 4:5 NKJV)

“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)Your ways! Your path. Or His ways and His paths.God, as the master of your soul, reveals His way of bringing forth life. Those who place their trust in Him can do what they desire to do: give life. Similarly, those who distrust Him will do what they want to do: take life. Ultimately, the question is whether you did the things you did or trusted God to do them through you as if it were you. Once settled, He has you; you can have Him.“Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5, NKJV)

“Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:5 NKJV)Exercising trust in God means receiving His love as His very Person who shares His love. When we feel secure in God, we can help others feel secure. By God being Himself within us, they, too, can begin to acknowledge God in them. To the extent you do not trust God loves you, you will not love yourself, nor can you love your neighbor. The ability to reject God comes through doctrines or methods to gain God, get More, or become. Your new you is empty of self and bound to His love to express Christ’s person and will.“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)

“Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.” (Isaiah 26:4, NKJV)Let's go beyond mere apprehension of Mr. Love and fully welcome His presence into our hearts. Allow His love to course through you. This is more than a sentiment; it is truth in action: you were recreated to manifest His love. In the world, we strive against participating with rejection, hostility, discrimination, exclusion, intolerance, indifference, alienation, neglect, and criticism. Through His Spirit, we reflect love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these.“The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more.” (Zephaniah 3:15 NKJV)

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” (Psalm 37:3, NKJV)Embodying His love becomes a liberation bounded only by His will. Not only the will for you as an individual but for all. He unlocks the doors of self-imposed confinement, freeing you to embrace the essence of charity. In this liberated state, you become a beacon of love, radiating kindness and compassion to those around you. He in you becomes the catalyst for true freedom – freedom to extend a helping hand, offer a comforting word, and contribute to the well-being of others. This is His law in action, His image reflected.“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:23, NKJV)

The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. (Psalm 28:7)Christ Jesus overcame our wrath for Him. When Mr. Love envelops you, you become Christ’s goodness, one who is acceptable to God and perfectly free to do God’s will.Yet, in the absence of experiencing His love, one finds oneself entangled in the confines of one’s mind and body – a state better known as death. Without the life of Mr. Love, one remains trapped in a self-imposed prison, disconnected from one’s intended destiny, which is to experience existence as God’s eternal expression.“Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’” (Isaiah 12:2, NKJV)

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)In the embrace of Mr. Love, you don't just have life; instead, Life 'has you.' It's an immersive experience intertwining your being with the very source of all love. As He holds you, others around you can't help but experience the life-giving warmth of His love emanating through you. In this union with God, you become a vessel, a conduit through which the boundless love of Mr. Love flows into the world. Your submission becomes their opportunity to accept the one you have humbly accepted.By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)

“Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!” (Psalm 31:19 NKJV)The awe of encountering Mr. Love lies in acknowledging that His love stands as the paramount force in the vast expanse of the universe. His abilities draw us, entwining us with purposes so empowering they escape the limits of our imagination. Mr. Love is not merely a fleeting sentiment but a person, in fact, the Person of persons. When you embrace Him, you don't just feel His love. Instead, your encounter with His love becomes the essence of your existence. Embodying His love, you are free to be charitable.“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6 NASB95)

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” (Psalm 9:10 NKJV)When you trust Jehovah’s saving power, you rely on His name. The Son of God proved the greatness of His Father’s name. Those who find refuge in God’s love are at peace with His name. Those who reject His Personified love do not rely on His name. Instead, they experience their wrath toward Him, thinking it is His wrath toward them. However, for those who trust Him, our wrath was poured on the Son of God at Calvary. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2 NKJV)

“Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the Lord.” (Psalm 4:5, NKJV)Yes! You have two options - either standing and watching God’s deliverance or trying to do it with your own strength, which is not what God intends. Only those who lack trust try to become righteous before God, yet He has already accomplished everything for us to become wise, redeemed, and sanctified, and we are filled with joy because we are included in His Son. As His children, we are worthy to trust Him. The act of trusting Him proves our worth. Trusting Him, His Person, His purposes, and His presence is a sacrifice. That is why we live from one trust moment to the next.“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” (Romans 1:17, NKJV)

“But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.” (Psalm 5:11 NKJV)What’s in a name? Previously, your name would determine your destiny, and what society expected from you would depend on your family’s background. The name of Jesus means ‘Jehovah Saves,’ which implies that you don’t. Receiving Jesus as Christ is receiving Jehovah in action, which means you give up trying to qualify for His life as yours. Which life dies? Your having to think you are your flesh, thoughts, and thoughts about your thoughts. Which life lives? Your soul is attached to Jesus, who has become the life-giving Spirit.“My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart.” (Psalm 7:10, NKJV)

“Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.” (Psalm 2:12 NKJV)There is a path that leads to eternal life with God. We understand that this path requires transformation. Words such as wrath, anger, and trust describe our experience of consciously separating our worthiness to be with God by examining our thoughts and actions. However, those who hold onto the Lord experience His love, which forms an unbreakable bond between our soul and His Spirit. It is much more fulfilling to embrace the Son.“The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.” (Psalm 28:7, NKJV)

IntroductionThis little word, trust, has a universe of meaning. In the scriptures, we are commanded to trust the Lord. Society wants you to distrust others and trust yourself. Again, it can be read that we are to take refuge in God and not men, but society wants you to take refuge in yourself. God’s way is complete, and His living Word is trustworthy. You can take refuge in Him. This says it all.The Perfect Way“As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?” (2 Samuel 22:31–32 NKJV)During the Exodus, Christ is referred to as the rock people followed in the wilderness, implying that Christ is God.“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” (1 Corinthians 10:1–4 NKJV)

My dear children, my advice to you has never changed, nor will it. Love one another. That very love is God. It is far better to be like God. By now, you would have figured that out. If you haven't, take some time to catch up to the truth. The best you can be is a transforming servant of Love.Please do not mistake tolerance for love. Love is patient but firm. Remember Cain? I did not raise you to be like Cain, to take the lives of those who trust God. Why did God accept Abel's sacrifice and not Cain's? Able smothered his sacrifice with trust in God. That was enough. It is always enough.I never actually sat down and taught you how to do evil. You learned those lessons by catering to the lusts of your own eyes and flesh and your desire to be more than you were in the eyes of each other. Dear children. Do not be fooled. If you are attached to your flesh, you will go the way of the flesh. If you are attached to the One who first loved you, you are attached to life.

“but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)Let us recap:The name Jesus is a declaration: Jehovah saves! We can’t save anyone, especially ourselves. We trust Jesus, the Person and author of salvation. We trust His work is finished. We believe that trusting Him is enough. That very trust is the promised eternal life declared by His name. That life is Jesus trusting Father for us and through us.Trust is Life! Live Trust.Yes, Father, You have gifted me Eternal Life, evidenced in my trust in Your Son, which is being birthed in my heart each moment. Your way is ever so simple yet challenged by doubt. Trusting is eternal living.

“Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” (John 20:27)Dig, poke, and prod for the truth, you doubters. In the end, you must doubt yourself. Then, you can reach out and touch the unseen and be touched by the Real. Transform to a truster. Move into trust and remain. It is your new home. Satan and many angels left their assigned quarters. Adam and Eve left their assigned limits. Jesus left heaven to gather up trusting souls. We can disown lack, fear, shame, guilt, incrimination, and the belief we must sin. We are freed from having to doubt God.Move on to your new digs.My new home is in You, Lord Jesus. You are the room prepared for me. There I come. There I remain.

“So the other disciples were saying to him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’” (John 20:25)You have to love Thomas. Without his stubborn doubt, we would not have an eye witness to the wounds still visible in Jesus’s body. This was the Jesus that had been dead but now lives and even walks through stone and wood. What a privilege for those who have not seen and yet trust Him. Why? Because their head isn’t getting in the way.What makes God tangible? A trusting heart.Father, I lived without trust in You until I called, and You showed up. I had cried out to be better many times. When I asked You to take control of my life, You showed up and remained.

“So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed.” (John 20:8)This was the defining moment for the Apostle John. John chose to trust Jesus had risen from the dead. Another report says that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave after the Sabbath. Right then, an earthquake occurred because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. The guards saw this, shook for fear of the angel, and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; …He is not here, for He has risen. Come, see the place where He was lying.”Before the stone was moved, Jesus had escaped the tomb.I, like John, have looked for Your body. I can see those who trust You wearing it. We are your body.

“that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:21)How can the average person trust an unseen person? Well, it is easy. It is like sitting in a chair. Sit! It is not worth your trust if it does not support you. I once sat in what looked like a perfect chair. It lied. Ouch! But I would not have known the value of that chair without taking a leap of faith and resting in it. So it is with Christ. Give Him your life and see what happens. I did not say to give Him a chance to complete your desires but to trust His desires to be completed in and through you.He desires to love you so that you love others.I rest in Your love. Whether I feel love or not, I accept Your heart is loving the unlovable through me.

“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;” (John 17:20)Jesus as good as said, “He who trusts in Me trusts in the One who sent Me. I have come into the world so that everyone who trusts Me will escape the darkness of hate. If anyone hears My saying, ‘I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.’ He is the one who accepts me.”He who rejects Jesus and does not receive His sayings has one who judges him; the very word Jesus spoke, ‘Live!’ This word will judge him on the last day.He told His disciples to repeat these sayings.I repeat Your message, Jesus. Live. Everyone. Live!

“for the words which You gave Me I have given to them, and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.” (John 17:8)No one has to be a Christian any more than a door has to be opened. But if you choose to open the door to God, the door to open is Jesus Christ. No one has to trust Him. But if you do, you will find life better for it. You may doubt in the hereafter, yet living as a Christian is more beneficial than living any insanity based on self or self-improvement, failing, and trying harder. Of course, no one can learn to swim if they do not jump into the pool and risk drowning.We who submit to Jesus Christ will drown.Jesus, here I am, I’m jumping. Hello?

“Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe?’” (John 16:31)Only you can answer this question. Do you trust Jesus to live His life through you? Either you remain a self, trying to be a better self, or one with His Self trusting the Father. In every moment, our flesh loves to bait us into trying to be like God. It sees needs but grumbles for not seeing the supply. We who trust see the supply. It has always been so bright and vast that disbelievers will see it as some great void. On the other hand, we see it as the Total living in us.The Total One is It. We have It.Okay! It is time to say, “Yes. I trust You, Lord Jesus, right now, and now, and now, and now, and now…”

“Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.” (John 16:30)Life boils down to a leap of faith. Either we trust Christ or don’t. Not trusting Christ is natural. Trusting Him is supernatural. It takes Christ’s trusting Father living in you to express that trust. The very faculty of trust is so free it feels innate. Since childhood, we have trusted light switches, chairs, and some of the food we eat. We know our preferences and act on those preferences. We choose one thing over another. Instead of praising God for that innate ability, we often take ownership of it by trying to improve it.We even try to control the preferences of others.I enjoy Your ability to be with me, Lord, in choosing Your best for me.

“for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.” (John 16:27)Jesus is saying that the Father desires to be your friend because you have befriended Jesus and trusted The Father sent him. Much of Jesus’s teaching was around equating one thing to another. We see this in His renaming people to their tasks or positions. So, it is the Father’s will to trust His Son. He equates trusting His Son with being His friend. Go ahead, be His friend.Wow! When that hits home, cry for a few days. As Your friend, Lord, I come willing to do all Your desires for me to be and do. I Surender all I think I am for all I am in You.

“concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;” (John 16:9)Jesus redefined sin. It had been breaking the Law of Mosses. Now, it was simply not trusting Jesus. Every time a person looks to flesh or its mechanisms to complete them, it is the sin of idolatry. Only Christ is the redeemer of each event we encounter. It is not I with a little help from Jesus, nor a whole lot of Jesus with a bit of help from me. It sees Jesus as the Total and trusts in the Total He is.Doubt is distrusting Jesus.Self-improvement is a useless exercise. Christ has come to destroy the self that needs to improve. My soul attached to His Spirit is the Spirit of Christ Himself. He needs no improvement.

“Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.” (John 14:29)Believe what? Believe that Christ had to suffer and die. This was the plan. With His blood, He could carry Sin to its new home, leave it there, and pick up the souls that had been slaves to Sin. Every soul ever conceived had been, through genetics, attached to Sin (trusting self over God). Now, every soul has been freed from Sin by being bound to Christ’s heart and Person of Love, Jesus the Christ. Once everyone is reconciled to Christ as Lord, He will hand everything over to Father for a specific reason…That God may be all and in all.Father, You are my home in Christ. As He abides with you, I, too, abide in His abiding. As He humbles Himself to Your will, so am I humbled.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” (John 14:12)Don’t get confused. Jesus just said He would work through you the works that you think you do. You will do the very works He is doing as you trust this is true. Jesus went to the Father and can now, through you, do greater works. He can do greater now through you than what He did then. Father, I will not speculate what You are doing that is considered greater but lay myself before You to do the greater You do through me.

“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.” (John 14:11)The very heart of Christ and how he worked the works of God is revealed in this verse. The one little word ‘in’ says it all. A fish in the sea can live in the sea—a fish out of the sea stinks. When we trust we are in Christ, who is in Father God, we have fulfilled the will of God at work in our hearts. Our desire to get has been transformed into a heart that gives. Share what you have, and you share Christ gifting others.Compared to many lives, I give little, but what I give is enormous. I share You, Lord.

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.” (John 14:10)Above, Jesus made a shocking statement. If this message is true, it is profound and a deal breaker. Let me explain. Jesus, the perfect one and only Son of God, could NOT initiate anything. His words and works were a slave to His Father’s will being worked out from within. He was an instrument in God’s hands. That position is called sanctified. We, too, in Christ, cannot initiate any God thing, but we can submit to the Father’s every desire.Be original. Let God be King.Father, I am nothing without Your authoring and finishing my trust in Your abilities.

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” (John 14:1)You don’t have to tolerate a troubled heart. I had a friend whose testimony included a fellow inmate in a Federal Prison handing him a tiny Bible. He said, “You can live here in fear, bondage, and misery or have peace.” My friend read the Bible and found peace. He even began praying for the judge who had sentenced him to 25 years without parole. Shortly afterward, the judge freed him. Years later, I was sad to discover this man was again suffering from a troubled heart but now in a prison without walls. He was forgetting to trust Christ for everything. He had forgotten his freedom. The heart does not need to be troubled.Hallelujah! In the throws of life, I can rejoice with a free and happy heart.

“From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.” (John 13:19)Who is this He in whom you may trust? Let’s get His exact address. Jesus the Christ, the Son of God of 2000 years ago, existed, died, rose, ascended, and returned His Holy Spirit to reside in and live through those who trust Jesus as the Christ. He will return with every eye seeing Him. There’s no other Christ nor the office of little Christ. We are all subservient to the Spirit of Christ in us. Though forms of Christ’s body are individual, we are never separate from Him. We are never equal to Him or in any way replacing Him. Some have and will come claiming to be Christ Himself. Don’t check it out!We claim our individual forms of His life uniquely living us.I am nothing without You, Lord, and nothing except Your will in action as I live from Spirit, ignoring the flesh trying to define me. Your Spirit defines me.

“I have come as Light into the world so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46)In 1 John, the Holy Spirit defines darkness as hate. Hate, defined by Jesus, was as simple as pushing someone away. In contrast, light is equated with love. Light is seen as God and experienced as His loving us. Darkness is seen as killing. Make no mistake. The one with the smoking gun walks in darkness. Right now, you can repent and let love so embrace you that you turn your guns into plows producing food for life.Be transformed from fear and hate to love.Father, You have loved, do love, and will love me. I trust this. To abide in Your love, I submit to Your love, loving all as my brother.

“And Jesus cried out and said, ‘He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me.’” (John 12:44)Jesus declares He is but an agent authorized to pass on headquarters’ promises. Or, like an Ambassador, what they say is what the Government they represent is saying. The same is valid for declaring God’s love for every soul conceived. We are God’s Ambassadors. When you are accepted, Christ is accepted. When Christ is accepted, Father is accepted. Hear this! God loves you so much that He has done everything needed to reconcile you to Himself. God is Love.Be reconciled to Love!I am reconciled. Thank You, Father, for doing Your will through me.

“Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue;” (John 12:42)Letting public opinion sway our decision to receive the trust found in Christ will always nullify the benefits of that trust. I remember a Muslim youth who stayed with us one Christmas and had become very interested in embracing Jesus as the Christ. He stated that if he did so, it would mean he would lose everything. He would have to return home, lose his education and potential position, be rejected by his family, and possibly suffer death. That simple yes to a yet unseen promise would cost him everything. He decided to keep what he had.Keeping what you have is rejecting the LIFE.Let me keep the Promise no matter the cost.

“This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (John 12:38)When we see Jesus’ arms stretched out, His rod and scepter become the spikes holding Him on the cross. Without them, He would be free to do His will. With them, He was stuck to Father’s will. We are told to take up our cross every day. We are glued to Father’s will and cannot escape. No effort can get us on our cross nor loose us from the bonds binding us to Father’s will. Father getting His way is the direct outcome of your having called upon the Lord.Get stuck!Father, here I am; take me, glue me to Your living will. No matter what I see or feel, I trust it is done.

“But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him.” (John 12:37)What does it take for you to trust? Nothing. If someone found you today and declared they were returning next Tuesday with a new car for you, with taxes paid, licensed, insured, maintenance, and gas for ten years, then turned and walked away, what would your response be? How about saying, “See you then!” That is trusting in his person according to his word. It will be settled next Tuesday. Many people claim Jesus is a liar without having trusted Him. For instance, the word to us claims, “All who call upon the Lord will be saved.” Have you trusted that word? When will you know if that word is trustworthy? When you call upon the Lord Jesus.Submit to the message.I die to my wants and submit to Your wants. You want all of humanity to call upon You and be saved. Here is one voice calling out to You, mine.

“‘While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.’ These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.” (John 12:36)We all trust earthly light. In the instant the light goes on, we relate to things differently. So it is with people who turn to Christ Jesus and trust Him. Trust the Light. Go to the Light! The light of the Father shines through Him doing His works through you. He gave you an opportunity to embrace the Light, that is, Himself. It is well to define light again, LOVE.Trust the Light. Trust Love. Let Love live you.I have the authority to become a son of Light by trusting the Light. I trust I am a son of Light. I am a son of Love.

“If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” (John 11:48)Right after Jesus had called Lazarus from his grave, the Pharisees decided both had to die. Why? Because, without hindering Jesus’s living, He would, in time, gain the trust of everyone. The Jewish world would have come to their Messiah and followed their God-appointed King. People like these Pharisees even today slander Jesus to keep the Jewish Nation from bowing to their King. Well, they did kill Jesus. We all have been blessed beyond measure for their fearful acts. Thank you for shedding the blood that cleanses us all. We all bow to His will.Nothing can undo God’s work through the trust of His Son.Father, I accept all You have sent as a Life worth trusting.

“Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.” (John 11:45)Years ago, I witnessed a resurrection of sorts. I shared it with a friend. He denied what I had seen. He, as good as, called me a liar. He exhibited anger over my insisting on what I had seen. He had been born in the Middle East. I thought his trust in me as a friend would have been sufficient to credential the story. There was something he could not accept. I later learned that for him to trust what I had said would make someone more powerful than his god. He reported that, as a Muslim, Allah did not have the power to raise the dead. Interestingly enough, Isha (Jesus) has the power to do miracles for them.Every soul trusting Jesus has been raised from the dead.Thank You, Lord, that You have power over my death and living.

“I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” (John 11:42)Jesus did not say to His Father, “I know You always hear me,” but “I knew…”. This difference can make us think He had already been chatting with Father quietly and was concerned with having to request out loud what Father had already promised. Jesus wanted the crowd to know it was the Father Who had sent the Son to raise the dead, so He, out loud, repeated the promise Father had made. Today, we are commanded to announce what has been promised by our Father God. We may have specific requests and petitions. But for His promises, we receive them with praise and thanksgiving.Everything Father has promised is yes and amen.Yes, Jesus, You are the resurrection. Amen.